The Basics:
The items shown below are included in the box. You get a compact manual, the BlacX unit, a USB cable, and an AC power adapter. That is all you need... No tools required.
The below left image shows a front view of the BlacX. The square button above the logo is an eject button that pops drives off of the internal SATA data and power connections. The oval shaped feature just to the right of this is the power and drive activity light. When powered up the oval glows blue, and when the drive is active it also flashes red. The below right image shows the back of the BlacX. The three features include a power button, DC power connection, and USB connection.
The next image shows a top view of the device where you can see the SATA data and power connections inside the drive compartment. 2.5" drives fit into the small rectangular opening shown, while 3.5" drives push the larger rectangular panel down in order to be installed. This larger rectangular area is spring loaded so that it stays flush with the top of the device except when a 3.5" drive is installed.
Installation:
There isn't much to discuss when it comes to installation. You simply connect the power and USB cables, and then insert your drive. It took all of a few seconds to do so, and when I pushed the power button Windows XP immediately identified the drive and added it to those listed in Windows Explorer. No tools are necessary and there is no software to install.
The images below take a look at the BlacX with two different drives installed. The below left image shows a front view of a Maxtor Maxline III 250GB drive installed to show a typical 3.5" drive installation. The drive just slides onto the power and data connectors and rests as shown while in use. There is no absolute indicator that the drive is fully installed (like a click or latch that grabs the drive), so be sure to slide it in straight and press down gently to make sure it is well seated.
The above right image shows the back side of the device with a Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 750GB drive installed. I switched to this drive in order to show a potential issue that could be avoided with careful usage of the BlacX. This Seagate drive has a variety of electrical features exposed on the PCB, and it is quite possible that the drive could be damaged if a metal object came in contact with them while in use. A short circuit could be created if something like a paper clip or screw driver fell from a higher shelf, or if something like a bracelet or ring brushed against it while working in that area. Not a major issue, but something to consider, and perhaps a point where Thermaltake could make a change by extending the back of the BlacX up higher to protect this area.
