Helios64 HDD Cable Harness issue

[grendel]

Hello,

 

Recently the HDD Cable Harness for my Helios64 malfunctioned.

 

SATA Ports 1 and 2 are both no longer getting power/HDDs are not spinning up.

 

I confirmed that it was power by plugging the SATA cable into ports 3, 4, and 5 on the motherboard which all function.

 

I also iterated through the system by removing all the HDD's and testing each HDD slot one at a time.  All 5 HDDs fucntion individually in a USB drive enclosure, and all 5 function in my server system and I can mount the RAID array.

 

My question is, does anyone know how to contact the Helios/Kobol team so I can purchase a replacement HDD Harness Cable?  

 

I checked on Aliexpress and can't find anything similar so I presume that the cable is custom.

 

Thank you.

Edited Tuesday at 02:23 PM by grendel
silly typos

[Werner]

Kobol went out of business years ago. I don't think you will be able to find replacement parts.

[laibsch]

1 hour ago, grendel said:

I checked on Aliexpress and can't find anything similar so I presume that the cable is custom.

 

 

That is surprising.  I don't think they are custom.  Isn't this what you need?  Or this one for just 1€.  Search for "SATA power cable" and skip the 4-pin ones.

[grendel]

6 minutes ago, laibsch said:

That is surprising.  I don't think they are custom.  Isn't this what you need?  Or this one for just 1€.  Search for "SATA power cable" and skip the 4-pin ones.

 

I've already performed that search.  

 

The connector on the motherboard is a Mini Molex 8 Pin connector.

 

Here is a link to the Kobol website with an image of the harness.

HDD Cable Harness

[laibsch]

Oh, my bad.  That does indeed look very custom-made.

 

Just an idea, maybe get yourself a Molex 4-Pin IDE to SATA power cable (this one even has five power outlets) and then power the HDD separately?  Maybe there is 12V on the board somewhere you can tap into.  I am not an electrical engineer so better verify.  You will likely have to come up with a unique solution at this point.

[grendel]

1 minute ago, laibsch said:

Oh, my bad.  That does indeed look very custom-made.

 

Just an idea, maybe get yourself a Molex 4-Pin IDE to SATA power cable (this one even has five power outlets) and then power the HDD separately?  Maybe there is 12V on the board somewhere you can tap into.  I am not an electrical engineer so better verify.  You will likely have to come up with a unique solution at this point

 

I have looked at a lot of other 4 and 8 PIN cables and considered using multiple single SATA power connector to double connectors but I have reservations because the harness cable included with the Helios64 has those capacitors.  I am not certain what their purpose is and I am concerned if I do some sort of unique solution I will damage the motherboard.  

 

Also this was being used as an offsite NAS for a production environment backup data and so stablity is essential.

 

I've asked this question in multiple places, I am at the point that I am just going to have to order a new NAS unit that doesn't use custom cables.  

 

 

[MaxT]

If tester is not available, I'd try powering failing ports with their respective cables but feeding them from pins powering other ports (eg with wires from some molex cable, just need to be careful with polarity and shortcuts) and then powering working ports from pins on the board feeding failing ports - to exclude failure of the power rail feeding these ports on the board.

If cables are faulty, I'd check them for electrical connections and if they are ok, would replace capacitors.

[anmaped]

@grendel Sure you're certain you need a new cable harness?

 

A few years ago, I replaced the HDD power switches myself, they’re just small smd transistors.

 

1 and 2 (Channel A) power on simultaneously, followed by 3, 4, and 5 (Channel B).
There’s a built-in delay between the two channels to help manage voltage spikes that occur during HDD initialization — Channel A starts first, then Channel B.

 

 

[grendel]

4 hours ago, anmaped said:

Sure you're certain you need a new cable harness?

 

Actually, the connections on the cable harness appear to be good as well as all the capacitors.  They are not expanded and they are not leaking--and no, I am not certain.

 

4 hours ago, anmaped said:

A few years ago, I replaced the HDD power switches myself, they’re just small smd transistors.

 

1 and 2 (Channel A) power on simultaneously, followed by 3, 4, and 5 (Channel B).
There’s a built-in delay between the two channels to help manage voltage spikes that occur during HDD initialization — Channel A starts first, then Channel B.

I did not consider that it might be a board issue because I sniffed the board, there were no unusual odors when the system is powered up.  Visually nothing appeared burnt.

 

The failure occurred randomly after functioning for 4+ years.    It has always been connected to an Online UPS that supports AVR, and Pure Sinewave on my server rack.

 

I am not proficient at soldering, nor do I have a microscope, soldering iron or any of the required accessories to attempt a repair.

 

For testing purposes, yesterday, I supplied power using an external power source from a USB enclosure and it worked.  SATA Ports 1 and 2 are both functional, it is definitely related to power.   

 

I am meeting with my CEO tomorrow to discuss purchasing a new NAS type system.  Leaning towards an HPE MicroServer Gen11.  Going from a fantasic little affordable unit to an actual server that is going to cost around CAD$4,000 (price includes HDDs).  YIkes.

 

Thank you to everyone that took the time to read and reply though.  I appreciate you, your time, and your suggestions.  I was hoping I could just buy a cable and move on lol.