This invention relates to an apparatus which permits quick removal of high capacity disk drive units from a receiving unit of a host computer system. The apparatus further provides quick, simple installation of the disk drive units into the computer system.
In order to provide greater flexibility in the operation of a computer system it is often desirable to incorporate several disk drive units into the system. Further, many applications permit the disk drive unit to be removed or interchanged for reasons of data security, backup purposes or for expanding a system. While this is a desirable feature, previous systems have required the computer operator to manually remove a number of connecting cables and to unscrew two thumb nuts to release the disk drive unit from its mounting in the host computer system.
Also in previous designs an occasional misalignment of ribbon cable connectors during installation of the disk drive unit improperly connected the drive unit and or damaged pins on the disk drive controller. Further, extended cable lengths used in these systems could result in some data validity problems.