External HD Cart « Life Off Hold

Monday, June 08, 2009

External HD Cart

I'm slowly de-constructing my desktop computer's set-up and finding ways to make my laptop the computing hub. The only thing my desktop has been used for is my scanning project and subsequent file storage on external hard drives and to connect to my printers.

As an aside about the HDs, one is for Photos, one for Music/Audio, and one for Household Documents/Memorabilia.

I've wanted to get the external hard drives over to my laptop, but space and methodology has been a problem, but this weekend I designed a workable solution to have everything at hand and mobile.

Introducing the External Hard Drives Cart:

The cart is from Staples with 3 drawers removed. I got a thin piece of wood at Home Depot and had them cut it into pieces to make a shelf for each HD. I covered the wood in contact paper [black or dark would have been better; I can re-do that later] and taped them in place in the front & back so the shelf won't slide off.

The power converter for each of the HDs reside in the drawer below the lowest HD. All the cords are taped up onto the frame so they're not dragging all over the floor. All the elements are labeled: drive, converter, plugs, and USB ends.

The top drawer contains Remotes for my BlueRay & Roku, USB sticks, digital camera, and USB cords to upload from my camera and to manage my mp3 player content.

My laptop sits on a wire shelf rack and the power cord and mouse cord is attached using velcro strips. When not in use on my lap, the shelf-laptop assembly sits on top of the cart.

A power cord with 3 plugs resides on the floor at the base of the cart when in use or, unplugged, draped over the leg of the laptop shelf along with the laptop power cord.

If I desire the external HDs to connect back to the desktop computer I need only to roll the cart over to that workstation and make the appropriate connections for the task at hand.

I get jazzed when I find a functional solution to my space and usage dilemmas so I have to show it off.

Posted at 6/8/2009 1:02:50 am by lifeonhold

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