RaidSonic 2.5" and 3.5" IDE ICY BOX HDD Enclosures

Introduction:

    In today's short review we will be taking a look at some portable hard drive enclosures from RaidSonic. I know you are saying, "BLAH, who needs that?" Well, some of us out there do really need these devices for data transfers, and it's a great way to store music, as well as play music on different computers. The 2.5" ICY BOX enclosure is the perfect way to keep the portable device small, and also a great way to get data off a hard drive from a broken laptop. The 3.5" ICY BOX enclosure is actually a multi-purpose enclosure, providing the end user with an integrated 40-in-1 card reader and 2 additional USB ports. The enclosures come in several styles and colors, and also IDE and SATA formats.

About the Company:

    RaidSonic was created 1999. In a dynamic growth process the enterprise developed itself further continuously in the product range and number of employees. In May 2004 by a permanent change of station the premises are adapted to the risen requirements. After large success in Germany a strong expansion in the European market lines up.
As a manufacturer RaidSonic has direct influence on the product design, both in the quality and in the optical Design. By the consistent use of high-quality components and materials the products already took a firm position in market segment elevated by Raidsonic.

Specifications:

IB-220U-Wh

• For 2.5" IDE HDD's

• Aluminum/Plastic enclosure

• Leatherette Bag

• DATA transfer up to 480 Mbit/s

• Supports Windows 90/ME/2000/XP , >OS9.1

• Hot Swappable

• USB 2.0

• USB Bus Powered

IB-360UHR-B-BL

• Aluminum Case

• 2 Port USB Hub

• 40-in-1 Multi Card Reader

• Plug and Play

• Hot Swappable

• Case Noiseless

• No HDD Limit

• Lighting ( can be turned off)

• LED's for HDD and Card access

• USB 2.0

• External data cables included

• External power supply included

Packaging:

2.5" Retail front

2.5" Retail rear

3.5" Retail front

3.5" Retail rear

    The retail box for the 2.5" enclosure has a window on the front which gives you a sneak peek at the product. The back side of the box has the key features spread out in 5 different languages. The retail box for the 3.5" enclosure has a picture of the actual enclosure on the front, a carrying handle on the top, and the features in 5 languages spread over the back and two sides.

ICY BOX 2.5" Enclosure:

CD/Manual	Included gear	2.5" ICY BOX
Imitation screen	Connection ports	MMM SHINY!!

    The IB-220U-Wh is the little brother of the group, and can hold a single 2.5" hard drive. This unit looks a lot like an iPod - minus the controls on the front. The front cover is actually clear acrylic with a white plastic insert behind it. This method will protect the cover's color finish. The top has what appears to be a small LCD screen, but it only mimics an LCD screen. This area has a faux screen with some pictures simulating a data transfer and letters in a digital format. Behind this faux screen are some LED's that light up the picture for the power and a LED for the data transfer. The back half of the enclosure is made from polished aluminum.

Seperated	Circuit board	LED side
Getting ready	Mating	Joined and installed
Small screws	Getting secured	LED's powered up

    To gain access to the interior, remove the screws from the back of the enclosure and pry the two halves apart. The inside is rather simple, only having a small circuit board that connects to the hard drive. So with the case open, let's install the hard drive. The one I will be using is 80gb in size. Simply take the circuit board and slide the connector over the pin of the hard drive. With the circuit board attached to the hard drive, place the pieces back into the enclosure, snap the halves together, and secure with the screws. When that is done, place the enclosure into the black bag for protection. When using the ICY BOX, please remove the enclosure from the bag to allow for proper cooling. The 2.5" ICY BOX comes with an USB Y-cable. The USB end that is on the thinner wire is only in conjunction with the main USB plug when insufficient power from the computer to the hard drive is encountered. With WinXP and Vista everything is plug and play, so no drivers are needed.

ICY BOX 3.5" Enclosure:

Secured	Front	Side view	Rear view
Bottom	CD/Manual	Power supply	USB cable

    The IB-360UHR-B-BL is the big brother portable enclosure that boasts some additional features beyond the typical enclosure. The main feature is the 40-in-1 card on the front face, along with a 2 port USB hub. The card reader has 4 slots to handle most of today's media cards. The exterior skin on the 3.5" ICY BOX enclosure is aluminum with some chrome trim work on the each of the ends. The 3.5" enclosure is equipped with an aluminum stand. This stand is bent into an arch shape and the 3.5" enclosure slides into it, being held in place with thumbscrews. In the opening of the arch and the bottom of the enclosure is a clear window with an LED that will cast a blue light onto the surface of your desk or table.

Internal tray	PCB with Card reader	IDE Connections	HDD Connected
HDD Installed	HDD secured	Testing a card	Headed home

    To gain access to the interior, four screws on the bottom of the enclosure need to be removed, allowing the interior tray to slide away from the exterior skin. Unlike the exterior of the 3.5" ICY BOX, the interior tray is constructed of steel. With the tray in hand, grab an IDE hard drive and plug in the Molex plug and IDE cable. Place the hard drive into the tray and secure with four of the included screws. Then slide the tray back into the enclosure and secure the two pieces with four black screws. Next, grab the included power supply and USB cable, and make the final connections. Once again, with WinXP and Vista everything is plug and play, so no drivers are necessary.

Power and USB

LED's glowing

Blue glow

Card R/W LED

    With the 3.5" ICY BOX powered up, you will notice some LED lights on the front and bottom of the enclosure. The light on the front behind the Card R/W will flash with card access. The LED under the center of the enclosure can be turned on and off with a switch on the back side of the enclosure.

Conclusion:

    First, I would like to start off with the 2.5" ICY BOX enclosure and state that it's nothing to write home about. It's your run of the mill 2.5" IDE hard drive enclosure, and they also offer an SATA version and several colors and styles. The faux leather case is nice and will help protect the back of the enclosure from getting scratched. Other than that, it's a simple enclosure that has an easy installation procedure and gets the job the done without any issues.

    Now for the 3.5" ICY BOX enclosure. This enclosure goes above and beyond being a simple enclosure for a hard drive. The ability to turn the front LED on and off makes it a great plus for those days you are just too annoyed to look at anything. The 40-in-1 card reader in my opinion is what makes this particular enclosure worth getting. The ability to have a card reader and portable enclosure on the desk at the same time in one unit keeps the desk and cable clutter down, and the card reader on the desk keeps you from bending down to the front of a dark computer to find the correct card reader slot. Some of you may be wondering about the transfer speeds. Each device is USB 2.0. This means that speeds will be limited to what type of hard drive you install into the enclosure, as well as to the USB 2.0 specifications. I would like to thank the people from RaidSonic for sending out these items for VH to review.