SUMMARY: Compact package for a 2.5″ portable drive enclosure

The good guys at Tagan were nice enough to send a sample of their external hard drive enclosure IB-290 to test out. This houses a 2.5″ SATA drive with USB and eSATA output ports.

Key Features
- Aluminum sleeve, screwless HD mounting
- USB and eSATA data transfer
- USB, USB power and eSATA cables
- Vinyl carrying case and drive opening tool
- Power and HD activity LEDs
The little tool that likes like a can opener is used to open the case so you can load a drive. The tool is used to engage two arms which hold the back of the unit in place:

Once you pull out the arms…

the back with the PCB pulls out:

Mount the drive to the PCB, slip it into the case, snap the arms back in place and you’re done.
I tested the Tagan’s IB-290 with a Toshiba 2.5″ SATA drive (MK6034GSX, 60 GB, 5400 rpm) with the following results:

OK file transfer speed – reflects this drive’s specifications. Note that you need the USB power cable to run the drive using the eSATA port.

Typical USB – great for ubiquity, not so great for large files transfers.
Tagan’s Icy Box IB-290 is a nice, compact package for a 2.5″ portable drive enclosure.
Be the first to comment