Synology Nas hardware failure, replace it by Rock PI 4

[Twanaar]

Ya, if the PCIe raiser not work, i’m think use the penta SATA hat as fallback solution.

Thanks again.

[jayanta525]

Any updates…?

[Twanaar]

Hi,
i’m received my 2 Rock pi 4 yesterday (one for replace the syno, one for generale purpose (recallbox and other).
I’m not buy eMMC memory, but i’m need it:
Im’ succefully put the boot on both SPI (after many fights ;), program SPI in USB OTG with an windows PC is not so easy…, the RADX application reset OTG during the process, and you can keep the two GPIO pin connected because that put GND on SPI clock, and with this, you can’t program it, so my solution are to disconect the GPIO shortcut, reconnect it during reset OTG, and disconnect it again, at the correct timming…).
Anyway, the both SPI have the boot, but they don’t boot un USB key or drive, they don’t boot on my m2 SATA (Kingstone A1000), so i’m only can boot on mSD card.
i’m buy 2 eMMC 32GB, and no i’m need wait for received them (arround 20 days).

some remark: it’s imposisble to modifiy the Buck, it’s really too tiny, i’m can connect power control to CMS resistor, thatd little hard but possible.
i’m need make more test for see what is ok and what iu’m need change in my project

Now i’m look for see if it’s have a solution for boot from USB, RADXA doc say with SPI bootload it’s possible, but actualy the SPI boot don’t look for boot on USB.

[Twanaar]

check sudo poweroff => it don’t cut the power, just stop the os.
So for have a true sleep mode, i’m need made somes modifs on the board.

Or i’m can made something before the USB-C, need to think about that.

[jayanta525]

Don’t worry about that, it doesn’t draw much power. In my guess, it would be in micro-amps.

Just like in a laptop or a desktop, shutting down doesn’t completely cut off the power.

[jayanta525]

program SPI in USB OTG with an windows PC is not so easy

It might seem a little complex at first, but once you know the entire procedure, you can easily see where the procedure might have gone wrong.

[Twanaar]

anyway, i’m not go to modify the rock pi directly, if i’m doing somthing about that its on the 12v => USB-C converter i’m go to made modifications (better to destroy a few $ stuff than the Rock pi

[Twanaar]

the procedure for write loader and Uboot on SPI is not very complicated, my problem is when i’m doing this the first time, i’m upload wrong file, and brick my two Rock pi 4, so after i’m need to shortcut the SPI CLK with GPIO for have a boot, and the procedure with the SPI CLK shorted don’t work for write loader and uboot on SPI… (because with the clock shorted, SPI don’t repsonding…)
So few second after booting, you must un-short SPI CLK, and all seem ok, but androidTool, during verification process before write the boot on SPI reset MASKEDROOM, and with a “bricked” SPI the procedure fail juste after, during checking UID.
For bypass this problem, i’m short again SPI CLK and unshort juste after this, and the procedure continue and write the loader and boot on SPI, and unbrick it

This part is a little tricky

[jayanta525]

I just came across this. Not sure, if this applies to all the revisions of RockPi4

Power supply for the rockpi

Yes, you can power from the type C port with dummy 12V, up to 20V. The 40 pin GPIO power input is limited to 5V. Over 5V input from the GPIO will damage the board.

link:Power supply for the rockpi

[Twanaar]

It’s apply to all Rock pi 4 with the same Buck converter, for now it’s seem all Rock pi 4 have the same power coverter. But they an error in the thread: The buck himself can support 5.5v to 28v (with 5v you can have trouble…, or with luck it can work…). But in the power line, they are a 16v filter capacitor juste after USB-C power supply. So better to not go more than 12v, because even with 16v, is not good to go until the limits of a component.

[Dante4]

I’m a bit late to party, but you can use just power RockPi with 12v from USB type-c port. That’s applies to both RockPi A and RockPi B and RockPi C, because they have the same PSU

Power supply for the rockpi

Should be possible. I think I’ve red it can be powered with dumb voltage up to 20V. Maybe with this you could do this. Wait until @jack or @Stephen agree to do this. I wouldn’t want you to burn up that beautiful board.

As for your whole project:
About sleep mode:

1. To make Wake-On-Lan you will need something like RockPi E or RasPi Zero as a gateway to turn everything back.
2. You can halt system and wakealarm, like - you manually or crontab halt system with inserting time when you need to start it back
   Does the rtc on rockpi4 support wakealarms

Now about power supply. As was said before you can supply 12V directly to TypeC, but RockPi itself can’t supply 12V anywhere, so you will need to parallel connect it, aka:

PSU12v ---power>--- RockPi
 power|             |sata
      ->----HDD<---->

[Twanaar]

Hi Dante4,

Yes, it’s what i’m planed, use a 12v entrey USB-C converter, power the rock pi with that. and have a separate 12v molex for supply the HDD.

Thanks anyway

[Dante4]

Well…converter is a bit big word for this, but sure.
Wait, if you have molex, why you need all this things that were prior?

[Twanaar]

I don’t have a molex, I’ll have a molex… after use solder some cable from the Synology nas power supply:)

For progress on it, i’m still wait component from China (converted 12v plug => USB-C, eMMC, riser M.2 => PCIe, some eletronics components…)

Dunring this time, i’m fithing with installing Debian and recallbox on my m.2 ssd (a problematic one, Kingstone A1000, not spi loader/boot compatible)

[jayanta525]

Any updates? @Twanaar

[lbdroidman]

The HDD are 3.5 " magnetic drives, so each consume arround 15w (mainly in 12v).
But i’m not want risk overload the 5v buck converter of the rock pi.
Anyway i’m need to plug 12v on the riser for power the drive, so i’m can add here a 12v => 5v buck converter for power leds and Hard disks.

Riser i’m think use:

Synology SATA backplate:

What makes you think that that “backplate” has ANYTHING to do with PCIe?

[jayanta525]

@lbdroidman Synology NAS runs the SATA backplane through PCIe.
PS: I don’t own any Synology products. I got this information in reviews and teardown.

Reference:

The DS1513+’s motherboard has two PCIe slots; an x1 and x4. One runs the backplane for SATA connectivity and the other is for the USB 3.0 and eSATA ports.
Link: http://www.decryptedtech.com/synology-ds1513-review-part-i-intro-and-teardown?showall=1

in ds414j between the front panel and the drive bays sits a SATA riser board which connects through a PCIe x2 lane.
Link: https://www.eteknix.com/synology-ds414j-4-bay-nas-review/2/

[lbdroidman]

Let me make this a little bit more clear to you: That backplane is NOT PCIe.

You can’t wire SATA devices straight into a PCIe, there needs to be something to interface between the two, which is not present at all on that backplane.

Yes, those NAS boxes use a PCIe adapter for SATA, but NO, that adapter is not located on the backplane.

Your second link demonstrates this very clearly; find the picture that shows the 88SX7042 chip on it. Note that it is located on the MAINBOARD, not the backplane. That 88SX7042 is PCIe at one side, and SATA at the other. In other words, the PCIe does NOT connect to the backplane.

If you plug that backplane into a PCIe slot, HOPEFULLY it doesn’t physically fit. If it does fit, the best thing that can happen is NOTHING AT ALL. The worst thing that can happen is you damage something. Could be anything. Could be your mainboard, could be your SATA disk(s).

[Twanaar]

Thanks you for the message, and your are right.
I’m discover this too few weeks ago, and i’m planned to buy the sata hat of Radxa, but it was out of stock.
So i’m can’t use the backplate of the Syno, i had to search for another solution => i bougth this:

from ALiexpress: M.2 to 5 x Sata converter

No i’m still wait other stuffs for progress in this project, but delivery are very slow with the Covid pandemie.

[val]

Just found this post now, after 3 years, and I am curious if the M.2 to SATA has worked for you, with what performance metrics and if your project was a success.