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OT-Power cord on Firmtek 2 bay.
I have one of the Firmtek 2 bay SATA enclosure. Great unite EXCEPT for the ridiculously awfull power cord. You look wrong at this drive and it falls out. Has anyone had luck in finding a way to secure the power cord?
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7 Replies
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someone posted something about it a day or 2 ago. Do a search on this forum. Basically it was an extension cable to allow some slack so it doesn’t pull out. Apparently
firmtek suggested crimping the end with pliers (slightly) so it has a bit of friction to keep it in.“everything is broken” ……1st. coined by Esther Philips I believe.
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[Rennie Klymyk] “Basically it was an extension cable to allow some slack so it doesn’t pull out. Apparently
firmtek suggested crimping the end with pliers (slightly) so it has a bit of friction to keep it in.”well, the extra slack might indeed help, but my suggestion about the extension cable was made because I broke a pin on the connector in the field and had to have Firmtek overnight a new power supply, just for the silly pin! I had taped the connector in place to try and alleviate the problem of it popping out if anyone moved the drive or even brushed up against the cable. Good theory, but the result was someone moving the cable, the tape held ONE side of the plug in place, and the pin got bent and then broke off.
$60 later I had a new power supply with the same potential to break. The extension cable would simply allow you to replace an $8 cable instead of $40 for a new power supply, and having an extra cable in my kit would allow a quick resolution of the problem and avoid overnight shipping charges.
I’m going to try the “slight crimp” idea, but again, I’d much rather try that on a replaceable, inexpensive extension cable than on the end of the power supply. That particular 5 pin mini DIN connector is hard to find.
Ironically, I had written Firmtek the month before about this loose connector problem and suggested they offer a lockable connector as an upgrade for those that need it. An externally mounted 4 pin xlr would be just the ticket. I got no reply.
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[David Smith] “An externally mounted 4 pin xlr would be just the ticket. I got no reply.”
Oh man, that’d be a dream come true.
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[Jeremy Garchow] “Oh man, that’d be a dream come true.”
You know Jeremy, just yesterday I took notice of how many of the COW forums I read you are a forum leader on…. Now we find out you are dreaming about hard drive power connectors…. I think it’s time for some of us grazers to take you out for a night on the town!
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Very funny! My dreams are very dorky, for sure.
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[David Smith] ” suggested they offer a lockable connector as an upgrade”
Yes, industry has failed us. BNC’s and XLR’s have populated the back of decks, cameras and equipment for decades. Sony, Panasonic and JVC have devised lock clips to hold the 3 prong power cables in place. Multi-pin dubbing cables from these companies have always been locking types. In the beginning of the computer age we had scsi, parallel, serial and d-sub’s that had either the annoying fine threaded screw keepers or the more convenient butterfly springs to keep us connected. Firewire, USB and a whole host of others don’t provide this locking connection. (Apple has a magnetic power cable for laptops)
[David Smith] “An externally mounted 4 pin xlr would be just the ticket”
Yes Canon XLR style connectors are available in 3,4,5,6 and 7 pin and we used to see lots of them around, they are much superior to din plugs. You can even step on them. Where are they? Somewhere along the line manufacturers have lost sight of the importance of maintaining a positive connection of their equipment.
“everything is broken” ……1st. coined by Esther Philips I believe.
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