Western Digital IcePack for mounting SSD's: Problem to share

[SDH]

I've liked the Western Digital IcePack 2.5-to-3.5 form factor adapter sled for getting my 2.5" Momentus XT 500GB hard drives/Intel SSD's converted for proper mounting in the HP xw workstations.  Most of the workstations I'm using have the standard HP green plastic 3.5" drive mounts that slide into the case channels meant for that.  See attached PDF regarding the IcePack.  They are very solid and well built.

It turns out that are two colors of the interface circuit board..... red and green. The only green ones I have seen include a molded-in projection that is meant to interface with a recess in the rear end of certain 2.5" hard drives, which allows transfer of the hard drive jumper pin interface back to the rear SATA connector plane of the IcePack (which is exposed for your easy access, as a result).

I've only received IcePacks with the red circuit boards up until today, and those have not had that projection at the 2.5" drive end of the interface.

My intel SSD's don't have jumper pins, and thus no mating recess, and hence no need for that part of the interface, but they cannot slide over the projection as a result.  My "red version" IcePacks would accept both SSDs and 2.5" hard drives with a jumper pin recess in all circumstances (but not be able to allow jumper manipulation at the IcePack's exposed end).  My "green version" IcePacks will only fit 2.5" drives that have the jumper pin recess built in to the rear end of the drive itself.

So, for me, red is the only type I want.  I have not used jumpers on drives for years.......  If you buy from the guys on eBay that have these brand new from Western Digital make sure to communicate your needs for the red version.  It is obvious thru the sealed mylar bags.

Scott

EDIT>>>>>> see below..... there are actually some IcePacks with the PCB being red and having the trouble-causing projection, also, but they seem to be a small minority.

[_____]

I'm not so sure this is about color. Some IcePacks seem to have wider circuit boards and those are seen in both red and green if you look through images on the web. The actual casting is different on these to accommodate the wider connector. The IcePack pdf file seems to show the narrower board in the images but the wider board in the drawing. Can you confirm any of this with the ones you have on hand? Thank you.

[SDH · Accepted solution]

I've only seen 2 of the WD IcePacks with the green circuit board, and each of those has had that extra projection which interferes with my Intel SSD's slipping into proper position.  You can see  in the pictures that the "backplane" of the Intel SSD has flush metal where the hard drive has a recessed "receptacle" in the same area to accomodate that protrusion.

I checked all of my Velociraptors currently here, which are 2.5" hard drives that come mounted on the IcePacks from the Western Digital factory.  All of those have the red circuit boards (without the projection).  This is despite the fact that the Velociraptor hard drives do have the recess that would accept the projection, as does the 2.5" hard drive shown in the first attached picture.  So, it seems that for the Velociraptors WD does not feel the need to provide that green type of physical interface.

The hard drives with the recess for that projection mesh with the green type perfectly, but they also fit on the red type perfectly.  So, for me, I would term the red type "universal".

Whether they make a red PCB with the offending projection included is something I cannot address other than to tell you I have never seen one of those, and have used over 20 of the red types so far.

EDIT>>>>>>>>> Visitor, below, found a definite example of an IcePack that has a red PCB and a drive interface with the projection.  So, they do exist but seem to be a small minority.  See my last post, on how to avoid the issue.

Keep us posted if you find out more, and take a look at the attached pictures.

[_____]

I'm not sure this can be marked as solved yet. This is one example of a red type that is not "universal".

http://www.storagereview.com/western_digital_velociraptor_review

[SDH]

Great find!  Totally agree, and that is a big help to clarify this for everyone.  I've attached a pic from the review you found showing a red PCB version WITH the extra projection (at the far left end of the PCB's smaller dark attachment in that image..... that whole structure there is what the 2.5" drive slides onto.  The larger dark attachment is what is exposed at the end of the IcePack to hook your SATA data and power cables to).

The good news is that we now know to not ask for a particular color....  just ask the vendor to make sure that there is no extra projection that would interfere with using a SSD in the IcePack if you want to use these.

Here's the latest on those two IcePacks I received which did have that extra projection.  They had come new, in the sealed mylar silver translucent bags, and it is easy to look thru the bags to see the shape of the PCB attachments.  The vendor emailed me a pre-paid shipping label to get those two back to him, and is sending me two replacements without that extra projection.  The ones with the extra projection are a minority, and it is easy for him to choose ones without the extra projection if we just tell him that.

Here is my source, from eBay, and he has been excellent to work with:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/WD-IcePack-2-5-to-3-5-Hard-Drive-Heatsink-Mounting-Kit-Frames-SSD-2-5-HDD-/1...

So, I think this is finally, really, solved thanks to Visitor.

[WaveRider]

I find the same seller on NewEgg for those of you who don't deal on ebay, and at the same price, with free shipping and no tax. Here's the link to the site, they're in stock, and being sold by the same Ebay seller through Newegg. Hope this helps. This was accessed on the mobile site through my phone. I couldn't find it on the app.
http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=9SIA5AD2088439&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleMKP-Mobile&cm_mmc=KNC-Go...