Synology NAS stopped working

[DChrome]

Hi all,

I have Synology NAS DS-212, which stopped working after I moved to a new apartment.

I checked the power supply using a multimeter. It outputs 12.5V as required.
The fan attached to the board is spinning.

When I connect the board to the power source, the LED1 (status indicator) briefly blinks, then I hear some kind of click and nothing happens after that (except for the spinning fan).

I am a complete noob when it comes to troubleshooting electronics, so I am not sure what and how to troubleshoot. I was able to recover the RAID and the contents of the disks by connecting and configuring them on one of my servers. However, it would be great if I could revive the NAS, albeit I am not really sure that is something I could do even with an advice from an expert.

In any case, I'd really appreciate your help.
How should I approach this problem?

[amspire]

I checked the power supply using a multimeter. It outputs 12.5V as required.
The fan attached to the board is spinning.

The first thing to suspect is always the power supply. Processor boards can often need a bit of a peak surge current on startup, and an ageing power supply may not be able to provide that surge without drooping too much. The trouble is it may look like the average DC voltage is fine. Also, this problem may not be obvious if the NAS is running continuously. You first see it when you finally shut it down and try to restart.

Do you have any other 12V supply you can try? You can also try loading the power supply to its full current rating and check the output voltage.

You can try the multimeter on AC volts on the 12V supply and see if you get a reading.

Richard.

[sokoloff]

That's a 7 year NAS. Shelf life of the CR2032 battery is around that timespan.

First step is to test (or just replace) the CR2032 battery, IMO.

[DChrome]

Thanks for the replies!

Do you have any other 12V supply you can try? You can also try loading the power supply to its full current rating and check the output voltage.

You can try the multimeter on AC volts on the 12V supply and see if you get a reading.

I tried a different 12V power supply (max 2A, the original is 5.4A - I don't have another). The result is the same: the status LED blinks once, I hear a click, the fan works but nothing else.
I measured the voltage on the board, and the reading was constant 12V. The current measurement showed 0.25A.

I don't think I have the required equipment to load the power supply to 5A. As for the multimeter on AC volts, initially for a brief moment it registers some voltage but quickly drops to 0.

First step is to test (or just replace) the CR2032 battery, IMO.

I'm sorry I forgot to mention that the first thing I did was to replace the CR2032 battery.

I tried to pinpoint the source of the click. I am not sure if this has any meaning but it seems to originate from the following general area [see attachment] (capacitor maybe?)

Is there anything else I could test?

[Johncanfield]

You could look up the data sheets on some of the ICs and check voltages on the pins. If you have a scope you can look for the clock.

[amspire]

Thanks for the replies!

Do you have any other 12V supply you can try? You can also try loading the power supply to its full current rating and check the output voltage.

I tried a different 12V power supply (max 2A, the original is 5.4A - I don't have another). The result is the same: the status LED blinks once, I hear a click, the fan works but nothing else.
I measured the voltage on the board, and the reading was constant 12V. The current measurement showed 0.25A.

I don't think I have the required equipment to load the power supply to 5A. As for the multimeter on AC volts, initially for a brief moment it registers some voltage but quickly drops to 0.

I have a couple of Netgear RN10200 which are similar devices. I was missing one Netgear power supply (12V 5A) so I got a few Chinese equivalents. When the NAS is running, it only uses about 1.5A, but they cannot reliably start from the Chinese supplies. I haven't measured the actual peak currents, but it is obvious that the peak currrent capability of the Chinese supplies is under specs. They can definitely handle the 1.5A in their sleep.

Can you find a way to load the supplies? Ideally, get a power resistor of 12V/4.5A = 2.7ohms. With this resistor across the power supply, you should get 12V out and not much ripple. 60W is going into the resistor so it will get hot quickly. You can probably just test it for 1 second with a 5W power resistor.

If you need a new supply and want to save money with a Chinese supply at a source like this https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32860175847.html , go for at least 8A if not the 10A one.

Richard.

[fzabkar]

Measure the voltages at each of the inductors and 3-terminal regulators. These should be the supply voltages.

[DChrome]

If you need a new supply and want to save money with a Chinese supply at a source like this https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32860175847.html , go for at least 8A if not the 10A one.

I'll start with that. 10A probably should do even if it's under specs.

You could look up the data sheets on some of the ICs and check voltages on the pins. If you have a scope you can look for the clock.

Measure the voltages at each of the inductors and 3-terminal regulators. These should be the supply voltages.

Thanks for the tips. I'll try to do that on weekend while waiting for the power supply to be delivered. The only thing I have though right now is a budget multimeter.
Maybe I'll order an ESR Meter if I'm already shopping on AliExpress.

[edavid]

Not to be discouraging, but this is likely to be a very difficult repair.

Unless there's an obviously bulging or leaking capacitor, I don't think you will be successful.

Also, it would not cost very much to buy a replacement board (looks like $40-50?).  Or maybe it's a good opportunity to upgrade to a faster NAS.

I think the power supply issue is a red herring.  The beefy power supply is to run the disk drives - your 2A supply should be adequate to boot the board with the disk drives disconnected.

[DChrome]

Not to be discouraging, but this is likely to be a very difficult repair.

Unless there's an obviously bulging or leaking capacitor, I don't think you will be successful.

Also, it would not cost very much to buy a replacement board (looks like $40-50?).  Or maybe it's a good opportunity to upgrade to a faster NAS.

I think the power supply issue is a red herring.  The beefy power supply is to run the disk drives - your 2A supply should be adequate to boot the board with the disk drives disconnected.

I've been getting the feeling that this repair is not a trivial one and the skills and knowledge required for it are a bit over my head.
I lack experience to properly judge how difficult a repair can be, so your input is really appreciated. It can save me time and frustration.

The capacitors and everything else visually look normal. I couldn't see any bulging and definitely  there were no leakages.
I'm trying to boot the board without any hard drives, so what you're saying about the power supply makes total sense.

I don't think I can find a replacement board for this model. It's quite old and Synology doesn't sell replacement boards at all.

It would be nice to revive this NAS, but it served me well and I wouldn't be too disappointed to replace it with a new one.

Thank you all for your help!

[fzabkar]

Don't be too discouraged if you don't get this NAS going. I think the exercise would be educational, and I for one would be interested in analysing the circuitry. In any case your feedback may prove to be of use to others.

If it does turn out to be an onboard power supply fault, then these are usually the easiest to repair.

[edavid]

I don't think I can find a replacement board for this model. It's quite old and Synology doesn't sell replacement boards at all.

I meant you could buy a diskless unit on eBay.

[DChrome]

Don't be too discouraged if you don't get this NAS going. I think the exercise would be educational, and I for one would be interested in analysing the circuitry. In any case your feedback may prove to be of use to others.

If it does turn out to be an onboard power supply fault, then these are usually the easiest to repair.

I agree with you, this can be very educational. It's just I need to learn a lot with a very limited time. I am a programmer and practically have never worked with electronics, so I need to do a lot of reading. The hacking approach is much easier with software 

I meant you could buy a diskless unit on eBay.

Yes, I checked eBay. Unfortunately, at the moment I couldn't find any diskless DS212. There is a number of DS212j units, but that's a different model. Also, shipping could be too costly. In any case, I'll keep my eyes open.

[Rasz]

click with or without any disks attached?
Some shorts can be audible. No disks and no piezo elements means one of the broken power rails being enabled after initialization. Those types of products probably can remotely cut disk power, and have soft/delayed disk start.
is it visible over ethernet without disks? does it normally load firmware from disk of flash?

[DChrome]

click with or without any disks attached?
Some shorts can be audible. No disks and no piezo elements means one of the broken power rails being enabled after initialization. Those types of products probably can remotely cut disk power, and have soft/delayed disk start.
is it visible over ethernet without disks? does it normally load firmware from disk of flash?

The click can be heard with just the board without any disks or fans connected (as on the pictures). The Status LED blinks once in sync with the click, and the board doesn't boot at all. If I attach the fan, it is spinning.
I connected the board to the network switch, but ethernet doesn't show any activity (all LEDs are off). The firmware is probably located somewhere on the board.

[SparkyFX]

Without a second PSU this becomes a hen or egg problem, either a broken PSU or a short on the board causing the PSU to shut down.

I can only recommend a newer, larger NAS with proper PSU built in and plenty of fan reserve, because these small units do have these problems all the time.

[ManateeMafia]

Is S2 a reset button? You could try holding it in during power on to see if it can load default settings. Perhaps the configuration is corrupted?

[DChrome]

Is S2 a reset button? You could try holding it in during power on to see if it can load default settings. Perhaps the configuration is corrupted?

Yes, it's indeed a reset button. I forgot to mention, but I tried that many times without any result. According to the manual I need to press the reset button for 5 sec when the unit is powered on until I hear a beep. I tried that and, also, pressing the button while switching on. Unfortunately, nothing helped.

Without a second PSU this becomes a hen or egg problem, either a broken PSU or a short on the board causing the PSU to shut down.

I agree with edavid that most probably the power supply is not the issue here:

I think the power supply issue is a red herring.  The beefy power supply is to run the disk drives - your 2A supply should be adequate to boot the board with the disk drives disconnected.

[mr.fabe]

I think you need to hold the reset button a little longer than 5 seconds but it's likely your firmware may have been corrupted.  Since your unit is probably in EOL, your only option is to find another Synology (same model) and copy the flash.  There are a few guides available on this subject.  I suffered the flashing blue light of death on my Synology but luckily, I was able to get an advanced RMA and had a replacement within 3 days.  Hard to believe the unit just crapped out during a move...

[shakalnokturn]

Going by your symptoms (audible noise) I'd look carefully at the back of the power jack where the center pin is riveted to the soldered tab. It isn't that uncommon to have a weak contact there, power-up inrush could be enough to have a small spark there making the sound you hear.
The voltage drop at that point could be enough to hang the boot.
Either monitor 12V supply on PCB with a DSO at startup or solder a decent 12V supply straight after the jack (PC PSU at hand?)
Don't neglect the possibility of broken wires in the PS unit near the male jack having same consequences.

[DChrome]

I think you need to hold the reset button a little longer than 5 seconds but it's likely your firmware may have been corrupted.  Since your unit is probably in EOL, your only option is to find another Synology (same model) and copy the flash.  There are a few guides available on this subject.  I suffered the flashing blue light of death on my Synology but luckily, I was able to get an advanced RMA and had a replacement within 3 days.  Hard to believe the unit just crapped out during a move...

I wish I had any light on my unit, even the light of death. After the move I used compressed air and a contact cleaner so maybe I short-circuited something.

Going by your symptoms (audible noise) I'd look carefully at the back of the power jack where the center pin is riveted to the soldered tab. It isn't that uncommon to have a weak contact there, power-up inrush could be enough to have a small spark there making the sound you hear.
The voltage drop at that point could be enough to hang the boot.
Either monitor 12V supply on PCB with a DSO at startup or solder a decent 12V supply straight after the jack (PC PSU at hand?)
Don't neglect the possibility of broken wires in the PS unit near the male jack having same consequences.

Yes, I tried to bypass the power jack on the board. It didn't help. Unfortunately, I don't have a DSO. In any case, the click I hear and a blink of the Status LED happen about a second after the unit is connected to a power source.

I've decided to put this repairing project on hold. Regardless of the educational value this project might have I just don't have enough time and stimulus to carry on with it.

Thank you all for your insightful and knowledgeable responses!