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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Consumer Hardware & Components > consequences of running external dual HD enclosure on its side with no cover?

consequences of running external dual HD enclosure on its side with no cover?
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chasg
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Jun 4, 2016, 11:58 AM
 
Hi All,

I need some knowledgeable advice.

I have an external dual-drive enclosure (2 8TB drives running RAID 1) and the fan has died. The manufacturer sent me a replacement, which didn't work, and a second one, which didn't work. They refunded me and that's that (they didn't like my suggestion of me sending it back and getting a new one), but I got to keep the case (they have relisted the exact same case, but at an almost 50% increase in price, weird).

I've been looking for replacement fans, but in the meantime, I'd like to run the enclosure without its cover on (which is aluminium, no perforations). The two drives are very close together (stacked one on top of the other), so I'd like to max potential convection cooling by running it on its side (so the drives are vertical).

Any drawbacks to this I should be aware of? I'm even thinking of not getting a replacement fan (it's only 55mm in diameter, pretty small) and leaving the drives exposed permanently. Bad/good idea? I'm in a typical office environment, but with no AC (it can get a little hot in here).

Thanks very much for any insights.

Cheers!

Chas
     
reader50
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Jun 4, 2016, 01:45 PM
 
HDs aren't sensitive to orientation. Running flat or on any side is fine. I haven't tried desktop HDs upside down, but laptop HDs are OK in that orientation, so desktops are probably OK with it too.

Two bad fans (three counting the original) is odd. It suggests the temp sensor or controller circuitry is bad instead of the fans.

HDs need to be kept below 60C (140F). As long as they're not too hot to touch, you should be fine. Though you'll hear more noise from them with the case off.
( Last edited by reader50; Jun 4, 2016 at 02:00 PM. )
     
chasg  (op)
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Jun 4, 2016, 02:04 PM
 
Great info, reader50, many thanks. I'll frequently use the Mark 1 hand temperature test :-)

I've looked up the part numbers of the three fans. Specs are almost the same, except for current. The first (which is what came with the enclosure, and does spin, though with bad bearings) is rated for 0.15A, while the two identical replacements are rated for 0.83A. The manufacturer insisted that they tested both replacement fans in an identical enclosure, but that's a really big current difference, and I'm thinking that the enclosure just doesn't put out enough power to drive the two replacement fans (though they don't turn even a little bit, I would have thought they would, even with a supply that only gives 0.15A).

Electrical engineering is not my area of expertise, and high school physics was a loooonng time ago, so I'm willing to be corrected on the above, but it's the only difference that I've discovered (and would fit all the evidence).
     
Mike Wuerthele
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Jun 4, 2016, 06:33 PM
 
Originally Posted by reader50 View Post
HDs aren't sensitive to orientation. Running flat or on any side is fine. I haven't tried desktop HDs upside down, but laptop HDs are OK in that orientation, so desktops are probably OK with it too.
As a general rule, you want to format the drives in the orientation that they're going to stay. This may be a vestigial organ left over from days of yore, but the manufacturers still all recommend it.

Orientation doesn't matter one iota, though.
     
   
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