Bytecc BT-300 - Storage controller - IDE / SATA-150 - 150 MBps - Hi-Speed USB

List Price: $29.99 Discount Price: $22.46

Features:

• Bytecc USB 2.0 TO IDE & SATA Adapter
• Cables>>Adapters / Splitters>>USB - IDE/ATAPI Adapters

Customer Reviews:

Bye-bye to Multiple Enclosures [Posted on 2006-11-30]
The Bytecc USB 2.0 to IDE & SATA adapter is a must-have for techies. If your intention is to have only one external HDD, the enclosure is the way to go because this device doesn't provide any physical protection, but if you want a quick connection, versatility, compatibility and flexibility, this solution has no competition - four different possible hard drive types/sizes and most likely the ability to use internal CD/DVD drives externally (haven't tested that yet).

This thing will save us many times its value and a lot of time at work and we'll probably buy these or similar devices for a number of our PC technicians.

The little black box (the brain of the device) has to be connected to a HDD and you can then connect the power cable, plug in the power supply and connect the USB cable to the host computer. This system has a stand alone power supply which powers the same type of the four pin power connector used usually inside PCs to power the IDE hard disks and CD/DVD drives. However, this connector's cable is much better and stronger than the regular power cable inside a PC. If you are connecting a 2.5", 3.5" SATA drive or a 2.5" IDE drive, you have to connect this power connector to the black box, while if you are connecting a 3.5" IDE drive you connect both the black box and the power connector directly to the HDD.

Although I was able to power up a 2.5" laptop drive without connecting to the power supply I suppose it is best to always connect the power.


Room for improvement:
1. There's no power switch so you have to unplug the power each time you want to shut down/disconnect the hard drive. When I tested it, the IDE drives would power off upon disconnection of the USB cable from the host computer, but SATA drives won't, so you have to unplug the power cord first.

2. The connection to a HDD is not physically protected by any external enclosure so you have to be careful where and how you are placing the drive once you connect it. I can envision the connector(s) on either this device or a HDD getting a stress crack after a great number of careless connects and disconnects. You also have to be careful that the HDD doesn't touch any metal or any other conductor if it has any circuitry exposed on its surface.

3. The USB and power cables could be longer.


Bottom line: This device is a bit cubersome to use, but with careful handling it is very helpful, versatile and well worth the money for technical enthusiasts and professionals.

Very Flexible device [Posted on 2007-06-19]
If you support many diferent PC's, this unit can save the day and lots of time. If you need to access a hard drive on a diferent PC, this units flexibility to handle both IDE and SATA hard drives, you only have to carry one device in your toolbag.

Fantastic! Well worth the money!!! [Posted on 2007-11-29]
(*) If you've ever had an old PC or laptop die and want a quick and easy way to access the old hard disk, this is the right tool for the job.

(*) If you are a techie who works on other peoples PCs in your spare time, this will save you time and hassle, AND allow you to provide additional services to your customers with little hassle.

(*) Have a PC or laptop that doesn't have a functional optical drive? Just connect one through this device via USB.

(***) SIMPLY BEING ABLE TO CONNECT ANY IDE DEVICE WITHOUT CRACKING OPEN A CASE AND USING A RIBBON CABLE MAKES IT WORTH THE PRICE. (***)

This device lets you bridge between a USB port and one ATA or ATAPI based IDE drive, letting any IDE device function as an external drive. It works best with an available USB 2.0 port, but will work with USB 1.0 (just remember that USB 1.0 access will be SLOW!).

I first used it after the mainboard on my laptop died. I used this device to pull my files off the old laptop hard drive, onto another one of my PCs. I connected the adapter to the laptop drive, plugged the USB cable into an open port, and VOILA!--it was instantly recognized, just like any of my flash-based USB storage devices.

From there, I found other uses. I do a little PC work on the side, so it became an easy way to move files from an old PC's hard disk to a new PC without needing to deal with multiple CDs/DVDs, networking, or without resorting to specialized software. It also allows me to connect suspect hard disks to a diagnostic system, so I may run antivirus and other tools without needing to configure the device in a case.

To use full-size IDE devices, you need to connect the adapter and the included power supply. To use 2.5" laptop drives, you just connect the adapter to the drive (power comes through the bus). Because the laptop drives don't require external power, I've started using some old 10-30 Gb junkers as external backups for my other machines. If you go that route, you will need to store them carefully, but I don't mind--it saves me money from needing to buy dedicated external storage or enclosures for the disks.


A NOTE ON YOUR OTHER LAPTOP to IDE OPTION
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This device is under $30. For between $6 and $10, you can get a simpler card-based adapter that will allow you to connect a laptop IDE drive to a regular IDE cable inside a PC. If going that route, remember that you will need to crack open the case, and you might need to set the laptop drive jumpers to the "slave" or "cable select" position if you don't have a primary IDE connection available. Or, if the hard disk and optical drive on the host system are on different cables, you can temporarily hijack the port from the optical drive. To me, the convenience of USB connectivity made this device my first choice, even though my local PC store had the other adapter type available for $6. THIS DEVICE IS WELL WORTH THE MONEY!!!

A SPECIAL NOTE ON OLD 3.5" HARD DISKS
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First of all, connect the adapter to the drive. Next, connect the power cable and let the disk spin up. Then proceed to plug in the USB cable. That said, on very old FAT/FAT32 drives (e.g., those with any DOS-based OS, some Windows ME loaded disks), the disk may only be recognized as the Master Boot Record. If this happens, you can delete the partition and start over from Device Manager, but you will lose the contents of the disk. To pull files from such legacy disks, you'll need to do it the old-fashioned way: via LAN, CD-burner, or by adding the disk to another chassis. Once the old data is no longer a concern, delete the old partition, create a new one, format, and enjoy your storage space.

Bad Choice [Posted on 2008-08-11]
I purchased this product using recommendations on the Amazon.com site. Upon receiving this product I proceeded to plug in a drive and connect the USB. Discovering that I was receiving no power I proceeded to double-check all of the connections. After about 10 seconds the smell of burning wire caused me to frantically unplug everything as quickly as possible. The power supply began to smoke and spark.. this of course was the end of use of this product. NOW.. returning this product was phase 2 of the nightmare. After waiting 3 to 4 business days for the RMA to be approved just so I was "allowed" to return the product I had to rummage through the return instructions to get the packing and labeling details correct.. and of course it had to be returned within 10 days of the RMA or they would not accept the package or reimburse me. They of course do not reimburse for shipping and they charge an 18% return fee.. SO in summary, it cost me about 15 dollars in shipping for this $25 part which worked for all of about 1 1/2 minutes.! Calculating my time and effort I took a huge loss. Don't waste your time or effort buying this product.. I replaced it with a cables to go version of the same type with NO problems what so ever. You definitely get what you pay for with this piece of ^%$.

Poor power supply [Posted on 2008-10-12]
Initially I was quite impressed with the device. However, after one use the power supply started heating up and smelling. I have been unable to get it to light up since.Bytecc BT-300 - Storage controller - IDE / SATA-150 - 150 MBps - Hi-Speed USB

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