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Ok all. So I’m a gamer and haven’t built my own system since the 90s. I’ve always had a backup USB HDD in case I run into issues and have to format. I’m looking to have a bay for a HDD that I can remove and put in a different one, kind of like unplugging a external HDD and plugging in a new one.

Currently two of my bays are for optical drives (although one isn’t showing in my list below). I don't know if what I’m looking for even exists or if it has to do with some server tech but I am looking for something that’s compatible with my system.

Run5k
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Wizardhood2003
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    If you just have an occasional need to plug in a hard drive one of the new [USB Hard drive Docks](https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External-Docking-Station-DS-UBLK/dp/B00IKAQ538) work well and can just sit on your desk. – JPhi1618 Mar 05 '19 at 22:10

2 Answers2

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Sounds like what you are after is a hot-swap bay.

They make different flavors depending on if you want to use 3.5 inch drives or 2.5 inch drives. Here is one for two 2.5 inch drives that will fit in the 5.25 inch standard optical drive bay. https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-2-5-Inch-Trayless-Backplane-HSB220SAT25B

If you want one for 3.5 inch drives, they are available too.

Eddie Dunn
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  • Just make sure that the HD is protected from static, water, and physical knocks. USB enclosures usually do the job well, but if you have a safe place for the HD, the hot swap bay is fine. There are also hard drive docks, which are like hot swap bays in a standalone USB device. – Christopher Hostage Mar 05 '19 at 19:36
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    @ChristopherHostage you may be able to find enclosed trays that give all around protection. We had them for 3.5" drives at my previous job (drives were being pulled and locked in a safe nightly so they needed to be well protected); but they were bought something like a decade ago and I couldn't find an example quickly today. – Dan Is Fiddling By Firelight Mar 05 '19 at 20:39
  • @DanNeely I guess you mean something with a caddy for the HDD which also has data and power connectors, so that the ones on the HDD don't wear out. No, I can't find them either. – Andrew Morton Mar 05 '19 at 20:51
  • @AndrewMorton yes. They were fully enclosed caddies that held drives similarly to USB enclosures, but had (proprietary?) connectors to plug into the bay unit instead of USB and DC power plugs on the back. – Dan Is Fiddling By Firelight Mar 05 '19 at 20:56
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    @DanNeely I've found one example: [Startech hot-swap-hard-drive-bay-usb-enclosure](https://www.startech.com/uk/HDD/Mobile-Racks/hot-swap-hard-drive-bay-usb-enclosure~S251BU31REM). Must now try to resist gadget purchase. – Andrew Morton Mar 05 '19 at 21:13
  • Nice find. The USB dual use mode puts that one up on the enclosures used at my last job, OTOH the use of a berg power connector on the back of the bay unit itself is pure Startech WTFery. – Dan Is Fiddling By Firelight Mar 05 '19 at 21:36
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    The photo appears to depict a device that fits in a 3.5" floppy bay, not the stated 5.25" optical drive bay. – ScottJ Mar 06 '19 at 01:47
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    I've used removable drive bays (for 5.25" HDD drives). The ones I'm familiar with have simple connectors built in to the mating parts. I wouldn't trust such a setup for an actual "hot" swap; I always did swaps with the machine powered down. If you want to do hot swaps, make sure the device is advertised for that capability (power/ground and signal connections should mate progressively) – Zenilogix Mar 06 '19 at 04:33
  • @Zenilogix I wondered, too, whether hot-swappability (is that a word!?) is actually needed for the OP. How would it work anyway? – Peter - Reinstate Monica Mar 06 '19 at 06:54
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    @PeterA.Schneider I've seen hot-swappable circuit boards (for a telephony system). The boards had their edge connectors arranged such that certain conductors mated first on insert, de-mated last on removal, creating an inherent two (or perhaps three) step connection/disconnection. This allowed for the whole system to be continuously powered while allowing individual cards to be inserted or removed at any time for servicing or upgrade. One could imagine something along similar lines for a HDD, just not sure how it would be done "right". FWIW I think USB employs this principle. – Zenilogix Mar 16 '19 at 20:59
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As noted by in another answer to this question, what you are (likely) looking for is called a "hot swap(pable) hard drive bay".

Hot swapping is intended to allow replacement of failed hard drivers without powering off a device. As a consequence, hot swapping a hard drives often mean being able to remove it from the front of the machine. There are inserts that allow for this via standard-sized drive bays (i.e. the hard drive sits in a tray/cage inside this bay).

Anaksunaman
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    Effectively a feature of SOHO NAS for a while (Sata). It helps to know which disk has failed if this is for RAID6 too. – mckenzm Mar 06 '19 at 00:12