Month: October 2012

Time Capsule wish list

After my PSU replacement/hacking issues, I have been looking into what else can be done with this long-out-of-warranty beast, assuming the cooling issues are resolved, 5 generations on.

  • internal file copying/manipulation, meaning if I copy files from one disk to another, for archiving or to move a sparseimage to a different disk, the copying is done locally, not from disk A over the network, through the computer where the request originated, to disk B which is physically attached. Maybe a limited internal console for file operations or something
  • better SNMP support (CPU usage, temperature, fan usage). Or log it through syslog and we’ll graph it from there
  • SMART status on attached disks. This may require working with vendors or developing their own enclosures…
  • external SATA support, allowing the Time Capsule to support fast SATA transfers, maybe even the ability to attach JBOD or array (Hmm, this may be outside the scope of what most people need but the Time Capsule seems to be the gateway drug to NAS).

Hardware hacking: Time Capsule PSU failure.

My 1st generation Apple Time Capsule failed last night, specifically the power supply unit overheated for the final time. Frustrating, as the device does a lot of work, between handling the dsl connection, routing wired and wireless traffic, and backups. After reading over my options here, here, and here, I ended up hacking in an external power supply after finding a nice dual voltage unit at Goodwill, of all places.

Not the prettiest work but work it does…

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The joints were trimmed and taped before trying to seal the case, which proved to be a challenge. The SATA connector collides with the power connection to the board, so it’s a tight fit. So tight, it just shut down. Perhaps I’ll run it without the cover for now…

I have found a spare unit, without a drive, that I will swap in for this one after I replace the PSU with a future-proofed one from Chris Fackrell.

Looks like this one lasted two years longer than it should have/was expected to. I attribute that to a drive swap I did years ago, replacing the “server quality” 500 gb drive with a Green drive — slower and quieter — double the size. The stock drive was noisy and ran too hot, shutting the unit down more than once. Swapping the drive was a big win. I just wish I had realized how ineffective the fan was, based on the design.