This is the build log for my homemade poor mans DAS drive.
For a while now I've accumulated several older sata hard drives in various sizes ranging from 500gb to 2tb. With my main rig having 8tb with only a 4tb backup drive , I've decided to employ these older shelf dwelling drives as extra backup storage. Better having useful data saved on them than not using them at all. Also, as time progresses I can move larger drives into the DAS as I upgrade my main rig.
I wanted to avoid using a NAS , which would require that the drive needs a computer inside it to function along with a network to connect to it. And or , having to buy a NAS enclosure which are beyond my price range at the moment. I more or less just want a large easy to connect external drive system.
To connect the planned 8 drives to the pc using as few cables as possible I will be using a SAS controller and using two SFF 8088 connectors. This means the drive will only need two cables and be quick and easy to connect when I need it.
For an enclosure I will be using a slimline atx case shell with a small 100w power supply.
will work on drive/fan mounting locations and add a bit of stiffness back into the case next. But this is just the sort of roughed up shape it will be. I like chopping metal and making and modifying my own cases so this is just pure joy for me so far. lol
Today I spent a VERY long time measuring and drilling all the mounting holes for the 8 hard drives. I also had to make several small brackets that will attach both drive sides to the case. While it may not seem like a lot of progress this was definitely the hardest part.
I also sanded the whole case down to remove all the sharp edges the death wheel left behind and to prep it for paint which I think will just be a fresh coat of black.
Wires spliced together using crimps. I wrapped electrical tape around the crimps just to keep them together. I also replaced the noisy fan inside this power supply.
This particular power supply was not working when attached to regular motherboards , however the 12v and 5v lines still work so it'll be perfect for this job.
power switch I bought to manually activate the power supply
I'll begin testing and formatting the drives today to see how well it does in terms of speed and temperatures. All in this DAS drive cost only about 80$ to build including the cost of the SAS controller. If one was to use 8 esata cables instead it could be about 48$ cheaper. The drive enclosure has support and enough physical room to hold about 80tb of drives in it. Although right now I'll settle for the 6.5tb of freebee drives that are currently in it and plenty enough to backup one of my 4tb drives.
Got the drive connected and all the individual drives formatted. I do enjoy that the DAS matches my computers case in terms of being a nondescript black metal box. Seems very heavy duty.
