The LEDS in the Old Drobo had 4 Different uses.

1. Disk Space Leds There was 10 LEDS along the bottom of the main chassis that were used to indicate how full the drives were ( 10 - 100 % )

2. Network Activity There was one LED to indicate Network Activity

3. Power LED Lit once the unit was powered on and started.

4. Disk Activity / Faults One LED per Hard Drive on the Right Hand Side. Indicating Drive Failure or activity

Pi NAS

1. The Disk Space LEDS were able to be re-created using a Python program and 10 LEDS ( wired below )

2. The Network Activity LED is software wired to the activity triggers in the /proc file system. Its configured to the currect active port ( wifi or Ethernet )

3. The Power LED is Lit when the Network Port is activated and the Pi Boots

4. The Disk Activity LEDS are wired into the Circuit Board at the rear of the Hard Drives and is a Work In Progress to see if I can light each of the 3 leds per Hard drive.

Building the LEDS

Building the LEDs

This guide shows the step-by-step construction of the LED wiring assembly used in the Mogwai Drobo NAS project.

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Step 1 – Gather the components

Figure 1: All of the components required for the LED assembly.

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Step 2 – Prepare the LED

Figure 2: Prepare the LED by identifying the anode and cathode leads.

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Step 3 – Fit the resistor

Figure 3: Position the resistor ready for soldering.

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Step 4 – Solder the resistor

Figure 4: Solder the resistor securely to the LED lead.

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Step 5 – Trim the leads

Figure 5: Trim the excess component leads after soldering.

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Step 6 – Apply heat-shrink

Figure 6: Slide heat-shrink tubing over the soldered joint.

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Step 7 – Shrink the tubing

Figure 7: Apply heat to insulate and protect the solder joint.

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Step 8 – Prepare the cable

Figure 8: Strip and prepare the cable ready for connection.

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Step 9 – Connect the cable

Figure 9: Solder the cable to the LED assembly.

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Step 10 – Inspect the wiring

Figure 10: Check the polarity and quality of all solder joints.

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Step 11 – Final insulation

Figure 11: Apply the remaining heat-shrink tubing to protect the wiring.

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Step 12 – Check the assembly

Figure 12: Inspect the completed LED assembly for correct workmanship.

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Step 13 – Test the LED

Figure 13: Verify the LED operates correctly before installation.

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Step 14 – Ready for installation

Figure 14: The completed LED assembly is ready to be fitted to the chassis.

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Step 15 – Completed assembly

Figure 15: Finished LED assembly ready for use in the Mogwai Drobo NAS.