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StargazerCT Author

Level 1

12 points

Will a 2TB Time Capsule A1409 run without the hard drive & fan?

Opened up my 2TB Time Capsule to clean out the dust as the fan was running extra loud and fast. Went to disconnect the fan, but it snapped the connections right off the board. Moved the Time Machine drive to an extra bay in my Mac Pro and started with a fresh backups. Does the router need to have the fan to run or was that just to cool the hard drive? My plan...give the router to my parents to upgrade their Airport Extreme as their network is 90% wired and old wireless speed not an issue. Will the router work without a hard drive or fan connected? Option...cut the fan wires and solder them directly to the board...but not much space to attach without accidentally soldering two of the connections together.

Posted on Feb 24, 2023 4:26 PM

Top-ranking reply

Bob Timmons

Community+ 2024

Level 10

168,704 points

Posted on Feb 24, 2023 4:44 PM

Does the router need to have the fan to run or was that just to cool the hard drive?

The fan provides ventilation for the power supply and hard drive.

Will the router work without a hard drive or fan connected?

The amber light will blink constantly. Will work without the hard drive, but it will probably not be long before you see an "overheating" message in AirPort Utility.

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Will a 2TB Time Capsule A1409 run without the hard drive & fan?

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