FirmTek dLite User Manual

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Store and Share your Digital Creations

dLite

™

2.5” External, Bus Powered, High-Performance,
Ultra-light, USB 3.0 Enclosure

User Manual

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FirmTek, LLC
www.firmtek.com

Copyright

Copyright © 1999-2014 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, miniSwap, UltraTek, AV-Tek, SeriTek names and logotypes are trademarks of FirmTek,
LLC. Apple, Macintosh, 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 7 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 the dLite or any other hardware or software, you are responsible for backing up
data contained on any storage devices. After the 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 USB 3.0 Cable

Please use the USB 3.0 cable provided with the dLite to ensure integrity during data transfers. Use
caution and handle the cable with care. When inserting and removing the USB 3.0 cable, hold the
connector at the ends (not the cable) when inserting and removing the cable from the computer
and the external USB 3.0 enclosure.

Note: The dLite cable and connectors are specifically design to provide secure connections with
the dLite. The USB 3.0 cable included can be used with either USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 ports.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction ................................................................................................ 4

II. Preparing the dLite.................................................................................... 8

Drive Installation .......................................................................................... 9

Power Operation ..................................................................................... 10

III. Hot-Swapping Hard Drives ..................................................................... 10

General Hot-Swap Guidelines ................................................................ 10

IV. Sleeping & Wake-Up Procedures:.......................................................... 11

V. Troubleshooting....................................................................................... 12

VI. Product Support.......................................................................................12

VII. Product Warranty and Disclaimers ......................................................... 13

VIII. Regulatory Compliance Statements....................................................... 13

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I. Introduction

Welcome

Congratulations and thank you for purchasing the dLite 2.5”, external, high-performance, USB 3.0
enclosure. This product is yet another innovative solution from FirmTek.

About This User Manual

The user manual will introduce you to the dLite enclosure. Please read it carefully, so that you may
become familiar with the proper operation of this product.

About USB 3.0 Technology

An evolutionary replacement for the USB 2.0 interface, the USB 3.0 (Universal Serial Bus)
standard provides enhanced performance, simple upgrades and easy configuration. USB 3.0 is
fully compliant with the USB 2.0 protocol while offering up to 5 Gbit/s performances compared to a
maximum of 480Mbit/sec for USB 2.0. USB 3.0 devices can be hot-swapped (with most operating
systems), support cable lengths up to 9.8 feet and its electrical design is closer to PCIe Gen2 than
USB 2.0. USB 3.0 utilizes single unidirectional data paths for increased bandwidth up to 10x faster
than USB 2.0. For faster data performance, dLite implements USB Attached SCSI Protocol
(UASP) which enables command queuing for USB storage devices while eliminating software
overhead for SCSI command phases.

About the dLite

The dLite is a high quality, aluminum, external, USB 3.0 enclosure. It supports 2.5” Solid State
Drives (SSD) and 2.5” SATA hard disks (HDD). The silver aluminum case is crafted for maximum
durability and heat dissipation. Built from the ground-up as an ultra-light true 6G Serial ATA
solution with a USB 3.0 interface, the dLite is designed to provide the ultimate in performance with
external SSD and 2.5” SATA hard disks.