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Sandshark's avatar
Sandshark
Sensei - Experienced User
Dec 10, 2015
Solved

Inexpensive power supply replacement for legacy 4-bay Readynases

This was posted as a reply to another message, but is reposted here for easier searching.

 

I have now confirmed that a mini-ITX, aka Flex ATX, supply will work as a replcement for the NV, NV+ (v1), NVX, Ultra 4, and Ultra 4 Plus, and I assume Pro 4.  Be attentive of the amount of +12V supplied, as it needs to be at least 7A to meet the spec of the original.  The 250W supply I got provides 13A, and I wuld expect all 220 or 250W supplies would have enough.  One 150W one I saw advertised had only 5A. The connector has to be re-wired per the diagram here: http://www.readynas.com/download/archive/pdf/Ready​NAS_PSU_pinout.pdf.  One way to do that is to remove the two pins that are changed to +12V and replace them with the +12V from the 4-pin CPU connector.  They are the same type of pin.  On mine, the cables are the same length, too.  If you have trouble removing them (there is a special tool that makes it easier), you could cut and splice, but that will void the power supply warranty.  Either put the removed pins into the 4-pin connector or cover with shrink tubing to prevent them from shorting to the case  You will also need to rig up a way to install the air deflector.  Some good aluminum tape ought to do it.

 

The vent holes in the one I got are not very large, so I would not recommend removing the fan unless you are willing to take it apart and drill a lot of extra holes in it.  Being only a 40mm fan, it has a rather high pitch when fully spun up, but the one I got does have automatic speed control.  The orignal Infrant NV I have shipped with a power supply with fan, and it could get a bit annoying.  But since many are relegating their older units to backup that only powers up when needed, it would be tolerable unless in a bedroom or something.

 

I have seen these supplies new on eBay for around $30 and elsewhere for a bit more to a lot more.

  • One very important thing I somehow left out and just noticed:

     

    Unless you want to drill holes in the chassis for the fan to exhaust, you need to mount the supply about 1/2 inch from the original location, away from the rear of the case.  Aluminum duct tape works well for that.  Some air will get through the AC cord hole, but that doesn't seem to make it run too hot.  If your results vary, you could use tape or foam to seal around it.

     

    But the main reason I wanted the thread unlocked is for two very important things:

     

    First, I have found that many 250W and up supplies and all those that are "80 Plus" rated have two 12V busses (labeled 12V1 and 12V2).  Do not get one of those.  Though one bus may be rated with enough current to handle the entire NAS, leaving one bus without a load can be problematic.  And you absolutely should never tie the two together.

     

    I have also found that Amazon now sells the (unmodified for NAS use) same power supply as the one in my NVX, a Seventeam ST220FUB, so the top cover can be swapped and the fan removed.  A Kentek KT-FATX250, also available on Amazon, is cheaper but with a higher current rating and a close enough fit for the cover swap, and others may be as well.  The first one I got made by FSP Group was not able to have the cover swapped because the screw holes didn't line up.  I suppose you could use the aluminum tape to hold on the orignal cover instead of mounting the supply with it.

     

    I'm going to mark this as a solution so it shows up immediately after the original.

     

7 Replies

Replies have been turned off for this discussion
  • StephenB's avatar
    StephenB
    Guru - Experienced User

    Just want to add...

     

    You can get a short 20-pin extension cable quite inexpensively, and rewire that.  If you're feeling uncertain about that step, it ensures you won't wreck the connector on the supply.

     

    I've also attached the pinout pdf to this post.  The readynas archive links are starting to get tempermental.

     

     

    • Sandshark's avatar
      Sandshark
      Sensei - Experienced User

      Stephen, can you confirm the Pro 4 uses the same pin-out.  I assue it uses the same backplane as the others and thus must use the same pin-out, but I've never owned one.  It would be great if somebody can confirm.

      • StephenB's avatar
        StephenB
        Guru - Experienced User

        Sandshark wrote:

        Stephen, can you confirm the Pro 4 uses the same pin-out.  I assue it uses the same backplane as the others and thus must use the same pin-out, but I've never owned one.  It would be great if somebody can confirm.


        I don't have pro-4 either, so I can't confirm this for you.  Hopefully someone from Netgear can.

  • Thank you for this information. I'll take a closer look at the option of upgrading the supply as per your suggestion. I accept this is at my own risk etc. But then is desoldering blown parts for a manual repair of the original uncooled supply. Thanks again, Cheers.

    • mdgm-ntgr's avatar
      mdgm-ntgr
      NETGEAR Employee Retired

      Unlocking thread per Sandshark's request.

      • Sandshark's avatar
        Sandshark
        Sensei - Experienced User

        One very important thing I somehow left out and just noticed:

         

        Unless you want to drill holes in the chassis for the fan to exhaust, you need to mount the supply about 1/2 inch from the original location, away from the rear of the case.  Aluminum duct tape works well for that.  Some air will get through the AC cord hole, but that doesn't seem to make it run too hot.  If your results vary, you could use tape or foam to seal around it.

         

        But the main reason I wanted the thread unlocked is for two very important things:

         

        First, I have found that many 250W and up supplies and all those that are "80 Plus" rated have two 12V busses (labeled 12V1 and 12V2).  Do not get one of those.  Though one bus may be rated with enough current to handle the entire NAS, leaving one bus without a load can be problematic.  And you absolutely should never tie the two together.

         

        I have also found that Amazon now sells the (unmodified for NAS use) same power supply as the one in my NVX, a Seventeam ST220FUB, so the top cover can be swapped and the fan removed.  A Kentek KT-FATX250, also available on Amazon, is cheaper but with a higher current rating and a close enough fit for the cover swap, and others may be as well.  The first one I got made by FSP Group was not able to have the cover swapped because the screw holes didn't line up.  I suppose you could use the aluminum tape to hold on the orignal cover instead of mounting the supply with it.

         

        I'm going to mark this as a solution so it shows up immediately after the original.

         

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