Storage [SFFn] Quick Look: SilverStone's EXB01 - Even Moar Storage

[confusis]

Wasted space is the most hated aspect of design to our community. Empty RAM slots, disregarded drive bays, and one that the SilverStone EXB01 hopes to use up, empty expansion slots. Popping an extra 2.5" drive in that unused expansion slot is something I've wanted to see for years, even back when I, shamefully, ran ATX systems.

SilverStone has a huge range of devices to make use of spare slots, bays, space and the like, with some interesting concepts and products to use up that spare air. Let's have a deeper look at the EXB01.

Read more here.

 

[Biowarejak]

Almost thought this was a repost of the last one love the look of this, but not having the key seems like it would be a big problem for a consumer. Hopefully that isn't a typical experience.

 

[cleveland]

That's an awesome thing to have underneath the motherboard, in a dual-layer style, like the inwin chopin!

 

[Choidebu]

Great new article format with videos! Blue bandaid, no problem!

 

[loader963]

Is there a maximum thickness? I know the 7 and 9mm should fit, but what about the bigger 15mm drives, such as the seagate 5tb barracuda's?
BTW I saw what you did with the 10TB joke.... was more excited about that than the product review at first lol.

 

[confusis]

@loader963 Anything thicker than 9.5 just won't fit - the cutout in the PCI bracket limits this

 

[Mortis Angelus]

Great post! I And this is an awesome thing to get. I have been thinking of adding more SSDs to my system, but I've run out of 2.5" bay-space in my ATX rig. This would solve that. And for single-expansion slot SFX cases this must be a god-send.

I just can't fathom: Why the ugly blue PCB at the rear? Could they not have made a black PCB?

 

[el01]

I love this idea, but my main complaint is with the holes on the side of the device. I personally think it would be better with solid steel sides (the holes make it look weak to me). I couldn't care less about the blue PCB, though, considering that it will either be covered with some cables or the rest of a system in a SFF case.

 

[Valantar]

If anyone is interested in a budget, all-metal version of this (without the hot-swap capabilities, though), Chinese purveyor of fine USB- and storage-related doohickeys and doodads Orico has single-drive and dual-drive options for housing drives in free PCIe slots. AFAIK the dual-drive version is no longer in production, though you might be able to find it in stock some places. I tried ordering a dual-drive caddy a year or so ago, but was sent the single-drive version both from moddiy.com and an Aliexpress seller. Both were friendly enough to give full refunds, but still disappointing. Plus, I have no use for the single-drive ones, so now they're just taking up space in my parts bins. I'll probably be able to use them for something down the line, though. The build quality is excellent, and the padding inside of the caddy makes for a great screw-less friction fit of pretty much any drive.

I love this idea, but my main complaint is with the holes on the side of the device. I personally think it would be better with solid steel sides (the holes make it look weak to me). I couldn't care less about the blue PCB, though, considering that it will either be covered with some cables or the rest of a system in a SFF case.

You know that perforated metal is generally stronger than sheet metal, right? As long as the metal is sufficiently thick and you don't go overboard with the perforations, drilling holes increases the rigidity and bend-resistance significantly.

 

[el01]

If anyone is interested in a budget, all-metal version of this (without the hot-swap capabilities, though), Chinese purveyor of fine USB- and storage-related doohickeys and doodads Orico has single-drive and dual-drive options for housing drives in free PCIe slots. AFAIK the dual-drive version is no longer in production, though you might be able to find it in stock some places. I tried ordering a dual-drive caddy a year or so ago, but was sent the single-drive version both from moddiy.com and an Aliexpress seller. Both were friendly enough to give full refunds, but still disappointing. Plus, I have no use for the single-drive ones, so now they're just taking up space in my parts bins. I'll probably be able to use them for something down the line, though. The build quality is excellent, and the padding inside of the caddy makes for a great screw-less friction fit of pretty much any drive.


You know that perforated metal is generally stronger than sheet metal, right? As long as the metal is sufficiently thick and you don't go overboard with the perforations, drilling holes increases the rigidity and bend-resistance significantly.

The more the know, the more you know

So hypothetically, if I have 2 2mm thick pieces of steel and I cut square holes in one of the (squares being 10mm large, say), the piece with 10mm holes will be stronger?

 

[Valantar]

The more the know, the more you know

So hypothetically, if I have 2 2mm thick pieces of steel and I cut square holes in one of the (squares being 10mm large, say), the piece with 10mm holes will be stronger?

Round holes are stronger than holes with corners (corners make weak spots as they create a focus point for forces passing through the metal), but any holes should still be stronger than none. The reason is rather obvious once you think about it: a plain sheet of metal lets any energy put into it pass through unobstructed and converge where the strongest forces intersect (say you grab a square piece of sheet metal along opposing edges and bend - the force from your hands will converge along a line roughly in the middle of the sheet). A hole stops the energy and "reflects" it away (as there's no material for it to pass through), effectively diffusing it. This means that it's far harder to bend perforated metal than sheet metal, even more difficult to twist it, and while dents between holes may be deeper, they'll be smaller (due to the impact energy from whatever made the dent having more trouble dissipating outward in the metal) and less likely to create points of structural weakness. In theory, you should be able to demonstrate this if you have two sheets of printer paper and a hole punch, but you'll need some patience to punch enough holes to make a difference in a big sheet of paper Still, a sheet of paper with holes in it should be stiffer and more resistant to flexing and bending than a plain one. It will, of course, tear just as easily, though the path of the tear through the paper will likely be far more indirect and weird, and you'll have to use more force to tear the paper in two).

 

[el01]

Round holes are stronger than holes with corners (corners make weak spots as they create a focus point for forces passing through the metal), but any holes should still be stronger than none. The reason is rather obvious once you think about it: a plain sheet of metal lets any energy put into it pass through unobstructed and converge where the strongest forces intersect (say you grab a square piece of sheet metal along opposing edges and bend - the force from your hands will converge along a line roughly in the middle of the sheet). A hole stops the energy and "reflects" it away (as there's no material for it to pass through), effectively diffusing it. This means that it's far harder to bend perforated metal than sheet metal, even more difficult to twist it, and while dents between holes may be deeper, they'll be smaller (due to the impact energy from whatever made the dent having more trouble dissipating outward in the metal) and less likely to create points of structural weakness. In theory, you should be able to demonstrate this if you have two sheets of printer paper and a hole punch, but you'll need some patience to punch enough holes to make a difference in a big sheet of paper Still, a sheet of paper with holes in it should be stiffer and more resistant to flexing and bending than a plain one. It will, of course, tear just as easily, though the path of the tear through the paper will likely be far more indirect and weird, and you'll have to use more force to tear the paper in two).

Thanks for the info!

 

[ondert]

When there is the truth of m.2 and nvme drives, others seem bulky to me anymore.

 

[chx]

The Akasa AK-HAD-10BK can mount two up to 15mm disks -- although it doesn't allow you to swap via the back. It also has an optional support fitting into a PCIe slot (which is not present on ITX boards). This support makes it really sturdy. Two 5TB HDD tucked into an otherwise wasted space, hell yeah. Don't forget to get anti vibration grommets otherwise it becomes a total resonation fest. Even these cheap ones are enough.