Fractal Design Node 304 Case Trays Don't Fit 2.5" drives

[FreeNASBob]

The Node 304 arrived today and I learned that the holes in the drive mounting trays are not spaced correctly for 2.5" drives. It's only a hair off, but enough that you can only screw in two screws on the same side of the drive. I got the calipers out to see what the problem was and the issue is that the 2.5" HDD holes are 2.434" on center and the Node 304 tray's holes are 2.412" on center. That .022" difference is enough to make it impossible to thread the screws on one side without stripping them or the drive. See for yourself.

 

[cyberjock]

That's fixed with a drillbit. ;)

 

[Ericloewe]

If you plan on using SSDs, don't bother fixing the holes. Screw them in on one side and use your favorite non-permanent adhesive or Velcro to secure them in the other side.

If you're using HDDs and drilling the case is not up your alley, you could buy some of the myriad 3.5" to 2.5" adapters out there (I'm assuming the case does have 3.5" bays available).

 

[FreeNASBob]

What I ended up doing was 'forcing' it in a way that wouldn't strip the drives. I put the screws through the holes first, got them threaded into the drive correctly (possible because the screws are long enough to 'tilt' in the proper orientation), and then tightened them up. By tightening them a little bit at a time in a star pattern I was able to cinch the drives down snug without stripping them. It was a PITA, but seems like it worked out OK. It probably would have been easier to drill the holes out with a 3/16" bit in retrospect. It takes a long time to finesse 6 drives that way.