Update September 2009: My MadDog enclosure has died. I’ve replaced it with this.

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Update March 2009: It looks like MADDOG itself has expired. Warranty service appears to be non-existent. Calls to their hotline go unanswered and emails get no response.

Link here, and here to Rip-off Report (this takes a while to load).

My MADDOG hard drive enclosure is still working fine, but I can no longer recommend any of their products.

In my opinion, stay away from MADDOG and AcomData.

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Since last week’s AcomData fiasco, I’ve had an eye on obtaining another 3.5-inch hard drive enclosure. For ten bucks more than the AcomData, I discovered the MADDOG MegaVault version – Model MD-AEN350COM. It’s a nice little package with a black anodized case. The huge power-on indicator is up front, and the switch and connectors are located on the back.

It comes with USB2.0 and Firewire 1394 support. Power and both interface cables are included. For those of you still using Win98, a CD with drivers is included for USB1.1. The manual even shows how to format and partition the drive if you’ve not already done that.

After the simple task of installing my hard drive (don’t forget to set the jumpers to “master”) into the MADDOG, I plugged into the desktop, powered up the MegaVault, and voila! The drive appeared. If I want to use the drive with Firewire on my laptop, I’ll need to get a 6-pin to 4-pin FW adapter. That’s not a major problem since it also supports USB2.0.

The drive can be stored flat, or on edge with the supplied clear plastic stand. The stand isn’t the greatest, but it works. I’ve noticed that the hard drive appears to run substantially warmer when on its edge, so I set the drive flat on my table for the coolest running. I’ve had the drive running for a couple of hours now, and there’s no excess heat buildup since laying it flat.

I’m happy with it.