5.25 Enclosure

[Mahmod Ohner]

Ifyou are using Windows 10, AND you have CD media in your optical drive it will show within Windows Explorer under Device and Drives as an optical drive with a media and drive letter assigned to it. On the TaskBar (bottom right) it will list as an Ejectable USB device.

The NST-540S3-BK serves as a USB enclosure for your optical drive, any LED activity on your optical drive will serve as the LED for the whole unit. The LED on your optical drive will function just like when your optical drive is installed inside your desktop computer via the internal SATA port. If your optical drive is working, the enclosure will too.

It is not a good idea to use a longer cable, USB 3.0 cables are very susceptible to signal strength loss and interference. The USB cable that we provided is good, Yes, it is a standard USB 3.0 cable with Type A to Type B.

Sometime problems may occur during first installation or use, we at VantecUSA like to help you get it working to resolve the problem. We have a team of support staff that is here to help you. Please write to us first before you return the product back to the place of purchase. We are committed to help you get the product setup and working correctly. You can reach us via email at sup...@vantecusa.com. We will reply to you very quickly to assist you.

Why is my Optical Drive Enclosure not powering up?

This is one of the most common questions, this enclosure is designed to save energy, when it detects no connection to a working system, it will go into a sleep mode and not power ON. The right way to use this enclosure is to make sure all the necessary cables are connected AND your system is powered ON before turning ON the enclosure.

If you just install an Optical Drive into the DX enclosure and try powering ON without connecting to a working computer, it will stay in sleep mode and not wake up.

What type of optical drive do I need?

This enclosure is using a SATA interface inside to connect to a SATA optical drive. It will work with any standard SATA optical drive. It will not work with an IDE optical drive.

I have an optical drive that requires more power than what a normal optical drive uses, what can I do to make it work?

You just need to get a bigger ac adapter. Any bigger ac adapter for this enclosure MUST be 12VDC, but the current (Amp) can be from 3A to 5A is fine. Another important thing is the plug size. It is using a single-pin plug. See dimension below with a picture showing the plug size.

Do I need any software for burning CD/DVD/Blu-ray with my optical drive in this enclosure?

No, you do not need any additional software, your OS built-in software will enable you to burn CD/DVD/Blu-ray, but if you prefer, you may use other 3rd parties Optical drive software to do more.

Can I connect this USB 3.0 optical drive to a USB 2.0 or faster USB 3.1/3.2 ports?

Yes, if you are using USB 2.0, it will be slower doing read, but it may not be able to write correctly due to the slow USB 2.0 speed. If you are using a faster USB 3.1/3.2 port, the enclosure will still function at USB 3.0 speed and perform correctly and reading/writing.

My new system does not have a USB Type-A port, it is all USB C, can I still use this enclosure?

Yes, you just need a USB C to USB Type-A adapter. The adapter should have a USB female Type-A on one side and a USB C male on the other end to plug into your system.

Will this enclosure fit an optical drive from my laptop?

Sorry, it will not fit. The laptop optical drive comes in 2 sizes, they are slim in design and it is only 9.5mm or 12.7mm in thickness, the interface is different, they are using a Slim SATA interface that will not fit into a standard SATA interface.

I am trying to play a Blu-ray movie disc on my Blu-ray optical drive mounted in the DX/DX2 enclosure and it is not working, why?

Blu-ray movie may be encoded using special copy protection, follow the instruction that comes with the Blu-ray disk to install the necessary software/player before you can watch the movie. This has nothing to do with our enclosure, it is the requirement of the Blu-ray optical drive and the movie producer.

I lost my USB 3.0 cable that comes with this NST-540S3-BK / NST-536S3-BK, where can I get a replacement cable?

This is using a common USB 3.0 cable with Type A on one side (to plug into your system) and type B on the other to the enclosure. Just search google (search USB 3.0 Type-A to B cable) for them or the local store should have them. This is a standard USB cable. This is how it looks. Generally, it is 3ft or shorter is good.

I lost my ac adapter for this DX / DX2 enclosure, what size of an ac adapter do I need?

The DX enclosure comes with an 12VDC, 2A ac adapter. The DX2 enclosure comes with 12VDC, 3A ac adapter. if you need to purchase a replacement ac adapter, you can just search online (google search) for them or the local store should have them too. Beside the power requirement of the ac adapter, you also need to know the plug size to fit into the DX /DX2 enclosure. Not all ac adapter are made the same, I would suggest a slightly bigger ac adapter. Any bigger ac adapter for this enclosure MUST be 12VDC, but the current (Amp) can be from 3A to 5A is fine. This is using a single pin plug.

Yes, all our USB Enclosures and Docks are compatible with Windows 11/10 Operating System. Just plug into any USB port on your Windows 11/10 system and it should function just like your older OS. You do not need to update any firmware or drivers. It is plug and play.

If you have questions about our product, please contact our support team for assistance. You can reach them via the contact form located in Menu "About Us", select the Region and select "Product Support". They are very helpful and can answer and assist with our products.

Here are the steps for warranty repair. You can use this link below or you can contact RMA our website main page, select Support pull down menu and pick RMA Center. In the RMA Center page select Warranty Service, "End User" to begin.

If you purchase it from a store and have the physical receipt, take a clear picture of the receipt, email to yourself and save it in your email warranty folder (create one if you do not have one).

If you purchase it online, you can save the invoice email to your email warranty folder.

If you purchase online, the online store may have your purchase history that may help.

I am running Windows 10 on a HP EliteBook 650 G9 laptop. I plugged in a Vantec NexStar DX external 5.2" enclosure. It doesn't show up in Windows Explorer. I used Disk Management to see that it seems to be mapped to letter drive "D". Rebooting doesn't help. I've tried several written discs in the drive and also tried connecting the drive to a 2nd laptop (also Windows 10).

The problem was that I was connecting the external enclosure to the laptop's USB 2.0 ports. When I connected it to the USB 3.0 port, the drive was visible in Widows Explorer. I couldn't descend into it without a readable disc in the drive.

As it turns out, most of the discs were unreadable. After checking this site on data longevity, I suspected that the problem was with the drive rather than the discs. I tried a brand new optical drive that I just bought, and it worked fine.

In case it helps others troubleshoot in the future, I find that the external drive shows up in Windows Explorer after a readable disc as been detected in the drive. The drive's presence persists in Windows Explorer even after the disc has been removed.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Enclosure will need to be fully connected to a working system before powering ON the enclosure. The enclosure will not power ON if stand-alone without connecting to a working system. If not connected it assume in sleep mode and often user think the enclosure is defective but it is not.

On some batch of NST-536S3-BK, the LED on the enclsoure is always ON even when system goes to sleep and the enclosure goes to sleep.

This firmware correct the LED not turning OFF when the enclosure goes to sleep.

Note: This firmware is for correcting this LED issue only, besides this LED problem, the product is stable and do not require any other correction. If you are not experience this LED issue, DO NOT Flash this firmware.

The OWC Mercury Pro 5.25-inch Optical Drive External enclosure features a USB 3.0 interface and a stainless steel design. It also provides an enclosure for 5.25-inch Blu-ray, DVD, and CD Reader/Writers.

I've looked at quite a few today, but of course have no real idea what the specs actually mean or if one or another would not work in HP Z800. I hoped to hear from someone who has used one in a similar workstation or is using one now.

Just going by dimensions I see some that extend around 8" into the tower. Checking on the Z800 I have all opened up, that would put the cage about 3/4 of an inch from the fan on one of the cpus. Seems that might cause some serious air blockage... but it seems the better cages have a fan in exactly that position so it would be an 120 MM or in some cases 80mm fan facing the cpu fan which looking at the configuration on mine, it must be sucking; so they might help each other I guess.

these adapters/enclosures are not usually rated for 7200/10k due to vibration and generated temps from the drive(s) although some enclosures will support 7200, and a very small percentage will support 10k

Elevate Your Workflow: The Mercury Pro, with its latest design overhaul, stands as the definitive solution to reintegrate optical media into your modern workflow. Crafted with precision from robust aluminium, this enclosure is not just an accessory; it's a statement of professionalism and reliability. Its high-speed USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface guarantees that performance is never compromised, marrying speed with elegance.

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