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Aluminum hot-swap cage converting two 5.25in bays to three 3.5in SAS/SATA drives with blue power LED

iStarUSA Inc.

iStarUSA Inc. BPN-DE230SS-BLUE 2×5.25″ to 3×3.5″ SAS/SATA server accessory

SKU CH-Y94Y-FV70T MPN BPN-DE230SS-BLUE

Converts two 5.25″ bays into three hot-swap 3.5″ SAS/SATA drive slots with a 70 mm cooling fan and key lock

  • Product typeHard Drive Cage
  • DetailsStandard Drive Bays: Hotswap 3.5 in: 3 5.25 in Drives: 2 Hot
  • Key featuresAluminum Frame, designed for heavy-duty purpose Support SAS
  • Three drives fit in two 5.25″ bays for dense storage
  • Hot-swap trayless design lets you change drives without tools
  • Aluminum frame and bezel dissipate heat for cooler operation
  • Key lock on front bezel secures drives against unauthorised removal
  • 70 mm fan maintains airflow across all installed drives

Drive cage for 5.25″ bays

The iStarUSA BPN-DE230SS-BLUE converts two standard 5.25″ front openings into three trayless hot-swap bays that accept 3.5″ SAS and SATA hard drives. An aluminium frame and bezel provide structural rigidity and direct heat transfer away from the drives. A 70 mm fan behind a removable cover forces front-to-rear airflow for sustained operation. Blue and purple LEDs show power and access status, while a key lock secures the door.

Suits servers and workstations needing dense 3.5″

Builders who want to add multiple 3.5″ drives without consuming 3.5″ internal mounts will benefit from the three-bay density. The cage supports SAS I/II and SATA I/II/III drives and is rated for RAID 0, 1, 1+0 and 5 configurations. It is not for systems that lack two adjacent 5.25″ bays, nor for installations that require tool-less drive carriers or support for 2.5″ media.

6.0 Gb/s interface ceiling

Every drive in the cage communicates through a backplane limited to 6.0 Gb/s, matching the SATA III and SAS II specification. Drives that only operate at higher SAS signalling rates will not negotiate a link. The backplane itself determines the maximum throughput, so drive selection must respect this ceiling.

How it compares

Measured against everything we stock in Drive Cages & Server Add-Ons, at today’s prices. Recalculated every night.

Price $51.99
Cheaper than about 61% of the 1,119 comparable items (median $74.99).

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Specifications

Product
Brand nameiStarUSA
Model nameBPN-DE230SS-BLUE
Product typeHard Drive Cage
Size & build
Shipping weight1.13 kg
Package size254 × 185 × 127 mm

Questions about this item

Does this cage need a backplane or controller card to connect the three 3.5" drives to the host?

Yes, the cage provides the physical bays and SAS/SATA connectors; a compatible backplane or RAID/HBA card with three ports is required to link the drives to the system.

Can I keep my existing SATA I or II drives and use them in this 6.0 Gb/s cage?

The cage supports SATA I/II/III, so older SATA drives will operate at their native speed while newer SATA III drives can reach the full 6.0 Gb/s rate.

What do the blue and purple LEDs show after I power on and start accessing the drives?

A steady blue LED confirms power is present on the cage; a purple LED lights or blinks when any installed drive is being read or written.

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