Question Diy external optical drive and hub

[Golgoth29]

Hello there,

This is my first post here with my so-so english writing.

I want to put my internal optical drive outside my pc case, in preparation of changing for a next pc case smaller without 3.5" bays later.

With this drive installed in a wooden box, I want to add usb3 and usb c ports, multi cards reader, and maybe a sata 2,5" drive.

I do not want to use thunderbolt ports. Is it possible to put all my list on a usb3 hub, then connect it to my pc? Is it too much for one usb port on my computer?

Or should I use long sata cables, power cables and usb cables between the box and the pc? I want to do something clean.

Thx

 

[USAFRet]

It would be cheaper and cleaner to just buy a new external optical drive.

ex: $25

https://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-Portable-External-GP65NB60/dp/B00ODDE33U

 

[Golgoth29]

Yes I understand. But that solution lack the other options I want.

 

[Misgar]

Your internal optical DVD drive will be 5.25", not 3.5".

If you mount your existing DVD drive outside the new computer case, you need to supply it with +5V and +12V poweras well as the data connection (SATA or IDE).

You could extend the +5V and +12V rails out from the ATX PSU to the externally mounted drive (messy), or buy a 5.25" external housing for the DVD drive with a built in mains PSU to provide +5V and +12V power (expensive).

If you want to make a professional job of mounting a 2.5" SATA SSD outside the computer case, you could fit an eSATA bracket to the computer and extend the connection with an eSATA cable. You'd also need +5V and +12V for the SSD.

A much neater solution would be to buy a portable USB DVD Writer for 25 dollars/euros/pounds and a portable USB3 SSD or HDD. The result would be fewerwires, less complication, less to go wrong.

If your motherboard has built-in USB-C ports, you could extend them outside the case to a wooden box. If your computer doesn't have USB-C ports, you would need to buy a PCIe card, fit it in the computer and extend the USB-C output to the box. The result would be messy and liable to problems, especially if the cables are too long (over 1.5ft/50cm).

External USB hubs and card readers are freely available. These can be plugged into any suitable port on a computer and used without the need to mount them in a wooden box.

Internal USB hubs and card readers in 3.5" or 5.25" panel mount options are also available, but the cheap ones are garbage and should be avoided. Expect to pay at least 30 dollars/euros/poinds for a good quality 3.5 or 5.25" card reader + hub.

What you are trying to build is the equivalent of a docking station for an expensive laptop.

Have you considered a compact HTPC case with room inside for a 5.25" DVD drive, 3.5" card reader/hub, mATX mobo, PSU, 2.5" SATA SSD, 3.5" HDD, etc? It would save a lot of clutter and be much easier to make than extending a DVD drive, SATA SSD, USB reader, USB hub and 5V/12V DC power to a wooden box.

You can pick up some pretty good deals on second hand HTPC cases on eBay, Craigs List, Ali Express, etc.

 

[Corwin65]

I just looked down and noticed I have a DVD drive.
Have not used one in 5 years or more.
I keep forgetting people still use them instead of thumb drives.

 

[Golgoth29]

To Corwin: as I am older, I tend to keep devices longer. Alot of dvds and cd-roms I have.

To Misgar: 5.25" for dvd drives. You're right. I was turning in circle for my project and your explanations helped me think in another direction. Thanks.

The external dvd drive with usb ports and sd card reader seems to be the cleaner choice.

But I found a USB 3.0 to SATA IDE converter with it's own 12v power supply. So I can add a hdd or ssd on it. Add a small usb hub with card reader. And it should be ok. Only 2 cables will come out my wooden box, the usb3 to the pc and the 12v cable from the power supply.

What do you think?

 

[fzabkar]

The optical drive is an ATAPI device, so you would need a USB-ATAPI adaptor/enclosure.

Something like this ...

https://www.addonics.com/product/intro/35

 

[Golgoth29]

I will need to check this to the differences. My current optical drive is from a pc tower, not from a laptop.

 

[USAFRet]

I will need to check this to the differences. My current optical drive is from a pc tower, not from a laptop.

There are multiple ways to do what you seek.
But for one of the parts, I would not start with a DVD drive that used to be internal in a PC.

 

[Misgar]

Agreed. Best to buy a USB DVD writer and use an external USB enclosure with a HDD or SSD. Buy a quality card reader from Kingston, SanDisk, Lexar, etc. Steer clear of cheap $5 "multi-card" readers. They often cause data corruption.

Be aware that in the past, some USB to SATA enclosures performed "sector translation" on the hard disk. The result was you couldn't read the HDD if you transferred it to a PC, which didn't perform the translation.

I still use optical drives to burn audio CDs for the HiFi downstairs and the car player. At least half my rigs still have DVD or Blu-ray burners.

I much prefer the quality of a proper CD player with dual (separate) DACs for each audio channel, as opposed to compressed MP3 files. There's something missing in MP3. Most of my computer audio files are FLAC, for playback on the plane.

 

[Golgoth29]

I'm glad to get your insight for this little project. So if I understand well, it's better to stick each device on it's own usb cable, as is, and forget about converters for reliability.

Thank you!

 

[USAFRet]

I'm glad to get your insight for this little project. So if I understand well, it's better to stick each device on it's own usb cable, as is, and forget about converters for reliability.

Thank you!

Well, you could have a 4-5 port USB hub inside this box. Each device connected to that.
Provide power individually, as needed.

 

[Viking2121]

I've sort of done this when I needed to use my blue ray drive, I used a dual docking station and it worked flawlessly, but I did have to take it apart so it would fit a 5.25 inch drive. Now I had a few external HDD enclosures, the sata to usb adapter in them did not like the blue ray drive at all, I couldn't get it to read in windows, so in practice it should work, but not always.

Good Luck!

 

[lojikal]

I just looked down and noticed I have a DVD drive.
Have not used one in 5 years or more.
I keep forgetting people still use them instead of thumb drives.

I actually gave mine away to a guy who sells DVD movies for a living. Back in 1994 I remember how much money I made from selling DVD movies until everyone started doing it. Some of the more popular brands were Plextor and Lite-On DVD burners. Oh how things have changed.