miniStack Classic

Assembly Manual & User Guide

Introduction

1.1 Minimum System Requirements

1.1.1 Mac Requirements

PowerPC G4 CPU, 128MB RAM
FireWire: Mac OS X 10.2 or later
USB 2.0: Mac OS X 10.2 or later

1.1.2 PC Requirements

500MHz Intel Pentium 3 CPU, 128MB RAM
FireWire: Windows 2000/XP or later
USB 2.0: Windows 2000/XP or later

1.1.3 Supported Drives

Any 3.5” SATA hard drive.
Any 2.5” SATA hard drive or solid state drive (SSD) when used with a 3.5” adapter

*NOTE: Not compatible with Western Digital Caviar Green hard drives. See section 1.6 for information on compatibility with 1.5TB or larger hard drives.

1.2 Package Contents

miniStack Classic
Power supply
Power cable
FireWire 800 (9-pin to 9-pin) cable
FireWire 800-400 (9-pin to 6-pin) cable
USB 2.0 (Standard-A to Standard-B) cable
Screws (packaged inside the miniStack Classic)

1.3 About This Manual

Firmware, images, and descriptions may vary slightly between this manual and the unit shipped. Functions and features may change depending on the firmware version. Please visit the product webpage for the most recent specifications.

1.4 Front View

1.4.1 Power LED

The miniStack Classic has a single blue LED on the front. This LED will illuminate when the miniStack Classic is powered on.

1.5 Rear View

1.5.1 Rear Features

FireWire 800 (1394b) ports — Connect one FireWire 800 port to your computer with one of the included FireWire cables. Connect additional devices using the second FireWire 800 port.
Kensington Security Slot — Attach a compatible security lock here.
USB 2.0 uplink port — Connect this port to your computer using the included USB 2.0 (Standard-A to Standard-B) cable.
USB 2.0 hub ports — Connect up to three additional USB devices here.
Power input — Connect the included power supply here.
On/off switch — Turn the miniStack Classic on and off using this switch.

1.5.2 Connectivity Notes

To connect additional FireWire devices through the miniStack Classic, one FireWire 800 port must be connected from the miniStack Classic to your computer.
In order for the USB 2.0 hub ports on the miniStack Classic to function, the USB 2.0 uplink port must be connected to your computer.
The FireWire 800 ports have priority over the USB 2.0 uplink port when determining hard drive connectivity. When the miniStack Classic is connected only over USB 2.0, the hard drive inside the miniStack Classic and the USB 2.0 hub ports will use the USB 2.0 connection. When the miniStack Classic is connected over both FireWire 800 and USB 2.0, the hard drive will use the FireWire 800 connection. The USB 2.0 hub ports will still use the USB 2.0 connection.
For the safe removal of your drive and to assure that no data is lost, always eject or unmount the drive from your operating system before powering off.
In order for the computer to access volumes larger than 2TB, the operating system needs to support large volumes (e.g., Windows Vista or Mac OS X 10.4 and above).

1.6 Hard Drive Compatibility

If you place a 1.5TB or larger hard drive into a miniStack Classic, any existing data on the drive will not be accessible. The drive will show up as “unformatted,” and will need to be reformatted inside the miniStack Classic before the drive can be used.

Conversely, if the drive is formatted in the miniStack Classic, it will show up as “unformatted” if the drive is removed from the miniStack Classic for usage in a computer, different external enclosure, or dock. None of the data will be accessible and the drive will need to be reformatted before it can be used. However, the data on the drive is not erased or damaged unless you reformat it. To access a drive’s original data you can place the drive back into the miniStack Classic.

If you want to move a drive formatted inside the miniStack Classic to another location without losing the data, follow these steps:

Back up the data from the miniStack Classic to another drive.
Relocate the drive from the miniStack Classic to the new location.
Reformat the drive.
Copy/Migrate the data from the backup to the newly reformatted drive.

NOTE: This is not a concern with hard drives smaller than 1.5TB with the miniStack Classic.

Assembly

NOTE: You can find the installation video for this product on the OWC installation videos web page: http://www.macsales.com/installvideos

2.1 Hard Drive Installation and Assembly

1. Remove the miniStack Classic from the box. The top cover and the bottom chassis are packaged separately from each other. Take the top cover and set it aside for now.

2. Take the bottom chassis and set it in front of you, oriented as shown below. The ports on the rear panel should be facing you as shown below, with the SATA connector positioned on the right.

3. The screws necessary to complete the hard drive installation are in a bag taped to the bottom chassis, circled below in red. Remove the bag of screws and set it aside.

4. Take your hard drive and line it up as shown below, between the metal bracket at the far side of the bottom chassis and the two plastic mounting tabs on the near side.

5. Slide your hard drive to the right until its SATA connector is fully seated inside the SATA connector on the bottom chassis, as shown below. The screw holes in your hard drive will now be lined up with the screw holes in the plastic mounting tabs on the bottom chassis.

6. Remove the three larger Phillips screws from the bag that you set aside in step 3. Use a Phillips screwdriver to fasten the three screws into your hard drive through the mounting tabs, circled below in red.

7. Take the top cover you set aside in step 1 and place it on top of the bottom chassis, lining up the cutout in the top cover with the rear panel on the bottom chassis. Take the two remaining smaller Phillips screws and use a Phillips screwdriver to fasten the screws into the two screw holes on the rear panel, circled below in red.

8. The assembly of your miniStack Classic is now complete. For information on how to format your miniStack Classic, go to: http://www.macsales.com/format

Appendix

3.1 Formatting

For formatting information, including instructions on how to format the hard drive in your miniStack Classic for Mac or Windows, go to: http://www.macsales.com/format

3.2 Unmounting Drives

To properly unmount any connected drives from your computer, you need to follow a few simple steps.

For Mac OS X systems:

There are two main methods to umount disks with Mac OS X systems. Either drag the icon for the disk you wish to unmount to the trash can, or right-click the disk icon on the desktop, then click “Eject”.

For Windows systems:

Go to the System Tray (located in the lower right corner of your screen). Click on the “Eject” icon (a small green arrow over a hardware image).
A message will appear, detailing the devices that the “Eject” icon controls, i.e., “Safely remove...” Click on this prompt.
You will then be given the following message. “Safe to Remove Hardware”. It is now safe to disconnect the miniStack Classic from the computer.

3.3 Troubleshooting

Begin your troubleshooting by verifying that the power cable is connected to the miniStack Classic and to a power source. If the power cable is connected to a power strip, make sure that the power switch on the strip is turned on.

Then, simply verify that both ends of your cables are properly plugged into the computer and the miniStack Classic. If the miniStack Classic is still not working properly, try connecting to another interface such as the USB connection and see if the device works properly. You can also connect the miniStack Classic to a different computer.

If problems persist, consult our online collection of frequently asked questions (http://www.macsales.com/FAQ)

3.4 About Data Backup

To ensure that your files are protected and to prevent data loss, we strongly suggest that you keep two copies of your data: one copy on your miniStack Classic 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 miniStack Classic is the sole responsibility of the user, and under no circumstances will Newer Technology be held liable for compensation or the recovery of any lost data.

3.5 Online Resources

Formatting:

For formatting information, including instructions on how to format your miniStack Classic for Mac or Windows, go to: http://www.macsales.com/format

Data Migration:

For a step-by-step walkthrough of our recommended method for migrating your data from an old drive to a new one, go to: http://www.macsales.com/migration

FAQs:

Access our online collection of frequently asked questions for this and other products at: http://www.macsales.com/FAQ

Copyrights:

Copyright ©2009-13 Newer Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. 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 Newer Technology.

Changes:

The material in this document is for information only and subject to change without notice. While reasonable efforts have been made in the preparation of this document to assure its accuracy, Newer Technology assumes no liability resulting from errors or omissions in this document, or from the use of the information contained herein. Newer Technology 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! Modifications 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 A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference with radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference, in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.

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 Newer Technology 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, shortcircuiting, fire or personal injury.

General Use Precautions:

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.
Do not place the device near sources of magnetic interference, such as computer displays, televisions or speakers. Magnetic interference can affect the operation and stability of hard drives.
Do not place heavy objects on top of the device.
Protect your device from excessive exposure to dust during use or storage. Dust can build up inside the device, increasing the risk of damage or malfunction.
Do not block any ventilation openings on the device. These help to keep the device cool during operation. Blocking the ventilation openings may cause damage to the device and cause an increased risk of short-circuiting or fire.

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