Recently, I took a look at the Norco SS-500 and the Icy Dock MB454SPF-B Backplane Hot Swap Modules. Today, I am taking a look at the Icy Dock MB235SPF-1B Backplane Hot Swap Module.
Popularized by HP MSS machines, these modules have found their way into many competitor’s WHS-specific machines and many home-built machines. They really are a very useful addition to WHS computers, especially as one begins to swap drives to provide an increased level of backup protection.
I would like to thank Icy Dock for making the MB235SPF-1B Backplane Hot Swap Module available for review.
This module is a 3 bay device that fits in (2) 5-1/4” case bays.
Specifications
Before I give you a hands-on look at the module, it is appropriate to provide some background information about Icy Dock. From their website:
ICY DOCK is a privately held company with more than 10 years being devoted in design, manufacturing, branding and distribution of Storage enclosure peripherals. By keep improving its own new product release process from previous toil experiences, ICY DOCK has formed a standard yet efficient new product development procedures to satisfy timely requirement from the market.
At ICY DOCK, we constantly offers state-of-the-art design of hard disk enclosure and removable storage kit with features such as the currently launched a series of removable drive & hot swap capabilities and eSATA / SATA connectivity products. We also specializes in BTO (Built to Order) of branded, OEM-branded and non-branded products for “Tier 1” customers.
Headquartered in City of Industry, California, ICY DOCK becomes a global peripheral enclosure provider with manufacturing facility located in Zhang-Zang, China since 1997. Restrictively followed ISO9001 proved manufacturing process standard, ICY DOCK delivers high quality standard products at competitive price which provides our customers an excellent opportunity to be successful in the competitive US marketplace.
As one of the leading peripheral enclosure solution provider, we will continue to commit ourselves in supplying our customers the best performance per dollar products. “Your demand is our command” is the key to ensure our success in the business world.
What’s In The Box?
I removed the package from the shipping box. The module comes in a nice colorful retail box, as can be seen below.
Another picture of the side of the box, which provide a list of features/specifications.
The module is securely protected in the package, as one can see below.
Removing the MB235SPF-1B reveals a very sharp looking 3-in-2 bay module. The exterior casing is aluminum, which makes it quite light and should provide a nice heat sink to pull heat away from the hard drives. The unit comes with the prerequisite package of screws and for a refreshing change of pace, it comes packaged with a manual! And it does contain some useful information, which is even more refreshing.
Just a shot of the HD trays. Like the Norco unit and previous Icy Dock unit, the trays are designed to minimize width requirements by providing what appears to a cross between a full caddy system and a caddyless system. There is no bottom to the caddy, only the front cover and side rails.
The black plastic piece at the back of the tray is simply a filler/spool piece that provides rigidity to the caddy when a drive is not installed. The caddy is made from aluminum.
The following picture is a shot of the back side of the module. You can see the fan here, of course, the SATA connectors, and 2 standard 4-pin Molex connectors.
As can be seen above, the power connections are on the far side (away from an open side cover). The data connections are on the near side (closest to an open side cover). In addition to the connections just noted, it is possible to jumper I/O signals to the motherboard. I would consider these to be for OEM use, and not for the general end-user consumer. There is also a switch located on the back to set the alarm temperature point.
If desired, the fan can easily be removed. When installed, the module has a fan failure warning capability. According to the instructions, this is not defeated if one removes the fan. You will notice that this particular module does not have slots incorporated into the sides, which may require some case modifications to allow it’s use in a case with drive bay guides.
If desired, one can replace this fan with your own favorite brand, although the connector is a 2-wire style. I have found that using a 3-wire connector is normally not a problem to get to work.
Module Comparison
It would seem that I am making my “old” iStarUSA BPU-340 3×5.25″ to 4×3.5″ Hot Swap module my base comparison module to other modules. The following pictures provides an idea of the look, layout and size differences between these two products.
Installing the Hot Swap Module
As in previous Hot Swap module reviews, I mentioned that the most time consuming portion of that whole exercise was to transfer drives from 1 set of caddies to the other set. Once again, that observation has not changed. There are simply a lot screws to deal with! Actually, for this module, I also had that fun task of removing one of my drives from the WHS pool.
You may notice the small tool in the picture above. This tool acts like a key to open the bay latch. The kit comes with 2 “keys”, so if you lose one, you have a spare. In my opinion, a totally unnecessary feature.
28 screws later, I was able to gently slide/push the Icy Dock device into my computer bays, hook up the data and power connections, and secure the the module. As you can see below it is tight fit.
And from my “broken record” line: my wire management *still* sucks, and I *still* need some compressed air to blow the dust out. I guarantee that wiring situation will not improve. It is just the beginning of the weekend, so I have not made it out to buy some compressed air, yet.
For whatever reason, I found this the toughest module (so far) to get the power connectors attached. They are simply located in a very difficult spot to get to. And as I noted previously, Molex connectors are becoming a premium to find while all those SATA power connectors remain unused. As you can see, however, the data connectors are easy to get to.
Another item of interest that I noticed during this installation process it was a snug fit in the rails. Not quite as snug as the Icy Dock 454 module, but it also did not require screws to secure the module. The “tooless” holders of the case actually secured the module nicely.
What follows are a couple of pictures of the Icy Dock module installed in the computer and the computer all tucked away into its normal place in my little world.
I turned on the computer and (once again!) was relieved to discover that I had reconnected everything correctly and that my WHS was back in business.
It is rather difficult to get a good picture of the light show when the computer is starting up, but here it is.
The MB454SPF-B utilizes multi-purpose (colored) LED’s to indicate various HD states. The MB235SPF-1B utilizes 2 sets of LED’s. One set for power/fail indication, the 2nd set to indicate HD access. The remaining LED is for a fault indicator. There is also a button at the bottom reset the alarm.
As with the previous Icy Dock module, the first thing that I noticed after taking these pictures was the silence. As in almost non-existent fan noise. There was no high/low fan speed switch, which was not needed. You can change out the fan, if desired. But why? It is simply not needed.
This Icy Dock module looks quite nice, but the Norco module and the MB454SPF-B Icy Dock module gave the computer a more professional server-type look, in my opinion. Looks, however, is very subjective.
Drive temperatures were unchanged from previous modules I had installed.
A couple of final observations to note during initial inspection and installation are as follows:
- The module is quite sturdy and appears well built.
- I detected no sharp edges of any kind.
- Insertion of the caddies without a hard drive installed felt forced. However, once a hard drive was installed, insertion of the caddy was very smooth.
- There was no mistaking when the hard drives were properly inserted and the module latched. There was a very definite feeling a proper insertion.
- Like the Norco and other Icy Dock units, another item to note is that the caddies seemed rather flimsy without the spool piece or drive attached to them. This flimsiness disappeared when I attached the drive, however.
Costs and Conclusion
Pros:
- Looks great!
- Very soft, but very legible LED array. Put another way, these LED’s do not light up the whole room.
- Fan and Temperature Alarms.
- Almost non-existent fan noise.
- Keeps drives cool.
- A manual!
Cons:
- Depth of unit may be a problem in smaller cases.
- The use of standard Molex power connections in lieu of SATA power connections. Many power supplies made today have an abundance of SATA power connectors and are reducing the number of Molex power connectors.
- The power connectors are in a very inconvenient location.
- Not exactly a con, but this is only a three-bay module. Which may actually be a pro, if one has a case with a minimal number of open bays.
- It will cost you some cash, for the size of this module.
Would I recommend this hot swap module? It looks very nice in my case. It has a dead silent fan, which is a very important feature to me! In the end, I really prefer the 4-in-3 Icy Dock module over this one, but that is simply because I have room for the larger module, and I prefer the looks of the MB454SPF-B. But it is less costly and if you have only 2 bays that you can devote to a hot swap module, this may be the one for you.
Company: Icy Dock
Model Reviewed: MB235SPF-1B 3-in-2 bay hot swap module
Cost: Newegg price: $94.99 (on sale at the time of this review)
Final note: I must apologize on the pricing detail, as I am in the U.S. If a reader elsewhere spots one at their favorite etailer, I (and others) would appreciate it you could note source and cost as a comment.
