I'm sure that this widely known by most. However, for those of you, like myself, who are OCD and to know exactly what type / size tape is ideal for the application, here you are:

 

WD 8TB EasyStore's, when shucked, often contain a White Label drive. Older PSU power cables don't contain 3V3.

 

 

Tape Guide: https://imgur.com/a/BFdmB

^ is perfect and shows exactly what you want to cover up.

 

However, if you're impatient like myself, you wonder if Scotch Tape works. 

I am here to tell you it worked flawlessly for me. 

I used Duck Brand Invisible Tape (from Walmart) and followed the above guide. 

I had zero issues with temperature.

In fact, I rebuilt my entire parity using this method, and ran my sever for several days with NO problems.

Removal of the tape was a cakewalk. No residue or anything; make sure to use the under side so you don't scratch the pins up.

 

I did break down and order Kapton tape to ensure a long lasting solution.

I made sure to measure and find out exactly what size is ideal for this issue.

 

For Kapton Tape that fits like a glove without measuring:

" 1 Mil Kapton Tape (Polyimide) - 1/8" "

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006ROKY68/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I hope this helps!

Bryan

 

Edited August 26, 20187 yr by bmilcs

28 minutes ago, bmilcs said:

Many PSU's will not allow you to boot them due to the 3.3v PIN.

 

The PSU itself doesn't care. It's a question of if you are using a power cable that contains 3V3 or if you have a cable that only has 5V and 12V.

Thanks. I'm new here.

Thinking about shucking a seagate backup plus 8TB. Has anyone recently shucked this and if so does the drive have the 3.3v issue? Thanks

got this same problem today. if there are 5 pins on my cable and pin 1 is the issue, can't you snip the cable? i guess tape is the better solution as it's not as permanent. wish i knew about this first as i'm unprepared! well i know for next time.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006ROKY68/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

As listed in my OP, this is the tape you want. It's the perfect size and is super easy to do.

The other solution is to use a Molex-to-SATA power cable.  (The Molex connector has no provision for +3 volt power on it.) 

On 4/20/2019 at 8:58 AM, Frank1940 said:

The other solution is to use a Molex-to-SATA power cable.  (The Molex connector has no provision for +3 volt power on it.) 

That's what I did...ordered a four pack from Amazon.  Worked great!

 

Also to note that the PSU with 3.3v line is the problem, only PSUs that do not have 3.3v work fine.

2 hours ago, HellDiverUK said:

Also to note that the PSU with 3.3v line is the problem, only PSUs that do not have 3.3v work fine.

Folks only become aware of the problem when they have such-a-supply!  Plus, any new supply will have the 3.3 volt feed on SATA connectors so a PSU replacement with a new supply will trigger the problem and suddenly a HD that worked properly does not!  Unless they are aware of the potential use of the pin 3 to reset the drive, they will probably think the drive is defective.  

 

There are several options to 'fix' the issue (and none of them are truly a 'solution') but finding a PS today without the 3.3v power on the SATA connectors is probably at the bottom of the list. 

 

PS:  I think WD is using these drives in the external enclosure as a way to sell them without having to deal with their earlier decision to use pin 3 was a reset line on this particular hard drive.  

Not really wanting to resurrect old post, however I do want to comment that office tape works and I want to second that however it's not long lasting. 

 

This afternoon I added 3 more HDDs to my Unraid, because of the short power cable (it's the 1 head to 4 splitter), I had to re-arrange one of the existing HD. After the new drives are in place, when I boot up Unraid, I lost my parity drive. That was the existing drive that I had to re-arrange, all the new drives show up however. OK, I switched the cable position, because it's all twisted, no dice. Disconnect the sata on one of the 3 new drives and use that on the parity drive. No dice. What is so different about this drive? Why is it the only one is not recognized? It is a white label WD 14 TB. Then I just remember last year when it was put to operation, I didn't want to get kapton tape only for the single purpose of taping pin 3. Also I really don't want to wait another 2-3 days from amazon. It wasn't available from HD or Lowe's otherwise I'd have gotten it. So I tried using 3M office clear tape. Guess what, it worked! As the OP said, it leaves no residue. Guess what else? Due to the shoveling of the drives around due to the shorter cabling, I assumed the tape because it's so thin, might have scraped off, thus leaving the drive not running. 

Anywhoo, after I realized what had happened, I reach out for ..... 3M office tape, put another strip on pin 3. It booted with parity drive. Now as I'm typing this, pre-clear is running on those 3 new drives. 

Edited March 29, 20215 yr by Rhodius

5 hours ago, Rhodius said:

3M office tape

Personally, I won't use any kind of tape as solution ( also won't use molex to SATA adapter ). Why don't simple remove / cut the 3.3v wire and tape it to prevent short-circuit at cutting point.

Edited March 29, 20215 yr by Vr2Io

24 minutes ago, Vr2Io said:

Why don't simple remove / cut the 3.3v wire and tape it to prevent short-circuit at cutting point.

Backplane / hotswap bay?

1 hour ago, jonathanm said:

Backplane / hotswap bay?

PSU wire.