I am reaching out regarding an issue I am experiencing with my ZimaCube Pro 64GB system. Here are the details:
Squeaking Noise:
There is a noticeable squeaking sound coming from the Cube, which seems to originate from the fan.
The noise becomes louder when I install an ASRock Intel ARC A380 LP GPU.
HDD Noise Issue:
When I add a hard drive (HDD) to the system, the squeaking intensifies and sounds like a coil whine.
I tested with two different HDDs:
Seagate IronWolf Pro 20TB (+5VDC 0.90A / +12VDC 0.72A)
Western Digital NASware 3.0 4TB (+5VDC 0.60A / +12VDC 0.45A)
In both cases, the sound is noticeable and uncomfortable in the room.
I made some quick Videos but i cant upload them yet into this post. I send an email with a copy of that post including the Videos to support@ .
Testing and Observations:
The noise persists even when the GPU is removed, although it becomes less loud.
When I mount the same HDDs in other systems or use a SATA USB docking station, they are quiet with no noticeable noise.
After shutting down the ZimaCube, I still hear a faint squeaking sound when only the AC power is connected, even with no drives or GPU installed.
Question:
Could this be a voltage issue affecting the HDD bays or other components in the system?
System Details:
ZimaCube Pro 64GB
ASRock Intel ARC A380 LP GPU
New fan installed following the provided instructions
The persistent squeaking noise, even when the system is powered off, is concerning. I would appreciate your guidance on how to address this issue or any further troubleshooting steps I should take.
i also noticed on the seagate 20TB drives that it has a head moving noise every 0,5 seconds. like its initializing. but its only happening in the Cube. nothing of the noises when i mount the HDD in another system or SATA docking stations.
if its something like a initializing it would be a request for a ZimaOS feature to see some stats for the HDDs
I’ve also noticed coil whine from my ZimaCube Pro. It’s barely audible with no sata-disk/pci-e card installed. How ever installing a sata disk or pci-e card it starts to squeak and sounds like coil whine. Lording it up with all six bays and a gpu it gets worse to the point that you don’t want to be in the same room. I’ve tried emailing support mail back in August and in September, however no answer yet. I’ve also seen similar reports from both youtubers and on reddit. I haven’t been able to use the Cube due to this and was hoping was hoping for a solution when I dusted it of the other day…
i can confirm that 100% and its exakt Same issued i have. The more Things i add (GPU, HDDs) its getting worse.
Thanks for sharing your experience, @joxo. It’s reassuring to know I’m not alone with this issue.
To rule out the possibility that the issue is caused by the HDDs, I’ve also tested with SSDs and an M.2 drive. Unfortunately, the result is the same: the noises increase or decrease depending on whether I insert or remove the SSDs or the M.2 bay.
For now, I’ve had to keep my ZimaCube completely powered off because I’m worried the coil whine could indicate a deeper hardware issue. Like someone already Had as you can find in this Forum.
I really don’t want to risk damaging the device further, especially since it’s a $1000 machine.
If this turns out to be a hardware defect, I might have to consider requesting an RMA, but I was hoping to avoid that. It’s disappointing to invest in a premium device and not feel confident using it.
I’ve already reached out to Zima Support and provided videos of the issue, but I’m still waiting for clear guidance. Let’s hope they can offer a solution soon, as it seems like several users are experiencing similar problems.
I’ve now had the ZimaCube for 8 days, and it has only been running for about an hour in total. I simply can’t use it without proper support for this issue.
I didn’t purchase it for it to sit powered off in my rack.
I kindly ask for your assistance in providing a solution to this problem.
Hello, Please send me a private message of the email address you used to communicate with support or let us know by email with a link to the forum . We will merge the issues and agree to contact you through supprot email for the subsequent RMA plan.
It does sound like electrical noise. Is the hard drive working at this time? As 777-Spider said, I suggest you contact zimacube support at the same time.
I did some further testing and it seems to be the backplane it self but only if disks are present the sound is not present when there is nothing connected to the backplane
The sound is also present when I use all ssd instead of spinning hard drives
even if no spinning drive or any drive is mounted you hear the noise … its just getting worse if you mount some drives … i doesnt need to be spinning drives … even with only ssds the noise is getting louder …
and if you installed a GPU (A380 LP in my case) it will also add a level of noise on top
Right now im feeling very unsatisfied with this cube … i love the idea and the style … but in fact i have a more than 1000$ cube standing offline
I also feel compelled to buy additional components (fans) to operate the cube at a comfortable volume.
that should be not part of a 1000$ (+ taxes) Out of the Box Device.
I received the cube on December 9th and at the moment there is no reason not to cancel and return it within 14 days of receiving it.
In summary, I took the following steps:
Received Zimacube on December 9th
Emailed support on December 12th
Received an answer on December 13th (Unfortunately, we cannot confirm through the video whether the sound comes from the device or the hard disk) and made Videos i shared in Discord, Forum and Email
Emailed support on December 17th with the request that the problem has not progressed so far and that I cannot use it without support.
Regardless of this, I created this forum post and found a user on Discord with the same problem for several weeks or months.
The fact is: so far there is no sign of a proposed solution and I am afraid of having spent money on an unfinished product that I cannot use.
I wanted to give you a quick update regarding my Coil Whine issue. support contacted me and They told me that they’ve identified the hard drive backplane as the likely cause of the problem. They’ve offered to replace the backplane, and I’ve decided to proceed with this solution.
I still Dont know when they send it (i asked to keep me Up to date) and how Long does it Take … I wouldn’t be surprised if it comes next year. Until then I have to leave the Cube turned off.
I’ll keep you updated once I receive the replacement and can test it. Hopefully, this resolves the issue.
