Netstor NS780TB3 User manual

First edition, Aug. 2020
User Manual
NS780TB3
Desktop 16-Bay (3.5" / 2.5") Thunderbolt 3 RAID Storage

1. Overview
2. Package Checklist
4
4
5. Host Computer Connection 10
6. Power On/Off 11
7. Operation 13
4. Enclosure Setup 6
3. Panel Layout 5
6
．RAID Card/HBA Card Installation
8
．Hard Drive Installation
13
．Thunderbolt 3 Card LEDs Status
15
．macOS operating system
15
．Windows operating system

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8. Fan Speed Adjustment 16
16
．The front two fans
17
．The rear two fans
9. Troubleshooting 18
18
9.1 Fan LED showing red light
19
9.2 Global HDD LED showing red light
Appendix: The Functions on Backplane 20
20
1 Function of Backplane Drive Fault LED (SW1-1)
21
5 Global HDD LED fault indicator jumper
21
3 Function of LED act source (SW1-3)
21
4 Function of Power on/off by Host or
Manually (SW1-4)
20
2 Function of SAS HDD act state LED on
Backplane (SW1-2)

1. Overview
2. Package Checklist
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The NS780TB3 is a desktop 16-bay Thunderbolt 3 RAID storage enclosure with
high-speed 40Gbps data transfer rate and available for large storage capacity.
Providing RAID data protection solution, the 16-bay storage fully applies to
the video editing fields of 4K (4096×2304), Full HD (1920×1080), 3D animation,
and so on. Featuring easy setup of the enclosure, the NS780TB3 can be easily
connected to Thunderbolt 3 host computer through only one data cable
connectivity.
Before installing this unit, verify the package contains the following items.
A. NS780TB3 Enclosure × 1
B. HDD tray (installed in NS780TB3; compatible with 3.5” and 2.5” HDDs) × 16
C. HDD mounting screws
D. Thunderbolt 3 cable (2 meters) × 1
E. Internal mini-SAS to mini-SAS data cable × 4
F. Power cord × 1

3. Panel Layout
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10. Thumbscrews to loosen/tighten
the side door
9. 120x120x25 mm hot-swappable
cooling fans
8. Thunderbolt 3 card for host connection
7. Slot for RAID controller card
6. Power receptacle
5. Global HDD LED
。Reading/writing – blue
Periodic access – flashing blue
HDD failure – red (go to page 19. for the detail)
Rebuilding – interlacing of flashing blue and flashing red
4. Temperature LED
。Green – temperature normal
Red – Over-temperature (higher than 50℃)
3. Fan LED
。Green – fan normal
Red – fan failure (low frequency of RPM or stop)
(go to page 18. for the detail)
2. Buzzer mute button
1. Power on/off button (display)
。Blue – power on
No light – power off

4. Enclosure Setup
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•RAID Card/HBA Card Installation
1. Remove the NS780TB3 from its packaging, and place the enclosure on the
even surface close to the Thunderbolt 3 host computer.
2. Loosen the two thumbscrews and remove the side door from NS780TB3.
3. Detach the pillar under the sixteen drive trays by unscrewing the two screws
at top and at the bottom side of the pillar.

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4. Install one SAS/SATA RAID card into the PCIe ×16 slot [labeled SLOT 1 (RAID Card)]
on the backplane of NS780TB3, and tighten the RAID card with the screw on
RAID card’s bracket.
5. Connect the four internal mini-SAS to mini-SAS data cables between RAID card and
NS780TB3 backplane. Connect the topmost mini-SAS connector (labeled SAS Port 1)
on backplane to Channel 1~4 mini-SAS connector on RAID card, the second
connector (labeled SAS Port 2) to Channel 5~8 mini-SAS connector on RAID card,
the third (SAS Port 3) to Channel 9~12 mini-SAS connector on RAID card, and the
fourth (SAS Port 4) to Channel 13~16 mini-SAS connector on RAID card.
SLOT 1
RAID Card
SAS Port 1
SAS Port 2
SAS Port 3
SAS Port 4
Channel 1~4
Channel 5~8
Channel 9~12
Channel 13~16

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•Hard Drive Installation
7. Loosen the thumbscrew on the drive tray, and then pull the tray out
of the enclosure.
8. Place the drive tray on a flat surface, and then attach the hard drive into the tray.
6. Restore the pillar back to the original state by tightening the two screws at top
and at the bottom side of the pillar.
1.
2.

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9. Adopt four of the screws provided, and then fasten the HDD on the drive
tray. Tighten each screw to fasten the tray snugly to the hard drive. Do not
tighten the screws overly. For 3.5” HDDs, tighten the four screws on the
sides of the tray; for 2.5” HDDs, tighten the three screws on the bottom of
the tray as shown in the picture below.
10. Insert the drive tray containing the HDD into the NS780TB3 storage enclosure
correctly, and then tighten the thumbscrew on the tray.
11. Go over steps 7 to 10 again for further drives.
WARNING:
You must verify the heads of the four screws are level with the side (for 3.5” HDD)
or the bottom (for 2.5” HDD) of the drive tray while the HDDs are attached to the
trays; otherwise, a screw may take hold of the tray from the side and prevent
pulling the tray out of the array.
1.
2.

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1. Connect one end of the Thunderbolt 3 cable to host computer’s
Thunderbolt 3 port.
2. Connect the other end of the Thunderbolt 3 cable to NS780TB3
storage’s Thunderbolt 3 port.
5. Host Computer Connection