Yottamaster 5 bay enclosure whine.

[matabhaine]

My Yottamaster starts to whine after about ten minutes. It’s not under any sort of load. It’s new. There are 5 WD Gold HDD’s inside. They are only used for storage. They are JBOD not raid. When I press my hands to either side of the enclosure the whine stops and when I apply pressure to the top it also stops. I was just wondering if this sounds like case vibration to anyone or maybe a more sinister drive problem. The enclosure is seated upon a large bathroom tile which is upon a carpet.
I bought this to replace an old Yottamaster, the fan had started to make a hell of a noise when I turned on the enclosure (At least I hope it was the fan)

Windows 10
Intel Core i7 6700K
MAXIMUS VIII HERO (LGA1151)
Yottamaster [DF5U3] no raid
NT-1TB 2280 (SSD)
Corsair DDR4 32 GB

[Bruce]

If the whine stops when you touch the case, it wouldn’t be the drives, and yes, sounds like case vibration.
Check the case screws are nipped up tight (not too tight) or better yet, undo the back corner screws and take off the outer cover.
See if you can isolate the issue, maybe a piece of padding/foam has moved.
With the cover off, see if the whine has gone.

And of course, do this with the unit shut down.

[matabhaine]

Thanx, will do.

[matabhaine]

If the whine stops when you touch the case, it wouldn’t be the drives, and yes, sounds like case vibration.
Check the case screws are nipped up tight (not too tight) or better yet, undo the back corner screws and take off the outer cover.
See if you can isolate the issue, maybe a piece of padding/foam has moved.
With the cover off, see if the whine has gone.

And of course, do this with the unit shut down.

I just noticed that the yellow wire on the molex connector was loose, and hanging inside the molex (just touching). Could this maybe why the fan was running fast?

[Bruce]

If the colours are red, black, yellow then yes, yellow is the ‘sense’ wire.

[matabhaine]

Sadly it’s Brown Black Black Yellow.

[Bruce]

It looks like this…
[ATTACH type=“full” size=“325x150”]14686[/ATTACH]

Any chance the brown is actually red, maybe dusty or faded?

But yeah, if molex, then nothing to do with fan speed, purely power only.

[matabhaine]

It looks like this…
[ATTACH type=“full” alt=“1732607251538.webp”]14686[/ATTACH]

Any chance the brown is actually red, maybe dusty or faded?

But yeah, if molex, then nothing to do with fan speed, purely power only.

The molex is definitely brown and not red.

Sorry Bruce, but I’ve had another senior moment, just realised I’m at cross purposes. I have two Yottamasters, my initial post was about a new one (just purchased) that whines when I switch it on. Latter post concerning molex is about an old one I bought to be replaced by the new one, The old one has a dodgy fan which speeds up till it sounds like a circular saw in a sawmill whenever I switch it on. The old unit has two molex connections, both with brown, black, black, yellow, I just thought it strange seeing one of the yellow wires halfway out of the molex and thought that might be what is causing the enclosure to malfunctioin.

[Bruce]

The yellow supplies 12volts, most fans only need 5, so the fan was probably still working, as explained by the whining noise, unless the unit has more than one fan.

If you get the dimensions of the fan, and want to keep the old unit going, you’ll be able to get a replacement fan.

That will fix the issue if the whine was caused by a failed fan bearing. If caused by overheating, blow out the innards with an air compressor or canned air.

[matabhaine]

The yellow supplies 12volts, most fans only need 5, so the fan was probably still working, as explained by the whining noise, unless the unit has more than one fan.

If you get the dimensions of the fan, and want to keep the old unit going, you’ll be able to get a replacement fan.

That will fix the issue if the whine was caused by a failed fan bearing. If caused by overheating, blow out the innards with an air compressor or canned air.

Thanx

[Bruce]

@matabhaine - any update, or can this be closed?

[matabhaine]

Followed your advice thanx. I also placed something heavyish (unopened glass jar of peanut butter) on top of the enclosure which has stopped the vibrating noise. Trying to find a new fan for the old enclosure, but I guess atm everything is resolved, and thanx once again for your help.

[Bruce]

No worries.

While the jar of peanut butter may look unusual, it’s a cheap solution - especial if you dip your finger in occasionally. (y)
You could also try sitting it on a mouse pad, the foamy, neoprene type. Or just sitting on a piece of foam rubber like a cut down yoga mat.

Will close as solved.