Case for 5.25" Optical Drive (using Hitachi Simpledrive board)
Description
I had an old USB 2.0 500Gb Hitachi portable hard drive lying about that I no longer had a use for. The hard drive had been taken out some time ago (as I now just use a desktop dock for occasional use disks). But I also had an old full-size optical drive that I wanted to be able to hook up via USB. So I removed the controller board from the old Hitachi, and tested it on my optical drive. Sure enough, it worked just fine, so all I had to do was knock up a case to tie it all together securely. I was going to go with PLA, but decided to be experimental and try making a flexible case. This would give some degree of protection to the drive, and cover up the bare metal. Since the optical drive's case is pretty solid, it didn't need to be substantial, and I opted to make it as a sort of "skin with added bumpers". My printer has started misbehaving of late; I haven't tuned it properly in ages (I'm planning to get a new one), and the motherboard has an issue with randomly freezing in the middle of large prints - meaning overnight prints are currently out - and I'm having trouble printing TPU of late (hence the grotty finish!). Because of this, I was forced to split the main outer case into 3 parts (plus the controller board mount). But there's really no reason it can't be printed as a one-piece cover for those whose printers are dialled-in and working well. Whatever you choose to do, you should print the controller board mount first out of a solid plastic like PLA. In my case, I mounted the circuit board using two tiny self-tapping screws I had lying around. There's a white indicator light on the Hitachi controller board. To be honest It's not really needed for an optical drive, and I was tempted to either remove it, or to just leave it clipped somewhere invisible inside the case. But, in the end, I mounted it so that it was visible, since it could be useful in diagnosing potential future issues. It's secured in place using a dab of hot glue, and its long wire was secured clear of the vent slots with a couple more splodges of the same. As mentioned earlier, there's no reason why the case can't be printed in one piece (with appropriate supports) on a properly set up printer. I've included an untested one-piece STL file for those who'd rather do it that way. It would definitely look neater. The case slides on from the rear, then the controller board should be clciked in, before the various screws are added. As menationed, mine was split into 3 parts through necessity. but it installs in a similar manner: Front first, then mid-section, then rear, with the controller board being fitted last. As you can see, it works OK, but with my print issues I've ended up with some "lumpy" joints and weird striping that I'm not happy with (but will have to live with for now). I may design a two piece "clamshell" case in the future. But, for the moment, it's fine for what I need (how often do we use an optical drive these days, anyway?!!). That's today's little issue sorted, so I'm off for a drive! Happy printing!
Statistics
Likes
0
Downloads
0