OWC Mercury Elite Pro

Assembly Manual & User Guide

Introduction

1.1 Minimum System Requirements

1.1.1 Apple® Mac Requirements

PowerPC G4 CPU, 128MB RAM
USB 2.0: OS X 10.2 or later
USB 3.0: OS X 10.6 or later
FireWire 800: OS X 10.2 or later

1.1.2 PC Requirements

500MHz Intel® Pentium® 3 CPU, 128MB RAM
USB 2.0: Windows® XP or later
USB 3.0: Windows XP or later
FireWire 800: Windows XP or later

1.1.3 Supported Drives

3.5” SATA hard drives

1.2 Package Contents

Mercury Elite Pro
Power Supply and cable
USB 3.0 (Standard-A to Standard-B) cable
FireWire 800 (9-pin to 9-pin) cable

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 product specifications.

1.4 Led Indicator

The Mercury Elite Pro has a blue LED on the front grill. This LED will illuminate when the Mercury Elite Pro is powered on, and the LED will flash with drive activity.

1.5 Rear View

1.5.1 Rear Features

On/off switch — Turn on and off the Mercury Elite Pro here.
Power input — Connect the included power supply here.
Kensington® Security Slot — Connect a security tether here.
USB 3.0 port — Attach the included USB 3.0 (Standard-A to Standard-B) cable here.
FireWire 800 ports — Attach the included 9-9 pin FireWire 800 cable to one of these ports and to your computer. Use the other FireWire 800 port to daisy chain other FireWire 800 devices.

1.5.2 Connectivity Notes

Only one interface (USB 3.0 or FireWire 800) at a time can be used.
For the safe removal of your drive and to ensure that no data is lost, always eject or unmount the drive from your operating system before unplugging the drive.
In order for the computer to access volumes larger than 2TB, the operating system needs to support large volumes (e.g., Windows Vista or OS X 10.4 and above).

System Setup

2.1 Quick Start

If you purchased the Mercury Elite Pro as an empty enclosure, proceed to Section 2.2 Assembly. If you purchased the Mercury Elite Pro with drives already installed, the OWC Drive Guide formatting utility has been installed on your Mercury Elite Pro. Follow these steps to use Drive Guide to format your Mercury Elite Pro for OS X (10.4 and later) or Windows (XP and later). If you do not wish to use Drive Guide to format your Mercury Elite Pro, you can use the formatting utility of your choice instead.

Connect your drive to your computer using the proper cable, then turn on your drive. If you prefer to use a different formatting utility, do so at this time and skip the rest of these instructions.
Your drive will show up as “OWC SETUP”. Open your drive to view its contents.
Open the “OWC Drive Guide” application.
Follow the simple on-screen instructions to complete the formatting process.
Once the formatting is finished the drive is ready to use.

2.2 Assembly

NOTE: The following assembly instructions are written for users who purchased the Mercury Elite Pro as an empty enclosure. The instructions show how to open the Mercury Elite Pro in order to install a drive. If you purchased the Mercury Elite Pro with a drive already installed, opening the Mercury Elite Pro before the expiration of the original warranty will VOID the warranty. If you wish to remove or replace the drive after the expiration of the original warranty, you may do so at that time.

1. Remove the Mercury Elite Pro from the retail box and the protective plastic bag. Set the Mercury Elite Pro on its side and look at the bottom of the enclosure. Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the two screws, as circled below in red.

2. Once the two screws have been removed, slide the inner chassis out of the front of the outer enclosure, as shown below. Start by pushing on the rear of the inner chassis, then when you are able to get a grip on the front grill of the inner chassis, pull it the rest of the way.

3. When removed from the outer enclosure, the inner chassis will appear as shown below. Remove the packet of screws and use the screws as directed later in the assembly instructions. Note the red block with a white switch, circled in red. This switch controls large volume support (see Section 2.3 LARGE VOLUME SUPPORT AND FIREWIRE BOOTING IN OS X for more information).

4. Install the hard drive, as shown below. Slide the SATA connector on the hard drive into the black SATA connector inside the Mercury Elite Pro. You may need to move the blue and black LED cables to the side to make room for the hard drive. Make sure the drive is firmly seated before proceeding.

5. Using the four screws from the packet you removed from the inner chassis, fasten the hard drives into the inner chassis. There are two screw holes on each side of the inner chassis, as circled below in red.

6. Slide the inner chassis back into the outer enclosure, as shown below.

7. Once the front grill of the inner chassis sits flush with the edge of the outer enclosure, turn the Mercury Elite Pro on its side. Use the two smaller screws to fasten the inner chassis to the outer enclosure, as shown below

The assembly of the Mercury Elite Pro is now complete.

2.3 Large Volume Support And Firewire Booting In OS X

When your Mercury Elite Pro is preconfigured, a setting known as “large volume support” is enabled. Enabling large volume support allows the Mercury Elite Pro to utilize the full

capacity of hard drives larger than 2TB.

When large volume support is enabled, PowerPC Macs and Intel Macs introduced before 2008 will not be able to boot to the Mercury Elite Pro over the FireWire connection. Mac models introduced in 2008 and later are capable of using the Mercury Elite Pro as a startup drive over FireWire, even with large volume support enabled. Note that this only affects FireWire booting. All Intel Macs are still able to boot to the Mercury Elite Pro over USB, regardless of large volume support.

Large volume support in the Mercury Elite Pro is controlled by a switch, pictured to the left. The switch is located inside the Mercury Elite Pro (see Section 2.2 Assembly for information on how to access the switch).

When the switch is in the ‘ON’ position, large volume support is enabled. When the switch is in the ‘1’ position, large volume support is disabled, which will limit the capacity of installed drives to a maximum of 2TB, but will allow the unit to be used as a startup drive over FireWire on PowerPC Macs and Intel Macs introduced before 2008.

Large Volume Support And Firewire Booting In OS X

NOTE: If the drive in the Mercury Elite Pro is larger than 2TB and the switch is set to disable large volume support, existing data will no longer be accessible and the drive will need to be formatted. Make sure to back up any important data before changing the switch setting.

Appendix

3.1 Formatting

For formatting information, including instructions on how to format your Mercury Elite Pro 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 OS X systems:

There are several methods to unmount disks with OS X systems. You can 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”. You can also eject the disk in the sidebar of a Finder window.

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 see a message that says, “Safe to Remove Hardware.” It is now safe to disconnect the Mercury Elite Pro from the computer.

3.3 Troubleshooting

Begin your troubleshooting by verifying that the power cable is connected to the Mercury Elite Pro 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 Mercury Elite Pro. If the Mercury Elite Pro is still not working properly, try connecting to another interface (USB or FireWire) and see if the device works properly. You can also try connecting the Mercury Elite Pro to a different computer.

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

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 Mercury Elite Pro 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 Mercury Elite Pro is the sole responsibility of the user, and under no circumstances will Other World Computing 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 Mercury Elite Pro 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

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, Other World Computing assumes no liability resulting from errors or omissions in this document, or from the use of the information contained herein. Other World Computing 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

Use proper anti-static precautions while performing the installation of your hard drives into this drive enclosure. Failure to do so can cause damage to your drive mechanisms and/or the hard drive enclosure.
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, please contact OWC 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

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.
For up-to-date product and warranty information, please visit the product webpage.

© 2014 Other World Computing. 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 Other World Computing. Mercury Elite, OWC, the OWC logo and the Other World Computing logo are trademarks of New Concepts Development Corporation, registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in Canada. Apple, Mac, and OS X are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Intel and Pentium are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other marks may be the trademark or registered trademark property of their owners.

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