Home Enterprise Icy Dock FlexCage MB973SP-1B Released

Icy Dock FlexCage MB973SP-1B Released

by Lyle Smith

Icy Dock has released the FlexCage MB973SP-1B, a 3-in-2 trayless SATA Backplane Cage for 3.5" SATA hard drives. The MB973SP-1B is designed specifically for use in server environments and allows up to 3 x 3.5" SATA hard drives while only consuming two 5.25" device bays.


Icy Dock has released the FlexCage MB973SP-1B, a 3-in-2 trayless SATA Backplane Cage for 3.5" SATA hard drives. The MB973SP-1B is designed specifically for use in server environments and allows up to 3 x 3.5" SATA hard drives while only consuming two 5.25" device bays.

To power up to three 3.5" hard drives, the FlexCage only requires two 4-pin power ports or two 15-pin power ports with the included 4 pin to 15 pin adapter cables. Icy Dock’s popular trayless technology is integrated into the cage to further the convenience of the FlexCage. This means that no screws or tools are required to insert or eject the drives, making hot swapping a seamless experience. Additionally, maintenance is reduced to simply ejecting a failed drive and then reinserting its replacement.

The MB973SP-1B uses a large 80mm cooling fan located at the back of the device, which pulls cool air from the front ventilation slots over the drives and exhausts the warm air out through the rear ventilation slots. The MB973SP-1B is also built with the Active Power Technology power system so the fan and the individual LEDs only use power when a drive is inserted. The 80mm cooling fan can be replaced and maintained effortlessly; it is fully removable and is replaceable with most aftermarket cooling fans of the same size. Both 2 and 3 pin standard fan power ports are also available to expand the range of compatible fans.

The FlexCage MB973SP-1B uses ICY DOCK’s Flex Fit Design, which accommodates customers’ different tab lengths when installing to a server or a tower computer case. Since there are systems that exclusively use 15 power connectors, 4 to 15 pin power adapter cables are included to provide better accessibility for a variety of host systems.

Each bay has individual LED indicators, which display both drive power and drive activity so that users have access to drive status information at all times. Each drive door also has a multi-locking latch mechanism in order to prevent doors from being opened needlessly. Additionally, a solid aluminum panel is used in each of the door latches to improve durability. The FlexCage MB973SP-1B comes with a 3-year warranty.

Key Features

  • Fits 3 x 3.5" SATA HDD into 2 x 5.25" Device Bays.
  • Supports SATA 3 (6 Gb/s) hard drives.
  • Compact and space saving design to fit multiple drives.
  • Commercially designed for servers & rackmounts.
  • Screw-less, tool-less design for genuine plug & play and hot swap use.
  • Lightweight aluminum body construction for durability and heat dissipation.
  • 80mm cooling fan for maximum air flow.
  • Fan is replaceable with aftermarket fans that use standard 2-pin or 3-pin connectors.
  • Flex Fit Design – accommodates different 5.25" tab lengths for server or tower cases.
  • Active Power Technology (APT) – individual blue led & cooling fan only powers up if there is a drive installed in the bay.
  • Multi-locking door latches to prevent accidental drive ejection.
  • Two 4 pin to 15 pin adapter cable included for 15 pin SATA power ports.
  • ICY DOCK 3 year warranty equivalent to hard drive manufacturer warranty to ensure maximum reliability and long life.

FlexCage Product Page

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