Hard disk docking bay losing power output

[icelava]

For around five years I've been happily using an Orico 6648 4-slot eSATA docking bay to attach additional disks to my already internally-crowded desktop computer. Typically I'd fit older disks with "numbered days" there for easy detachment and retirement the moment they die.

Thus over time I've witnessed the disks one by one making those clicking or beeping sounds of which eventually the docking bay and OS can longer detect them.

Well yesterday as I bought a new 2TB disk to succeed two separate internal disks (consolidate as two partitions), and suddenly my 6TB backup disk also failed to power up on the docking bay with its pathetic beeping whimpers. That got me into panic mode as all my backup partition images reside in that disk.

In a flurry of testing different slots, I discovered my free 2.5" disk can power up (and detect) on any slot. But if I slot in a 3.5"disk, they can't seem to get fully powered. Holy smokes that means quite a number of allegedly "dead" disks could actually still be alive. Good thing I've only been setting them lying on the floor instead of wrapping or dismantling for disposal. The most recent retired disk was my venerable decade-old WD 10Krpm Velociraptor (150GB), which turned out to be opertional on testing through other spare docking bays.

Anyway, that got me thinking - how is it possible for the docking bay deteriorate its power output like that (too weak for 3.5", enough for 2.5")? I don't have background in electrical/electronic engineering to know what circumstances can cause the circuit board or power adapter to (undesirably) reduce power to the bay slots.

 

[alamakazim]

Yes is possible PSU to weaken

 

[jtjt00]

Power supply and power adapter will degrade over times. So you need to refresh your hardware down the road.

 

[wwenze]

Capacitors

Even bad contacts

 

[icelava]

I have had power adapters outright fail on me, but never seen one gradually "fading" away.

Dang, this docking bay model's power connector is a circular 4-pin style design and not the common one-pin design. It'll likely take some effort to find a replica cable.

 

[wwenze]

Look at the size of a typical molex power wire

Now look at the size of that thing and imagine there are 4 wires in that thin bundle

Maybe some wire strands already broke inside

 

[jtjt00]

TS, how many years is your Orico 6648 4-slot eSATA docking bay in service?

 

[icelava]

Well the cable connector looks like this.

https://imgur.com/a/C1cM8iL

Maybe I'll walk around Sim Lim Tower after my new laptop's delivered and I get to Sim Lim Square to max its RAM.

TS, how many years is your Orico 6648 4-slot eSATA docking bay in service?

Been in operation around five years.

 

[jtjt00]

5 years in service is a long time, I refresh my NAS in 3-4 years period.

 

[icelava]

5 years in service is a long time, I refresh my NAS in 3-4 years period.

Heh, my NAS - Synology DS413 - is even older than the docking bay. Only one of the four WD Red disks had a failure which required an RMA. Some of the others may have reported bad sectors along the way but overall system health is reported good. I will of course take action (like getting another WD Red) if it considers a disk dead.

 

[jtjt00]

Heh, my NAS - Synology DS413 .........

You got backup for the data in ds413?

 

[icelava]

You got backup for the data in ds413?

The "backup" is RAID 5. If one disk fails, I slide in a new one to rebuild.

And most files are media content which are in reality not critical; can afford to lose them in the worst case. Sure, it can be mighty annoying, but my life will go on.

 

[jtjt00]

Raid 5 is a not a backup, your ds413 can kaput anytime.

 

[icelava]

Raid 5 is a not a backup, your ds413 can kaput anytime.

I know, but like I mentioned it's not a priority issue in my life.

 

[icelava]

Well, today on testing the docking bay, I suspect it is the bay's internal circuit board that's gone faulty rather than the power adapter itself. Each bay slot has its own individual power switch and - first time I'm observing this happen - different slots would randomly switch themselves on when I switch on the whole device.

If it's not the simple case of withering power adapter, then I'm unwilling to spend time trying to diagnose and fix the circuit board (with no expertise). Off to the recycle bin it goes.