eSATA and Card Reader for Elite 110

[Rastersoft]

I am a happy user of an Elite 110 case. Unfortunately, I missed two things with it: an eSATA connector, and my old card reader, so I decided to try to add them.

 

For the card reader I started with a model designed to be mounted in a 3,5" bay. After removing the metal case, I found that it was much smaller than it, and that there was a lot of spare space because it needed to have a minimal length to be screwed in the standard bay. Using a Dremel I cut the base to keep the shielding, and mounted it in the front. The place is perfect because it doesn't obstruct the front fan.

 

 

For the eSATA connector I checked for a place in the front panel that had enough free space for it, and it was the upper right corner. For a connector that I would connect and disconnect on a regular basis it is a good place. It is true that it would be better to put it on the left side, over the USB connectors, but unfortunately the screw mounts didn't allow it, and also there wasn't enough clearance from the card reader.

 

 

The eSATA cable and connector was obtained from an internal eSATA like this one:

 

 

And here is the result (the eSATA hole looks brighter in the picture than in the real world because of the flash):

 

 

Anyway, it is a pity that this case doesn't come with pre-cut holes at least for the eSATA connectors. One in the front, for connecting and disconnecting hard disks used only sometimes, and another one in the back (there are plenty of places in the metal back plate where it can be put), for external hard disks that should remain connected.