Hi,
i'm wondering why I don't find any 3,5" or 5,25" plastic drive bay covers with screws that can be mounted like a cdrom.
Yes, I know that there were some metal parts from Lian Li, but aren't there any one cheap in plastic?
I mean universal ones with holes for screws.
back in the day no one bothered i guess it was just easier to buy another cd drive and stick in there to fill the hole up vs keeping it blank if u lost a cover plus all the other weird things that companies over the years came up with that could go in a bay like cd holders/fan controllers/speakers/screens/cassette players/power supplies and all kinds of other crazy crap.
Like this? It's not plastic, but it's cheap... or maybe we have different definitions of cheap, of course.
Meatball wrote on 2022-03-24, 15:29:Like this? It's not plastic, but it's cheap... or maybe we have different definitions of cheap, of course.
Yep, those were bound to exist somewhere. And the price probably is as low as it gets for a dedicated offer like that.
Below, there's only cannibalizing scrap.
Of course, that is grey. But if you really insist in complete case integrity, you'll have to learn how to use beige spray cans, I'm afraid 😉
I like jumpers.
I've thought on larger quantities like 10 or 20.
aaron158 wrote on 2022-03-24, 15:23:back in the day no one bothered i guess it was just easier to buy another cd drive and stick in there to fill the hole up vs keeping it blank if u lost a cover plus all the other weird things that companies over the years came up with that could go in a bay like cd holders/fan controllers/speakers/screens/cassette players/power supplies and all kinds of other crazy crap.
Plus you could also go to a computer fair, take a shovel and a large bag, and fill it up with random drive plates and blankers the vendors had boxes of under the tables... then you'd probably have something that fit every hole you're tryna fill.
So here's a rough guide to easy home manufacture of something that would work...
First, make a wooden block that fits the 5.25 bay, but only goes back as far as the first holes, plus a little material for the screws to bite in, make holes there.... make the front smooth, take off the sharp edges a little but not too rounded. Now wax it, rub it all over with candle wax or something, you want it "non-stick". Now find blow moulded PET or HDPE bottles/containers that are about 2" longer than the block, cut the top open so you can get the block inside it, fold the excess from the top around the back of the block and temporarily fasten it with staple. Now, heatgun that sucker, (Oh, helps to make sure there's somewhere for air to escape) and the plastic will attempt to shrink back to it's original shape before it was a bottle.... but oh noes, there's a wood block in the way, so it forms around the wood block. So now you get a stanley craft knife and cut the back out of the piece to get your wood block out.... leaving a good edge all round the front to help strengthen. Hopefully the divots show where the block was drilled.if not, mark them with a pen before you cut it out. Anyway, now you've got a bay cover, rigidity depends on bottle used, may need painting if all you could find was brown or green or clear bottle. Fixing it into place may need backing nuts as the material isn't quite thick enough to hold a screw. (But if you wanted you could epoxy chunks of popsicle stick or something in it so small woodscrew holds etc) ... Anyway, get the hang of that and you'll be begging all your neighbours empty shampoo bottles and churning them out by the... several.
edit: Closest kind of thing to what I'm talking about... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-VMOIBPuZA
Unicorn herding operations are proceeding, but all the totes of hens teeth and barrels of rocking horse poop give them plenty of hiding spots.
There are multiple designs on thingiverse. Just pick one and get it printed in your preferred colour.👍
