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ToughArmor MB720M2K-B

4 Bay M.2 NVMe SSD PCIe 4.0 Mobile Rack Enclosure for External 5.25" Drive Bay (4 x Mini-SAS HD SFF-8643, no Tri-mode support)
Product Details
  • Note: To utilize an M.2, U.2, or U.3 NVMe SSD in a PCIe 16x or 8x slot, the motherboard or add-on card must support PCIe Bifurcation. This mode divides PCIe lanes into specific configurations like x4, x4, x4, x4 for a 16x slot or x4, x4 for an 8x slot, ensuring the SSD can be read by the system. For compatible hardware, please refer to the FAQ section. If your hardware is not listed there, please contact us for assistance.

  • Product Introduction
    The ToughArmor MB720M2K-B is the world’s first quad M.2 NVMe ruggedized removable enclosure. With our enclosure, your NVMe SSD no longer requires to be installed on to the motherboard or even a riser card which is typically held on with a tiny screw. Now it could be installed and accessed from the comfort of the frontal bay of the computer. In addition, it comes with our patent-pending M.2 adjustable drive locker which can easily place your drive without any tools or screws.

    The MB720M2K-B is designed to house up to 4x M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD, supporting blazing fast PCIe x4 transfer speed up to 64Gbps via MiniSAS HD (SFF-8643). Our specialized drive tray accepts all standard M.2 drives length from 30mm to 110mm (2230, 2242, 2260, 2280, & 22110). As M.2 drives are notorious for reach high temperatures, each drive tray is equipped with a high efficiency aluminum heat sink to ensure your drives remains within optimal temperatures even under heavy load. As it is part of the ToughArmor Series, the enclosure and trays are made of metal to ensure the maximum protection against your drives and with an included barrel key lock, it prevents any unauthorized physical access.
  • World’s First Quad M.2 NVMe Removable SSD Mobile Rack
    A typical M.2 NVMe is installed on the motherboard or even a riser card which is often secured by a tiny screw. With this method, it can be a hassle and a time-consuming process to install or remove the drive physically. However, with the ToughArmor MB720M2K-B, your drives are brought to the front of the computer case, making M.2 drive installation and removal a more straightforward and efficient process.
  • Demonstration
    When using the ToughArmor MB720M2K-B, the user can simply place their M.2 NVMe SSD in the drive tray, adjust the drive locker to the correct length per M.2 drive size and be set to go. With this method, it will take users a few seconds per drive tray to install, avoid the hassle of dealing with tools and screws while being more efficient and innovative way to installing M.2 drives.
  • Full Drive Length Support
    The M.2 adjustable locker accommodates all standard M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD drives, including 2230 (30mm), 2242 (42mm), 2260 (60mm), 2280 (80mm), and 22110 (110mm), making this drive universal to all M.2 drive length and future-proofing the extra-long M.2 110mm drive.
  • EMI Grounding Technology
    As little do people know, grounding your drive is very important through many swaps; to ensure your drive and most importantly your drives are always safe. Without grounding, when swapping drives, there is a high possibility that there may be static shocks which can damage your drive and lose your data. With our innovative adjustable M.2 locker, it grounds your drive automatically once your M.2 locker clips into the SSD screw hole. The drive will be constantly grounded throughout the tray and housing of the enclosure. The grounded connector design protects your drives from static electrical surge, ensuring your data is always safe during drive swapping.
  • Superior Performance
    To fully use the speeds of NVMe, each drive will use its’ own MiniSAS HD (SFF-8643) connector, maximizing the potential transfer bandwidth rate of 64Gbps in each drive bay which is over 10 times faster than previous SATA standard. This makes an ideal solution for data intensive application such as real-time servers, high performance PCs, deep-learning machines, and 4K / 8K / 3D media workstations.
  • ToughArmor Protection
    Ensuring the enclosure can be relied upon for many years, the ToughArmor MB720M2K-B is capable of holding up in the harshest environment. It comes equipped with rugged heavy duty full-metal protection throughout the entire device and tray, making it perfect for industrial devices that may require a flammability rating. Because of the high build quality, it can be used in various enterprise systems including the military and law enforcement industries along with manufacturing conditions such as embedded control and factory automation systems.
  • Maximum Cooling Performance
    As M.2 NVMe SSD are notorious for reaching high temperature, it is important to keep it cooled at all times or it may result in performance degradation and transfer speed throttling. As we understand this may be concerning to some, on each drive tray it comes equipped a extra-large high efficiency aluminum heatsinked. Additionally, it comes with thermal pads included to ensure the extra excessive heat is dispersed throughout the entire heatsink.
  • Integrated Aluminum Heatsink Cover
  • Working together with the dual 40mm ball-bearing cooling fan, the heat is further dispersed through the intelligently place ventilation holes throughout the entire enclosure. Each fan has three fan settings: high, low, and off. The user can manually select the proper cooling option to keep the drives at optimal operating temperatures, even under heavy load.
  • Packed with Features
    An LED status light built into the tray lets you know your drive is powered up and in use. To save power, the LED is shut off when no drive is installed.
  • For an additional physical layer of security, the included key-lock can be used to protect against unwanted access and secure drives in particularly rough environment, such as military application and in-vehicle PCs.
  • Never forget which drives belong in what bays. With our individual drive ID labels, you’ll always know which drive tray belongs in your RAID array or which drives contains certain files. Freely unplug and rearrange them to better suit your configurations or simply remove them for a simplified look
  • Exceptional Product Compatibility
    The MB720M2K-B is compatible with motherboards, RAID/HBA cards, and M.2 adapters from major brands including Adaptec, Areca, Broadcom, HighPoint, Supermicro, and more. This compatibility gives you the freedom to choose from a wide range of hardware options, moving beyond the constraints of single-brand system configurations. For more information on product compatibility, click here.
  • The ToughArmor MB720M2K-B supports 15 pin SATA power cables with locking latches, so you’ll never need to worry about cables unintentionally disconnecting from your enclosure. Once these cables are connected, they will lock and stay in place.
Which ToughArmor MB720 is right for you?
Model MB720M2K-B MB720MK-B V2 MB720MK-B V3
Cooling Fans Dual Fans
(40 x 40 x 10mm)
Dual Fans (40 x 40 x 20mm)
Fan Speed 4,800 RPM 8,000 RPM
Connectors 4 x MiniSAS HD 4i
(SFF-8643)
4 x OCuLink 4i (SFF-8612)
Pin-out Defined Legacy SFF-9402 Rev 1.1 SFF-9402 Rev 1.1
(Tri-mode HBA/RAID adapters compatible)
Product Dimension
(L x W x H)
171 x 146 x 41.3mm 181 x 146 x 41.3mm
Net Weight 1334g 1325g
Gross Weight 1560.3g 1504.8g
Suitable for NVMe HBA/RAID adapters
with Legacy pin-out
NVMe HBA/RAID adapters
with SFF-9402 pin-out
Tri-mode HBA/RAID adapters
with SFF-9402 pin-out

Customizable ICY DOCK Drive Enclosures: Tailored to Meet TAA & UL Certification Standards and More!
At ICY DOCK, we understand the paramount importance of adhering to various industry and safety standards. While our standard products are already crafted with the highest quality in mind, we also provide our customers with the option to customize ICY DOCK drive enclosures and mobile racks to meet their specific certification requirements. This includes standards such as TAA and UL to wide temperature tests.

Our dedicated team is fully prepared to adjust product materials and designs to ensure complete compliance. Furthermore, we offer comprehensive guidance to our clients throughout the certification process. Our goal is to not only meet precise specifications but also ensure that our products successfully pass stringent tests. Below, you'll find a detailed table listing all the optional certifications that can be tested with our customizable solutions.
Optional Certifications Available for ToughArmor MB720M2K-B
TAA Trade Agreements Act Compliance
UL Safety Standard Certification
UL94 Flammability of Plastic Materials
FCC Federal Communications Commission Compliance
Wide Temperature MIL-STD-810H - Method 501.7 & 502.7
Customizing ICY DOCK products for specific certifications involves fees for the creation of the certificates, including necessary testing. Please note that some certificates may require recurring fees to remain valid. For more details and inquiries, please contact us at tech@icydock.com

Main Features
Fits 4x M.2 NVMe SSD of all lengths, 30mm (2230), 42mm (2242), 60mm (2260), 80mm (2280), and 110mm (22110)
   
Adjustable drive locker holds all length drives securely
   
Tool-less drive installation design for easy drive maintenance and system upgrading
   
Installs into any standard external 5.25” device bay
   
Uses 4x miniSAS HD (SFF-8643) to connect, requires NVMe host
   
Supports the full NVMe bandwidth specification of 64 Gbps per channel
   
Ruggedized full-metal enclosure meeting flammability requirements
   
Integrated extra-large high-efficiency heat sink and ample ventilation for excellent passive cooling
   
2-segment key lock for additional physical security
   
Eagle-hook tray latch securely holds the tray inside the enclosure
   
EMI Grounding – protects SSDs from electrical damage
   
Anti-Vibration Technology (AVT) reduces noise and protects against environmental damage
   
Industry-leading 5 years limited warranty against all defects
   
Complimentary support from professionally trained US-based technical support agents

Specification
Model Number: MB720M2K-B
Color: Black
Support Drive Size: 4 x M.2 NVMe SSD 2230/2242/2260/2280/22110
Compatible Drive Type: M.2 PCIe 3.0/4.0 NVMe SSD
Number of Drives: 4
Drive Bay: 1 x external 5.25" device bay
Host Interface: 4 x Mini-SAS HD SFF-8643, pin-out defined by Legacy
(Tri-mode HBA/RAID card incompatible)
Power Input: 2x 15pin SATA power connectors
Transfer Rate: Up to 64Gbps (depending on hard drive speed)
Support HDD Capacity: No limitation
Drive Cooling: Metal heat dispersion with passive cooling
Structure / Material: Metal with partial plastic
Drive Security: 2 segment key lock
Product Dimension (L x W x H): 171 x 146 x 41.3mm
Product Net Weight: 1334g
Package Gross Weight: 1560.3g
Drive Activity LED Indication: Drive power: solid green; Drive access: flashing green
Package contents: Device, user manual, screws, thermal pads.
M.2 Connector Insertion Rate: 5,000
Humidity: 5%~65% RH
Operating Temperature: 0°C to 60°C (32°F to 140°F)
Storage Temperature: -35°C to 70°C (-31°F to 158°F)
Compliance: CE, RoHS, REACH
Warranty: 5 years limited warranty

Compatible Drive Tray (Caddy):

  • MB720TK-B tray

Related Products Series:

  • NVMe Enclosures
  • SAS/SATA Enclosures

ToughArmor Lineup:


FAQ

Q: I'm connecting my Oculink or SlimSAS NVMe PCIe HBA/RAID card to the MB720M2K-B via miniSAS HD (SFF-8643) interface, but the U.2 drives did not show up in my system.

A: The MB720M2K-B are not compatible with the Oculink or SlimSAS PCIe HBA/RAID cards due to different connector pin assignments used on the device. Please check the compatibility list in the FAQ section for HBA/RAID cards that are compatible with MB720M2K-B.


Q: Can you recommend an add-on card that is compatible with MB720M2K-B?

A: To ensure compatibility with MB720M2K-B, please make sure that your add-on card or motherboard’s BIOS/UEFI supports PCIe Bifurcation when using a PCIe 16x or 8x slot. Additionally, set up the PCIe splitter in the BIOS/UEFI with the configuration of x4, x4, x4, x4 for a PCIe 16x slot or x4, x4 for a PCIe 8x slot.

Please click the icon below to view the compatibility of your motherboards or add-on cards that support PCIe Bifurcation mode. For the best compatibility, we highly recommend using the cables recommended or manufactured by the motherboard or add-on card manufacturer.

 



We are currently in the process of certifying our NVMe enclosure with major add-on card and motherboard manufacturers. We will keep updating the list to include compatible accessories.

To report a compatible add-on card, cable, or motherboard, or to check the compatibility of add-on card(s) or motherboards that are not listed, please click here.


Q: I've completed the installation of the hard drive and device as per the instructions in the product manual, but the system still can't detect the drive. How can I troubleshoot this issue?

A: Please first confirm the compatibility of your hardware, and make sure that the drive, drive enclosure, cable, and host interfaces are compatible. Try connecting the drive directly to the host to see if the system can detect the drive. If it still doesn't detect it, this can rule out issues with the drive enclosure. You can also try connecting the drive enclosure with different drives, cables, or systems to see if the issue can be resolved. If the system still can't detect it, here are some possible issues:

Insufficient PCIe lanes in the system: Whether you're connecting the drive enclosure to the motherboard or add-on card, It is important to note that the number of available PCIe lanes is limited. This includes understanding the number of lanes provided by the CPU and chipset, as well as their allocation method. Failure to do so may result slower transfer speeds, unstable connections, or even the inability to detect the drive.
Incompatible interface protocols: It is crucial to verify whether the Mini-SAS HD, OCuLink, or SlimSAS interface on the motherboard or add-on card is capable of supporting NVMe.
Incompatible interface pinout standard: Prior to connecting the drive enclosure to the Mini-SAS HD, OCuLink, or SlimSAS port on the motherboard or add-on card, please verify that the port utilizes the same pinout standard as the port on our drive enclosure. To check the pinout standard of our drive enclosure, you can refer to the specification table on our product page, where it specifies whether the pinout standard is Legacy or SFF-9402 1.1.
Excessive length of the connecting cable: To ensure optimal performance, it is advised to use a connecting cable that is no longer than 50cm. Using longer cables can lead to excessive signal loss, resulting in slower transfer speeds, unstable connections, or even the inability to detect the drive. Additionally, we recommend using the same interface connector for both the device and the host to prevent any potential compatibility issues.

Q: I'm using Intel/Broadcom Tri-Mode HBA and RAID cards with the MB720M2K-B, but the drives do not show up in my system?

A: The issue is caused by RAID card manufacturers using a different pinout for Tri-Mode cards than is typically used for U.2 connections. When using these cards with U.2 NVMe drives and cables, a U.2 enabler cable must be used for compatibility, which reverts the pinout back to standard U.2 specifications. For more information, please click here.


Q: The system does not detect the M.2 SSD I installed in the ICY DOCK enclosure. What should I do?

A: Since the M.2 SSD is not designed for hot-swapping or hot-plug, please make sure you power off the device/system before inserting or removing an M.2 SSD. If the system is still unable to detect the drive, follow the steps below to scan for new hardware manually:

 

If you are unable to detect the drive after performing the manual refresh, your system might not support hot-plug functions. We suggest you check with the motherboard/add-on card manufacturer to see if it supports the NVMe hot-plug function.

 

Windows 11 / Windows 10 / Windows 8 – In the search box on the taskbar, type device manager, and click it from the menu. Once the device manager window pops up, right-click on the disk drive icon, and click scan for hardware changes.

 

Windows 7 – Right-click on the computer icon on the desktop, select properties, click device manager, right-click on the disk drive icon and then click scan for hardware changes.


Image result for disk drive scan for hardware changes

 


Q: The mounting screws for the device seem to be too short to secure the device onto my system, what should I do?

A: The included M3*2.5L screws fit most metal sheets of the computer cases with 0.8~1mm thickness. For cases that have a wider 5.25" bay, make sure you place the device in the center to tighten the screw holes on both sides. Please contact us at tech@icydock.com if you have a problem securing the drive enclosure onto the drive bay.


Q: Is the ICY DOCK NVMe enclosure supporting the PCIe 4.0 standard?

A: Yes, all ICY DOCK NVMe enclosures support the PCIe 4.0x4 standard, with up to 64Gbps transfer rates.


Q: Can I replace the cooling fan attached to the device? Will doing that void the warranty?

A: The cooling fan we used has been thoroughly tested with the drive enclosure to ensure it functions properly and supports the fan speed control (for select models). Therefore, we suggest our customers keep the original fan for the best result. However, we understand the stock fan may not be suitable for all the applications, so we elected to honor the warranty when 3rd party fan is using. The warranty may void if the 3rd party fan causes electrical damage to the device, though.


Q:  Which specification should I check before buying the 3rd party cooling fan?

A:The following information is the fan specification requirement and compatible fan models for MB720M2K-B

 

Fan Dimension (LxWxH) 40 x 40 x 10mm 40 x 40 x 20mm 
Connector Type 3 Pin Wafer
Rated Voltage (VDC) 12V DC
Rated Current (A) < 0.12A (127mA)
Screw Specification Phillips Flat Head - M3 x 15mm - Steel
(Came with stock fan)
Phillips Flat Head - M3 x 25mm – Steel
(Not Included)

 

Compatible fan models
(without test, use it at your own risk)

 

 


Q: I'm having the difficulties closing the lid of the drive tray and unable to insert the drive tray all the way to the drive enclosure after placing the M.2 SSD onto the drive tray.

A: Make sure to lock the M.2 SSD with the adjustable M.2 locker. The tray lid will not close properly if the M.2 locker is not fully secured. If you are having difficulty secure the M.2 locker or close the cover, the M.2 SSD you are using may not follow the standard M.2 SSD thickness, which is less than 1.5mm height for each side with a total height that does not exceed 3.8mm. Using the M.2 SSD with non-standard thickness will cause improper tension on the M.2 locker and tray lid and make the M.2 connector misaligned. If you are having issues inserting the drive tray to the enclosure, please stop the operation immediately and check the drive thickness to ensure it follows the standard M.2 SSD thickness - less than 1.5mm height for each side and less than 3.8mm for total height.

Metal heat dissipation sticker

 

Note: Some M.2 SSD uses a metal heat dissipation sticker that causes each side's thickness more than the 1.5mm. Remove the sticker will solve the problem, but do it at your own risk (might void the warranty of SSD)

 

ICY DOCK enclosure is design to be compatible with M.2 SSD that has standard thickness. We highly recommend checking the drive thickness before purchase, and please refer to the incompatible M.2 SSD list below for further information:

 

M.2 NVMe SSDs known to be incompatible with ICY DOCK enclosure:


 

Please contact tech@icydock.com if the problem persists so we can resolve the issue as soon as possible.

Click here to report a compatible/incompatible M.2 SSD.


Q: I feel that the drive tray's upper and lower metal spring is stuck when inserting the drive tray. What should I do?

A: Remove the drive tray from the enclosure and reinsert the tray without putting excessive pressure on the metal mesh sheet in front of the tray. Excessive force on the front metal mesh sheet may bend the top and bottom metal spring, causing difficulties when inserting the drive tray. Therefore, please do not forcingly insert the drive tray when this happens as it may cause damage to the metal spring.

 

metal spring
Please DO NOT put excessive pressure on the metal mesh sheet as shown

Reviews

By TechPowerUp

Looking for a 4x M.2 NVMe SSD Removable Mobile Rack? Read what TechPowerUp thinks about our ToughArmor MB720M2K-B first!

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