FirmTek SeriTek, 1EN2, SeriTek/1EN2 User Manual

Dual-bay Hot -Swap External Serial ATA Enclosure

SeriTek™/1EN2

User Manual

FirmTek, LLC
www.firmtek.com

Copyright

Copyright © 1999-2004 FirmTek, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this manual may be
reproduced, translated by any means, photocopied, or transmitted in any form without the prior
written permission of FirmTek.

Trademarks

FirmTek, UltraTek, AV-Tek, SeriTek names and logotypes are trademarks of FirmTek, LLC.
Apple, Macintosh, Power Macintosh, Mac OS 9.XX, OS X, and the Mac logo are registered
trademarks of Apple Computer, Incorporated. The "Built for OS X" graphic is a registered
trademark of Apple Computer, Incorporated, and used under license. Windows, Windows
98/98SE, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows 2003 are registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other manufacturer product
names mentioned in this manual are for identification purposes only and are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Changes

FirmTek reserves the right to make any changes to product design, specifications, or details
without notice. Actual product photos or screenshots may look different from those provided.

Notice

The material content of this manual is for informational purposes only. It is possible the content
of this manual may contain technical inaccuracies, typographical, or other errors. FirmTek
assumes no liability for any errors, omissions, or from the use of this manual that may result from
such errors, including, but not limited to loss of data or profits.

Before installing SeriTek/1EN2 or any other hardware or software, you are responsible for
backing up data contained on any storage devices. After hardware or software installation, you
are responsible for backing up data on any storage devices at frequent intervals. FirmTek, LLC is
not liable for any loss of data or damage to equipment resulting from the use of FirmTek products.

External Shielded Serial ATA Cables

The SeriTek/1SE2 uses specially shielded external Serial ATA cables to ensure integrity during
data transfers. These cables are not designed for heavy duty use. Use caution and handle the
cables carefully. When inserting and removing the cable, hold the connector at the ends (not the
cable) when inserting and removing the cable from the SeriTek/1SE2 and external enclosure.

If you will be using the SeriTek/1EN2 with a Macintosh computer, please note that Macintosh
computers require unique external shielded Serial ATA cables for maximum reliability. FirmTek
Serial ATA cables were specially designed to be compatible with both PC and Macintosh
computers. To ensure best fitting connections, please use only FirmTek external shielded Serial
ATA cables with the SeriTek/1SE2.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction...................................................................................1

II. Preparing the SeriTek/1EN2............................................................ 5

Introduction................................................................................5

Hard Drive Installation.................................................................. 6

Enclosure Placement.................................................................10

Connecting the Shielded Data Cables and Power Adapter..............12

III. Hot-Swapping Hard Drives............................................................13

Introduction..............................................................................13

General Hot -Swap Guidelines.....................................................13

IV. Troubleshooting...........................................................................15

V. Product Support...........................................................................15

VI. Product Warranty and Disclaimers.................................................16

VII. Regulatory Compliance Statements ...............................................16

I. Introduction

Welcome

Congratulations and thank you for purchasing the SeriTek/1EN2 Serial ATA (SATA) dual-bay hot­swap external enclosure. This product is yet another innovative solution from the innovative folks
at FirmTek.

About This User Manual

This user manual will introduce you to the SeriTek/1EN2 enclosure. Please read it carefully and
familiarize yourself with the proper operation of SeriTek/1EN2.

About Serial ATA Technology

An evolutionary replacement for the Parallel ATA storage interface, Serial ATA (Advanced
Technology Architecture) provides greater speed, simpler upgr ades and easier configuration.
Serial ATA is fully compliant with the ATA protocol and offers 150MB/sec performance compared
to a maximum of 133MB/sec for Parallel ATA. Serial ATA devices can be hot-swapped (with
most operating systems), something that is not normally possible with Parallel ATA devices.
Serial ATA uses insulated cables that are thinner and longer with smaller 7-pin connectors .

About the SeriTek/1EN2

The SeriTek/1EN2 is a rugged, dual -bay Serial ATA (SATA) external hard drive enclosure. It
provides versatile hot-swap capabilities with virtually unlimited storage possibilities in a small
form-factor package. Built from the ground-up as a true Serial ATA solution, SeriTek/1EN2
features a case made of aluminum for maximum durability and heat dissipation.

SeriTek/1EN2 extends Serial ATA ’s storage capabilities outside of the computer chassis with
flexibility on par with USB 2.0 or FireWire 800 but with much higher 1.5Gbps transfer rates.
Serial ATA Hard drives can be swapped in and out of the SeriTek/1EN2 enclosure within
seconds.

Allowing for true end-to-end Serial ATA capabilities, SeriTek/1EN2 is compatible with external
PCI to Serial ATA host adapters such as SeriTek/1SE2. The SeriTek/1SE2 two -port host
adapter, like the SeriTek/1EN2 enclosure, is designed with two shielded Serial ATA ports which
meet regulatory requirements for electrostatic discharge (ESD), electromagnetic interference
(EMI) emissions, and susceptibility. This ensures that a good ground path between the cables
and the connectors exists to prevent any ESD discharge duri ng cable insertion or removal.

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Package Contents

Part number SATA-1EN2 includes:

One dual-Bay external Serial

ATA enclosure

Two removable hard

drive trays (pre-inserted)

One enclosure stand

Two keys

Eight hard drive

countersink-style

mounting screws

Four clear rubber feet

Two external shielded Serial

ATA data cables, 1-meter each

One universal power adapter

One CD-ROM co ntaining the

SeriTek/1EN2 user manual

Part number SATA-1SEN2 also includes:

One SeriTek/1SE2

two-port external

Serial ATA host adapter

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SeriTek/1EN2 Highlights

♦ Expand storage without overloading the computer’s power supply or increasing heat within its chassis
♦ A true native Serial ATA solution, no master/slave settings
♦ Integrated with a specially -designed Serial ATA backplane, no need for internal cabling
♦ Cross-platform, PC and Macintosh compatible, operating system independent
♦ Perfect for both storage-hungry and speed-sensitive applications
♦ Enough performance to handle multiple projects simultaneously
♦ Aluminum body for maximum durability and heat dissipation
♦ Choice of hard drive brands and capacities
♦ Easy to set up: Only 3 steps to integrate each hard drive
♦ Easy to operate: Simply unlock and move latch to add or remove drives
♦ Easy to transport: Compact, portable, lightweight

SeriTek/1EN2 Applications

♦ Graphics arts
♦ Digital photography
♦ Computer Animation
♦ High-performance workstations
♦ File sharing over high-speed networks
♦ Digital audio/music composition, recording, editing, storage and playback
♦ Personal and professional high-definition digital video creation and editing

SeriTek/1EN2 Features

♦ Provides physical lock and key security
♦ Power and activity LEDs for each hard drive
♦ High-performance storage data transfer up to 1.5Gbps (150MB/sec) per drive
♦ Faster than USB2.0, and FireWire 800
♦ Dual hot-swappable 3.5” Serial ATA drive bay enclosure with removable trays
♦ Additional trays are available separately for virtually unlimited storage possibilities
♦ Built-in ultra quiet exhaust fan for cool-running hard drives
♦ Surpasses rotational vibration and heat dissipation requirements of high RPM drives
♦ Fully RAID capable: Compatible with Operating System and host adapter based RAID solutions
♦ RAID arrays can span across multiple enclosures
♦ Works with PC and Macintosh computers with shielded Serial ATA ports running OS 8, OS 9, OSX,

Windows 98/SE/ME/2000/XP/2003 and Linux

♦ External power adapter offloads computer’s power supply, keeps heat and electromagnetic interference

away from hard drives

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