NVR 5216-4KS2 - Doesn't work when second HDD added

[Liang]

Hi guys

I have a Dahua NVR 5216-4KS2 with 1x4TB HDD working well with 4 IP cameras. Running well for a year.

I'm planning to add more cameras, so decided to add another HDD (exact same make and model WD Purple).

a) Initially, with the added 2nd HDD, the NVR booted up and run well. Could see the 2nd HDD listed. However, it was nightmare after I shut down and restarted the NVR.
b) The screen shows Dahua Logo for few seconds and then stuck at black screen; NVR reboots after few minutes and the cycle continues ...
c) Disconnected the 2nd HDD, and the NVR runs fine again
d) Disconnected 1st HDD and connected 2nd HDD, and NVR runs fine!
e) Connected both HDD, and went back to nightmare (b) again ...
f) Tried formatting the 2nd HDD externally using windows, and the whole thing repeats starting from (a)
g) Tried formatting the 2nd HDD internally via DVR, same thing ...

What's happening? Any help please?

 

[Frankenscript]

To me this sounds as though for some reason the NVR isn't able to supply sufficient power to run both drives, though it should be able to do fine. Seems the problem is happening at peak draw when system boots and everything initializes

A few thoughts to troubleshoot:

1. Disconnect all cameras to eliminate their power draw. Reconnect second drive and attempt to boot and run. See how it does. If it works, gradually reconnect cameras and see if increased power draw causes failure, with reboots after each camera addition to test whether the system performs normally.
and/or
2. If you have a spare SSD, which is a very low power drive, connect it and see if you can boot and run with it. This would eliminate some weird "two drives causing some sort of logical error" possibility.

 

[Liang]

Hi Frankenscript, thanks and appreciate your suggestions.

For 1, are you referring to situations where cameras are connecting directly to the NVR? My cameras are connecting to separate POE switches ...
For 2, unfortunately, I don't have a spare SSD lying around ... have other HDDs, but the power draw shd be similar?

 

[c hris527]

If you could get the NVR close to your PC, you could power the second drive off of the PC and see what happens or If you have a spare power supply ATX lying around you could try that and not use the NVR's power to spin up the drive. You might have to mod the power supply with a jumper wire..Green and Black(Youtube it). That would prove it.

 

[J Sigmo]

Do these NVRs require you to set the drives' jumpers for "master" and "slave"? Or is that too old-school?

 

[c hris527]

Do these NVRs require you to set the drives' jumpers for "master" and "slave"? Or is that too old-school?

HaHa I think we were pretty much done with jumpers when IDE drives became a thing of the past except for a very few exceptions.

 

[J Sigmo]

HaHa I think we were pretty much done with jumpers when IDE drives became a thing of the past except for a very few exceptions.

Yeah, it has been a while since I had to set jumpers on a drive for a PC. But when you did get them wrong, back then, it prevented either drive from being recognized.

 

[mat200]

Hi guys

I have a Dahua NVR 5216-4KS2 with 1x4TB HDD working well with 4 IP cameras. Running well for a year.

I'm planning to add more cameras, so decided to add another HDD (exact same make and model WD Purple).

a) Initially, with the added 2nd HDD, the NVR booted up and run well. Could see the 2nd HDD listed. However, it was nightmare after I shut down and restarted the NVR.
b) The screen shows Dahua Logo for few seconds and then stuck at black screen; NVR reboots after few minutes and the cycle continues ...
c) Disconnected the 2nd HDD, and the NVR runs fine again
d) Disconnected 1st HDD and connected 2nd HDD, and NVR runs fine!
e) Connected both HDD, and went back to nightmare (b) again ...
f) Tried formatting the 2nd HDD externally using windows, and the whole thing repeats starting from (a)
g) Tried formatting the 2nd HDD internally via DVR, same thing ...

What's happening? Any help please?

Hi Liang,

How are you doing on this issue?

Thank You

 

[Frankenscript]

Also interested how this turns out. Sorry I didn't notice earlier that the cams aren't drawing power from the NVR.

Certainly seems like drive #2 is pulling too much power at startup and good troubleshooting hopefully leads to the answer.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

 

[TheDude]

Power is also my guess but if you even had just any other old spare sata hard drive then try it. If it works with both that and the original than you would at least confirm that either there is a power draw difference between the two or some sort of odd firmware compatibility issue between the two drives. You might also try updating the NVR's firmware. Be warned though - if you have ANY China market cameras, in other words the cheapest ones you find on eBay and Amazon, that the newer Dahua NVR firmware will prevent the cheapo cameras from working with the NVR. If the cameras are from reputable sources like Empire Andy or even legit US oem brand like Lorex that is not an issue.

 

[Liang]

Sorry guys, have been busy these few days ... will update when I have time to do the experiment, should be by this weekend.

May I ask, if root cause is the power draw, any possible remedy that can I do? Tap another power source?

Though my cams are all from Andy, not sure if I want to take the risk of updating the firmware ...

 

[c hris527]

You could Always Cobb something together with a external power source however if your P.S. is experiencing this behavior now, its VERY probable it will take the ultimate dump in the near future. I might add you could also test output voltages with and without the drive. Doing the External test will tell you if its the power supply or something else, You could have other issues with your main board with other circuits breaking down under load.

 

[TheDude]

Voltage will not be an indicator if the power supply is just failing to provide enough current. For what it's worth both of the NVR-5216-16P-4KS2 NVR's I have run two WD Purple drives just fine (two different capacities too, one 3TB + 1 4TB in each). That being said mine is a "16P" model which means it also has a built in 16 channel POE switch which would require a much beefier power supply than a model without the built in POE ports. I would assume the models without the built in POE ports have a much smaller capacity power supply.

 

[J Sigmo]

If you can measure the PSU output voltage while you have the second HDD installed, then measuring the voltage may tell you that the PSU is being overloaded.

But power supply problems can be tricky to diagnose, especially if you don't have an oscilloscope to examine the supply voltages carefully. I've been mislead a couple of times by seemingly good voltages displayed on a voltmeter (especially digital voltmeters), only to find that when you check with a 'scope, there are rapid dropouts or nasty noise present.

Switching power supplies often have failures in the output capacitors because those caps experience high ripple loading that heats them and wears them out. Often, as those caps go bad, they lose capacity gradually, and this can lead to the supply working OK when lightly loaded, but having excessive output ripple when you increase the load.

If you end up wanting to repair any switching power supply, be extremely careful as the input filter caps will have lethal voltages on them, and in some designs, can store a deadly charge for months after removing mains power.

 

[c hris527]

Voltage will not be an indicator if the power supply is just failing to provide enough current. For what it's worth both of the NVR-5216-16P-4KS2 NVR's I have run two WD Purple drives just fine (two different capacities too, one 3TB + 1 4TB in each). That being said mine is a "16P" model which means it also has a built in 16 channel POE switch which would require a much beefier power supply than a model without the built in POE ports. I would assume the models without the built in POE ports have a much smaller capacity power supply.

Actually you can use voltages as a indicator for a failing power supply. One hard drive might keep the voltages within tolerances and adding the second hard drive might make your tolerances drop or go up depending on the issue. If adding the second hard drive drops off say below the 5% range would indicate a issue.

 

[Liang]

Update :

It's NOT a power issue ...

When I open up the NVR, I realised that the HDD2 was connected to power all these while ... only the data cable is disconnected ... so NVR was running fine with both HDDs connected to power but only HDD1's data was connected ...

No issues with individual HDDs 1 or 2 using various combinations of :
- data cable A or B
- SATA data port C or D on NVR

How??? So it's a internal SATA controller problem?

No such thing as a SATA data splitter cable right?

 

[c hris527]

Update :

It's NOT a power issue ...

When I open up the NVR, I realised that the HDD2 was connected to power all these while ... only the data cable is disconnected ... so NVR was running fine with both HDDs connected to power but only HDD1's data was connected ...

No issues with individual HDDs 1 or 2 using various combinations of :
- data cable A or B
- SATA data port C or D on NVR

How??? So it's a internal SATA controller problem?

No such thing as a SATA data splitter cable right?

Can you send a picture of where you think you are missing a data cable, usually their is a place you can plug it in(like right next to the other one)

 

[WA3PNT]

I have been running two HDDs on my NVR-5216-4KS2 for over a year with no problem. Both are Purple 3TB HDDs.
The second HDD is used as a "Redundant" drive.
The NVR Setup menu unde STORAGE>HDD MANAGER shows their Physical-Position as "host-1" and "host-2" respectively.
I am running System Version 3.215.0000000.2, Build Date 2017-10-30

RodeoGeorge

 

[TheDude]

No you cannot split a standard single port SATA connection. You do need another SATA cable when adding a second drive. Mine did not come with one. I'd also check that maybe the extra SATA cable you are using is not somehow bad. I have had a bad SATA cable more than once.

 

[Liang]

Sorry. Think my descriptions were unclear.

My NVR came with 2 SATA cables (let's label them A and B) and there are 2 SATA ports (let's label them C and D) on the NVR internal board. Nothing was missing.

What I meant was the NVR would hang at the black screen if I connect both HDDs as it should (power + SATA).

However, my experiments seem to suggest that the individual hardwares (HDDs, SATA cables and ports) are working fine. This is because the NVR can run fine when only one HDD is connected (both SATA and power). I have trying using different HDDs, SATA cables and SATA ports, it works as long as only one HDD is connected. This means I have tried all combinations such as
- HDD1 with SATA cable A at port C
- HDD1 with SATA cable A at port D
- HDD1 with SATA cable B at port C
- HDD1 with SATA cable B at port D
- repeat above with HDD2

Once I connect both HDDs, the problem returns. It happens with any combination of HDD/SATA cable/port as above.

What else could I check?

@RodeoGeorge - Thanks for that info. My firmware is supposedly more recent: System Version:3.216.0000000.0 Build Date:2018-05-30