WTB: Adapter for slimline Optical drive in Dell server - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2015, 02:05:24 am
content: I have a Dell PowerEdge 860 rackount server I'd like to make usable. One thing it lacks is a CDROM/DVD drive. It takes a slimline optical drive as used in many laptops, and finding one of those is no problem. What I don't have is the 'interposer board' - an adapter between an IDE cable and the small connector on the back of such drives. Currently can't find any on Australian ebay.There's one for sale in Britain, but may not be the exact version (probably is) and with postage is too much.Maybe someone in Sydney has a spare? For $10 or $20 maybe?Same request here:http://everist.org/spacejunk/want/Parts_I_need.htmIt looks like this:

author: uoficowboy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2015, 04:22:52 am
content: As I recall, it's a 50 pin JAE KX14 connector. Pinout is standardized.Looks like there's tons of them on Ebay. Maybe this would work for you?http://www.ebay.com/itm/311429467923

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2015, 06:31:40 am
content: The optical drive pinout is standardized, but this rack server is only 1U high, and space around the drive is tight and there are specific mounting holes. So I think it has to be the exact Dell one. I do have one other adapter on a salvaged slimline drive, and it doesn't fit.The 1st pic I put up is the actual one I want. In particular the height has to be no more than that - there simply isn't any more room.

author: neslekkim
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2015, 06:49:42 am
content: so you have the caddy?http://www.ebay.com/itm/281716003746I guess this is the part:http://www.ebay.com/itm/281673051908The partnumber is also mentioned here, as a part for the 860:http://www.vibrant.com/Dell-FJ367.html

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2015, 02:18:49 pm
content: Quote from: neslekkim on November 16, 2015, 06:49:42 amYes, it's complete apart from no optical drive. And a couple of electros that need replacing.QuoteDarn it, that's the second one in England. But this machine was a freebie, and I'm hoping one turns up in Australia since I don't want to pay postage from OS. Seriously poor, and the machine is only to play with.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2015, 06:53:20 pm
content: You don't have an USB drive to plug in it temporarily. Not that people use CD/DVD drives much in a server. Most just die quietly with noone being the wiser till you try years later to use it.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2015, 10:39:21 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on November 16, 2015, 06:53:20 pmNo, I don't. And don't want to buy one either, since mostly I use desktop PCs, and I have piles of standard internal CD/DVD drives.This rackmount thing boots Linux, but is password protected and no one knows the password. So, UBCD to the rescue...QuoteI can imagine.Another thing I'll need for it (if I get the other problems sorted out) is a PCI HP-IB/IEEE 488 card. But that's going to cost real money.

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2015, 03:04:40 pm
content: Thing is like $23.50 from the UK with postage. You were talking the other day about buying that rack which sounds pretty costly to me.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2015, 04:16:12 pm
content: Quote from: Shock on November 17, 2015, 03:04:40 pmYes, it would be. I have some money in reserve for the rack. Would much rather find one here though.Anyway, apart from being in general very cash-poor (virtually zero income) I don't want to spend much on this server's fix-up. It's not important, unlike the rack. And neither are really urgent so can wait a while to see if any turn up on Oz ebay. Plus there are other projects... and for me every dollar counts.Can't let the cats go hungry.If an adapter doesn't turn up here in a month, then I'd think about buying one from UK or US.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2015, 06:21:43 pm
content: If you have a lot of regular drives that work simply take a USB-PATA/SATA adaptor and plug it in. Most servers will recognise them and allow you to boot off them. Should be under $10 if you do not have any around. Power should be available from the server itself, though if the cover is off the fans will ramp up to full afterburner after 5 seconds and stay there unless you find that $%#&^ switch and use a toothpick to keep it closed.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 19, 2015, 01:09:58 am
content: Quote from: SeanB on November 17, 2015, 06:21:43 pmIf I wanted to run it with the cover off, I could just plug in any old optical drive to the existing PATA cable. But the aim is to have a drive installed, matching the black front, and working permanently in a rack. Also preferably the drive should be CD/DVD burner, not just read. The machine will be a HP-IB driver, but also a media server, music & video downloader, and disk burner. (My current machine doing this is such a pathetic dog that it can't display most videos. Not enough processing speed.)Turns out I only have a slimline drive with a beige front, and it's not a burner. Another will probably turn up, but for now the problem is solved, as I bought this:ebay 171890747319New HL-T50N Superdrive DVD CD RW Burner Writer Internal SATA DriveAU $17.19 Postage: FREEBit of fingers-crossing that this drive has standard SATA and power connectors. Since the listing doesn't have a pic of the drive rear.The machine has a couple of SATA ports, unused. I'm assuming it can boot via a SATA optical drive.It's possible in future I may want to remove the RAID card and run from a plain SATA HD. Depends on whether this RAID system makes the HD filesystem unreadable via standard interfaces, as many do. Still to be determined.In any case, losing one SATA port to the optical drive is OK, since if I run the machine non-RAID I'd only have one HD in it anyway.Still looking for the interposer board and a PATA slimline optical drive, since that keeps both the SATA ports available. But now the price limit is 'free'. I was never going to pay over $20 (cost + post) for that little PCB with nothing on it.Now to take the machine completely apart, to replace the two sick electros. Sigh.