# Building your own CD/DVD/HDD external enclosure



## LitomoSilver (Feb 20, 2005)

What I want to know is...how do I build a CD/DVD as well as hard drive external enclosure w/ PATA/Sata connections inside the case and connecting it via USB 2.0 and eSata connection.

I'll be googling this as well, but I'd like your suggestions, everyone, please!


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I'd just buy the external enclosure. I hope you're not trying to design and build your own, because I suspect it's way more work than you imagine! 

Do a search at www.newegg.com, they have tons of enclosures with all sorts of different interfaces available.


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## LitomoSilver (Feb 20, 2005)

LOL 

Design?! No way. I just want the functionality. Screw the sparkly lights and "gee whiz" features.

Okay, maybe a bit of sparkly lights LOL...but nothing too complicated.

Reason why I'm asking for how is because I'm having such a hard time trying to even purchase things online.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Well, the site I referenced has tons of USB/Firewire enclosures, you should be able to find your flavor there.


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## LitomoSilver (Feb 20, 2005)

Aight. I wonder if you could do it with wood?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Wood?


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## LitomoSilver (Feb 20, 2005)

Yeah! You know, wood enclosure?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Sure, buy a commercial unit and take the guts out and build the wood enclosure.


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## LitomoSilver (Feb 20, 2005)

That's a good idea.

Have you had experience in building one?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Nope, I just buy them and stick a disk into them. 

If you open one up, you'll see that it should be very easy to build a case to enclose the guts, I just never felt the need for a Mahogany external disk.


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## LitomoSilver (Feb 20, 2005)

LOL...yeah, I can see what you mean.

I don't think I'll have to open one up as I remember an ad that seems to be recurring in MaximumPC...and it has the basics to do external connections and stuff, but has no enclosure of any sort. Perhaps I'll purchase that and see how it is!

Question though: If I want it to be able to hold all three, y'know, CD/DVD/HDD, would I be able to use any sort of connection from those enclosures and just set up the rails in the enclosure so that it holds all three, and allow me to make it interchangeable?


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## DoubleHelix (Dec 10, 2004)

All have the same connection types: SATA or PATA. 

Are you living in some part of the world that makes ordering something already made impossible?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

DoubleHelix said:


> All have the same connection types: SATA or PATA.
> 
> Are you living in some part of the world that makes ordering something already made impossible?


Eugene, Oregon? Maybe they don't have computer stores there?


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## DoubleHelix (Dec 10, 2004)

I didn't see a location for the OP. I thought it might be another "Romania" situation.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I cheat and do an IP address lookup.


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## LitomoSilver (Feb 20, 2005)

DoubleHelix: Not necessarily, though there IS no computer shop in my place...unless you count the Goodwill, which hardly has any good computer parts. (HA!) Ordering things is quite difficult, actually. The library settings make it extremely difficult to do things. (Java disabled, and a few other things disabled and the fact that they don't seem to offer the choice of HTTPS...kinda makes me leery of ordering things online here as the Library Director told me that THEIR servers knows when someone's done something they shouldn't have.) OP? How'd you cheat?  And you were close enough. Actually, I'm in Cottage Grove, 15-20 minutes roughly, away from Eugene.


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## DoubleHelix (Dec 10, 2004)

If you don't have your own computer, why would you need an external drive enclosure?


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## guitar21 (Nov 6, 2006)

No Internet Go To Library


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## guitar21 (Nov 6, 2006)

Wood Sounds Good I Seen A Pc Cacse Made Out Of Wood With Brass It Was Very Quiet Made Around Standard Striped Down Box 

Try Match Sticks


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## guitar21 (Nov 6, 2006)

http://craphound.com/images/suicsapc.jpg


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## guitar21 (Nov 6, 2006)

However You Build It Keep It Cool


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## LitomoSilver (Feb 20, 2005)

DoubleHelix said:


> If you don't have your own computer, why would you need an external drive enclosure?


Actually, I do have my own computer...(Laptop recently arrived.) and two PCs. Laptop and my Dell computer doesn't exactly have a CD/DVD drive working with it, and since the Dell PC's internal mobo pin for the HDD got bent, I've had to unplug the CD/DVD so that I can still use the PC with the secondary IDE connector.

And the laptop does not at all have any sort of CD/DVD enclosure. (A P2 in fact.)


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## DoubleHelix (Dec 10, 2004)

If you have three computers at home, why are you going to the library to order things on the Internet?


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## LitomoSilver (Feb 20, 2005)

Because at the moment, my house does not have internet. (I can get dial-up, but the price...well, you can imagine.) and the fact that in the city near me, they're going to roll out wireless in the entire city. (Too bad they're not rolling it out in my city, otherwise I wouldn't have to go to the Library.) and the family that I live with, isn't very willing to get dial-up because of the very reason that it is well, price-prohibitive. (You know, the toll charges and other things they sneak up on you?)


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