HOT SWAPPABLE HDD TWIN PACK TRAY

• US 20090046419A1
• Filed: 08/14/2007
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Drake, James R., Womble, James S.
• Application Number:
  US11/838,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20090046419A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.330
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/128 of the plurality of recording/reproducing devices, e.g. disk drives, onto a chassis

Abstract

Two HDDs are mounted in a single hot swap twin pack tray. The orientation of HDDs—Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) on HDDs are mounted facing inboard. HDDs operate in opposing directions (counter-rotational) to each other (i.e., so that the platters are spinning in opposite rotational direction, actuator arms are moving in opposite directions, and the motors are operating in opposite directions) providing smoother operation by dampening vibrations by cancelling each other'"'"'s vibrations. The orientation of HDDs automatically provides protection for PCBs in dense environments.

Claims

1. A system for reducing the vibrations caused by the spinning of the hard disk drives (HDDs) in a computer system, the system comprising:

a. a single twin pack tray for receiving a first and a second HDD;

b. a first HDD having a first spin rotational direction mounted in one side of the hot swap twin pack tray;

c. a second HDD having a second spin rotational direction mounted in anther side of the twin pack tray;

wherein the first HDD is oriented such that the first spin rotational direction is opposite from the second rotational direction when first HDD and second HDD are mounted in the twin pack tray for protection of other circuit boards in a dense hot swapping environment

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and second HDDs are mounted on printed circuit boards (PCBs) and are mounted facing inboard.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the first HDD is positioned such that there is a gap between the second HDD so that air flow can occur between the first HDD and the second HDD and adequate cooling can occur.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the twin pack tray is a hot swap twin pack tray.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the hot swap twin pack tray accepts the first HDD and a second HDD in positions such that the spinning of the first HDD is counter-rotational to the second HDD.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the HDDs are hot swappable so that the HDDs may be swapped or hot unplugged or removed and replaced as necessary without rebooting.

7. A tray for receiving a first hard disk drive (HDD) and a second HDD comprising:

a. a first slot for receiving the first HDD which spins in a first rotational direction; and

b. a second slot for receiving the second HDD which spins in a second rotational direction, the second slot for receiving the second HDD so that the second HDD is spinning in an opposite rotational direction from the first HDD.

8. The tray of claim 7 wherein the HDDs are hot-swappable.