Icy Dock MB122 Internal Removable Drive - Let's open the box
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Opening the box for the MB122 SKGF-1 (known from hereafter as the MB122), I find it wrapped snugly in bubble wrap.
I opened the bubble wrap, and the first thing I noticed was how nicely this product is constructed. Just like the MB452, it was obvious the company takes quality seriously.
Here's the whole unit out of the packaging. This actually consists of two pieces: the removable drive tray and the mountable enclosure.
Here's a closer look at the front of the tray, still nestled inside the enclosure. Notice the LCD on the left? This LCD shows you such information as HD activity, the temperature inside the drive enclosure, and the HUTR (HDD Usage Time Record) which actually accrues the time your drive is active. It can even detect overheating and notify you via buzzer and flashing indicators.
This is a shot of the rear of the enclosure. Note the SATA connectors, as well as a standard molex PSU connector. Both power connectors are present as a convenience, and the molex connector is not needed when using a SATA 15-pin power connector.
Here's a shot of the empty enclosure. There's not a lot to it, really, since most of the electronics are located in the tray. The next picture shows a close-up of the front of the enclosure. Note how a small spring-loaded door swings down to keep dust and foreign particles from accidentally finding their way into your PC. Note to parents: this door will not stop peanut butter, tuna fish, or grilled cheese sandwiches donated by your youngsters. You have been warned.
And finally, taking a look inside the enclosure itself, we can see where the tray slides in. In the picture below, you can see the enclosure's own cooling fan on the left. In the middle, you can see the connectors that actually connect right into the back of your hard drive (more on that in a moment). And on the right are (I assume) the connectors that drive the front panel on the front of the tray itself.
Now, as I've said a couple of times now, the tray is designed in such a way that the hard drive connectors themselves are accessible through the back of the tray. In the picture above, the connectors in the middle of the screen plug directly into the hard drive, for power and data transfer. The reason I bring this up is simple: wear and tear. The connectors on the back of the drive itself are not designed for repeated connection and disconnection. As a matter of fact, you could consider them somewhat fragile. And now we have this design that puts the stress directly on the most fragile piece of your hard drive? The two versions that utilize the 64 pin industrial connector don't have this issue.
Next: The Tray >>
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