Lacie 301502U User Manual - Page 7

LaCie Ethernet Big Disk User Manual 1.1. Hard Drive Heat Management ■ Heat Dissipation Design The LaCie Ethernet Big Disk's metal body is ideal for naturally dissipating internal drive heat. Its unique design actually draws heat away from the internal drive toward the external casing. The casing absorbs heat and will take advantage of its large surface to further dissipate heat outside the casing. Because of this advantageous feature, heat is taken away from the internal drive, keeping it safe and prolonging its life and reliability. As a consequence, it is normal that the external casing is hot to the touch. Please make sure that the vents of the back-bezel and front-bezel are not obstructed so that there is a natural airflow across the casing. ■ Upright, Stack & Rackmount Configuration Heat dissipation is maximized when the drive is in the upright position (Fig. 1.1.B.). If you have several LaCie drives stacked on each other, please remember to attach the included rubber feet on the under side of your drives. This will allow for some airflow between your drives so that the heat dissipation can work effectively - especially if your LaCie drive does not include a fan. LaCie does not recommend stacking or racking more than 3 d2 drives on top of each other (Fig. 1.1.D.), especially if these drives are turned ON simultaneously. ■ Smart Fan Technology The casing alone is a great way to dissipate heat without the need of a fan. Therefore, currently, most drives do not require a fan. Only the largest capacity drives may need a fan. To find out if your drive includes a fan, please refer to the item number and product datasheet. Some models of the Ethernet Big Disk have a thermoregulated "smart fan", which activates when the heat inside the casing reaches a certain temperature. The smart fan operates at two different speeds, and adjusts automatically to changes in temperature. Fig 1.1.A Fig 1.1.B Fig 1.1.D USB USB 2.0 Introduction page  Fig 1.1.C