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Old 04-07-2015, 04:03 PM
Golucid Golucid is offline
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Default MB100: Hard Drive [SSD] + RAM Upgrade Instructions

Upgrading your MB100 into the 19th century [sarcasm] is a snap. The only challenge is your patience. Other than that, cake-walk. [Keep in mind, upgrading your device is 100% optional and the forgoing is a roadmap riddled with options]

What are you replacing?

*2.5" 30GB Kingston SDD
*3.5" 1TB Western Digital Green HDD
*2GB Kingston Value Ram 1333MHz DDR3 Non-ECC CL9 SODIMM

DISCLAIMER: Removing or altering your device logically does void your warranty, if you get caught. How do you get caught? Allowing autonomics to access your device, admitting it, positing photos of your mods with device serial number, etc.

Direct questions about warranty, to McIntosh or contact Autonomics directly, they'll let you know:

Phone: +1 914 598 1647, or
Email: info@autonomic-controls.com



Note: I mirrored my drives from the MB100 factory fresh drives. Both the OS and the Library Drives were fresh out of the box clean. Meaning, No data or configuration settings, etc.

Physical Requirements
01. MB100

02. 128 SSD

03. 1TB SSD

04. 2.5 to 3.5 Bay Bracket

05a. 8GB RAM

Or

5b. 16GB RAM

06. Hard Drive Duplicator

07. Phillips Screw Drive or IT Tool Kit

08. 3-pronged parts retriever [See IT Tool Kit]

09. Antistatic Bags [x3]

10. Anti-Static Grounding Wrist Band

11: Anti-Static Mat

12. Prep Bowls [to keep screws in]

Software Requirements

N/A

Lets Begin

CRITICAL: It is imperative that when performing any of the work that you not force anything. For example, do not over-tighten, bend, use sharp objects to move cables, poke, remove cables at an angle or with force. This is a fine piece of equipment and everything is installed with precision and does disassemble with precision. If something is not moving easily. Don't force it! Step back and evaluate and most importantly, patience. These items come apart fairly easily. Though, I might add, the screws are tight as they should be, but they are not so tight that brute force is required.

IMPORTANT: I'm a big believer in doing things right once. I don't take technology risks that could damage sensitive components. Before you do anything, Ground Yourself and if you can, do not service your equipment on carpet or anything that generates static charge - this includes clothing. I literally demagnetize my shoes, removes rings, watches, etc. A kitchen is a good place...away from microwave. Use good judgement [See Physical Requirement #10

IMPORTANT: wash your hands and do not eat or drink near the equipment and keep any liquids far and away. Electronics and moisture are generally not friends.

Note: The assumption here on out is that you meet the physical requirements.

Suggestion: You might want to take your smart phone and take photos of the drives, the cables that connect into the drives as well as the ram. This way you have a road map of how to assemble everything just in case you forget the order of things.

01. Grab your MB100 and gather all your tools and parts. You can place your MB100 on your [optional but recommended, anti-static mat] at the center of your work area and arrange your tools in a orderly and easily accessible manner. A good idea is to have unpacked all my parts and move the boxes out of the way/another location.

02. Read all documentation that came with your parts.

03. Ground Yourself and remain grounded when you touch any components

04. Set up your drive duplicator at a location that is stable. Do not put into a low outlet. The Duplicator power supply is heavier than the duplicator part. Keep everything on a level playing field, if that makes sense. The power brick and cable has weight to it and could through the force of gravity drag your drives off the counter on to the floor. So, if you can, use a counter top outlet that is fairly close to the same level as your drives.

03. Remove the 6 screws hold on the MB100 top plate. Using one of the prep bowls or something similar. Place these screws in that bowl/container only. DO NOT MIX YOUR SCREWS! and set the top plate gently aside.

04. Take some time to identify the parts you are going to remove. Locate the screws and think about how you will remove them. Its a good idea to have that 3-Pronged parts retriever. Makes it way easier than having the screw fall into the chassis a bit and then digging for it. This is where damage can occur! The part is cheep... a couple of bucks.

05. For the same of keeping things in order. Remove and replace one drive at a time.

2.5" SSD OS DRIVE REMOVAL

01. One at a time, gently remove the cables from the Kingston 2.5" SSD [there are two]. Pull them horizontally straight out. DO NOT PULL UP OR PUSH DOWN ON THE CABLE. It will easily slide out. But do so thoughtfully. DO NOT FORCE. You will notice that each of the cables look different and are sized differently and attached in the same way with the replacement drive.

02. Remove the 4 screws holding the Kingston 2.5" SSD in place. This is a good time to grab the 3-pronged parts retriever! Set these screws into another prep bowl or container separate from the other screws.

03. Now gently remove the drive... do not force anything. There may be a wire or something around the railing that is affixed to the the SSD.

04. Remove the screws holding on the railing to the SDD. Sets these screws and railing into another prep bowl/container. Do not confuse the screws with the other screws. All the screws are of different sizes. These screws are intended for the depth allowed into the SSD housing! ALSO, note the direction of the railing on the drive "left to right. Do not mix the order or reverse.

BIT FOR BIT DUPLICATION OS DRIVE - START

Assuming you have read the instructions...

01. Now holding the SSD you extracted from the MB100, attach it to the SOURCE PORT on the drive duplicator.

Note: The SSD [The small 2.5" 30GB Kingston SDD contains the system OS]. Verify over and over that you connected the drive to the SOURCE PORT! Failing to observe this detail is total ruin! You will destroy the OS. Poof! You're done. Box it up, you've got yourself a huge paper weight to send to McIntosh at your expense!

Note: But wait, can't I just mirror of someone else's drive? NOPE! I talked to to Autonomics about this...Each unit comes with it's own specific license. You can't not duplicate them. Well you could, but this will create issues for all the duplicated MB100s that connect ONLINE. Avoid it. Or try it and see what happens

02. Connect the your 128 SSD to the Destination port.

03. Begin the bit for bit duplication process. This process will take approximate 10-20 minutes

MEANWHILE => RAM UPGRADE

CRITICAL: Ground yourself

Note: The logic board RAM carrier offers two memory slots. You will notice that one of the two slots are occupied. The lowest level slot is "primary memory" and the upper slot is secondary memory. It's important that you occupy the primary slot first!

For information on how to remove and replace memory, watch this video: [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7ChDpcn_94"]youtube video[/ame].

01. Remove RAM from primary slot.
02. Place Old RAM within an anti-static bag and set aside. A great place, place it within the MB100 box. But, remember, don't toss the box around. This is sensitive equipment.


BIT FOR BIT DUPLICATION OS DRIVE - FINISH

Again, assuming you have read the instructions. A clue, the duplicator will present an indication of OK once complete.

CRITICAL: Ground yourself

01. Remove source drive and place it within an anti-static bag and set aside. A great place, place it within the MB100 box. But, remember, don't toss the box around. This is sensitive equipment.

02. Reinstall your new SSD OS drive into the MB100.

03. Using the screws you set aside with the railing. Attach the railing and screws in the same exact manner as it was with the original source drive. DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN. SNUG, NOT BRUTE FORCE. NO TORQUE WRENCH NEEDED. It is very easy to strip these threads.

04. Using the screws set aside, seat the drive with the railing onto the posts that supports the drive rails. A great time to use that 3-pronged parts retriever and set the screws and then come in with your philips and gently tighten the drive down.

05. With precision, perfect horizontal insertion and above all, gently attach the cables into the correct slot of the SSD.

3.5" HDD LIBRARY DRIVE REMOVAL

01. One at a time, gently remove the cables from the Western Digital Green HDD [there are two: red and yellow]. Pull them horizontally straight out. DO NOT PULL UP OR PUSH DOWN ON THE CABLE. It will easily slide out. But do so thoughtfully. DO NOT FORCE. You will notice that each of the cables look different and are sized differently and attached in the same way with the replacement drive.

02. Remove the 4 screws holding the Western Digital Green HDD in place. This is a good time to grab the 3-pronged parts retriever! Set these screws into another prep bowl or container separate from the other screws.

03. Now gently remove the drive... do not force anything. There bay be a wire or something around the railing that is affixed to the the HDD.

04. Remove the screws holding on the railing to the HDD. Sets these screws and railing into another prep bowl/container. Do not confuse the screws with the other screws. All the screws are of different sizes. These screws are intended for the depth allowed into the HDD housing! ALSO, note the direction of the railing on the drive "left to right. Do not mix the order or reverse.

BIT FOR BIT DUPLICATION LIBRARY DRIVE - START

Assuming you have read the instructions...

01. Now holding the HDD you extracted from the MB100, attach it to the SOURCE PORT on the drive duplicator.

Note: The HDD [The large 3.5" 1TB Western Digital Green HDD contains the library data (photos & music and other data)]. Verify over and over that you connected the drive to the SOURCE PORT! Failing to do this can create problems. Not nearly as severe as destroying your OS drive. Again, pay attention!

Note: But wait, can't I just mirror of someone else's drive? NOPE! Sames concerns regarding licensing. It's embedded on both drives.

02. Connect the your 1TB SSD to the Destination port.

03. Begin the bit for bit duplication process.


BIT FOR BIT DUPLICATION LIBRARY DRIVE - FINISH

Again, assuming you have read the instructions. A clue, the duplicator will present an indication of OK once complete.

CRITICAL: Ground yourself

01. Remove source drive and place it within an anti-static bag and set aside. A great place, place it within the MB100 box. But, remember, don't toss the box around. This is sensitive equipment.

02. Install the 1TB SSD into the 2.5 to 3.5 Bay Bracket.

02. Reinstall your new SSD + Bay Bracket library drive into the MB100 where the The large 3.5" 1TB Western Digital Green HDD once was.

03. Using the screws you set aside with the railing. Attach the railing and screws in the same exact manner as it was with the original source drive. DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN. SNUG, NOT BRUTE FORCE. NO TORQUE WRENCH NEEDED. It is very easy to strip these threads.

04. Using the screws set aside, seat the drive with the railing onto the posts that supports the drive rails. A great time to use that 3-pronged parts retriever and set the screws and then come in with your philips and gently tighten the drive down.

05. With precision, perfect horizontal insertion ONLY ONE DRIVE CABLE - THE YELLOW ONE. Gently attach the cable into the correct slot of the SSD.

NOTE: You no longer need to RED Cable... it is used to power the larger drive. The smaller SSD does not require the additional power source.


YOU'RE ALMOST DONE - Don't open any bottles of liquid just yet

01. This is important. Check your work. Make sure you have everything you installed done correctly. No loose wires (except the red one). No loose or missing screws. Do not leave any tools within the chassis! Verify your philips and other tools are outside the unit!

02. Install top plate with you last remaining 6 screws from your prep bowl/container. Test the unit first. Make sure the unit works! Install the MB100 into your rack or wherever. Connect the power supply and output/input cables... Vroom!

03. From here, you should know what to do in adding media. If not, consult your McIntosh owners manual.

04. Once you have added data and depending on the amount, allow the MB100 a solid 24 hours a week to index your data properly.

05. You will experience vast performance improvements.


ENJOY - this took several hours to write up and I hope this helps the MB100 owners or those considering the purchase of the unit.


[This is s rough draft document, I will circle back and make updates.]



Last edited by Golucid; 03-07-2016 at 10:16 PM.
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  #2  
Old 04-07-2015, 05:52 PM
o0OBillO0o o0OBillO0o is offline
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Old 04-07-2015, 06:43 PM
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jdandy jdandy is offline
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David.......What a thoughtful, thorough, and excellent contribution to the McIntosh forum. I will make this thread a "Sticky" for others to easily locate. Great effort. Thank you.
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Old 04-07-2015, 07:03 PM
Golucid Golucid is offline
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Dan...coming from you, that means a lot to me. Thanks a bunch!
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Old 04-07-2015, 07:12 PM
Elberoth Elberoth is offline
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Why did you changed the original SSD os drive for another ? I can understand you changed the data HDD for the SSD but ... SSD for another SSD ? What is the point ?

Why did you put more RAM ? Do the autonomics guys recommend it ? I mean I know the RAM is cheap as chips, but on the other hand - why to put more if it is not gonna be used ?

Last edited by Elberoth; 04-07-2015 at 07:16 PM.
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Old 04-07-2015, 07:24 PM
Elberoth Elberoth is offline
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BTW - you can get HDD duplicators for as little as $35:

http://www.amazon.com/Liztek-HDDT2BS...rds=hdd+cloner
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Old 04-07-2015, 07:25 PM
Golucid Golucid is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Elberoth View Post
Why did you changed the original SSD os drive for another ? I can understand you changed the data HDD for the SSD but ... SSD for another SSD ?

Why did you put more RAM ? Do the autonomics guys recommend it ? I mean I know the RAM is cheap as chips, but on the other hand - why to put more if it is not gonna be used ?
Elberoth, I improved performance with the RAM upgrade. The OS is able to write more data to the RAM as well as create more virtual memory/caching space on the the drive.

Performance now: No lag. Instantaneous. No bumps or stutters. It rocks!

Also, the Samsung Pro is a superior performing drive than the Kingston - the Kingston has disappointing specifications in my opinion. This is a no brainer. Were possible, I minimized bottleneck performance. I literally transformed the unit into something really awesome. I now love the MB100!

McIntosh used fairly cheap parts and it makes fiscal sense that they did. I improved the quality on my own dime. My next search, faster CL RAM. While not necessary... I want to experience a difference, if any. Why not try... I like risks and I do not care if I void my warranty. I'll just buy another.

All in all, the changes I made as said above, transformed the unit and for me at least, worthwhile. I no longer have a complaint about the MB100... well. The APP needs some work... but that is an entirely different post.

Last edited by Golucid; 04-07-2015 at 09:21 PM.
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Old 04-07-2015, 07:41 PM
Golucid Golucid is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Elberoth View Post
BTW - you can get HDD duplicators for as little as $35: http://www.amazon.com/Liztek-HDDT2BS...rds=hdd+cloner
Awesome. My post is an example. Feel free to locate alternatives and $35 bucks rocks!

The drives or any of the products I list, if you search well enough, eBay and other vendors offer them or other brands cheaper both new and used.

Last edited by Golucid; 04-07-2015 at 08:19 PM.
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Old 04-07-2015, 08:14 PM
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David,
That is an excellent write-up on the MB100 and possibly the best article ever written about it. Thanks for taking the time to share your fascinating journey with us. McIntosh should send you free dinner coupon for this project.
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Old 04-07-2015, 08:41 PM
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That is very well done David. Thank you for contributing to AA in this way!!! Craig
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