DISK DRIVE ENCLOSURE

摘要

Noise is reduced in a disk drive enclosure by using vibration damping materials on the inside surface of the enclosure. These materials and their placement on the inside surface of the enclosure reduce noise without thermally insulating the disk drive. A temperature controlled fan may be used to remove heat by convection while generating a minimum amount of noise. The connection between the disk drive and the external connector of the disk drive enclosure is made more reliable by using a printed circuit board instead of a cable. Because a printed circuit board has a fixed location and fixed layout, variability among disk drive enclosures can be minimized. Also, errors in manufacturing of the disk drive enclosure can be reduced. To facilitate the use of the disk drive in a stripe set, the disk drive enclosure has a set of mechanical interlocks that permit the enclosures to be stacked vertically. In one embodiment, the mechanical interlocks are constructed in a manner that permits stacking in unlocked and locked configurations. The locked configuration may be made permanent using an additional locking mechanism. These mechanical interlocks also may be used to support the enclosure on a desktop. The mechanical interlocks also may be constructed so that they can slide on a rail, permitting the enclosure to be used in a rack mount. The rack mount also may be provided with a quick-release mechanism that interacts with the mechanical interlocks to hold the disk drive enclosure in the rack mount.