OWC ThunderBlade User manual

USER GUIDE
OWC THUNDERBLADE
External Solid-State Drive
SSD
Powerful OWC Aura P12 Pro
NVMe M.2 SSDs
Speed
Up to 2800MB/s
Mac & Windows PC
Thunderbolt 3 or later
Thunderbolt 3
Daisy chain up to six
Thunderbolt 3 devices

USER GUIDE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Minimum System Requirements ....................................................................3
1.2 Package Contents............................................................................................3
1.3 Getting Started.................................................................................................3
1.4 About This Manual...........................................................................................4
1.5 Front View.........................................................................................................4
1.6 Rear View..........................................................................................................4
MAC & WINDOWS SETUP
2.1 Mac Formatting ...............................................................................................5
2.2 Windows Formatting .......................................................................................5
2.3 Using Multiple ThunderBlades........................................................................5
SUPPORT RESOURCES
3.1 Troubleshooting...............................................................................................6
3.2 About Data Backup..........................................................................................6
3.3 Contacting Technical Support ........................................................................6
TABLE OF CONTENTS

03
1.1 MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Operating System:
- Mac: macOS 10.13 or later
- PC: Windows 10 or later
Hardware:
- Mac or Windows PC with Thunderbolt 3 or later
1.2 PACKAGE CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
OWC ThunderBlade
TECHNICALSUPPORT
Phone:M–F, 8am–8pm CT
1.866.692.7100(N. America)
+1.815.338.4751(Int’l)
Chat:M–F, 8am–8pm,
Sat.9am–5pm CT
www.owc.com/support
Email:Answered
within48 hours
www.owc.com/support
©2021 Other World Computing, Inc. All rights reserved. OWC, the OWC logo, SoftRAID, and the SoftRAID logo are trademarks of New Concepts De-
velopmentCorporation, registered in the U.S. and/or other countries. ThunderBlade is a trademark of Other World Computing, Inc. Mac and macOS
aretrademarks of Apple Inc. registered in the U.S. and in other countries. Thunderbolt and the Thunderbolt logo are trademarksof Intel Corporation
orits subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries. Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corpora-
tionin the United States and/or other countries. Other marks may be the trademark or registered trademark property of their owners.
INCLUDES
-OWCThunderBlade
-Ballistichard-shell case
-Thunderbolt3 cable
-Powersupply and cable
-SoftRAIDlicense
SYSTEMREQUIREMENTS
OperatingSystem:
-Mac:macOS 10.13 or later
-WindowsPC: Windows 10 or later
Hardware:
-Macor Windows PC with Thunderbolt 3 or later
INSTALLATION& RAID INFORMATION
Fordetailed assembly steps, SoftRAID information, and additional
capabilities,the Assembly Manual & User Guide is available at:
www.owc.com/support/manuals
THUNDERBLADE
External Solid-State Drive
OWCQSGBLADETB3— 04.07.2021
Quick start guide
INTRODUCTION
Ballistic hard-shell case SoftRAID license
1.3 GETTING STARTED
- To use the ThunderBlade, connect it to your computer via the included Thunderbolt 3 cable.
Device drivers are not required, however use of SoftRAID requires the SoftRAID driver and application
to be installed. See reverse for more information.
- The LED array indicator on the front of the device will glow blue when the device is receiving power and
is connected to an active host. The LED will glow white when the device is connected to a host that
is in Sleep or hibernation mode, or when it has power but is not connected to a host.This LED is also
connected to an ambient light sensor on the back of the ThunderBlade which enables automatic
brightness adjustments based on ambient light levels.
- The LED has four segments, one for each M.2 SSD. When one or more of the SSDs are accessed
for read/write operations, the corresponding segments will blink blue.
- While it is possible to connect a DisplayPort 1.2 display to the spare Thunderbolt 3 port by using the
appropriate cable or adapter, HDMI and other types of displays require an active display adapter
with a USB-C connector.
- Software RAID volumes cannot be used as boot drives in macOS 10.13 and later. In order to boot to this
device, do the following: break down the RAID, format one of the drives as an independent volume, then
install macOS on that drive. The remaining drives can be reconfigured as a RAID 0 volume if necessary.
For more details, please see: www.owcdigital.com/thunderblade-boot
Thunderbolt 3 cable
Power supply and cable

04
1.4 ABOUT THIS MANUAL
The images and descriptions may vary slightly between this manual and the unit shipped. Functions and
features may change depending on the rmware version. Screenshot images may vary slightly from the
applications you seen on-screen. The latest product details and warranty information can be found on the
product web page. OWC’s Limited Warranty is not transferable and subject to limitations.
1.5 FRONT VIEW
1. LED array (power and disk activity)
2. Dual Thunderbolt 3 ports
3. Power input
4. Ambient light sensor (do not cover)
INTRODUCTION
1.6 BACK VIEW

05MAC & PC SETUP
2.1 MAC FORMATTING
The pre-installed SSDs have been formatted as a RAID 0 volume for Mac using SoftRAID. We recommend you
download the latest version at www.softraid.com/support/download-latest-version and install the application to
get the best performance. Note: the SoftRAID serial number is on the bottom of the device; the companion driver
will be installed with the application.
2.2 WINDOWS FORMATTING
If you are using a Windows PC, the four SSDs inside the OWC ThunderBlade need to be recongured before the
device can be used. Please download and install SoftRAID for Windows, which has a feature for converting Mac
SoftRAID volumes. The Windows version can be found at www.softraid.com/support/download-latest-version
Notes:
- The SoftRAID serial number is on the bottom of the device; the companion driver will be installed
with the application.
- For additional information on how to use SoftRAID for Windows please review the official guide. While the
name of the SoftRAID version included with this product is slightly different than the one listed on the guide,
you can use the ‘SoftRAID XT’ PDF file found at: www.owc.com/support/manuals
2.3 USING MULTIPLE THUNDERBLADES
- SoftRAID Pro is needed to RAID multiple ThunderBlades together.
- If you need to stack two or more ThunderBlades, please use one or more ThunderBlade X Spacers to avoid
exceeding the thermal limits of each device
- Mac computers with Thunderbolt ports provide them in pairs; each pair shares a single data bus.
Example: many MacBook Pros have 4 Thunderbolt ports, two on each side. This conguration has a total
of two Thunderbolt buses. For optimal performance, please connect only one ThunderBlade or one
RAIDed ThunderBlade group to each bus.
MAC & PC SETUP

06SUPPORT RESOURCES
3.1 TROUBLESHOOTING
If your computer does not recognize the drive when it is connected, make sure the cable is attached securely.
You can also try plugging the cable into a different Thunderbolt 3 port on your computer and/or trying a
different Thunderbolt 3 cable.
3.2 ABOUT DATA BACKUP
To ensure your les are protected and to prevent data loss, we strongly suggest that you keep two copies
of your data: one copy on your OWC ThunderBlade and a second copy on either your internal drive or another
storage medium, such as an optical backup, or on another external storage unit. Any data loss or corruption
while using the ThunderBlade (including with SoftRAID) is the sole responsibility of the user, and under no
circumstances may OWC, its parent, partners, afliates, ofcers, employees, or agents be held liable for loss
of the use of data including compensation of any kind or recovery of the data.
3.3 CONTACTING TECHNICAL SUPPORT
SUPPORT RESOURCES
Phone: M–F, 8am–6pm CT
1.866.692.7100 (N. America) | +1.815.338.4751 (Int’l)
Chat: M–F, 8am–6pm, Sat 9am–5pm CT
www.owc.com/support
Email: Answered within 48 hours
www.owc.com/support

CHANGES:
The material in this document is for information purposes only and subject to change without notice. While reasonable
efforts have been made in the preparation of this document to assure its accuracy, OWC, its parent, partners, afliates,
ofcers, employees, and agents assume no liability resulting from errors or omissions in this document, or from the use
of the information contained herein. OWC reserves the right to make changes or revisions in the product design or the
product manual without reservation and without obligation to notify any person of such revisions and changes.
FCC STATEMENT:
Warning! Modications not authorized by the manufacturer may void the user’s authority to operate this device.
NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to
Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a
residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and
used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is
no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation.
If this equipment does cause harmful interference with radio or television reception, which can be determined by
turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the
following measures:
- Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
- Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
- Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
Health And Safety Precautions:
- Read this user guide carefully and follow the correct procedures when setting up the device.
- Do not attempt to disassemble or modify the device. To avoid any risk of electrical shock, fire, short-circuiting or
dangerous emissions, never insert any metallic object into the device. If it appears to be malfunctioning, contact
OWC technical support.
- Never expose your device to rain, or use it near water or in damp or wet conditions.
- Never place objects containing liquids on the drive, as they may spill into its openings. Doing so increases the
risk of electrical shock, short-circuiting, fire or personal injury.
General Use Precautions:
- Do not place objects on top of the device.
- To avoid damage, do not expose the device to temperatures outside the range of
5° C to 40° C (41° F to 104° F).
- Always unplug the device from the electrical outlet if there is a risk of lightning or if it will be unused for an
extended period of time. Otherwise, there is an increased risk of electrical shock, short-circuiting or fire.
- Do not use the device near other electrical appliances such as televisions, radios or speakers. Doing so may
cause interference which will adversely affect the operation of the other products.
WARRANTY:
The ThunderBlade has a 3 Year OWC Limited Warranty. For up-to-date product and warranty information, please visit the
product web page.
COPYRIGHTS AND TRADEMARKS:
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of OWC.
© 2021 Other World Computing, Inc. All rights reserved. OWC, the OWC logo, SoftRAID, and the SoftRAID logo are
trademarks of New Concepts Development Corporation, registered in the U.S. and/or other countries. ThunderBlade is
a trademark of Other World Computing, Inc. Mac and macOS are trademarks of Apple Inc. registered in the U.S. and in
other countries. Thunderbolt and the Thunderbolt logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S.
and/or other countries. Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation
in the United States and/or other countries. Other marks may be the trademark or registered trademark property
of their owners.
OWCQSGBLADETB3W – 04.07.2021