# TE4 or TE3 Bolt or Edge upgrade with external drive



## tommage1

Edit 4/12/2022, since the model of the enclosure is VERY important (ie must hold the drive and have separate connections for Sata data and power (not the "normal" one piece data/power slide in) I will start this off with two models that will work (both discontinued but can be found.) I used the Sabrent since that is what I had but the Rosewill looks to be better.

Rosewill RX304

Sabrent EC-UEIS7

Many people are still trying to find a 2.5" drive that will work correctly with a TE4 Bolt, and not fail within a year or so (note, this also works with TE3.) And works with Edge which is TE4 only. I still think the best solution is to go with a good quality 3.5 CMR drive in an external enclosure. The drive in the enclosure ideally should be connected directly to the Sata port on the Bolt MB. And get it's power from the enclosure. Mine has been working well for quite awhile now. I did not even have to cut the Bolt case, I used a couple cardboard shims where the cable comes out of the Bolt. And used two cables that can connect/disconnect so can separate the Bolt from the enclosure easily. Here are some pics if anyone interested. No Esata being used, the cable coming out of the Bolt is connected to the Sata port on the Bolt MB, the cable coming out of the enclosure is connected directly to the Sata connection on the drive. Added bonus, since no drive in the Bolt it does run a bit cooler. Not as much as I expected though, most of the heat must come from the MB/CPU, not the drive.


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## Mukwonago

I am on my first month of a WD 3TB RED drive. Externally outside of the Bolt VOX, not in an enclosure with an external power supply. I have the SATA cable going out of the case where the internal drive used to be, it's loosely closed. So far no issues. No noises, all is very quiet. Ideally, I would have liked an enclosure but I just didn't want to spend any more money on this project than the initial Bolt, the drive and a $9 power supply from Amazon.


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## tommage1

Mukwonago said:


> I am on my first month of a WD 3TB RED drive. Externally outside of the Bolt VOX, not in an enclosure with an external power supply. I have the SATA cable going out of the case where the internal drive used to be, it's loosely closed. So far no issues. No noises, all is very quiet. Ideally, I would have liked an enclosure but I just didn't want to spend any more money on this project than the initial Bolt, the drive and a $9 power supply from Amazon.


I had the cable going out the same place as you for awhile, then decided to use the shims so I could have the Bolt case entirely assembled. I also tried to spend as little as possible on the project. The enclosure I used only cost around $20. It can be used with Sata and IDE drives. Since it has IDE type connections inside it has a molex power connection along with regular Sata connection. Regular Sata connection is usually one piece so cannot connect data and power connections separately. So to use the enclosure's power I used the molex power connector with a molex to sata adapter. The entire project (other than the drive) cost under $30, the enclosure, two Sata data cables (that can connect together) and the molex to Sata power adapter. This is what the inside of the enclosure looks like before I put in the drive, did not use the one part Sata connection at all, nor the IDE data cable, just the molex power with the molex to Sata power adapter and a Sata data cable I connected to the drive and ran out of the case myself.

What does your setup look like? What does that $9 Amazon power supply look like, it just connects to the power connection on the WD Red? Outside the Bolt?


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## Mukwonago

tommage1 said:


> What does your setup look like? What does that $9 Amazon power supply look like, it just connects to the power connection on the WD Red? Outside the Bolt?
> View attachment 45164


My Amazon search skills were not good at all and I couldn't find an enclosure that had an external SATA connection. I found plenty of enclosures that had USB interfaces. I know they exist, but I just failed at finding one for a reasonable price, no where near $20. Now, I was in a dark place because I learned two things AFTER ordering the Bolt. My fault of course, research is my responsibility for the project. I naively believed that I could plug an external drive into the eSATA port on the back of the Tivo AND I thought I could go bigger than 3TB without a song and dance. Ok, enough about that. So, I this is how I faired and like you, wanted to spend zero time or as close to that as I could at this point of my life;
$149 Bolt VOX 500GB ordered direct from Tivo, not a renewed unit.
$99 1 year of taking it up the shorts in terms of recurring money loss for subscription.
$80 WD RED 3TB. Yes, I wanted the 10TB but I read on here 3 is as big as I could go without doing 'stuff'. Amazon Prime
$154 Tivo Mini Vox. Amazon Prime
$9 Drive power supply. Amazon Prime. Has an on/off switch and came with all the various hard drive power connectors that are out there.
Rough numbers, I'm at $491. At this point, I'm trying to stop the bleeding, literally one dollar at a time.
I already had sata cables so I was good there.
I'm over budget in this project. I was supposed to look for ways to get off of cable, to cut the cord, instead not only did I not do that, but now I'm paying yet another yearly subscription cost.
Ok, here's the picture. It's ugly. This is just ugly as ugly can be. I kept telling myself that I will clean it up, but I would be lying if I truly believed that.
On a shelf, in a cabinet is the Cable Tuning Adapter.
On top of that, sitting directly on it, is the Tivo Bolt.
The sata cable is coming out of the small hard drive door, exiting to the 'front' of the Bolt.
The WD 3TB drive sits on it's side, to the left, externally of course, without an enclosure and nothing near it by a few inches both sides.









On a side note, and I apologize I'm venturing off topic, although the project is technically a success I have a few disappointments when all is said and done:

1) The Bolt looks really really cheaply made. But I was pleased that there was nothing for me to do to get the bigger drive working. The unit arrived, I pulled the OEM drive before it ever saw power for the first time.
2) I didn't really want to buy the Mini though it works nicely. In 'my' perfect world, I would own TWO Bolt's but I will not pay TWO subscription fee's. Tivo should have a 'whole' house subscription package.
3) It's a shame the eSATA port on the back of the Bolt is fairly useless.
4) I'm bummed that the unit natively only supports up to 3TB. I think they should have incorporated support for larger drives. Yes, I have read that it is widely done, "I" did not want to mess with that, I wanted turn-key as much as I could.
5) I hate the ads they play before I play recorded content.
6) I was an early adopter of Tivo over 10 years ago, I miss the thumbs up and down rating buttons.
7) The remote should be backlit.
8) Tivo search sucks compared to my Spectrum DVR's which I still have until I watch all that is there.


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## tommage1

Mukwonago said:


> My Amazon search skills were not good at all and I couldn't find an enclosure that had an external SATA connection. I found plenty of enclosures that had USB interfaces. I know they exist, but I just failed at finding one for a reasonable price, no where near $20. Now, I was in a dark place because I learned two things AFTER ordering the Bolt. My fault of course, research is my responsibility for the project. I naively believed that I could plug an external drive into the eSATA port on the back of the Tivo AND I thought I could go bigger than 3TB without a song and dance. Ok, enough about that. So, I this is how I faired and like you, wanted to spend zero time or as close to that as I could at this point of my life;
> $149 Bolt VOX 500GB ordered direct from Tivo, not a renewed unit.
> $99 1 year of taking it up the shorts in terms of recurring money loss for subscription.
> $80 WD RED 3TB. Yes, I wanted the 10TB but I read on here 3 is as big as I could go without doing 'stuff'. Amazon Prime
> $154 Tivo Mini Vox. Amazon Prime
> $9 Drive power supply. Amazon Prime. Has an on/off switch and came with all the various hard drive power connectors that are out there.
> Rough numbers, I'm at $491. At this point, I'm trying to stop the bleeding, literally one dollar at a time.
> I already had sata cables so I was good there.
> I'm over budget in this project. I was supposed to look for ways to get off of cable, to cut the cord, instead not only did I not do that, but now I'm paying yet another yearly subscription cost.
> Ok, here's the picture. It's ugly. This is just ugly as ugly can be. I kept telling myself that I will clean it up, but I would be lying if I truly believed that.
> On a shelf, in a cabinet is the Cable Tuning Adapter.
> On top of that, sitting directly on it, is the Tivo Bolt.
> The sata cable is coming out of the small hard drive door, exiting to the 'front' of the Bolt.
> The WD 3TB drive sits on it's side, to the left, externally of course, without an enclosure and nothing near it by a few inches both sides.
> 
> View attachment 45172
> 
> 
> On a side note, and I apologize I'm venturing off topic, although the project is technically a success I have a few disappointments when all is said and done:
> 
> 1) The Bolt looks really really cheaply made. But I was pleased that there was nothing for me to do to get the bigger drive working. The unit arrived, I pulled the OEM drive before it ever saw power for the first time.
> 2) I didn't really want to buy the Mini though it works nicely. In 'my' perfect world, I would own TWO Bolt's but I will not pay TWO subscription fee's. Tivo should have a 'whole' house subscription package.
> 3) It's a shame the eSATA port on the back of the Bolt is fairly useless.
> 4) I'm bummed that the unit natively only supports up to 3TB. I think they should have incorporated support for larger drives. Yes, I have read that it is widely done, "I" did not want to mess with that, I wanted turn-key as much as I could.
> 5) I hate the ads they play before I play recorded content.
> 6) I was an early adopter of Tivo over 10 years ago, I miss the thumbs up and down rating buttons.
> 7) The remote should be backlit.
> 8) Tivo search sucks compared to my Spectrum DVR's which I still have until I watch all that is there.


Ok  A few things, one the external connection of the enclosure does not matter, at least for my project. As I do not use it. The data connection, I use a Sata cable directly connected to the drive inside the enclosure. The ONLY connection used with the enclosure is the molex to sata power adapter inside (and of course the AC adapter/power supply for the enclosure itself). The enclosure, needs to be big enough to hold the drive, the molex to sata adapter and be able to connect the Sata data cable to the drive and be able to run it out of the enclosure. In case you want to try one since the are "old tech" they are pretty cheap price wise, construction wise they are great, aluminum, a fan inside, goes together with screws not "snaps". Model is Sabrent EC-UEIS7. Around $20 at Amazon or a bit more depending on the seller you choose. For ME the ideal enclosure for the project, I have others that work but this one the size and construction is great, can fit everything inside and run the Sata cable out and be able to completely close the enclosure. The molex to sata power adapter, I had some lying around so did not have to actually purchase but they should only be a couple bucks.

Cost of Bolt, if you are willing to accept a used Bolt or Bolt Vox you can actually find them at ebay WITH LIFETIME SUBSCRIPTION for a bit under $300 if lucky (usually the white model), otherwise low to mid 300s. White or black does not matter, either can run Vox/Hydra software if you want to use TE4. The white would probably not come with a Vox voice remote so you would have to get one if you want to use TE4 voice function. And I'm talking about the models that can be used with cable OR OTA. Used can almost be an advantage with all the problems I read about here with renewed or even new Bolt/Bolt Vox purchases direct from Tivo. Most used have been USED (ie tested) for awhile so should be no issues if buying from a good seller. And if you are replacing the drive anyway the used drive in the Bolt would not be an issue.

Yep, the Bolt seems rather cheaply made. The last REALLY solid Tivo as far as I am concerned it the Roamio Plus/Pro. Some people do use the Esata port, you can use it as expansion (of the main drive, still have to use the main drive). For me I wouldn't, another point of failure possible, already have the main drive and the flash drive. Thumbs, have you tried TE3 interface? If you don't care about the voice function (and AUTO skip, you can still use one push button skip) maybe try it if/when you do anything with the drive again. But only if you are ok with losing all your current recordings (mostly, you can backup to computer or another Tivo and transfer back once on TE3). You will not get ads with TE3 (at least for now), you should be able to "opt out" now on TE4 if you call Tivo? Native support for drives larger than 3TB, well yes it would be nice but the largest drive Tivo has ever included stock is 3TB. If you don't want to mess with upgrade software/procedures that can be tricky (especially with a Bolt) 3TB is not bad 

I like your power adapter, did not know they sold power adapters with connectors that will connect directly to a hard drive. Most barrel shaped or proprietary type. As for "looks", I think yours is pretty cool  Since I like to "modify" things myself I've done some interesting modifications over time, you know, like twist ties, duct tape, drilling holes or a shoe sitting on top of something to keep it together. The "fine" mods can come later in most cases.......... Hey, yours is WORKING, you have a reliable good quality 3TB 3.5 CMR/PMR drive hooked up, could last for many years, probably a lot longer than any Bolt with a 2.5, stock or expanded  Have fun!!


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## tommage1

A couple more things, I know you are at the point where you don't want to spend more money. But if the way things look bother you you can "clean it up" for $20. First of all the shims to the sides of the data cable which cost nothing, use them and you can have your Bolt completely assembled. Second the enclosure. Two things you could do with that, one JUST use it to hold the drive. Using your Amazon power supply for the drive. Or use the power in the enclosure with the molex/sata adapter. Either way the drive would not be bare, that would make me nervous over time, dust, insects, even a mouse chewing something on the board?

And I know you do not want to use any of the expansion techniques to get over 3TB. BUT there is one that is so easy, only a few minutes (if starting fresh). You hooked up your 3TB, let the Bolt format it and were ready to go. An 8TB would be almost the same. Hook up the 8TB, let the Bolt format it, same as your 3TB (the 8TB would have 3TB capacity at that point). Then you pull the 8TB (at the guided setup screen, do not run guided setup at this point), hook it up to computer and run MFSR to expand to 8TB (read the instructions on how to use MFSR). Hook it back up to the Bolt and ready to go. Again for it to be that simple you need to be starting fresh, no current recordings/settings you want to save. 8TB would be the limit for it to be that simple, to go beyond that you's also need to use MFST, not overly tough but not as simple as a fresh MFSR upgrade. I have not done a fresh 8TB MFSR upgrade with a BOLT though I have with a Roamio on TE3. So you might want to read up on how it has worked out for other users............. Maybe stick with your 3TB if unsure, don't want to spend a lot more money since you are trying to keep costs at a minimum. Which is a very good thing


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## leiff

Good read guys. Myself,I prefer keeping small sized hard drive-in tivo since I find navigating TVO menu slow and cumbersome with too many recordings. Instead I use KMTTG software to store my shows on 10 TB harddrive in my PC which can be easily be moved back to tivo for viewing later


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## tommage1

leiff said:


> Good read guys. Myself,I prefer keeping small sized hard drive-in tivo since I find navigating TVO menu slow and cumbersome with too many recordings. Instead I use KMTTG software to store my shows on 10 TB harddrive in my PC which can be easily be moved back to tivo for viewing later


I agree about the menus with a lot of shows. Especially movies, only way to really group them is wishlist type folders. If there is one thing I could ask them to include in the Tivo software it would be folder creation and manipulation.


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## Sparky1234

tommage1 said:


> I agree about the menus with a lot of shows. Especially movies, only way to really group them is wishlist type folders. If there is one thing I could ask them to include in the Tivo software it would be folder creation and manipulation.


That has been on the table for decades but TiVo is not listening.


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## tommiet

Tons on good reading (thanks.) But for the life of me, why would anyone want an 8TB drive to store almost a 1000 hours of recordings? My 1TB bolt tells me it can store 120 hours of HD. I think I've got my storage up to 60% a time or two. VOD is handling more and more of my TV viewing. Also, not the safest way to archive videos - if that's what your doing. 

Still... one of the better threads I've read here in a long time......


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## Mukwonago

tommage1 said:


> A couple more things, I know you are at the point where you don't want to spend more money. But if the way things look bother you you can "clean it up" for $20. First of all the shims to the sides of the data cable which cost nothing, use them and you can have your Bolt completely assembled. Second the enclosure. Two things you could do with that, one JUST use it to hold the drive. Using your Amazon power supply for the drive. Or use the power in the enclosure with the molex/sata adapter. Either way the drive would not be bare, that would make me nervous over time, dust, insects, even a mouse chewing something on the board?
> 
> And I know you do not want to use any of the expansion techniques to get over 3TB. BUT there is one that is so easy, only a few minutes (if starting fresh). You hooked up your 3TB, let the Bolt format it and were ready to go. An 8TB would be almost the same. Hook up the 8TB, let the Bolt format it, same as your 3TB (the 8TB would have 3TB capacity at that point). Then you pull the 8TB, hook it up to computer and run MFSR on it to expand to 8TB (read the instructions on how to use MFSR). Hook it back up to the Bolt and ready to go. Again for it to be that simple you need to be starting fresh, no current recordings/settings you want to save. 8TB would be the limit for it to be that simple, to go beyond that you's also need to use MFST, not overly tough but not as simple as a fresh MFSR upgrade. I have not done a fresh 8TB MFSR upgrade with a BOLT though I have with a Roamio on TE3. So you might want to read up on how it has worked out for other users............. Maybe stick with your 3TB if unsure, don't want to spend a lot more money since you are trying to keep costs at a minimum. Which is a very good thing


I'm already knee deep into the 3TB drive but I have a quick question before doing research on it. If I was to go to a 8TB drive, could I move the content off the 3TB with KMTTG and place it back on the 8TB?


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## Mikeguy

Mukwonago said:


> I'm already knee deep into the 3TB drive but I have a quick question before doing research on it. If I was to go to a 8TB drive, could I move the content off the 3TB with KMTTG and place it back on the 8TB?


Yep, assuming that it's not copy-protected, and using pyTivo Desktop/pyTivo to move it back to the drive from your PC.


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## Mukwonago

Mikeguy said:


> Yep, assuming that it's not copy-protected, and using pyTivo Desktop/pyTivo to move it back to the drive from your PC.


Thanks, is there an easy way to determine which material is protected?


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## tommage1

Mukwonago said:


> I'm already knee deep into the 3TB drive but I have a quick question before doing research on it. If I was to go to a 8TB drive, could I move the content off the 3TB with KMTTG and place it back on the 8TB?


Mike says yes. I have not done it myself. I don't think it would be a problem if you are running TE3. Not sure about TE4, I thought I read you can't transfer from computer back to a TE4 device but I could be wrong. Copy protected, well any premium channel content is most likely copy protected. Other content, it also depends on your provider, from what I have read here some cable companies protect almost everything. Comcast by me, just premium protected far as I know.


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## Mikeguy

Mukwonago said:


> Thanks, is there an easy way to determine which material is protected?


I'm an OTA guy and as far as I'm aware, it typically is not copy-protected. Premium service content, I believe, typically is, and some cable providers also will mark "regular" OTA-like content as copy-protected as well.


tommage1 said:


> Mike says yes. I have not done it myself. I don't think it would be a problem if you are running TE3. Not sure about TE4, I thought I read you can't transfer from computer back to a TE4 device but I could be wrong. Copy protected, well any premium channel content is most likely copy protected. Other content, it also depends on your provider, from what I have read here some cable companies protect almost everything. Comcast by me, just premium protected far as I know.


Yep: only TE3--not TE4--allows PC -> TiVo box transfers.


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## spiderpumpkin

I tore out the factory installed eSATA port on my Bolt Vox 3TB and I have a SATA cable to to eSATA adapter pulled through the hole and installed. On my new adapter I removed the eSATA port plate and trimmed down most of the plastic and fit it into the hole from the old eSATA port. I have an external enclosure with eSATA so I just use an eSATA to eSATA wire now.


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## tommage1

spiderpumpkin said:


> I tore out the factory installed eSATA port on my Bolt Vox 3TB and I have a SATA cable to to eSATA adapter pulled through the hole and installed. On my new adapter I removed the eSATA port plate and trimmed down most of the plastic and fit it into the hole from the old eSATA port. I have an external enclosure with eSATA so I just use an eSATA to eSATA wire now.


Very interesting. Would be cool with a Roamio also. I use an Esata toaster external with a couple Roamios as you can swap drives around with Roamios, as long as on same OS (if using cable card all drives need to be created from the original to maintain cable card settings). I cut the plastic case (Roamio basic) to run the cable out, your method I would never have thought of, would have been afraid to remove the factory installed Esata port. You only need one cable, very nice. For your project the only concern I might have is if ever wanted to use TE4, I've heard TE4 can be finicky with Esata. For my one TE4 test machine I stick with Sata to Sata.


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## spiderpumpkin

tommage1 said:


> Very interesting. Would be cool with a Roamio also. I use an Esata toaster external with a couple Roamios as you can swap drives around with Roamios, as long as on same OS (if using cable card all drives need to be created from the original to maintain cable card settings). I cut the plastic case (Roamio basic) to run the cable out, your method I would never have thought of, would have been afraid to remove the factory installed Esata port. You only need one cable, very nice. For your project the only concern I might have is if ever wanted to use TE4, I've heard TE4 can be finicky with Esata. For my one TE4 test machine I stick with Sata to Sata.


The Tivo doesn't seem to miss the factory eSATA port and I don't either since Tivo never made it a port that could be used with any drive. All I did is take a flathead screwdriver and hollowed out the port and then broke away the rest of the eSATA casing until it was removed from motherboard.

The new wire I fed through the hole can just as easily be taken out if I need to ever change up external drive setup. For instance if Tivo someday forces TE4 on us and eSATA doesn't work.


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## Tweak42

;TLDR I discovered a esata drive dock that works with the Bolt.

Hey all, wanted to add my experiences upgrading our 500GB Bolt. Our main Tivo is 4TB upgraded Roamio basic so I have been putting off upgrading the Bolt the last few years because of the 2.5" drive conundrum.

Only broke 1 clip getting the Bolt open, and completed clone 500GB to 4TB drive with MFSTools 3.32. Sadly, got 4 blinking LEDs booting using esata Rosewill enclosure. Bypassing straight to sata worked fine. On the off chance I tried esata using my old Thermaltake dock and it surprisingly worked! :grinning: It must be the difference in JMicron controllers, as the chip in the Thermaltake dock is far older USB 2.0 vs USB 3.0 on the Rosewill.

Unfortunately in the process of juggling different hard drives, testing sata / esata connections I accidentally reconnected the wrong drive to the Bolt and lost the association, thus all the recordings and season passes are lost even though I still have the original 2.5" 500GB drive intact.

My intention was to use the Rosewill but it appears the controller will NOT work with the Bolt so I may just have to settle with cutting notches and long sata cable route. I did a through google search on the chance there's a JMS565 firmware update that might fix the problem, but did not find anything. I still use my Thermaltake dock for work so won't be dedicating to the Bolt and there's no guarantee future updates won't bork it. Quick search on ebay and the dock sells in the $30-40 range.
*
If you have an esata enclosure/dock that works with the Bolt please share the model and controller chip inside.*

--------- Parts:--------
Rosewill RX304-APU3-35B esata/USB3 enclosure (has a temp control fan) "JMicron JMS565"
WD 4TB Purple WD40PURZ (all WD Purples are non SMR as of this posting)
Thermaltake ST0005U BlacX eSATA/USB2 Dock (who called it a toaster?) "JMicron JM20336"


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## tommage1

spiderpumpkin said:


> The new wire I fed through the hole can just as easily be taken out if I need to ever change up external drive setup. For instance if Tivo someday forces TE4 on us and eSATA doesn't work.


The bracket port you used in the Bolt should always work, as far as I know. As it has no electronics, just wires, same as connecting to regular Sata. The enclosures, that is a different story as electronics is used, different chip sets etc. So in the case you ever have to use TE4 could use a cable that is Esata on one end (connects to your custom installed port on the Bolt), then Sata on the other end and connects directly to the data Sata port on the drive in the enclosure. I think there are some enclosures that have Esata ports that work with TE4, Weaknees sells an external upgrade that works with the Esata port on the enclosure. Not sure what model they use...........

I don't like TE4 myself, use TE3 on all my devices other than the Bolt. I am using the Bolt as a test, see how my external upgrade works with TE4. Also to get used to it in case it becomes mandatory.


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## tommage1

Tweak42 said:


> Thermaltake ST0005U BlacX eSATA/USB2 Dock (who called it a toaster?) "JMicron JM20336"


Me, it's like a toaster, drives pop in and out like slices of bread. I use it for Roamios on TE3, can have a library of drives, as long as on same OS. Not so with Bolt, cannot swap drives around without losing most everything. When using 8-12TB drives I like to use 12V 2.5-3A power supply/AC adapter just to be safe. On TE3 I have used up to 12TB in the Thermaltake with no issues.


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## senoreit

Tweak42 said:


> On the off chance I tried esata using my old Thermaltake dock and it surprisingly worked! :grinning: It must be the difference in JMicron controllers, as the chip in the Thermaltake dock is far older USB 2.0 vs USB 3.0 on the Rosewill.


Wow, this seems like a big deal and thanks for sharing! Just to clarify, you connected the Thermaltake dock to the internal SATA port or to the eSATA port on the back of the Bolt?


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## Tweak42

senoreit said:


> Wow, this seems like a big deal and thanks for sharing! Just to clarify, you connected the Thermaltake dock to the internal SATA port or to the eSATA port on the back of the Bolt?


To the internal sata port using a esata to sata adapter.

I should also mention I didn't not end up going the internal sata to external drive route and instead settled on using expander format as documented here:
Use the eSATA port with an external drive (up to 8TB DVR Expander) - simple method!

Pros: uses the Bolts esata port with esata Rosewill enclosure.
Cons: requires software "pairing" of internal and external drives, if either drive fails you lose all recordings.


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## senoreit

Tweak42 said:


> To the internal sata port using a esata to sata adapter.
> 
> I should also mention I didn't not end up going the internal sata to external drive route and instead settled on using expander format as documented here:
> Use the eSATA port with an external drive (up to 8TB DVR Expander) - simple method!
> 
> Pros: uses the Bolts esata port with esata Rosewill enclosure.
> Cons: requires software "pairing" of internal and external drives, if either drive fails you lose all recordings.


I see. That is very cool too, and I had not seen that thread so thank you for pointing it out to me. Unfortunately, I have no faith in the internal drive lasting more than another 6 months (it's already about 1.5 years old) so that does not seem like a good option to me.

One last tidbit - when I Googled "JMicron JM20336 enclosure" I came upon an enclosure called the Kingwin JET JT-35EU-BK which seemingly uses the same controller as the Thermaltake dock. I'm wondering if that might work using the eSATA port which would save the "trouble" of having to cut a hole in the enclosure. Unfortunately, the only one I can find is $39.75 on eBay and it doesn't seem worth the financial risk of it not working.


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## Tweak42

senoreit said:


> I see. That is very cool too, and I had not seen that thread so thank you for pointing it out to me. Unfortunately, I have no faith in the internal drive lasting more than another 6 months (it's already about 1.5 years old) so that does not seem like a good option to me.
> 
> One last tidbit - when I Googled "JMicron JM20336 enclosure" I came upon an enclosure called the Kingwin JET JT-35EU-BK which seemingly uses the same controller as the Thermaltake dock. I'm wondering if that might work using the eSATA port which would save the "trouble" of having to cut a hole in the enclosure. Unfortunately, the only one I can find is $39.75 on eBay and it doesn't seem worth the financial risk of it not working.


I think you are misunderstanding, AFAIK you cannot use the Bolt's esata port unless it's the long discontinued official enclosure, or using the method linked "pairing" the internal drive to external. (or extreme mainboard modification involving routing individual sata trace lines to a modified esata port)

All other ways require routing the internal sata port to externally. Historically early on Bolts would work fine via Bolt internal sata cable -> *esata adapter *-> any esata dock/enclosure, but there was a Tivo software update such that *esata adapter* stopped communicating with esata enclosures that previously worked for months. Latest Software Update Broke my Hard eSATA Drive Hack on Bolt

What I discovered was my JM20336 dock still works using esata adapter despite the above software update. At this late date it's probably not worth paying for JM20336 enclosure, and thus alternatively doing what the OP of this thread did bypassing the controller in his enclosure using a long sata *extension* cable. If you do this you must find one that has clearance for separate power and data cable connections as so many cheap enclosures these days use a combined all-in-one connectors/controller board.


----------



## senoreit

Tweak42 said:


> I think you are misunderstanding, AFAIK you cannot use the Bolt's esata port unless it's the long discontinued official enclosure, or using the method linked "pairing" the internal drive to external.


Sorry, I wasn't clear. When I mentioned potentially using the eSATA port, I meant the eSATA port on the external HDD enclosure, not on the Bolt. Anyway, all the old HDD enclosures that used JMicron JM20336 seem to be no longer available for purchase anywhere (I was incorrect about the Kingwin I mentioned, it is not available on eBay), so I am probably resigned at this point to purchasing a Rosewill RX304-APU3-35B and cutting holes in both it and the Bolt.


----------



## edwinyuen

senoreit said:


> Sorry, I wasn't clear. When I mentioned potentially using the eSATA port, I meant the eSATA port on the external HDD enclosure, not on the Bolt. Anyway, all the old HDD enclosures that used JMicron JM20336 seem to be no longer available for purchase anywhere (I was incorrect about the Kingwin I mentioned, it is not available on eBay), so I am probably resigned at this point to purchasing a Rosewill RX304-APU3-35B and cutting holes in both it and the Bolt.


If you go down the route, you might just want to see how things fit. The setup I used didn't use the eSATA ports on either end and the SATA cable was thin enough that I just put out a small gap on both devices, without cutting anything. I did that for both my Bolts about 18 months ago with no issue. So cutting gives more clearance but in the end, I didn't cut either side.


----------



## Chards

That RX304 enclosure looks ideal. The SATA connectors are not at the same level as the enclosure circuit board, letting you just leave the SATA data connector off to run a separate cable to the Bolt connection on its board (images from the user manual). My Bolt VOX 3TB hard drive just "died" yesterday. This is my second Bolt HD failure, both times the WD drive exceeded the SMART threshold for Reallocated Sector Count. I talked to TiVo yesterday and the rep I spoke with said they no longer do Lifetime transfers so the cost of moving to an Edge is stupid (for me). I can pick up a 3TB WD 3.5-inch purple drive for about $90, this enclosure for $40, and dig around for a SATA data cable, maybe one of those M/F ones like tommage1 used. All around less risky than buying some "refurbished" 2.5-inch drive of unknown quality. Since the "dying" HD is not dead yet, I plan on dropping it and the new drive into a linux box and use ddrescue to clone the old to new. I did this once before and it worked perfectly, all recordings and settings saved and no need to re-pair the cable card.


----------



## tommage1

Chards said:


> That RX304 enclosure looks ideal.


Looks pretty good, has the separate data/power connections. So as you say just run Sata on drive to Sata on Bolt MB, the male/female is nice so you can separate Bolt from enclosure. Only question I'd have, running the Sata data cable out of the enclosure. Looks like it would have to come out the back. Is the back cover plastic so can cut a slot? I do see 4 openings (other than power switch), two are the USB and eSata so probably can't run out through those. The other two can't really see what will be under them, maybe that is where the Sata data cable can come out? If you can run the Sata data cable out easily I might give one of these a try next time, instead of my good old Sabrent.

Oh one is for the AC adapter I see. So that leaves the 4th? Of course do not even have to put the back cover on 

Oops, the 4th is the on off switch. But since it is plastic easy to trim off enough to run the Sata cable out.


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## Tweak42

The vent holes on plastic back plate of the RX304 can be trimmed out with simple wire cutters to make a square hole large enough to pass a sata connector /w cable through. To make it more convenient to disconnect from the SATA cable coming from the Tivo side you could use a short SATA extension cable. Or of course you can leave the back panel off.
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-0-3m-SATA-Extension-Cable/dp/B008635ATO/


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## tommage1

Tweak42 said:


> The vent holes on plastic back plate of the RX304 can be trimmed out with simple wire cutters to make a square hole large enough to pass a sata connector /w cable through. To make it more convenient to disconnect from the SATA cable coming from the Tivo side you could use a short SATA extension cable. Or of course you can leave the back panel off.
> https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-0-3m-SATA-Extension-Cable/dp/B008635ATO/


Great, thanks, if plastic back plate should be easy. Nice as it has eSata and USB 3.0 also, my Sabrent is eSata and USB 2.0. I have a few of those extensions, stocked up awhile back. Nice versatile enclosure.


----------



## multiple

I'm going to try adding an external 2.5" drive since it only requires 5V power. I'm hoping the USB ports on the Bolt/Edge supply sufficient power for a 2.5" drive. If the USB port supplies 12V then even an external 3.5" drive might be possible without an external enclosure. I will use the following USB + eSATA to combo SATA/power connector: https://www.amazon.com/CGTime-Drive...wer+for+2.5+inch+drive&qid=1609646693&sr=8-10

I'm even willing to try the drives that normally fail internally on TE4... if that works then I could use my 8TB SSD along with the internal drive. It could lead to my TiVo(s) having anywhere from 10TB to 13TB. I'm hoping and curious if the TE4 drive detection issue only applies to the the drive on the primary SATA port.


----------



## Tweak42

multiple said:


> I'm going to try adding an external 2.5" drive since it only requires 5V power. I'm hoping the USB ports on the Bolt/Edge supply sufficient power for a 2.5" drive. If the USB port supplies 12V then even an external 3.5" drive might be possible without an external enclosure. I will use the following USB + eSATA to combo SATA/power connector: https://www.amazon.com/do notCGTime-Drive-22Pin-Powered-Adapter/dp/B06XKBYZDK/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=esata+and+usb+power+for+2.5+inch+drive&qid=1609646693&sr=8-10
> 
> I'm even willing to try the drives that normally fail internally on TE4... if that works then I could use my 8TB SSD along with the internal drive. It could lead to my TiVo(s) having anywhere from 10TB to 13TB. I'm hoping and curious if the TE4 drive detection issue only applies to the the drive on the primary SATA port.


USB ports most certainly DO NOT supply 12v unless they've intentionally been hardware modified on the board which would fry any standard USB hardware plugged to that port. That adapter only has traces from the USB voltage to the 5v rail on the sata connector, the 12v are probably unused. For both 12 and 5v you're looking for eSATAp. eSATAp - Wikipedia but the Bolt does not have a eSATAp powered port. If you're really technically inclined you can mod the esata port to esatap like here: Instructions: Adding eSATAp connector to BOLT (tech)

PS. FYI: the Bolt eSATA port is meant for Tivo's proprietary discontinued external drive kit. It can be made to work with other esata enclosures, with some work arounds, guide here:
Use the eSATA port with an external drive (up to 8TB DVR Expander) - simple method!


----------



## multiple

Tweak42 said:


> USB ports most certainly DO NOT supply 12v unless they've intentionally been hardware modified on the board which would fry any standard USB hardware plugged to that port. That adapter only has traces from the USB voltage to the 5v rail on the sata connector, the 12v are probably unused. For both 12 and 5v you're looking for eSATAp. eSATAp - Wikipedia but the Bolt does not have a eSATAp powered port. If you're really technically inclined you can mod the esata port to esatap like here: Instructions: Adding eSATAp connector to BOLT (tech)


I read your other thread earlier and it was a good read. It reminded me of these eSATA + USB power cables I looked at years ago. I'm trying to avoid the eSATAp change which I assume would simplify the link to a single cable, but I expect the cable I linked above should be fine for powering an external 2.5" drive.


----------



## tommage1

Tweak42 said:


> If you have an esata enclosure/dock that works with the Bolt please share the model and controller chip inside.


I am not sure if this dock will work with a TE4 Bolt however you might be interested in it. I like eSata "toasters". As can use to boot computers (cannot boot with USB, well at least an actual OS, can create bootable USB flash drive). I like to have drives with different OS or same OS with different programs for my desktops. With an eSata toaster can just pop drives in and out whenever I like. However I mostly use SSD as boot drives for my computers. And almost ALL eSata toaster docks are Sata 2 max. I found ONE that is actually Sata 3 speed. Highpoint RocketStor 5322. Not easy to find. But it does provide full Sata 3 speeds through the eSata connections, I get same speeds with SSDs as when connecting to Sata port on motherboard. It's a dual dock and has separate eSata connections. Not sure of chipset or if it would work with Tivo. The Sata 3 speed would not matter for Tivo. But great for booting SSDs on my desktops 

Oh, it comes with a hefty 12v 4.17A power supply. In case using both bays.


----------



## milo99

i've already upgraded my Bolt to a 2 tb 2.5" drive, but been perusing these threads in case i wanted to go the 3.5" drive out later on. with that.. wouldn't it be simplest to just use a 22 pin sata extension cable and then just put the drive in some "dumb" case? instead of jerry rigging some enclosure and messing w/ esata or external power supplies? something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/SMAKN-22-pin-Female-Power-Extension/dp/B00L9R3AKA

or am i missing something?


----------



## tommage1

milo99 said:


> i've already upgraded my Bolt to a 2 tb 2.5" drive, but been perusing these threads in case i wanted to go the 3.5" drive out later on. with that.. wouldn't it be simplest to just use a 22 pin sata extension cable and then just put the drive in some "dumb" case? instead of jerry rigging some enclosure and messing w/ esata or external power supplies? something like this:
> https://www.amazon.com/SMAKN-22-pin-Female-Power-Extension/dp/B00L9R3AKA
> 
> or am i missing something?


Well there has been some debate on that. If the power would be enough for a 3.5" drive. The Bolt power supply is designed to power the Bolt and a 2.5" drive. I myself would not take a chance. I also would not use eSata for connection to the enclosure. Run straight Sata to Sata. At least a couple enclosures where that is pretty easy to do. Just use two cables, one connected to the Sata port on the Bolt motherboard. The other connected to the Sata data port on the DRIVE ITSELF, not the enclosure (ie eSata). The two Sata cables, one "normal" the other female on one end, male on the other. So can connect together and separate Bolt from enclosure. This is originally my thread and the point was to go Sata to Sata with a 3.5. Have been a few variations posted along the way, bare drive, different enclosures etc. But Sata to Sata, 3.5" drive, very easy to find good quality 3.5" CMR drives of nearly any capacity that could/should last 5 years or more.


----------



## milo99

tommage1 said:


> Well there has been some debate on that. If the power would be enough for a 3.5" drive. The Bolt power supply is designed to power the Bolt and a 2.5" drive. I myself would not take a chance. I also would not use eSata for connection to the enclosure. Run straight Sata to Sata. At least a couple enclosures where that is pretty easy to do. Just use two cables, one connected to the Sata port on the Bolt motherboard. The other connected to the Sata data port on the DRIVE ITSELF, not the enclosure (ie eSata). The two Sata cables, one "normal" the other female on one end, male on the other. So can connect together and separate Bolt from enclosure. This is originally my thread and the point was to go Sata to Sata with a 3.5. Have been a few variations posted along the way, bare drive, different enclosures etc. But Sata to Sata, 3.5" drive, very easy to find good quality 3.5" CMR drives of nearly any capacity that could/should last 5 years or more.


ahhhh the power consumption needed... good point. a quick google i found specs for the Red Plus drives specs.
https://shop.westerndigital.com/too...uct-brief-western-digital-wd-red-plus-hdd.pdf

looks like the 2.5" is about 1.4w during read/write while the 3.5" drives vary depending on size. the 3tb and 4tb are only 4.1-4.5 watts. Soooo... hmmmmm.

Power supply is 36w right? so we're talking about 3w difference. I have no idea what the draw is under load and if that would stress it. But my initial thought is 3 watts shouldn't be a problem. But i'm not electrical engineer. 

further edit after looking at it a bit more- 
if i'm reading it right, peak at 12v is 1 amp vs 1.75, so i guess that would mean 12watts vs 21watts? am i doing that right?


----------



## tommage1

milo99 said:


> ahhhh the power consumption needed... good point. a quick google i found specs for the Red Plus drives specs.
> https://shop.westerndigital.com/too...uct-brief-western-digital-wd-red-plus-hdd.pdf
> 
> looks like the 2.5" is about 1.4w during read/write while the 3.5" drives vary depending on size. the 3tb and 4tb are only 4.1-4.5 watts. Soooo... hmmmmm.
> 
> Power supply is 36w right? so we're talking about 3w difference. I have no idea what the draw is under load and if that would stress it. But my initial thought is 3 watts shouldn't be a problem. But i'm not electrical engineer.
> 
> further edit after looking at it a bit more-
> if i'm reading it right, peak at 12v is 1 amp vs 1.75, so i guess that would mean 12watts vs 21watts? am i doing that right?


I'll leave that for an expert to answer. For me the enclosure, drive has it's own power, and less overall strain on Bolt power supply since not powering a drive at all. I will say this, I have no idea how the power from the adapter is handled by the Bolt motherboard. How it routes it around. Not sure how much actually goes to the power connection for the 2.5. Again that is a question for someone more qualified than me.


----------



## tommage1

milo99 said:


> ahhhh the power consumption needed... good point. a quick google i found specs for the Red Plus drives specs.
> https://shop.westerndigital.com/too...uct-brief-western-digital-wd-red-plus-hdd.pdf
> 
> looks like the 2.5" is about 1.4w during read/write while the 3.5" drives vary depending on size. the 3tb and 4tb are only 4.1-4.5 watts. Soooo... hmmmmm.
> 
> Power supply is 36w right? so we're talking about 3w difference. I have no idea what the draw is under load and if that would stress it. But my initial thought is 3 watts shouldn't be a problem. But i'm not electrical engineer.
> 
> further edit after looking at it a bit more-
> if i'm reading it right, peak at 12v is 1 amp vs 1.75, so i guess that would mean 12watts vs 21watts? am i doing that right?


I'll also say this, should not be difficult to try, just buy the cable. Doubt you would be doing soon since you just replaced your drive. And though it has been discussed not sure anyone has actually done it. I'm always interested in different upgrade methods, so if someone does it and it works I'd enjoy reading about it. If I was going to do it one thing I might consider is upgrading the stock 3A Bolt power supply to a 4A. Or at least touch the 3A occasionally to see if it's hot, if really hot probably being stressed.


----------



## milo99

tommage1 said:


> I'll also say this, should not be difficult to try, just buy the cable. Doubt you would be doing soon since you just replaced your drive. And though it has been discussed not sure anyone has actually done it. I'm always interested in different upgrade methods, so if someone does it and it works I'd enjoy reading about it. If I was going to do it one thing I might consider is upgrading the stock 3A Bolt power supply to a 4A. Or at least touch the 3A occasionally to see if it's hot, if really hot probably being stressed.


Yeah if the 3amp isnt enough, i assume it would manifest at some random time under load. I came across other threads where people found that 15, 16 watts is the normal load. So adding even 10 should be no issue for a 36watt power supply. But who knows how much power is drawn under stress. Or maybe the 36w is there for if you're processing 4 streams of 4k programming? Of which there isnt much of any these days.

But i do wonder, is the power supply all on the external plug? So is there a max that the box could handle or could you use a bigger power supply without issue?


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## tommage1

milo99 said:


> Yeah if the 3amp isnt enough, i assume it would manifest at some random time under load. I came across other threads where people found that 15, 16 watts is the normal load. So adding even 10 should be no issue for a 36watt power supply. But who knows how much power is drawn under stress. Or maybe the 36w is there for if you're processing 4 streams of 4k programming? Of which there isnt much of any these days.
> 
> But i do wonder, is the power supply all on the external plug? So is there a max that the box could handle or could you use a bigger power supply without issue?


With switching type power supplies the device only draws what it needs at the time. Unlike linear power supplies which provide same output all the time. So with switching could probably use almost any rated output (amps that is, must be 12V and correct polarity), within reason. At least as far as I know.


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## tommage1

milo99 said:


> But who knows how much power is drawn under stress


And for me that is the key. Even if 99% of the time there is enough power, if put under stress at ANY time, exceed the available power, could cause issues with the drive or Bolt itself.


----------



## Chards

If looking to power an external drive with on-board power from the Bolt, I'd be most concerned that the proper voltages for the larger drive are available first, then peak power of the larger compared to the stock drive second. Peak power likely occurs at spin up, once platters are moving power fluctuations could be manageable. Speaking as a mechanical engineer who hasn't done the due diligence.


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## milo99

Chards said:


> If looking to power an external drive with on-board power from the Bolt, I'd be most concerned that the proper voltages for the larger drive are available first, then peak power of the larger compared to the stock drive second. Peak power likely occurs at spin up, once platters are moving power fluctuations could be manageable. Speaking as a mechanical engineer who hasn't done the due diligence.


isnt it all 12v? in the WD spec sheet thats all i see (assuming i'm understanding it right). Plus the Bolt's power supply is 12 volt and that's the standard computer power supply voltage, right? I'm asking here. my electrical understanding is "just enough to be dangerous"

this is from the linked spec sheet. the 2.5" drive is the last on the right


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## tommage1

milo99 said:


> isnt it all 12v? in the WD spec sheet thats all i see (assuming i'm understanding it right). Plus the Bolt's power supply is 12 volt and that's the standard computer power supply voltage, right? I'm asking here. my electrical understanding is "just enough to be dangerous"
> 
> this is from the linked spec sheet. the 2.5" drive is the last on the right
> View attachment 56346


I think he is talking about the output from the power connection on the motherboard itself, not the AC adapter. The connection on the Bolt motherboard connects to a 2.5" drive by design. So who knows what the output, FROM THAT CONNECTION is.


----------



## multiple

That must be one of the few 2.5" drives that require 12V. It could have been a error in the data sheet and should be 1A in the 5V row. Most 2.5" drives only utilize 5V.

See if you can get a picture of the drive label. It should be the more accurate source of the power needs.


----------



## Chards

Yes, tommage1, I'm talking about the power connection from the MB to the HD. I don't know the pinout of the four pins for drive power connection on the Bolt MB but you would need both 5 and 12 V to get a 3.5 drive operational. The power feed for SATA in a Dell mini tower I have is five wires so I'm assuming in a normal computer built for 3.5 drives, 5 and 12 V occupy (at least) two of those five. I have seen Molex (the white four-pin connector) to SATA power cables with four wires. Looking at the 2.5 WD drive from the Bolt, it only lists 5V/0.39A on the label. An old 3.5 drive I have headed to recycling lists both 12V/0.5A and 5V/0.7A.


----------



## WVZR1

Power solutions likely for any size drive with various power requirements. picoPSU - several options. There's data sheets available for these in the downloads. Seems to be no guessing as compared to these external enclosures that have been used/suggested by some. The WeaKnees Enclosure is likely just a simple box with their proprietary 'header' done similarly.

The smallest PicoPSU-80 would seem more than adequate and certainly better than the enclosures we've been considering.

Mini-Box.com - Mini-ITX | Motherboards | Power Supplies | Car PC


----------



## Chards

The RX304 enclosure arrived and everything is up and running. I've had a couple instances of "all lights blinking" after powering up the Bolt and external HD. These were resolved by power cycling only the Bolt, not the external HD. I suspect I did not let the external HD run long enough before powering up the Bolt. Maybe @tommage1 has some best practice tips for running external drives.

Some pictures below: the "tray" for the HD in the RX304 enclosure, a HD in the tray connected only to power (with the data cable tucked in behind the fan enable switch to the right), and my connection to the Bolt for now (before carving out a thru hole in back cover of the RX304). I found a couple of plastic things around the house with the right screw hole sizes to hold the outer shell of the RX304 in place for now. The RX304 has a temp sensor for the HD, which can be seen in the first photo laying by the fan. I taped this to the base of the HD in the approximate location of the HD's internal temperature sensor. The RX304 can be set to alert at a range of temperatures, I've got it set at 50C but haven't seen a temp above 40C yet.


----------



## tommage1

Chards said:


> I suspect I did not let the external HD run long enough before powering up the Bolt. Maybe @tommage1 has some best practice tips for running external drives.


Well does not take long really. If you wait a minute MORE than enough. Remember to reverse when shutting down, put Tivo in standby, unplug, then power down the drive. Flashing lights, well the one thing you have to be careful of is no 90 degree angles in the Sata cables anywhere along the entire length. Talking exact (or really close to) 90 degrees, greater or less is fine. That is pretty much standard for any Sata connections.


----------



## Chards

tommage1 said:


> If you wait a minute MORE than enough.


Thanks. In the instances when I got the blinking lights, I probably only waited several seconds after powering up the HD to power up the Bolt. At this point, with everything where it will be going forward, power cycling the HD won't happen but rarely.


----------



## Tweak42

tommage1 said:


> Well does not take long really. If you wait a minute MORE than enough. Remember to reverse when shutting down, put Tivo in standby, unplug, then power down the drive. Flashing lights, well the one thing you have to be careful of is no 90 degree angles in the Sata cables anywhere along the entire length. Talking exact (or really close to) 90 degrees, greater or less is fine. That is pretty much standard for any Sata connections.


The few times shutting down our Bolt with external drive, I select restart from the help menu, 3 thumbs down + enter, then immediately pull the power at the blank screen. I maybe wrong but I thought Tivo still records ToDo list selections on standby, it just doesn't output video, emit front panel LEDs, or buffer any live tv.

Note: I'm using the stock internal drive paired with external extender so I power them on simultaneously - no delays.


----------



## washerebefore

From help and advice from Youtube vids and info here - thank you -












only using one 4TB Purple WD drive - left 500gig 2.5 drive out and this old CPU cooler works and the screws actually screw into the fin spaces - so both fans work with 5v - removed some of the paint from the main fin and cleaned up so the cooler has metal to metal contact.


----------



## UCLABB

washerebefore said:


> From help and advice from Youtube vids and info here - thank you -
> View attachment 61426
> View attachment 61427
> only using one 4TB Purple WD drive - left 500gig 2.5 drive out and this old CPU cooler works and the screws actually screw into the fin spaces - so both fans work with 5v - removed some of the paint from the main fin and cleaned up so the cooler has metal to metal contact.


Heat has never been identified as a problem in the Bolt except for perhaps affecting the HDD. So while your setup is very nice indeed, I doubt it is necessary.


----------



## Ratamacue

tommage1 said:


> I think he is talking about the output from the power connection on the motherboard itself, not the AC adapter. The connection on the Bolt motherboard connects to a 2.5" drive by design. So who knows what the output, FROM THAT CONNECTION is.


I can confirm that the Bolt will power up and format a 3.5" WD Red drive all by itself, but I'm curious if anyone has tried this configuration as a long term solution.

The tuners on my first Bolt+ failed after 18 months, and the 3TB drive on the replacement lasted a couple of years before it died. I resurrected the replacement with the hard drive from the original, so needless to say it's living on borrowed time.


----------



## ClearToLand

Ratamacue said:


> *I can confirm that the Bolt will power up and format a 3.5" WD Red drive all by itself*, but I'm curious if anyone has tried this configuration as a long term solution...


If by "*...all by itself...*" you mean using the existing 2½" HDD combination Data / Power connector off of the Bolt motherboard, *WHY* would you further tax the Bolt Power Supply when the Power Supply and the Hard Disk Drive are the two most common TiVo unit failure points?


----------



## Ratamacue

ClearToLand said:


> If by "*...all by itself...*" you mean using the existing 2½" HDD combination Data / Power connector off of the Bolt motherboard, *WHY* would you further tax the Bolt Power Supply when the Power Supply and the Hard Disk Drive are the two most common TiVo unit failure points?


Yes, that's what I meant. I essentially tried it on my old Bolt with the broken tuners just to see if it work, but for the reasons you mentioned didn't really expect that anyone had attempted to use such a setup long term.


----------



## ClearToLand

Ratamacue said:


> Yes, that's what I meant. *I essentially tried it on my old Bolt with the broken tuners just to see if it work*, but for the reasons you mentioned *didn't really expect* that anyone had attempted *to use such a setup long term*.


If you don't want to be buying a new Bolt Power Supply RSN (Real Soon Now), I wouldn't try it again. 

Even a 40 Hp Volkwagen Beetle ( Volkswagen Beetle - Wikipedia ) could probably pull an Airstream '_for a bit_'... 


Spoiler



I'm an 'old man'; I give 'old man' examples.


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## Ratamacue

ClearToLand said:


> If you don't want to be buying a new Bolt Power Supply RSN (Real Soon Now), I wouldn't try it again.


Since the tuners are INOP and that unit is unit is useless for all practical purposes I wasn't too worried about that.


----------



## ClearToLand

Ratamacue said:


> Well, since the tuners are INOP and *that unit* is unit *is useless for all practical purposes* I wasn't too worried about that.


The TiVo Unit - Yes; The Power Supply / Wall Wart - No.

You would be amazed, I guess, to see how many Wall Warts I've collected over the years. 

Maybe it's ALL Techies, or maybe it's just OCD Techies, like myself, but if it could POSSIBLY be used in SOMETHING (in the future), I keep it.


----------



## Ratamacue

ClearToLand said:


> The TiVo Unit - Yes; The Power Supply / Wall Wart - No.
> 
> You would be amazed, I guess, to see how many Wall Warts I've collected over the years.
> 
> Maybe it's ALL Techies, or maybe it's just OCD Techies, like myself, but if it could POSSIBLY be used in SOMETHING (in the future), I keep it.


Indeed. I knew that there had to be reason I didn't junk it years ago!


----------



## Ratamacue

I'm getting some intermittent pixelization on my Bolt+ that is running on a very old original HD, so I'd like to start preparing for the inevitable. Unfortunately, the specific drive enclosures mentioned here are no longer available. Could anyone point me toward a current model?

TIA for the assistance...


----------



## UCLABB

Ratamacue said:


> I'm getting some intermittent pixelization on my Bolt+ that is running on a very old original HD, so I'd like to start preparing for the inevitable. Unfortunately, the specific drive enclosures mentioned here are no longer available. Could anyone point me toward a current model?
> 
> TIA for the assistance...


You can always simply buy a power supply, enclosure not needed.

Something like this:










https://www.amazon.com/Warmstor-Ada...ds=3.5+hdd+power+supply&qid=1630261127&sr=8-5


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## Ratamacue

UCLABB said:


> You can always simply buy a power supply, enclosure not needed.
> 
> Something like this:


Thanks for the link. Since my equipment rack isn't hidden I really need an enclosure. While functional, the WAF for a bare drive setup is probably going to be too low to ensure domestic tranquility.


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## washerebefore

UCLABB said:


> Heat has never been identified as a problem in the Bolt except for perhaps affecting the HDD. So while your setup is very nice indeed, I doubt it is necessary.


 - Thanks - may not be necessary but it sure is helpful to the unit.
- Just search Tivo Bolt over heating - you will find many posts online - before I modded the unit you could not touch the antenna connector because it was so HOT! - there are other youtube vids as well - too much heat and poor ventilation design in the BOLT can shorten it's life.


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## Chards

Long-term update for the January 2021 reconfiguration of my Bolt+. Neither the Bolt+ nor the WD Purple drive in an external enclosure have experienced any issues. I've not bothered to truly close up either the Bolt+ or the HD enclosure. No wee ones around to disturb it.


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