DS1511+: blue blinking light and blinking LAN light only

[ururk]

My DS1511+ (purchased in 2011) has been off for many months - I booted it up recently, started using it for a Jellyfin server for my music. I needed to replace the battery in my UPS so I shut the NAS down via the web GUI. When I got around to hooking it back up, it wouldn't boot, drives or no drives.

I must add one other thing - when it booted a few weeks ago I updated it to the latest vs DSM. It wasn't far out from the latest available for that unit - same version, just a newer build.

When I press power on - fans come on, LAN light blinks and the blue power button blinks. I tried:

• removing all drives
• left it running for 20+ minutes
• tried the reset button (5 seconds, 5 seconds * 2)
• replaced the CMOS battery
• tried a replacement power brick

Since nothing seems to have helped, I hooked up a VGA monitor+keyboard to it, and was able to enter the BIOS, set the date/time, verify boot sequence was OK.

Essentially, it always lands on the screen:

GRUB Hard Disk Error

I pulled the DOM out and hooked it up to my laptop and I get a "the device is unreadable by this device". From reading on here, these typicall are FAT and I'm pretty sure Mac OS can read FAT. It does recognize the USB device as a Synology device.

Thoughts?

 

[ragnarok]

My DS1511+ (purchased in 2011) has been off for many months - I booted it up recently, started using it for a Jellyfin server for my music. I needed to replace the battery in my UPS so I shut the NAS down via the web GUI. When I got around to hooking it back up, it wouldn't boot, drives or no drives.

I must add one other thing - when it booted a few weeks ago I updated it to the latest vs DSM. It wasn't far out from the latest available for that unit - same version, just a newer build.

When I press power on - fans come on, LAN light blinks and the blue power button blinks. I tried:

• removing all drives
• left it running for 20+ minutes
• tried the reset button (5 seconds, 5 seconds * 2)
• replaced the CMOS battery
• tried a replacement power brick

Since nothing seems to have helped, I hooked up a VGA monitor+keyboard to it, and was able to enter the BIOS, set the date/time, verify boot sequence was OK.

Essentially, it always lands on the screen:

GRUB Hard Disk Error

I pulled the DOM out and hooked it up to my laptop and I get a "the device is unreadable by this device". From reading on here, these typicall are FAT and I'm pretty sure Mac OS can read FAT. It does recognize the USB device as a Synology device.

Thoughts?

Sounds like a dead/dying or poor performing DOM...

Since it is recognized as an USB device on your laptop, can you make an image backup of the device? If so - what is the average read speed in MB/s of that backup? If it is low, like ~1 MB/S, the controller on the DOM is most probably dying. A poor performing DOM will eventually lead to boot failure.

If DOM is broken, you have two options

• Boot from an USB drive, or
• Get a replacement DOM

In both cases, the VID/PID of the USB/DOM has to be set to F400/F400, in order for it to be recognized as a Synology boot device by the bios.

 

[ururk]

Sounds like a dead/dying or poor performing DOM...

Since it is recognized as an USB device on your laptop, can you make an image backup of the device? If so - what is the average read speed in MB/s of that backup? If it is low, like ~1 MB/S, the controller on the DOM is most probably dying. A poor performing DOM will eventually lead to boot failure.

If DOM is broken, you have two options

• Boot from an USB drive, or
• Get a replacement DOM

In both cases, the VID/PID of the USB/DOM has to be set to F400/F400, in order for it to be recognized as a Synology boot device by the bios.

I'm not sure I can read it - it doesn't show up as a drive. I'm using Mac OS, and it wants to initialize it and I choose ignore. It DOES recognize the manufacturer as Synology, for some reason. I'll try a windows laptop to see if it is different.

I've ordered a USB drive, but am unsure how to change the VID/PID - hopefully the drive I ordered can be changed.

Where do I get a replacement DOM?

 

[ururk]

Answering my own question... I did some googling and it looks like the internet sells generic "9-Pin USB Flash Drive Disk On Module DOM USB" devices... is this a "standard"?

 

[ururk]

This is how my DOM appears when I plug it into my mac:

Diskstation:
Location ID: 0x00100000
Connection Type: Removable
Manufacturer: Synology
Serial Number: 2d07a4609c003b
Link Speed: 12 Mb/s
USB Vendor ID: 0xf400
USB Product ID: 0xf400
USB Product Version: 0x0100

 

[ururk]

I found this site: Synology Tools by MobileHardware

Which appears to generate DOM images. I also have a DOM image from a DS1511+ from a russian site (erm) so am going to compare the two. Not sure what a "Vender" file is from that site. They also sell USB replacement DOM modules... I think I'm just going to go the USB drive route, and if that works take my time in getting a "proper" DOM module from eBay or Amazon, replace the connector, etc...

Additionally, I plugged the DOM into a windows laptop - did not show up as a drive. So... I'm guessing it failed as the internet seems to indicate these are prone to do.

 

[ragnarok]

I found this site: Synology Tools by MobileHardware

Which appears to generate DOM images. I also have a DOM image from a DS1511+ from a russian site (erm) so am going to compare the two. Not sure what a "Vender" file is from that site. They also sell USB replacement DOM modules... I think I'm just going to go the USB drive route, and if that works take my time in getting a "proper" DOM module from eBay or Amazon, replace the connector, etc...

Additionally, I plugged the DOM into a windows laptop - did not show up as a drive. So... I'm guessing it failed as the internet seems to indicate these are prone to do.

Try to back it up to an .img file in Windows using HDD Raw Copy...

 

[ragnarok]

Answering my own question... I did some googling and it looks like the internet sells generic "9-Pin USB Flash Drive Disk On Module DOM USB" devices... is this a "standard"?

Ebay is your friend; Chinese suppliers sell them. 1GB is fine; you need only 128MB. Be aware that the DOM socket on the Synology is 10-pin 2.0mm pitch, so the the header block on the DOM's has to be replaced with a similar 10 pin SMD header. 9PIN BIG wont fit due to the 2.54mm pitch, nor will the 9PIN small ones, as they often come as low profile. Both typically lacks the 10th hole.

 

[ururk]

Try to back it up to an .img file in Windows using HDD Raw Copy...

It was able to read from the DOM! 1.1mb/s transfer rate - so likely a bad controller on the board? Can the controller just be replaced? I have done some smt reflow work, but I'm not a professional by any means.

 

[ururk]

Ebay is your friend; Chinese suppliers sell them. 1GB is fine; you need only 128MB. Be aware that the DOM socket on the Synology is 10-pin 2.0mm pitch, so the the header block on the DOM's has to be replaced with a similar 10 pin SMD header. 9PIN BIG wont fit due to the 2.54mm pitch, nor will the 9PIN small ones, as they often come as low profile. Both typically lacks the 10th hole.

Thanks! I was going to track this down next or measure the header myself.

 

[ururk]

Try to back it up to an .img file in Windows using HDD Raw Copy...

Should I be able to mount the .img file? It fails to mount on both Windows and OS X.

Edit: I can't mount any of the images, so at least I know that behavior is consistent. Hopefully I'll get a "compatible" USB drive tomorrow that I can change the VID/PID on.

 

[ragnarok]

It was able to read from the DOM! 1.1mb/s transfer rate - so likely a bad controller on the board? Can the controller just be replaced? I have done some smt reflow work, but I'm not a professional by any means.

A transfer rate of 1.1 MB/s is a clear sign of a dying controller. It fails to comply with the strict timings during boot and is the root cause to the boot failure of your DS1511+.

And yes, if you have a SMD rework station and the skills, a replacement of the controller chip will most likely fix it.

 

[ragnarok]

Should I be able to mount the .img file? It fails to mount on both Windows and OS X.

Edit: I can't mount any of the images, so at least I know that behavior is consistent. Hopefully I'll get a "compatible" USB drive tomorrow that I can change the VID/PID on.

Yes, the two partitions in the image should be mountable with e.g. Passmark's OSFMount.
Also 7zip should be able open the .img file as an archive, and let your view/extract the contents of the partitions.

As per USB and VID/PID change to F400/F400: Finding a working combination of USB controller types and related flash tool is a true lottery. Ancient, low capacity USB sticks based on Phison, SMI, Alcor or Chipsbank controllers tend to be the most forgiving. Expect to brick a few, until you find the compatible combination....

 

[ururk]

And yes, if you have a SMD rework station and the skills, a replacement of the controller chip will most likely fix it.

Found some controller chips on eBay (same version/model) - presumably - all I have to do is:

• Replace the controller with a new one
• Flash the controller software using some random tool I find on the internet, making sure to set VID/PID correctly
• Presumably the flash storage will be intact?

I'm really torn - as buying a new DOM and just changing out the header seems easier, though I would have to create a custom USB cable to connect to it (my Synology DOM has the mini USB port) to load the image. Anywhoo - going to see what I can do with this USB drive I have.

 

[ragnarok]

Found some controller chips on eBay (same version/model) - presumably - all I have to do is:

• Replace the controller with a new one
• Flash the controller software using some random tool I find on the internet, making sure to set VID/PID correctly
• Presumably the flash storage will be intact?

I'm really torn - as buying a new DOM and just changing out the header seems easier, though I would have to create a custom USB cable to connect to it (my Synology DOM has the mini USB port) to load the image. Anywhoo - going to see what I can do with this USB drive I have.

Yes, you are at a cross road with multiple options. The USB stick route can probably be tested out quite quickly. The new DOM route is longer, unless you get one tailored for your needs.

If tinkering with a third party DOM, you may find inspiration in this DS412+ thread

 

[ururk]

I happen to have some USB drives with Alcor Micro AU6982 controllers - based on limited googling - it looks like this utility:

AlcorMP (Последняя версия ALCOR U2 MP v23.08.07.00.H) – [USBDev.ru]

Can re-flash the controller... might give it a try tonight.

 

[ururk]

Success!

Following your (I think) guide here and using the same eBay part:

Flash transplant

xpenology.com

I ended up making a replacement DOM - using the image from my bad DOM - and it booted! Haven't restarted it yet, but I suspect it will survive. I ended up having to drill a hole in the header where the key was, but I could have replaced the header with a new one.

 

[ururk]

One other thing - I tried SOOOO many flash drives, even got a bunch from a few people and none of them were compatible or I screwed them up (bricked two drives). Going with that known working eBay DOM was a lifesaver.

 

[ragnarok]

One other thing - I tried SOOOO many flash drives, even got a bunch from a few people and none of them were compatible or I screwed them up (bricked two drives). Going with that known working eBay DOM was a lifesaver.

Happy to hear you made progress, Ururk ;-)

And yes, finding the right combination of USB flash controller and related flash tool is a real lottery.
The named eBay DOM has proven to work, so I am happy you could benefit from my guide and that it worked out for you too.