Lumin L1 with 4TB or 5TB HDD

Yes a SSD can be put inside, especially since it's a 7mm drive. Although I expect it will work, and I think we have user(s) who've done that, it needs to be said that we never tested such a configuration.

Only the very first batch of Lumin L1 1TB had a strict physical thickness limitation for the drive inside. Later hardware revisions accommodate a drive with a higher thickness.
 
Thanks Peter. I’ll likely give it a shot at some point. Worst case if it doesn’t work I’ll put back the original drive.

Have you guys considered offering a manufacturer supported upgrade path? you might have some 1TB owners interested in more storage.

wklie said:
Yes a SSD can be put inside, especially since it's a 7mm drive. Although I expect it will work, and I think we have user(s) who've done that, it needs to be said that we never tested such a configuration.
A
Only the very first batch of Lumin L1 1TB had a strict physical thickness limitation for the drive inside. Later hardware revisions accommodate a drive with a higher thickness.
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Lumin L1 Firmware 2.0 adds supports for exFAT. So Mac users no longer have to buy the $19.95 NTFS software in order to use Lumin L1 5TB.

(The 5TB is still shipped as NTFS. Mac users will need to format it as exFAT manually.)
 
I was asked about moving the files from the L1 to a larger drive. Here's the procedure.

Important notice: Disassembly, replacing the L1 internal drive, or following this procedure void warranty.

(If you have enough free space in your computer drive, copy the files from the L1 to the computer first.)

Procedure to move the files L1 to a newer drive as follows:
- Normally, a brand new internal SATA drive should not have any partition. However, if it is not brand new, or if it is taken from a portable HDD, all partitions need to be deleted using a computer first.
- Standby the L1 by pressing the power button once so that the red LED is on
- Unplug the L1 power, disassemble it and take out the original drive
- Install the new drive. Power on the L1, it should flash red quickly. Hold the power button for 6 seconds or more, until it quickly flashes both blue and red to format the new drive. (Refer to post #1)
- Wait for the LED to become a stable blue (with network connected). At this point the new drive is properly formatted by the L1. Press the power button once so that it goes into standby with a red LED.
- Unplug the L1 power, remove the new SATA drive and plug it into a PC SATA port when it was powered down and the power cord unplugged.
- Power up the PC and you should see a new NTFS partition. You may need to assign a drive letter to it in Windows Disk Management.
- Copy the music files to the new drive (from the computer backup, or via USB to the L1 with the original drive reinstalled).
- Shutdown the PC, unplug the power cord, take out the new drive and put it into the L1 again.
- Power on the L1 with network connected, let it rescan - wait for the green LED to stop blinking.
 
Thank you Peter. To disassemble, what tools specifically are needed? Earlier you mention "Opening up the L1 requires three different screwdrivers". What types/lengths, please?
 
I know to remove the drive section you need a 12" philips screwdriver. I don't own the L1 anymore so I'm not sure about the other two screwdrivers. I upgraded the drive twice on my L1 with the last one being a 5TB HDD.
 
As for using a SSD inside L1, it may probably work, but with the following caveats:

1. L1 was not designed to support the higher current that may be required by some SSD. If the SSD draws a higher current than a typical HDD, it may be unstable.
2. Do not use QLC SSD. It will be a really bad idea to run a database (such as L1 internal database) on a QLC.
3. Do not use DRAM-less SSD. It will be a bad idea to run a database (such as L1 internal database) on a DRAM-less SSD.
4. Do not use ultra cheap SSD, or a brand that is not reputable. These tend to be unreliable.
 
wklie said:
As for using a SSD inside L1, it may probably work, but with the following caveats:

1. L1 was not designed to support the higher current that may be required by some SSD. If the SSD draws a higher current than a typical HDD, it may be unstable.
2. Do not use QLC SSD. It will be a really bad idea to run a database (such as L1 internal database) on a QLC.
3. Do not use DRAM-less SSD. It will be a bad idea to run a database (such as L1 internal database) on a DRAM-less SSD.
4. Do not use ultra cheap SSD, or a brand that is not reputable. These tend to be unreliable.
Click to expand...

I picked up a Samsung 870 EVO to try in a L1. I believe it's TLC with 4GB DRAM. Hopefully will work well. One thing I like about it is the extra read/write life.
 
Also, if anyone knows the answers/can help with this: I'm going to swing by home depot today to pick up tools to open it up and swap out the drive. I know I need a 12" philips head (but what size?), anything else you can tell me so I grab it while there? Size of the hex wrench (or is that torx?) to open the case, etc?
 
I couldn’t find the a 12” Philips screw driver locally so I ordered on off Amazon. Message @wklie for the other screw configs. The 12” screwdriver from Amazon had a medium head on it and worked fine. You might want a magnet to magnetize the Philips screw driver when reassembling.
 
Project success. Now have a 4TB SSD-based L1. This should last me a while. No spinning platters/read-write heads etc, which I have to think is some advantage.

After disassembly/re-assembly, the process was slightly different than described; I could not format the disk inside the L1 (by holding down the button etc). But it was easy enough with the L1 attached to my laptop -- I just ran disk manager, created and formatted a NTFS volume (partition was already present and disk hardware was seen automatically), and it was then ready to copy music over. Plugged into X1 and immediately recognized, library scanned, up and running.

Thanks to everyone who helped with information.
 
jmusica said:
I could not format the disk inside the L1 (by holding down the button etc).
Click to expand...

This may have been caused by the 4TB drive already having a partition in it - this would prevent the L1 built-in format to be invoked.

Make sure you're running L1 Firmware 3.0.
 
wklie said:
This may have been caused by the 4TB drive already having a partition in it - this would prevent the L1 built-in format to be invoked.
Click to expand...

That's what I figured, so I checked System/Storage/Disks and Volumes where I confirmed the disk was actually seen by the system (inside the L1). After breathing a quick sigh of relief, from there to Disk Management, which confirmed the OS saw the disk and partition. From there it was easy to just create a volume on that partition and off to the races! I was a little worried if the L1 didn't create the partition or volume it wouldn't be able to use it, but that was fortunately not the case.
 
There are two recent improvements to L1:
1. L1 Firmware 3.0 (January 2022) improved its boot up scanning performance and stability, especially for a large drive.
2. Lumin Android app 4.4.3 improved the automatic detection of L1 library database requiring update.
 
Peter (and anyone that might've tried it) - Given that the L1 is UPnP server, could I use it with other devices besides my Lumin that support streaming from UPnP devices?
Does the L1 work if it's connected to a switch upstream of the switch in my listening area?
Thanks in Advance
 
1. Yes for music files, because when L1 is connected to the network but with the USB disconnected, L1 becomes a normal UPnP server. I did know of a few people using L1 with competitor streamers, although it is unexpected.

2. Yes if you only use unmanaged switches. If any of it is a managed switch and you do some VLAN or IGMP setup, it'll be a problem.
 
wklie said:
1. Yes for music files, because when L1 is connected to the network but with the USB disconnected, L1 becomes a normal UPnP server. I did know of a few people using L1 with competitor streamers, although it is unexpected.

2. Yes if you only use unmanaged switches. If any of it is a managed switch and you do some VLAN or IGMP setup, it'll be a problem.
Click to expand...


I recently purchased a 5TB L1 from Mike and finally got around to reformatting it to exFAT (took less than 30 seconds to accomplish on my Mac) and loading a few albums on it to see how it worked in a non-Lumin player system.

I plugged in the L1 upstream on my network, into a switch that converts to fiber and flows to another switch downstream near my stereo components.

I opened the MControl app I use to stream to my Vitus amp and the Lumin L1 appeared in the Library with Qobuz and my other music apps that MControl supports.

Using the Lumin app, I was able to view the L1 and update the firmware to version 3.0.

I tried to find information on the options for the L1 in the Lumin app but couldn't find answers on the Lumin site.
Can you tell me what "UPnP search" and "Remote Access" options in the app do?

Now that I see how easy it is to use, manage, and load, I will probably get one for my system that has a Lumin A1.
 
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