Barco - icmp x - caddies

[Marcel Birgelen]

ICMP caddies use a light-pipe to feed drive activity from a SATA-backplane mounted LED towards the front of the caddy. They're not necessary technically for drive operation, but I found that quite unusual.

That's actually quite common for quite a few of those caddies, as many of them are 100% passive. The status LEDs are on the backplane and the only connector is the SAS or SATA and power connector on the drive. The bracket itself can be 100% passive this way and the light pipe is just a cheap piece of transparent plastic.

More fancy ones, like those HPE caddies with "animated LEDs" on them require extra circuitry and an extra electrical connection with the backplane, just another piece of technology that can break, all for a rather useless spinning disk animation.

I've requested a sample, lead time will be anywhere between two weeks and a month.

[Carsten Kurz]

ICMP caddies use a light-pipe to feed drive activity from a SATA-backplane mounted LED towards the front of the caddy. They're not necessary technically for drive operation, but I found that quite unusual.

[Ryan Gallagher]

So the only realistic way anyone is going to get a set other than through Barco is if a cinema equipment vendor or reseller buys a batch of 500, and then sells them on at a reasonable markup, but not as big a one as Barco charges. That's what we do with the CPC quick release hose couplings when we do a repair that requires one, though a minimum order of 20 is a much smaller inventory burden than 500.

The only community alternative to that would be to start a group buy thread where people register interest and quantity, perhaps even pre-pay into a funding pool, and only order when the minimum is reached. Assuming they are even the correct caddies, that manufacturer sample would be useful there.

[Leo Enticknap]

So the only realistic way anyone is going to get a set other than through Barco is if a cinema equipment vendor or reseller buys a batch of 500, and then sells them on at a reasonable markup, but not as big a one as Barco charges. That's what we do with the CPC quick release hose couplings when we do a repair that requires one, though a minimum order of 20 is a much smaller inventory burden than 500.

[Marcel Birgelen]

Short update: Those caddies can be ordered with a minimum quantity of 500... Price per caddy is about USD 15.00 excluding shipping and import/handling fees. Still, no guarantee they match. They're looking if they can provide a sample.

So, for now, buying overpriced disks from BARCO still is cheaper.

[Marcel Birgelen]

I've dropped them a mail, they're going to check if this is a part that can be ordered individually. Like Leo indicated, chances are they'll require a minimum order, if they offer it separately at all.

[Leo Enticknap]

I seem to remember a thread a few years ago in which we were trying to identify the OEM part for another server's drive caddies (possibly the DolReMi IMSes). We did, but also discovered that there was a minimum order of 1,000 from the factory, and no-one reselling them individually or in smaller quantities that could be found online.

[Marcel Birgelen]

I am not sure if they are still available for purchase through Advantech. The ASR 3100 servers are End of Life.

Yeah, but they still offer similar server appliances that feature 3.5" SATA slots. I doubt they redesigned those caddies for those. So, I'll drop a line to the sales representative tomorrow and will ask him if they offer those caddies as a stand-alone product and if they're willing to ship a sample.

The thing is though, Advantech works with volumes, it may be hard to source low volume numbers from them, especially for stuff like this.

[Christos Gartaganis]

I've bought integrated appliances from Advantech in the past...

I haven't done a comparison yet, but their 3.5" caddies look pretty similar to the Barco ICMP ones:

StorageReview-Advantech-ASR3100PP-Micron-In-Caddy.jpg

I am not sure if they are still available for purchase through Advantech. The ASR 3100 servers are End of Life.

[Allan Barnes]

Thanks i will check out this supplier

[Marcel Birgelen]

I believe that the ICMP-X caddies are exclusively manufactured for Barco by Advantech SRL, a subsidiary of Advantech based in Romania. Has anyone noticed that the ICMP-X servers most likely come from the same factory ?

I've bought integrated appliances from Advantech in the past...

I haven't done a comparison yet, but their 3.5" caddies look pretty similar to the Barco ICMP ones:

StorageReview-Advantech-ASR3100PP-Micron-In-Caddy.jpg

[Stefan Scholz]

My eyes nearly popped outta their sockets when I saw $760 for two liters of Barco coolant.
I'm sure there must be a reason for charging that price. (Other than "because they can" )
But to me it just looks like two bottles of diluted antfreeze/ethanol, and some plastic tubing
and a syringe that looks exactly like some of the 'hardware' I got for free from the hospital
when they sent me home after a surgery a few years back.


BarcoCoolant.jpg

I'm

What you are showing is the complete kit including "bicycle" pump, syringe, plastic hoses and coupling connectors. A lot of "valuable" hardware, not only 2 liters of Blue Diluted 1,2 Ethanediol (Antifreeze), as it is written on the bottles. It also states 1/3 Ethanediol, 2/3 Water. A Brenntag product (is one of the suppliers or motor car antifreeze), filled and labelled for Barco Kuume, Belgium.

You need to buy the hardware kit once only, and afterwards just buy regular antifreeze in blue color for 50 cents a liter.

[Christos Gartaganis]

I believe that the ICMP-X caddies are exclusively manufactured for Barco by Advantech SRL, a subsidiary of Advantech based in Romania. Has anyone noticed that the ICMP-X servers most likely come from the same factory ?

[Leo Enticknap]

If you want to put together your own kit, everything apart from the reservoir cap with the Schrader valve in it is easily obtainable from third parties.

The Series 2 quick release hose couplings are made by CPC (Colder Products Company); the female piece is model no. NS4D17004, and the male is NS4D42004 (thank you Steve, for providing this info on F-T in another thread many years ago!). I don't know what the Series 1 couplings are. The last time we bought some of the Series 2 there was a minimum order of 20 of each, but for a tech who regularly services Series 2 Barcos and NECs, it's likely worth the investment. I replace around 2-3 leaky or stiff sets a year. You'll also want some hose clamps. I prefer Jubilee clips to the spring type: either are available from Amazon or Home Depot.

You'll want some 3/8" ID hose, to make up your drain hoses with.

You can get a bicycle pump from any Walmart for a few bucks, and syringes from any drugstore (as long as you don't want them with needles, no questions asked). Note that you don't need the syringe to flush a Series 2 Barco, only the Series 1 pressurized circuit.

Next is some "Asian Blue" automotive coolant. Fill a used Barco one liter coolant bottle with two thirds of this to one third of distilled water. The result performs indistinguishably from the stuff Barco sells. When maintenance C next comes due, you should see that the light engine temperatures with the lamp running are completely within the normal range. If you compare to the same model of projector with the same model of lamp with Barco coolant in it, the numbers will look almost identical.

The only sticking point if you don't have one is the reservoir cap with the valve in it. It should be possible to make one easily enough, by taking a generic cap, drilling a hole in it, and installing a valve. What I don't know is the spec (ID and thread count) of the reservoir cap. If anyone does, that would be useful information: I've come across several now that are either cracked or have rotting rubber gaskets in them. I'd love to replace them, but not at the price Barco likely charges.

You should also put a small funnel in the kit, so as to avoid spilling coolant when refilling the reservoir.

To flush and refill a DPxK-xxB projector, you can get away without the valve cap. After draining the two sections of the circuit, reconnect everything, fill the reservoir, run refill mode, and the pump should prime by gravity. However, the level in the reservoir will drop to almost zero very quickly, so be ready with the funnel and the bottle to top up. But I've found that this won't work with a DP2K-xxC: you have to restore the connection from the pump's output to the light engine's input, and then use the bicycle pump to push new coolant through the pump and the light engine before reconnecting the light engine to radiator output and running refill mode. If you don't, the pump won't prime and you won't see any agitation in the reservoir.

[Steve Guttag]

Jim, the price you saw was for the "kit" that includes the bicycle pump, lid with schrader valve, hoses, syringe...etc. The coolant itself, while pricey is not THAT pricey.