When you have a chance, can you please try it? I'm wondering if that's a serious design flaw or if that guy just got a dud. I can't imagine they'd purposely gimp it like that.
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Users experience with the Satechi base for the mini
- Thread starter Cham2000
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When you have a chance, can you please try it? I'm wondering if that's a serious design flaw or if that guy just got a dud. I can't imagine they'd purposely gimp it like that.
I posted this in another thread, but in case anyone missed it:
The power port on the UH25 needs to be plugged into a USB-A charger. Although it's a USB-C port, it doesn't support PD, so if it's plugged into a USB-C charger (or the second USB-C port on the mini) it won't draw any power at all. So you'll have random disconnects when using an NVMe drive, or even a SATA drive if other devices are plugged into the unit and drawing power. Qwiizlab customer service recommends using a standalone USB-A charger (anything 10W or more) rather than a USB-A port on the mini.
So if you're having issues with disconnects, that's probably why. Just a PSA for anyone with one of these units.
The power port on the UH25 needs to be plugged into a USB-A charger. Although it's a USB-C port, it doesn't support PD, so if it's plugged into a USB-C charger (or the second USB-C port on the mini) it won't draw any power at all. So you'll have random disconnects when using an NVMe drive, or even a SATA drive if other devices are plugged into the unit and drawing power. Qwiizlab customer service recommends using a standalone USB-A charger (anything 10W or more) rather than a USB-A port on the mini.
So if you're having issues with disconnects, that's probably why. Just a PSA for anyone with one of these units.
I think Quiizlab could do themselves a favor and make this information prominently stated on the product page on Amazon or even their site to avoid returns that are because of confusion over the power management situation.
The “not exact physical dimensions match” did bother me a little, but it is not too bad.
So after a week of using the UH25 Pro, I have to say I'm really impressed. Zero disconnects once I switched from a USB-C power supply to a USB-A one ... decent transfer speeds, and no downsides. Definitely recommend it.
Setup the UH25 Pro with my M2 Mac Mini today. I've got an Intel 670p 2TB in the NVMe slot and a Sandisk Ultra 3D 4TB in the SATA slot. I transferred 1.28TB of files from an external HDD enclosure via USB3 to the Intel NVMe and then around 700GB from the Intel to the Sandisk and had zero disconnects.
I'm using an Anker 18W Quick Charge charger to power the UH25 Pro. So far, so good.
So I just bought a Mac Mini M2 Pro and a Satechi Hub with SSD slot. The hub arrived earlier - but it's no opened.
I already have a 2TB Samsung 970 Evo Plus. Did I read correctly that it will simply not work in the hub because it's NVME !? Or it will work, but I won't reach the speed advertised by Samsung ?
Do you guys know if Satechi plans to release a hub like this with NVME support ?
The Qwiizlab is hideous, it looks impossibly cheap compared to Satechi.
Any other alternatives ?
I already have a 2TB Samsung 970 Evo Plus. Did I read correctly that it will simply not work in the hub because it's NVME !? Or it will work, but I won't reach the speed advertised by Samsung ?
Do you guys know if Satechi plans to release a hub like this with NVME support ?
The Qwiizlab is hideous, it looks impossibly cheap compared to Satechi.
Any other alternatives ?
I emailed Satechi asking about support for NVME on the hub and they told me it was not planned anytime soon. NVME will not work in the Satechi hub. Only M.2 SATA is compatible with that hub.
Wow... I'm gonna return this thing. And email them too, I can't believe it's rated 5 stars without NVME support and USB charging. The rest of the product looks awesome though.
Maybe if enough people ask, they will do it ?
I get it, but I am able to charge through the from USB ports. Maybe not the fastest, but they do charge. I was disappointed with the lack of NVME as well, but as it was for a Time Machine disk, I bought a cheap M2 drive and it works well for that application. I do wish someone would deliver a proper hub in this form factor; I’ve enjoyed mine, but it could be awesome.
The problem is, good SSD companies like Samsung, Sabrent, Crucial, WD, Seagate, etc. are not interested in making SATA M.2 anymore, and I don't trust cheaper companies. I can understand them though, because browsing Amazon, NVME is almost (if not exactly) the same price than SATA.
The only ones I've seen that make sense are WD Blue and WD Red, but I don't want to shell out another $160-260 for a 2TB I already have.
I've also discovered a Trebleet Mac Mini Hub. But at this price, I'll go for the Satechi + SSD, and the design does not come even remotely close to what Satechi released.
I bought a 2TB WD Blue for my Satechi Drive and paid $100 at Amazon (they regularly run sales on it).
Although not perfect, I am quite pleased with the Satechi dock...here's why I chose it over other options:
- + The size and color match the M2 Mini perfectly
- + The recess on top ensures that the Mini stays well seated
- + The front-facing headphone jack is very handy
I have the satechi base hooked up to my 2018 MacMini with no problem for the last 8 months. I like having the front usb ports as a access point when just to hookup a thumbdrive if needed.
Dang it sounds like maybe it's defective then. It's odd because the card reader is working.
Mine came with 2 usb C to UsbC cables and according to the documentation, they want both plugged in directly to the mini. I tried to plug in one of them to a 15W apple charger, but it dropped the internal drive connection randomly. Both have been plugged into the mini for about 20 hours with no drops. It is drawing power and charges via all the usb A ports and Usb C port. I see the older documentation wanting it plugged in to the USB A port for power draw. I wonder if that changed... Although I guess that would be a real problem on the standard mini with only 2 usb C ports on the back.
Their documentation is confusing:
Quick Start Guide_Qwiizlab_UH25 Pro_V3.0.pdf
drive.google.com
The picture shows both directly plugged into the mini but the instructions say to connect it to an external power supply.
So does the UH25 Pro come with a USB-C to USB-A cable for connecting to a USB-A charger? Thanks for replying.
It's been months; I honestly don't remember. What I can report though, is that my SATA SDD (2TB Samsung 860 IIRC) spontaneously disconnects at least once a week. It will often reconnect automatically, but there's a 'ghost' entry in /Volumes for the original mount point, like "Drive-1" and then the reconnected drive "Drive-2" whereas on the desktop it still shows as "Drive" along with its custom icon. Really annoying.
mavis,
How do you connect the USB-C to USB-A power supply cable? If the cable is short like the data transfer cable, it would be difficult or in no way to connect to a USB-A power adapter away from the unit. That's why I would ask how long is the power cable.
Well, I have a 1m cable running to a USB-A charger, but I don't remember if I got that cable with the unit or not. I have so many cables, I can basically just pull whatever I need out of the drawer.
Hi T,
I just ordered UH25 Pro. Could receive on Sat. I'm wondering what kind of cable I get for the power connection (C to A or C to C). Maybe it will show which unit, old or new, I get? Should I return it if I get a C to A cable? You have received and used your unit for more than one month now, how often have you experienced "drop" issue? Appreciate your sharing.
Received UH25 Pro and WD-SN770 2T. Hooked them up with M2 Pro Mac mini. I tried using USB-A (charging device) and Card ports before the SSD was loaded, and all was okay. Then WD ssd was installed and formatted. Transferred 150+ GB from internal drive with no issue (nothing connected to the front ports). Made a photo card transfer without problem. Speed test: Mac internal drive - ~3000 M/s, WD SSD with UH25 Pro - ~900 M/s. Other than worried about the potential "disconnection" issue could be coming soon, the speed performance really hits my use purpose: storage expansion, not backup. I need a comparable speed of ~3000 M/s to handle the data and files in the 2T SSD just as in the internal drive. So I'll continue to test the UH25 Pro for a few days and probably consider returning and acquiring Trebleet (cost triple $$$ of UH25) for better speed and reliability. Would appreciate all opinions and thoughts.
Edit: I received one C-to-C cable and one C-to-A cable (not long enough). I connect C-to-A cable to Apple 5V charger.
Edit: I received one C-to-C cable and one C-to-A cable (not long enough). I connect C-to-A cable to Apple 5V charger.