I bought the SABRENT USB 3.2 10Gbps Type C Tool Free Enclosure for M.2 PCIe NVMe and SATA SSDs (EC-SNVE) to use with a Raspberry Pi 4 and the Western Digital WD_BLACK 2TB SN770 NVMe drive.
When copying many files from the Pi to the NVME drive, the Sabrent adaptor randomly disconnects in the middle of write operations and causes file corruption. Sometimes the Sabrent SNVE adaptor gets unmounted and is not detectable after it disconnects and a reboot is needed to get the Pi to recognize it. Various Amazon reviews from the link above shared similar experiences.
The following potential causes have been eliminated:
- WD Black SN770: around 500,000 files were copied over using another computer and adaptor.
- The Raspberry Pi 4 has a 5A power supply. There is no low voltage warning.
- USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A cables have been tested when successfully moved the 500,000 files above.
- The issue occurs with either USB-A ports on the Pi.
- It's not the filesystem, e.g. exFAT, ext4, or btrfs as the issue is the same with any filesystem.
- Adding `usb-storage.quirks=0bda:9210:u` to `/boot/firmware/cmdline.txt`
- Trying different firmware from 1.29.x to 1.33.x didn't make a difference.
Some `dmesg`:
[ 9358.757476] usb 2-2: new SuperSpeed USB device number 8 using xhci_hcd
[ 9358.789755] usb 2-2: New USB device found, idVendor=0bda, idProduct=9210, bcdDevice=f0.01
[ 9358.789766] usb 2-2: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
[ 9358.789771] usb 2-2: Product: Sabrent
[ 9358.789775] usb 2-2: Manufacturer: Sabrent
[ 9358.789779] usb 2-2: SerialNumber: 123400000013
[ 9359.345010] usb 1-1.3: reset high-speed USB device number 3 using xhci_hcd
[ 9363.805504] usb 2-2: can't set config #1, error -110
[ 9363.805854] usb 2-2: USB disconnect, device number 8
[ 9364.081519] usb 2-2: new SuperSpeed USB device number 9 using xhci_hcd
[ 9364.113876] usb 2-2: New USB device found, idVendor=0bda, idProduct=9210, bcdDevice=f0.01
[ 9364.113899] usb 2-2: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
[ 9364.113912] usb 2-2: Product: Sabrent
[ 9364.113922] usb 2-2: Manufacturer: Sabrent
[ 9364.113931] usb 2-2: SerialNumber: 123400000013
[ 9364.139408] usb 2-2: Enable of device-initiated U1 failed.
[ 9364.140167] usb 2-2: Enable of device-initiated U2 failed.
[ 9364.140481] usb 2-2: UAS is ignored for this device, using usb-storage instead
[ 9364.140559] usb 2-2: UAS is ignored for this device, using usb-storage instead
[ 9364.140572] usb-storage 2-2:1.0: USB Mass Storage device detected
[ 9364.141111] usb-storage 2-2:1.0: Quirks match for vid 0bda pid 9210: 800000
[ 9364.141292] scsi host2: usb-storage 2-2:1.0
[ 9365.577786] scsi 2:0:0:0: Direct-Access Sabrent RTL9210B-CG 1.00 PQ: 0 ANSI: 6
[ 9365.578587] sd 2:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg1 type 0
[ 9365.580371] sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] 3907029168 512-byte logical blocks: (2.00 TB/1.82 TiB)
[ 9365.580943] sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] Write Protect is off
[ 9365.580957] sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] Mode Sense: 37 00 00 08
[ 9365.581547] sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] Write cache: disabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA
[ 9365.587592] sdc: sdc1
[ 9365.587903] sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] Attached SCSI disk
[ 9404.388589] EXT4-fs warning (device sdb1): htree_dirblock_to_tree:1083: inode #2: lblock 0: comm ls: error -5 reading directory block
The error messages below indicate that the USB device failed to enter low power states (U1 and U2) as part of USB power management. The adaptor gets extremely hot when plugged into the Pi. This could be due to the adaptor drawing max power because it isn't able to enter lower power states.
[ 9364.139408] usb 2-2: Enable of device-initiated U1 failed.
[ 9364.140167] usb 2-2: Enable of device-initiated U2 failed.
`usb-storage.quirks=0bda:9210:u` is confirmed below:
[ 9364.140481] usb 2-2: UAS is ignored for this device, using usb-storage instead
[ 9364.140559] usb 2-2: UAS is ignored for this device, using usb-storage instead
Reviews from the Amazon link above had similar issues:
- Good Design and Build Quality. Won't Boot with Raspberry Pi 4B. By GadgetFreak in the United States on October 8, 2023Good Design and Build Quality. Won't Boot with Raspberry Pi 4B. I tried a different brand to house my nvme ssd and it was able to boot with a Pi. This is definitely tool-free.
- Doesn't work with Raspberry Pi 4 USB 3 ports. By Russell in the United States on November 12, 2021Overall, the look and finish is nice. The tool free rotating disk that holds the m.2 drive down is nice and easy to use. It includes rubber grommets to hold down shorter m.2 drives. I didn't test them, but I suspect they work fine. The USB-C connecter feels firm and holds the cable tightly. I'm not a fan of the plastic button to open the drive because it's sticking out too much. You can accidentally press it and pop the lid open. I suspect most people aren't changing out the m.2 drives frequently so it would have been better recessed, so you had to push your finger in to unlock it. It's not a major issue though so if you like how it looks, I recommend it. It's not compatible with the Raspberry Pi 4 USB 3 ports so if you're looking for a USB boot drive for your Pi this isn't it. I'm not returning it and I didn't take off stars for this because it's not advertised as such, and this is a specialized use case. It will use it as a portable USB drive and it's great for that purpose.
- Non functional. By A. Customer in the United States on November 21, 2021I was chasing my tail trying to figure out if my raspberry pi or cables were the issue. Maybe I needed to format my nvme drive via linux, rufus, or balene instead? Ended up buying another external enclosure and ultimately it was this sabrent enclosure that was the issue.
- Keep getting I/O errors on long file transfers. By bkm83442 in the United States on December 4, 2023I got this to use as an external drive for a Raspberry Pi 4B. Filled it with a WD Blue 500GB NVME SSD. Works fine for a while, but randomly loses connection, as if you unplugged the drive and plugged it back in. I've not had this same problem with other drives/enclosures that I use. The aluminum case seems like it would dissipate heat well if the drive kept running long enough.
- Only needs USB C to A 3.x to be great! By juanejot in the United States on February 10, 2022The tool-less installation works great as described, and the aluminum sandwich design is obviously pulling heat straight off the drive to radiate away. The included USB C to C cord is a bit short, but definitely works at speed (not of PCIe gen 3x4, but of USB 3.1 gen2, now ridiculously called 3.2 gen 2). I was disappointed (NOT by the product) to find that none of the USB C to A cords I had at hand, supported speeds beyond those of USB 2.0. But then, they were also not blue-keyed. It would be great if a USB C to A cord capable of USB 3.1 gen 2 were included, but that would likely add to the cost of the set. FOLLOW-UP: the chipset in this enclosure does not seem to like the Raspberry Pi much, which may only be a deal-breaker for you if you intend to use it mostly with that hardware. In various Raspberry Pi OSes, it either works at USB 2.0 speeds (even when connected to USB 3.0, as in Pop!_OS), or does not power up/is not visible at all (as when connected to Raspberry Pi OS bullseye, either 32- or 64-bit). After this failure to show up occurs, it tends to need an extra few seconds plugged in even on a system it otherwise works flawlessly on, to… I dunno, reboot its USB interface to show up properly again? After that, it seems to work fine with x86 hardware (at least, that I've tested, which has been all Intel-based, not AMD; YMMV), running at whatever speed the USB on it can handle. Interestingly, it does not seem to provide S.M.A.R.T. statistics, even when other external USB drives do.
- Nice design Not for RPI5. By E. E. Andersen in the United States on October 9, 2022A little thicker and longer than some others. Hinged design makes use of heat tape foolproof. Integrated 80mm pin pivots; can’t lose it. Separate pin for other lengths. No USB A cable, only single USB C cable. ----------------- update 2/22/2024. Works well for Raspberry Pi 4 but there is some incompatiblity that prevents "bookworm" OS from installing on a RPi5. The chipset is the RTL92108B and I tried multiple cables, multiple USB3 ports, multiple firmware levels (1.23, 1.27, 1.29). The NVMe is a Crucial 500GB. I am at a loss to as to what it might be restricting installation.
- Worked well to replace my SSD hard disk (Samsung), but had issues with a 2nd one. By Philip M. in the United States on December 16, 2021This is about the enclosure without NVMe, I used my own (one is a 2TB WD the other was the original 500GB NVME from my Dell laptop). I first used it to replace my internal 500GB SSD with a new SAMSUNG 970 EVO Plus SSD 2TB - M.2 NVMe. I was able to move my hard disk with the Acronis (SABRENT edition): good, 5 star for that! One important thing to mention about USB adapters and software like that: from the PC point of view, your hard disk will be a Sabrent (not a Samsung). That means that software that is looking for a Samsung (or other brand) disk will not find it. In any case no matter what disk you have, if the software works for Sabrent (e.g. Acronis for Sabrent) it will work with your drive. This is not a Sabrent mistake, it's how USB and Windows works...
Why 4 star?
I have 3 of these and i have different experiences with each:
1) the first one runs 24/7 on DELL laptop, with a 2TB NVMe and has not disconnected once in over a month of uptime.
2) I tried to use one as the boot drive for a raspberry pi (even with a powered hub as i suspected power issues, but every day i got a random disconnect. The same drive connected to Windows laptop has been running fine for days. Note: tried different cables, powered hub, etc... could not make it work reliably on Raspberry pi 4.
3) I have a 3rd one and that one randomly disconnects - few times a day - even on my windows PC. I replaced cables and used another NVMe with same results, so it seems to be the enclosure.
In short, YMMV... some work flawless but depends on the system you connect it to, some have issues. If you only use it to replace a hard drive for a few hours, it should be fine. - I have 3: 2 work perfect, 1 disconnects a lot. By Philip M. in the United States on July 18, 2022I bought one a while back to swap my PC SSD , it worked perfect (including the Acronis software).
I actually ended up using the enclosure as a permanent USB and it works 24/7 running a 2TB SSD without problems. I bought a 2nd one to use a permanent disk for my RaspPi, but i first tried it on my PC. This one disconnects about once a day, i tried it with 2 SSDs on 2 different PC's, different cables (I swapped the enclosure i already had) so it's clear the problem is with the enclosure, i did not try to add thermal paste, it was not needed on the 1st one (it only runs hot when there is really heavy disk traffic).
I have a 3rd one, to replace the 2nd one and that one is running well so far about 24h without problems (it's my original PC SSD now connected as boot disk to my Raspberry PI USB).
I wish they had a 1 disk SSD Thunderbolt version, they only have a 2x1 SSD Raid enclosure for TB.
Before I already had a classic SATA Sabrent that i use a lot to upgrade hard disks to SSD in PC's and never had a problem.
