Help for a hardware noob

[The Dreaming Dragon]

I recently ordered a hard drive from amazon for my girlfriend so she can use her old laptop to rip and store MP3s. I had an external HD enclosure from when I had gotten my new computer a few years ago,thinking I could use it with this,but the plugs aren't compatable...so what can I get to convert the new HD for the old enclosure...or should I just buckle down and get a compatable enclosure?

this is the HD   
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002ZCXK0I

this si the enclosure   http://www.ipsgproducts.com/products/external_storage/Usbhdenclosure_013805.html

Halp!

[[BTF]Sigma]

I had this issue when I upgraded my motherboard recently. The enclosure is made for IDE connection based HDDs. Your new device is a SATA drive. The connections are different.

One is a long row or pins connected using a ribbon type cable (IDE) and the other uses a smaller cable connector that looks like a little 'L' (SATA).

[Acer]

You can use a simple converter like this (only a few bucks) ->
http://www.amazon.com/Bidirectional-IDE-to-SATA-Converter/dp/B000RK89M4

here's a vid ->
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYrz-u4-M58

[VaeVictis]

only a few bux for a converter? might as well just get a new enclosure then, there is some pretty decent cheap ones on newegg for like 10 or 20

[The Dreaming Dragon]

I would need a seperate power converter too right?
 Thanks for the help too

[The Dreaming Dragon]

Okay...I need to get an enclosure for the Hard Drive in the first post...and I would like it from amazon...so can you PLEASE show me one that will DEFINATELY work with the HD I got ? Please?

 

[QwazyWabbit]

This should work just fine.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182180

[The Dreaming Dragon]

More problems,this time NOT computer related!

My girlfriend has a dryer with this sort of plug:



What sort of converter do I need to get it to stick in to a standard United States 3 prog outlet? And do they sell them at amazon?

[quadz]

Google Image Search says this is a visually similar image:




But in any case that looks like it wants a 240 volt, 30 amp socket. So it can't be used in a standard 120 volt, 15 amp socket regardless of whether you changed the prongs to be physically compatible. (And even if a transformer were used to convert the voltage, it would still trip a circuit breaker and/or blow a fuse shortly after turning the dryer on.)

There is a new 4-prong standard for electric dryers. So if your place does have a 4-prong 240V socket, then you can convert from that 3-prong to a 4-prong. This article goes from 4 to 3, but same idea:

http://hubpages.com/hub/how-to-change-a-4-prong-dryer-cord-and-plug-to-a-3-prong

More info: http://www.homedepot.com/c/how_to_replace_a_dryer_cord_HT_PG_AP

[Sgt. Dick]

Quadz is correct, that plug is for a 220/240 ac volts.  Practically all dryers in the US use 220/240 volts ac to operate.  A few years ago the power plugs for dryers were changed to a 4 prong configuration.
The do make adapters to go from 3 to 4 prong.  The 3 prong has two legs of 120 (the two angled prongs) and ground.  The 4 prong has two legs of 120 with a ground and a neutral.

Bottom line is the dryer will not work on a 120 volt circuit.

[[BTF] Reflex]

Fingers crossed that you have a 4 prong outlet. 

Never lived in a house that DIDN'T have a 220 outlet somewhere.
I've had friends add an additional one to the garage for welding.

[|iR|Focalor]

Depends on how old your house is and how old the dryer is. Sometime in the late 90's they changed the standards for energy efficiency and safety and that's when everything went 4 prong. So if your house was built in the late 90's or later, then you've probably got the 4 prong outlet already and you're good to go. Personally, I think replacing the cord isn't really necessary. You can find a ready-made 3 into 4 prong adapter. They might not always be easy to find though. And personally, I'd look for a 3-prong female plug, a short cable, and a 4-prong male end. Reason being... if you get one of the cheaper 3-prong female directly into 4-prong male adapters, it's gonna stick out of the wall a few more inches and might prevent you from pushing the dryer back against the wall as far as you may want it to go.

I'm not an electrician, but I "think" any electrical work would be totally unnecessary. In case I'm wrong about that and it DOES require some DIY shit, just make sure you turn the breaker off before fucking with anything. If it's true that the circuit is running 30amps, that's more than enough to kill your ass deader than a hammer a few times over. From what I remember about my days in HVAC doing wiring on units, anything over 5 amps is sufficient to cause death.