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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Consumer Hardware & Components > Dismantling a Freecom External HD - Any Ideas How?

Dismantling a Freecom External HD - Any Ideas How?
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Koralatov
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Oct 20, 2007, 02:59 PM
 
I'm attempting to dismantle a 500GB Freecom external hard-disk (model SSPACC, p/n 28604), with no real success. There was a single screw covered by a "Warranty void if removed" sticker, which I took off. I took out the screw, and tried to push at one end, hoping that it would slide out, but no cigar. I then tried putting a thin knife-blade in to pry either the front or back plastic panels off. They began to come out, but not really, and I didn't want to force them open for fear of breaking something.

I'm keen to extract the hard-drive so I can put it inside a miniStack v2 for use in my work-in-progress media centre. I could just use the miniStack hub in USB2 mode, but I'd prefer to use it with FireWire, because USB2 doesn't really play very nice with my iMac G4.

Anyone have any ideas how to do extract the hard-disk without destroying the enclosure in the process? Once I've got the drive out, I want to use the enclosure to house an old 80GB hard-disk I have floating around.

Also, anyone know where I can get something similar to this drive, but as just the enclosure, with FireWire and USB2, and that preferable doesn't look like ass?
( Last edited by Koralatov; Oct 20, 2007 at 03:03 PM. Reason: Additional Question)
     
mduell
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Oct 20, 2007, 05:08 PM
 
Dremel gently?

The photos don't show any screws... is the outer silver shell one piece or two? One piece should slide off, with two you can probably pop one side off.

Or sell the Freecom and buy a seperate drive and enclosure... 500GB is about 55 quid and a USB/ATA enclosure another 12.
     
rjenkinson
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Oct 20, 2007, 05:13 PM
 
The case should either slide off or be removed upwards. Check that there are no hidden screws covered by feet, etc.
     
Koralatov  (op)
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Oct 20, 2007, 05:47 PM
 
Originally Posted by mduell View Post
The photos don't show any screws... is the outer silver shell one piece or two? One piece should slide off, with two you can probably pop one side off.
The silver shell is a single piece of aluminium, with a single screw in the middle of the underside. It doesn't slide off, as I've discovered. I did a bit more surgery, and pried the front and back plastic panels off. Peering inside, the hard-disk itself is in some kind of caddy inside, and that seems to be fixed in place. Nothing I did seemed to move it. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the panels to sit flush when I got them back on. I suspect it was designed thus so that it would be very apparent if it was opened and tampered with, for warranty purposes. There's no damage, and the drive appears to be working just fine, but it doesn't look quite a slick (especially close-up). Fortunately, it's under the desk on top of my PC's tower, so that's not a real issue.

I think my only real choice will be to buy another hard-disk for use inside the miniStack. I don't want to get a USB enclosure because I'm moving onto a FireWire set-up, because it doesn't cause as many issues with OSX. (Not that USB causes many, but it has a few.)

Thanks for the input though!

Originally Posted by rjenkinson View Post
The case should either slide off or be removed upwards. Check that there are no hidden screws covered by feet, etc.
Thanks for the input, but I managed to muddle through. As it stands, it looks like there is no way of getting the hard-disk out short of destroying its enclosure, and I'm not sure that is entirely safe for the disk itself, so I'm going to leave it as-is.

Cheers!
     
wajidzaney
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Oct 13, 2008, 05:07 PM
 
Nearly 12 months to the day later! I had the same problem with a Freecom 160, it was shorting to the USB socket at low current - either way its probably already damaged by laptop, anyway for future refce the way to get it apart (assuming they are all designed the same)is to remove the srew under the 'Warranty If Void' sticker, tear the rubber feet off (they can be refitted later) under which their are further cross head screws, the only problem is the X has been machined away (why do they have to make it sooo difficult, anyway drill the heads off with a 3mm HSS drill and the cover slides off like a used condom (if you'll pardon the expression. Earth youself before touching anything inside.
     
   
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