ICY DOCK FatCage Expandable Disk Enclosure

Introduction 

In the past I've maintained disk arrays of various sizes and had been left unsatisfied with what was available at the time. Commercial solutions looked good, but were often limited in capacity or overly expensive. Business solutions, generally large disk enclosures, were both expensive and often rack oriented, which I wasn't looking for. Most solutions also didn't favor expandability, unless you're really spending outside of my budget. This design is my attempt to create a solution that combined cheap, expandable, and visually attractive (to me at least).

Bill of Materials

• 4x M3 16mm bolt and nut for fan extension connection to fan, if using
• 4x M3 12mm bolt and nut for fan extension connection to chassis, if using
• 4x M3 6mm bolts and either 4x M3 Inserts or 4x M3 nuts to connect front and back print
• 6-32 Thread PC case screw, generally obtainable from extras in any PC case, the Icy Dock FatCage "CASE" bag or on Amazon. NOTE: The hole for these screws has a 9mm diameter, so the provided screw must be UNDER 9mm to fit!
• ICY DOCK FatCage MB155SP-B 5 Bay (https://global.icydock.com/product_65.html)

Assembly

1. Print the front model, inspecting the fastener parts and removing any support material if needed.
2. If using M3 inserts, melt all 4 inserts into the front of the model. Make sure they clear the top of the print completely so the two parts will mate cleanly. 
3. If using M3 nuts, either place the nuts inside the void and melt them into place or place superglue and then lay the M3 nuts into position. Superglue does work, but take care to not over-tighten the parts or it will rip the nut out of place. The model stands on its own, so you do not need to tighten it much.
4. Lay the Icy Dock FatCage on a flat surface, and slip the front model over the top of it.  The front face of the FatCage should snag when it meets the front of the model. 
5. Secure the Icy Dock FatCage to the front model with 6-32 PC case screws in the 4 small holes on the top of the front model. The holes in the FatCage should line up with them.
6. Turn the assembly over so the front of the assembly faces downward on a flat surface, allowing you to work on the back.
7. If electing to use the fan extension, see the “Adding the fan extension” section now. After finishing there, continue on the next step.
8. Print the chosen back model, and slip both the SATA data cables and SATA power cords through the openings on the back of the print above the hex grating. 
9. Plug the SATA cords into the 5 provided SATA ports on the back of the device. 
10. Plug the SATA power cord into the 2 power plugs furthest from the center at least. Plug all 3 in if you'd like and can fit the cords comfortably. I operate successfully with only 2 of the 3 connected. 
11. Push the back of the 3d printed model onto the FatCage and adjust the wires as needed. They can be snug, but make sure none are harshly bending the delicate SATA wires. The only problems I've had after years with this enclosure turned out to be snagged/damaged cabling. 
12. Use an M3 ball wrench to tighten the 6mm M3 bolts and join the two main bodies together. A regular M3 wrench may work, but the ball wrench will make it much easier. 
13. Plug the cables into your power supply and PC and see if it all works. 

Fan Extension

This is an optional extension to expand the provided 92mm Fan into a larger 120mm fan. There is a lot of debate on acceptable disk temperatures, and disks themselves are variable between brands. I live in FL, so I wanted to increase my own airflow given the temperatures I was seeing. 
This extension was based on the model provided by TheMeerkat on Thingiverse (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:21112) and then modified to fit in this enclosure.

Adding the fan extension

1. Print the fan extension model and align it to the exposed back of the FatCage. There is only 1 correct orientation, so check the cable plugs and depressions on the side of the model to align it. 
2. Use M3 x 12mm screws to connect the fan extension model to the chassis of the FatCage. NOTE: You could probably get away with less, but a longer M3 screw will poke into the disks within the cage. If you have a problem sliding disk into the 2/3/4 spots, check for this!
3. Use M3 x 16mm screws to connect the 120mm fan to the fan extension model, using an M3 nut on the screw that goes through the fan and into the fan extension model. This worked for me, but you can really use anything to bond the two parts together (e.g. rubber fan connectors).
4. Plug the fan into the fan header.

Power 

The simplest power option would be to use extension cables and power the disk cage via the same PSU that powers your PC. Just make sure your PSU has the headroom to handle the additional drives. 
Another option, which I personally use, is a separate PSU with a jumped pin plug (e.g. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X9SVB5K) to leave it always on. I've used this setup for years without any issues. I can also recommend an SFX PSU if you're opting for this choice and want to save space.
Finally, there are some power bricks that output 12 and 5v molex connectors. I see no reason why this couldn't work, but I would take caution to ensure they can provide enough power (>2A continuous for 5 drives, with higher bursts for initial spinup). 

SSD Top Sled

This is an optional extension that sits on top of the disk cage and can hold a single standard SSD drive. You can see in most of the pictures the sled attached.

Model Files

If you have any interest in modifying these models for your own setup, make a comment and I will attempt to export the models in a format your preferred 3d modeling software can understand. These models were originally made in Autodesk Fusion 360.