I recently had the all too common and dreaded power supply failure on my ReadyNAS NV+ (RND4000). The unit itself has worked flawlessly for the 5-6 years since purchase, until last week. I shut it down to swap out the UPS it was plugged into, and it never started back up. After some research and testing, I narrowed it down to a likely failure of the power supply.
The solutions were to either buy a newer unit or try to fix mine. The drives in my NV+ weren't on the approved list for any of the current models, so replacing it could entail buying all new drives, an expense I wasn't really looking forward to.
I looked at replacement power supplies, but all I saw were a few items on eBay for upwards of $120. The unit self new was only ~300, and current comparable diskless systems are about the same. I really wasn't interested in spending nearly 50% the cost of a new unit to repair this one.
So, after doing some research, I found the SeaSonic SS-250SU 1U server power supply was dimensionally identical to the stock power supply, was highly rated and only cost $40 at NewEgg. As a standard PC/Server power supply, it includes all the usual connectors (EPS12V, Sata, Molex, etc), which made swapping the required 2 wires in the main ATX connector (following the available pinout diagram) easy. I just moved two of the yellow 12 volt wires from the EPS12v connectors into the main 20 pin connector, then trimmed and insulated the remaining unneeded wires/connectors.
The new power supply has a small fan, so I did have to cut a round hole in the back of the base plate for the NAS, but a dremel and a grinding wheel made quick work of that. The warranty was up anyway, so I wasn't really concerned about voiding it.
After reseating the SODIMM, the unit started right back up like nothing happened. The fan in the new power supply is virtually silent, and the Front View is reporting slightly cooler temperatures than with the stock power supply. The new power supply is rated for about 100 watts more than the stock one, and it's actively cooled, so it's reliability will in all likelihood exceed the stock power supply.
If anyone else finds themselves in this situation, which many already have and surly will, I just wanted to offer this as a viable solution. As long as you're reasonably inclined, swapping the wires, trimming back the extra connectors and cutting the hole for the fan are pretty easy tasks, and $40 sure beats $300+ and the hassle of potentially migrating all your data to a new system.
A word of caution, I did this hack a year ago with my NV, which, like you said, worked flawlessly for many years. Anyway, after replacing the power supply, everything worked fine for about a month or two, then, it started to mysteriously freeze again. Then it would not even boot up. Luckily, before this happened, I backed up the data to an external disk. So basically the hack bought me a few months, and allowed me to get the data backed up. Your NV+ is newer than my NV, but I would still do a backup ASAP, just in case you end up with the same bad luck.
A word of caution, I did this hack a year ago with my NV, which, like you said, worked flawlessly for many years. Anyway, after replacing the power supply, everything worked fine for about a month or two, then, it started to mysteriously freeze again. Then it would not even boot up. Luckily, before this happened, I backed up the data to an external disk. So basically the hack bought me a few months, and allowed me to get the data backed up. Your NV+ is newer than my NV, but I would still do a backup ASAP, just in case you end up with the same bad luck.
Thanks for the head's up, I'll definitely keep an eye on it over the next few months. Can I ask what brand/model power supply you used? After replacing the power supply, the unit initially wouldn't boot up and would just cycle between the power button and HD1 lights blinking in a sequence. I tried to find a reference for the code, but figured the memory was a likely candidate. I removed the SODIM, blew out the connector, cleaned off the contacts, reseated it and it started up fine repeatedly (took a few boot ups/shut downs between testing and getting it back into place).
In any case, yea, I always keep the unit itself backed up. Any time I put anything on the NAS, I also copy it to an external drive that gets stored in a fireproof safe. I've lost data before and don't much care to repeat the event. I never have less than 2-3 copies of everything on separate devices.
The power supply of my ReadyNAS RND4000 v3 (NV+) went down recently. With the quick and professional assistance of Overtek Ltd. (Overtek.co.uk) I today received a replacement power supply. I mounted it into the NAS, booted it up and everything worked flawlessly, 100%. Value 69 GBP + shipping.
I acquired a power supply via Amazon from a vendor located in the UK, as well....solved problem, although the unit was not exactly the same as original. It was close enough in form and perfect in output. Minor mods required to make it work.
