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My Mod: Extended 2400mah battery with induction charging

I didn't buy the HTC extended battery but one from amazon sold by Karen Deals. Link is below
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0NVM3EA1B2VE9HN3AKMA
Battery
Model No: cs-ht8585xl
Part No: 35h000128-00m, ba s400
Rating: 3.7v 2400mah
Lithium Ion
Induction Unit
Palm Pixi charging back with Palm touchstone charging dock
Operating System
Shubcraft 1.4d
Video:
Images are attached below!
Induction charging has the same charging speed as plugging it into a wall outlet. Very fast!
Sidenote:
I tried using a multimeter with the 3 contacts located under the battery and could not get it to register anything (with and without the charger plugged in). I then tried shooting 5v through it using 6 different combination (2 plugs for 3 contacts) and still couldn't get anything. If anyone knows a way to use these 3 contacts for charging please leave feedback. Also if anyone can find a minature microusb male connection that'd be great.

Well done, it's a really nice mod!
The 2400 mAh is a bit too bulky for me, though the extended uptime must be awesome. I'd even consider something similar, were it not that you're using the microusb to charge. If only you could connect it straight to the battery, would be so much more convenient. It'd still work in for instance car kits and attached to a pc.
Never the less, well done.

Looks great, i would try this myself but i cant stand the bulk of extended batteries and the stock metal back would almost defiantly interfere with the current. Where did you get the decal from?

Angelusz said:
Well done, it's a really nice mod!
The 2400 mAh is a bit too bulky for me, though the extended uptime must be awesome. I'd even consider something similar, were it not that you're using the microusb to charge. If only you could connect it straight to the battery, would be so much more convenient. It'd still work in for instance car kits and attached to a pc.
Never the less, well done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't plug in directly to the battery since the battery doesn't have a balancer board on it and it would explode if it were to be overcharged without one.
JJbdoggg said:
Looks great, i would try this myself but i cant stand the bulk of extended batteries and the stock metal back would almost defiantly interfere with the current. Where did you get the decal from?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the decal in the automotive section of Walmart. It came with 2 big/4small stickers for 7usd
UPDATE: Made the microusb head smaller! Letting liquid electrical tape dry then I'll post pics.

this is a really nice mod. what about the possiblly of going via the nav panel connectors instead of micro usb. this would as far as i know leave the usb port free and also not have the disadvantage of having a usb connector attached which can be easily damged.
Personalyu i wouldnt do this mod as i use my phone to tether a hell of a lot so it seems pointless to me, but being able to just sit your phone down and have it charge is awesome.
Great work!!!!

veda_sticks said:
this is a really nice mod. what about the possiblly of going via the nav panel connectors instead of micro usb. this would as far as i know leave the usb port free and also not have the disadvantage of having a usb connector attached which can be easily damged.
Personalyu i wouldnt do this mod as i use my phone to tether a hell of a lot so it seems pointless to me, but being able to just sit your phone down and have it charge is awesome.
Great work!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tired the navpanel connections with no success. If anyone has a multimeter please try to do it to theirs (with charger plugged in).

that is really odd....only think i can think of is manye theres something that needs to happen with the middle pin.

nice work i think that decal are very cute indeed!

PPL this is knowed from a long time! This pins are used for example with Car Kit like CU s400: http://www.slashgear.com/htc-hd2-cu-s400-car-kit-gets-priced-detailed-coming-december-1360143/
This car kit is in two versions: like this on 1st photo - use other battery cover which use this "mysterious" pins to run NaviPanel and charging battery and 2nd version with charging via microUSB port.
I hope this helps a bit.
veda_sticks said:
that is really odd....only think i can think of is manye theres something that needs to happen with the middle pin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This "odd" middle pin you can find in every phone battery too. If you depart any battery you can find there a little electronic circuit.
I think, that this pin is used to metering battery charge, but i can be wrong - im not advanced in electornics.

I'm well aware of the existance of these products but cannot figure out what the three contacts below the batteries are.

Maybe some users having one. In that case he/she can make photos of all connectors or better - check it with multimeter which connector is +, - and this middle one.
Maybe some service manuals can tell something more abt this. I searched for it and i did'nt find nothing useful.

FRANQ_23_PL said:
Maybe some users having one. In that case he/she can make photos of all connectors or better - check it with multimeter which connector is +, - and this middle one.
Maybe some service manuals can tell something more abt this. I searched for it and i did'nt find nothing useful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also did a search on google and xda but with no luck. I don't think it inputs 5v into the machine since I did shoot 5v into the 3 connectors using different combination.

Hi all,
The contact closest to the center of the phone (looking along the longest axis of the phone) is the +5V, the one furthest from the +5V is the ground, and there's a small voltage on the center contact, positive to ground. These +5V voltage shows up (on my phone) only when the mini-USB charger is plugged in.
I've got the +5V terminal of the Pre plate attached to the +5V contact on the phone, and the other one attached to the GND contact. Inductive charging works at 341ma (as measure by the hardware and read by BattClock) at maximum, which is probably not coincidentally also the limit set on USB charging, at least from my laptop.
I tried hooking the Touchstone up to a Apple ~1" cubed charger, didn't get any charge. I haven't read the USB power specifications, but according to the people at the Palm forums you have to have a USB spec power-capable charger to initialize the Touchstone, and the USB ICs signal this by connecting the two data lines. This can be approximated by clipping a USB cable and twisting the data lines together on the Touchstone side of the cable. This allowed the Apple charger to power the Touchstone.
The HTC stock charger works fine, as does an 800ma Verizon charger I had laying around. I tried hooking the Touchstone up to both a [email protected] switching charger and a 5V 8A supply, the Touchstone still charged at 341ma. I'm guessing this is software, firmware or hardware limited, just like the computer USB connection. I would speculate that if you shorted the middle pin to the ground pin, it might remove this restriction. Or fry your phone, I didn't try it.
There's a guy on the Pre forums who got the Touchstone to consume about 1.02A (http://forums.precentral.net/palm-p...b-adapters-touchstone-dock-2.html#post2020491) so the thing can, apparently transfer some power. I don't know how long it would last at those wattages, but I'm going to read a bit on the USB power spec and see if the 341ma limit can be lifted.
It's kind of nice to use the internal connector, because it leaves the microUSB port open. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask. With the relevant portion of the Pre cover stuck to the back of my phone, there are no wires out of the chassis and the added part doesn't add any considerable bulk to the phone. It protrudes less than the camera.
Anyways, hope this isn't a thread-jack or too long, but I figured it might help anyone that's going to take the time to do this.
Thanks to the community here.

Did you dremel and hotglue the plastic case to the metal case? Interweb highfive from me to you!
Can you post pictures of the inside wiring please?

I did. I basically cut out a square from the HD2 back large enough to hold the coiled length of wire that is needed to allow the back to be removed and articulated. Then I used Super Glue to fix the section of the Pre back containing the inductive coil and circuitry to the HD2 back.
If you're trying to maintain your warranty I might suggest DigiKey part number 478-4687-1-ND, it's from the AVX "MOBO Spring Contact Interconnect Solutions" catalog under battery connectors (I can send you a .pdf copy of the catalog, it's too big to upload to forum). This is a 3mm pitch connector that should mate well with the internal connector - but - I don't have calipers so I would measure before ordering. I just soldered the wires to my HD2.
I'll post some pictures soonish.
And yeah, high five for sure. Thanks for pioneering this. My last phone was retired when the power connector became flaky, so it's nice not to have to worry about the contact wearing out.

Ur mod is on a dutch popular website!
http://tweakers.net/nieuws/69360/mod-maakt-draadloos-laden-mogelijk-op-htc-hd2.html

Right angle micro-usb
I'm looking to do the same thing with my Vibrant and have been searching for a similar connector. I just did a quick google search and found these angled connectors:
http://www.usbfirewire.com/u_microb_cables_angled.html

I tried soldering it your way with no sucess
Soldering pins are as shown
(If viewing vertically with top up)
(leftside of hd2) negative x positive (center of hd2)

bumping an old thread to see if you've taken pictures of the contact points yet.

Sorry it took me so long to reply. Two pictures, the first is the terminal with the wires soldered in, the second shows how I got the cables from the Palm coil/board through the cover. The terminals as you look along the longest axis of the phone with the microUSB plug closest to you are GND, something, and +5v.
So from left to right: 1 GND / 2 ? / 3 +5v.

Should I return my tablet for a replacement? (USB port tough to use)

The full sized USB port on my Iconia Tab has an issue. I plugged in a device for the first time yesterday, plugging it in was hard, but not to bad. Unplugging the device from the tablet proved to be impossible without the use of tools. I finally managed to get the cable unplugged, but it still is rather hard to use the USB port. It also makes a bit of a clicking sound when removing a USB device/cable.
Anyone else have the issue?

If its a fresh device it may just be this way for a bit. But to be on the safe side just return it you could damage it and thy may not replace it then.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App

Yes, the USB port was super tight on my A500 the first time I used it. I thought I was going to break something when I pulled out the USB drive that first time. Same thing the next time I plugged in the USB drive, but easier than the first time. Plugged it in and out a few more times and now it goes in smooth.

My USB ports were really tight at first as well after some use the metal clips loosen a bit and they function normally, they speced them tight due to it being a mobile device they are planning it the things being plugged in getting bumped and pulled

While we're on the subject of USB port and pulling out peripheral devices ...etc
I own the Asus Transformer briefly ( returned due to screen bled ) and it has the option to "unmount" ( MicroSD through tablet & full USB through dock )
for us Iconia owners... without the option and by just yanking things out.... doesn't that increased the chances of damaging the usb drives and corrupting files ??

Markon101 said:
The full sized USB port on my Iconia Tab has an issue. I plugged in a device for the first time yesterday, plugging it in was hard, but not to bad. Unplugging the device from the tablet proved to be impossible without the use of tools. I finally managed to get the cable unplugged, but it still is rather hard to use the USB port. It also makes a bit of a clicking sound when removing a USB device/cable.
Anyone else have the issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep mine is to hard to unplug too

Broken USB port
i noticed mine was like this at first but after a while it got easier to put in. until one day, my flash drive refused to go in all the way. I looked inside using a flash light and one of the gold pins had been bent back all the way. I live outside of the US so no warranty. I panicked and tried to straighten it back with a safety pin. It broke and fell out. I am now left without a usb port at all. any ideas on what to do?

I returned my first Tab because I thought the snug USB port was a defect, but the second Tab was just as bad. Over time the port has loosened a bit but I still have problems after all these months. Recently I inserted a mini wireless mouse USB dongle and I could not, for the life of me, remove it. I finally had to yank it out in pieces with a pair of pliers *shudder*. I still use a wired USB mouse and keyboard from time to time - but they have been tested several times and will unplug with minimal effort. I am very careful with flash drives though. I have one or two that work fine and they are the only ones I trust to use.
Sent from my A500 using xda premium

I have had two Iconias and both have had this issue. I don't think the newer one will help out with it. I use a 32gb USB device and it always hangs up in the port. But I don't use USB that often so my opinion is bias.

Yeah my USB port is super tight as well. The first time I stuck in a flash drive, I ended up pulling off the cover to the drive tying to get it out. After using it for a bit, it did loosen up some, but its still really tight. I just always use an extension cable now, at least that way I have something to grab onto to yank.

seems like a common issue. I also noticed the port was fairly tight at first, but after plugging in and out a few times, it seems to be broken in now - snug, but not overly tight. I use it for an external hard drive which is constantly being added and removed when moving from point a to point b.

Question about Transformer Keyboard Dock

Hi,
First of all, I don't have any ASUS Transformer tablet, and I have never seen nor used one.
But, I will buy the upcoming ASUS Transformer Prime.
So, my questions are related to the current keyboard dock.
Does the keyboard dock need power to function?
Probably yes. If it is not connected to a power source (like wall power outlet) and the dock's battery is empty, does it take the battery power of the tablet?
How good is the mechanical connection between the dock and the tablet?
I would imagine I will dock and undock quite often. So, I am afraid this dock/undock will loosen the dock?
I saw a trackpad in the dock, but can I use mouse (computer mouse)?
Thanks

gogol said:
Does the keyboard dock need power to function?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On mine, the keyboard battery is drained first. When the keyboard battery hits 3% it then begins to drain the tablet battery. The keyboard remains functional even when on the tablet battery. The most recent update made it where even USB attachments function for me when the keyboard batter is drained. So, you only need wall power when both batteries are completely drained.
gogol said:
How good is the mechanical connection between the dock and the tablet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is surprisingly solid. There are two hook latches in addition to the charging port connector. The tablet is also inserted into a shallow tray which adds even more stability.
gogol said:
can I use mouse (computer mouse)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you can. I have used USB mice, trackballs and various video game controllers without issue.
Don

No the dock doesn't need power as such. It supplies power when charged, when discharged it works the same as a keyboard plugged into a PC. Yes you can use a normal mouse but why? You have a touch screen and a track pad so why plug something else in, why carry more crap round with you. No mouse or track pad will replicate what you get on windows as android doesn't work like that. Best advice I can give is go into a store and have a shot.

Thanks all, it is pretty clear and as exactly as I expected.
I don't plan to carry all this every where. Obviously, I will place the dock at my desk, and will use it as needed.
And it is good that it can take power from the tablet, because I don't like another power cable for the dock.
So, this is perfect!
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

gogol said:
Thanks all, it is pretty clear and as exactly as I expected.
I don't plan to carry all this every where. Obviously, I will place the dock at my desk, and will use it as needed.
And it is good that it can take power from the tablet, because I don't like another power cable for the dock.
So, this is perfect!
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not only can it take power from the tablet, but it can also provide power TO the tablet. In other words, if you have a fully charged keyboard and a nearly drained tablet, you can pop on the keyboard and it will start to charge the tablet from the keyboard's battery. And you never need more than one power cable -- if you plug in the cable to the dock with the tablet attached, they'll both charge (I'm not sure if they charge simultaneously or if one charges first and then the other).

Tab charges first then the dock.

[Q] Run NST just on USB charger and take out battery! ?

When I am at home using my laptop, I normally plug in the charging cable and take out the batteries. Now for some obscure reasons, I want to be able to do the same thing with NST (or any other eInk eReaders). Is it possible? If not, why not? Can we do something to make it a possibility?
This can be useful for instance for when I am at home... Whenever I know I want to use the NST in USB host mode (as an eWriter, Android tablet, gaming, playing music, GPS whatever), I'd like to take out battery and use it while directly plugged into wall charger or laptop usb port. Possible?

Why take out the batteries? They are doing no harm.
If you want to hang the Nook permanently on the wall, Ok.
If you patched u-boot.bin, you could get the Nook to boot without a battery.
You could also do hardware mods to the Nook to make it work that way.
See:
Curent drain on the Nook
Measuring battery current accurately
Nook Simple Touch - DOA Wont charge/turn on

Renate NST said:
Why take out the batteries? They are doing no harm.
If you want to hang the Nook permanently on the wall, Ok.
If you patched u-boot.bin, you could get the Nook to boot without a battery.
You could also do hardware mods to the Nook to make it work that way.
See:
Curent drain on the Nook
Measuring battery current accurately
Nook Simple Touch - DOA Wont charge/turn on
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was exactly that post of yours (and the other one you referred me to) which gave me this idea. It might be just emotional but I want to preserve my batteries as much as I can, when I am on wall charger, so I'll take batteries out. It's been mentioned that for Li-ion batteries you can safely leave batteries in while charging, but... oh well, me being me I guess!
I'm interested to know both how to do u-boot patching AND hardware modding for this purpose. I guess I have so much to read.
You're the man, oops, ehem... woman, dear Renate.

idoit said:
When I am at home using my laptop, I normally plug in the charging cable and take out the batteries. Now for some obscure reasons, I want to be able to do the same thing with NST (or any other eInk eReaders). Is it possible? If not, why not? Can we do something to make it a possibility?
This can be useful for instance for when I am at home... Whenever I know I want to use the NST in USB host mode (as an eWriter, Android tablet, gaming, playing music, GPS whatever), I'd like to take out battery and use it while directly plugged into wall charger or laptop usb port. Possible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume you want to preserve your batteries. You will only affect this type of batteries life/effectiveness by constant charging at 100%. Even then it will take a long while to notice. Many newer laptops (last 3-4 years) will give you bios option to charge up to only 80%. This is the sweet spot for charging life.
That said leaving your battery in your laptop/nook gives you some serious benefits. The amount of power surges, brown outs and rf noise on power lines can seriously screw with your system. That click of turning a light switch on goes through to your computer. Ok motherboard will have some filtering etc but I'd still rather have a battery protecting me. As to brown outs and surges these can cause corruption. I get a lot of power cuts and I wish there was a minimum power off length. e.g. If power is disrupted it must be off for at least 2 seconds. This lets devices power off and then switch on. The problem is where power dips for 0.5 second. This is enough time to affect your system. Possibly affect contents of your active memory and harddrive cache. Your system keeps on running and slowly overtime gets shredded.
Bottom line how much does a battery cost? Any battery for laptop is going to be <£50. How much does your laptop cost?
As to a device bursting into flames if you use a third party battery or charger its a possibility otherwise very unlikely.

Crispy3000 said:
I assume you want to preserve your batteries. You will only affect this type of batteries life/effectiveness by constant charging at 100%. Even then it will take a long while to notice. Many newer laptops (last 3-4 years) will give you bios option to charge up to only 80%. This is the sweet spot for charging life.
That said leaving your battery in your laptop/nook gives you some serious benefits. The amount of power surges, brown outs and rf noise on power lines can seriously screw with your system. That click of turning a light switch on goes through to your computer. Ok motherboard will have some filtering etc but I'd still rather have a battery protecting me. As to brown outs and surges these can cause corruption. I get a lot of power cuts and I wish there was a minimum power off length. e.g. If power is disrupted it must be off for at least 2 seconds. This lets devices power off and then switch on. The problem is where power dips for 0.5 second. This is enough time to affect your system. Possibly affect contents of your active memory and harddrive cache. Your system keeps on running and slowly overtime gets shredded.
Bottom line how much does a battery cost? Any battery for laptop is going to be <£50. How much does your laptop cost?
As to a device bursting into flames if you use a third party battery or charger its a possibility otherwise very unlikely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks once again for your comprehensive well-thought-about response.
About the bottom line, you're absolutely right. I read somewhere that the most killing factor for laptop is heat and one part that heats up most is batteries. One of the reasons I took it apart was this. I have to admit that I'm not electrically knowledgeable enough to claim anything. Just trying to be as green and liberally conservative as possible.
By the way, worth a watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD6AiWP2VsY

Home PC for backups

PC built on ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3 motherboard with 8 GB RAM and AMD Phenom II X4 Black Edition 965 processor.
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Since I don't need all the drives at the same time for archiving, I reworked the SATA cables to turn off the 5 V and 12 V power on switches located outside the case.
I need to find a way to move the drives away from each other. Currently, the ATX plug is taking up space.
Probably a low profile angled plug is needed.

For backup I would use removable hdds trays or a stand alone plug in socket base.
Having all your backup discs in one location is asking for it. One near lightning strike, power surge, fire, etc could wipe out everything.
Malware is also a threat.
Make sure the PC case is earth grounded. That may save it from a near lightning strike. A hefty surge protector is also recommended. Optical toshlink to the internet source whenever possible. No internet connection increases security significantly though.
A earth grounded fire box, safe, an ammo can or a safety deposit box for backups in multiple locations. Never encrypt data drives.
Never allow anything with a permanent magnet or strong electromagnetic fields to get near the hdds. That includes bookshelf speakers

Putting the switches on a little PCB with Molex sockets for in and out on a little 3.5" blank panel would sure be spiffy.
Still, I'm not so hot on physically cutting the power to the drives.

Thanks for the good advices.
1. I never use PC during backup when a storm is approaching.
2. The PC power supply is permanently turned off. I turn it on before using it.
3. The PC for backup is connected to a router on the home network without internet access.
4. I write archive data to this PC via LAN from external devices, not the other way around.
5. When the most valuable data is complete, I copy it to 25 GB BD-R.

Renate said:
Putting the switches on a little PCB with Molex sockets for in and out on a little 3.5" blank panel would sure be spiffy.
Still, I'm not so hot on physically cutting the power to the drives.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SATA's are hot plugable. No harm, no foul.
I do it all the time, just make sure the write/read cycle has completed.
IDE however would puke all over you if you did that though

Renate said:
Putting the switches on a little PCB with Molex sockets for in and out on a little 3.5" blank panel would sure be spiffy.
Still, I'm not so hot on physically cutting the power to the drives.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your comments.
The choice and placement of the switches is supported by the ease of implementation and the lack of contraindications. However, the drives must not be turned on or off while the PC is running.
I am the only user of this system, so I did it with minimal effort.
I thought about the switches on the front panel, but there was not much space with free access in the case I had.

blackhawk said:
SATA's are hot plugable. No harm, no foul.
I do it all the time, just make sure the write/read cycle has completed.
IDE however would puke all over you if you did that though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, however, during hot power-up the switches may cause unstable voltage values to appear.
I don't want to shock the drives.
We are talking about the 5/12 volt power supply, of course.

ze7zez said:
Thanks for the good advices.
1. I never use PC during backup when a storm is approaching.
2. The PC power supply is permanently turned off. I turn it on before using it.
3. The PC for backup is connected to a router on the home network without internet access.
4. I write archive data to this PC via LAN from external devices, not the other way around.
5. When the most valuable data is complete, I copy it to 25 GB BD-R.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BD-R etc can fail over time. Always use at least two hdds in addition to the BD-R. I prefer using enterprise class hdds. Data retainment can exceed 10 years on hdds but best to rewrite it every 2-3 years.
-Always- bring up to room temperature before spinning it up. Lower storage temperatures enhance memory retention. Protect from ESD at all times. Protect from moisture, high humidity, high temperatures when storing. Always protect from vibration and physical shock when spun up!
Time stagger backup on across different hdds.
I have over a dozen hdds and flash drives I use for data backup. You can never have too many backups; you may lose some data but never all.

ze7zez said:
OK, however, during hot power-up the switches may cause unstable voltage values to appear.
I don't want to shock the drives.
We are talking about the 5/12 volt power supply, of course.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Shouldn't be a issue. Keep the hdds on a different power rail then the mobo and graphics card. Make sure that hdd rail is not overloaded.

blackhawk said:
Shouldn't be a issue. Keep the hdds on a different power rail then the mobo and graphics card. Make sure that hdd rail is not overloaded.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The graphics card is placed directly on the M5A78L-M/USB3, which is powered by an ATX connector. I did the calculation of the power supply load at the very beginning and there will be no problem with the drives, especially since I do not use all the drives at the same time.
The SATA controller on this board allows you to use the disks in RAID 0, Raid 1 and RAID 10 mode, but I'm not interested in that for now.

ze7zez said:
The graphics card is placed directly on the M5A78L-M/USB3, which is powered by an ATX connector. I did the calculation of the power supply load at the very beginning and there will be no problem with the drives, especially since I do not use all the drives at the same time.
The SATA controller on this board allows you to use the disks in RAID 0, Raid 1 and RAID 10 mode, but I'm not interested in that for now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use RAID for the OS (RAiD 0) and primary data (RAID 1) drives only if you chose to do so. The last thing you want to do is repeat the same mistake on all your backup data drives so avoid using RAID on them.
NEVER clone data drives, copy/paste only then verify size and if readable. Never encrypt data drives as you are the one most likely to get locked out.
Make a bootable cloned copy of the OS drive once configured but before any antivirus has been installed. Acronis does this easily.

One option to consider would be to use SATA cables with 90-degree connectors. This would allow the cables to lay flat against the motherboard and reduce the amount of space they take up. Another option would be to use SATA cables with shorter connectors, which would also help to reduce the amount of space they take up.
As for the ATX plug, a low-profile angled plug could be a good solution. Another option would be to use a cable extension or a custom cable that is designed to be routed in a way that does not interfere with the hard drives.
In general, when organizing hard drives in a computer case, it's a good idea to use drive cages or brackets that are designed for the specific case you are using. This can help to keep the drives securely in place and prevent them from vibrating or moving around during operation. Additionally, using cable ties or other cable management solutions can help to keep the cables organized and reduce clutter inside the case.

anawilliam850 said:
Spoiler: post
One option to consider would be to use SATA cables with 90-degree connectors. This would allow the cables to lay flat against the motherboard and reduce the amount of space they take up. Another option would be to use SATA cables with shorter connectors, which would also help to reduce the amount of space they take up.
As for the ATX plug, a low-profile angled plug could be a good solution. Another option would be to use a cable extension or a custom cable that is designed to be routed in a way that does not interfere with the hard drives.
In general, when organizing hard drives in a computer case, it's a good idea to use drive cages or brackets that are designed for the specific case you are using. This can help to keep the drives securely in place and prevent them from vibrating or moving around during operation. Additionally, using cable ties or other cable management solutions can help to keep the cables organized and reduce clutter inside the case.
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Thank you for the useful advice.
My goal was to create a server for home use based on the components I have. The low-profile 24-pin ATX plug is not low enough to be suitable. Its cost is also not encouraging. I removed the rivets from the basket and moved the basket away from the motherboard. The drives need to have good heat dissipation, so by moving the basket away I was able to increase the space between the drives. Because of the thermal insulation, anti-vibration pads require active drive cooling, which would cause unacceptable and unnecessary noise from the fan.
The use of drive power switches eliminates the reciprocal effect of drive vibrations on each other, since not all of them work at the same time, but only the ones needed.
My server does not run continuously, so the effect of vibration on the life of the drives is negligible.

ze7zez said:
Thank you for the useful advice.
My goal was to create a server for home use based on the components I have. The low-profile 24-pin ATX plug is not low enough to be suitable. Its cost is also not encouraging. I removed the rivets from the basket and moved the basket away from the motherboard. The drives need to have good heat dissipation, so by moving the basket away I was able to increase the space between the drives. Because of the thermal insulation, anti-vibration pads require active drive cooling, which would cause unacceptable and unnecessary noise from the fan.
The use of drive power switches eliminates the reciprocal effect of drive vibrations on each other, since not all of them work at the same time, but only the ones needed.
My server does not run continuously, so the effect of vibration on the life of the drives is negligible.
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Bundle wires and cables and run them out of the way along the case corners, edges of mobo. Preferably in space behind the mobo mounting partition when possible; completely out of the way/sight and protected, perfect for power cables. Excess cables lengths can be stashed here.
Use wire ties and split loom tubing.
Get rid of the loose wires by bundling them into cables. Lay the cables out so they're out of the air flow paths.
Take all sata cables down one side and to the mobo along the case corners on the mobo mounting side. Use right angle turns in the cables and edge mounting rather than have floating in the air.
Fan push/pull if practical*, either way get 2 low db fans for the back. Get maximum airflow over the hdds and mobo. Make sure the power supply gets enough cool air. Use homemade partitions if needed to direct air flow more efficiently.
* pay attention to airflow, eliminate wire obstacles, probably all fans should be pulling out air so it flows in from the front. User adjustable fan speed helps to make balancing the flow pattern easier.

It is not easy to buy long power cables adapting Molex to SATA, hence it is not possible to arrange cables arbitrarily as you rightly propose.
I didn't want to extend (solder) the cables, so I bought the longest 37 cm that were available on the aftermarket.
The setup is still in expansion, so I'll do the joining of the sata cables together at the very end, after testing the operating temperature of all the drives running simultaneously under the load of copying data over the LAN at room temperature set at 23 °C.
The photo doesn't show it, but the side cover of the chassis has a fan mounted with a tube facing the CPU.
The power supply pulls warm air outside and draws in cooler air from around the PC through the holes seen in the photo with the drive power switches.
As you can see from the photo, I'm missing the optical drive connection, which may or may not be useful. Perhaps I will also add an SSD drive.
So I will need to reposition the 1TB drive and attach the optical drive to a SATA controller on a PCIe x1 port. I am considering buying a controller with two SATA ports based on the ASM1062 chipset or a twice as expensive one with four SATA ports on the ASM1064 chipset.

The top fan is not giving the bay rack good airflow as it's bypassing them because of the open rear grills. Either close/partially close them or install fans pulling air out.
Balance the fan speed(s) so they don't work against each other.

blackhawk said:
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Balance the fan speed(s) so they don't work against each other.
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If you mean the fan on the processor and the side fan from the tube, I have no idea how to do it.
I can read the speed of the fan on the CPU and I can plug the speed controller into the side fan, but I don't know what the principle of cooperation is, I suspect that rather the amount of air flow decides, which is practically not easy to determine.

ze7zez said:
If you mean the fan on the processor and the side fan from the tube, I have no idea how to do it.
I can read the speed of the fan on the CPU and I can plug the speed controller into the side fan, but I don't know what the principle of cooperation is, I suspect that rather the amount of air flow decides, which is practically not easy to determine.
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Disregard that statement... the processor, ram sticks, graphics card and hdds have cooling priority. Make sure the hdds are getting good airflow...
My favorite Antec case had a bottom mounted PS with a wind tunnel.