NiuBi
Networking
Embedded Linux Boards

NiuBi Personal Cloud 2

A low-cost, low-power NAS for 3.5" drives

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$10 - $285

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NiuBi Personal Cloud 2 (NB-PC2) is a network-attached storage (NAS) device specifically engineered to run free, libre, open source software (FLOSS). NB-PC2 has all the functionality of any commercial, proprietary NAS, but at a much lower cost and with the transparency, reliability, and accessibility advantages that come with using FLOSS.

Personal Cloud 1 vs 2

NB-PC2 is the big sibling of the NB-PC1 in the sense that it accommodates 3.5" drives instead of 2.5" drives. NB-PC2 design is based on the NB-PC1 design, but is modified to handle both the larger size and greater power requirements of the 3.5" drives. The chipset and capabilities are otherwise the same.

NiuBi Personal Cloud 2 accommodates 3.5" drives and 2.5" adapters.

Features & Specifications

NB-PC2 holds up to six 3.5" drives.

Why a NAS?

Whether you’re a developer or a digital artist, chances are you have a lot of essential data, from music tracks to application code. So you probably already know that data loss is a fact of modern life, and backing up your data is the surest way to prevent it. You could use an online service for backups, but doing so exposes you and your data to a wide range of privacy, security, legal, and financial risks beyond your control. For example:

All these questions and more make a strong case for using not only a NAS, but a NAS over which you have complete control - a FLOSS NAS! Enter NiuBi Personal Cloud 2.

NiuBi Personal Cloud 2 can be used for a wide variety of applications, including:

NB-PC2 offers increased information security, easier collaboration, and less administrative mess compared with SaaS solutions and other NAS devices.

The Deluxe Kit comes with a power supply, SD card, and USB-to-UART adapter.

Comparisons

There are hundreds of NAS devices out there, but none of them except NiuBi PC1 and PC2 are designed from the beginning to be open hardware and run FLOSS. The table below shows two of the most comparable NAS devices and how they stack up against NB-PC1 and NB-PC2.

TS-431DS416slimNiuBi Personal Cloud 1 NiuBi Personal Cloud 2
ChipsetFreescale ARM Cortex A9Marvell Armada 385MediaTek MT7621A MediaTek MT7621A
Cores222 2
Threads224 4
Speed1.2 GHz1.0 GHz880 MHz (overclocked to 1.2 GHz) 880 MHz (overclocked to 1.2 GHz)
Memory512 MB DDR3512 MB DDR3512 MB DDR3 512 MB DDR3
Drive Bays4 x 2.5" or 3.5"4 x 2.5" up to 12.5 mm drive height6 x 2.5" up to 15 mm drive height 6 x 3.5"
Idle Power14.84 W11.63 W11.64 W TBD
Opennesspartial softwarepartial softwarehardware schematics + all software hardware schematics + all software

Enclosure Design

The minimal enclosure design is a major factor in making NiuBi Personal Cloud 2 small, inexpensive, and energy efficient. Though we love the aesthetic of the enclosure, keep in mind the universal truth about NAS devices: they are best placed near your wireless router and viewed from the command line or web interface.

Air Flow

The fact the mainboard isn’t fully enclosed allows for better airflow and fanless operation (though the mainboard can accommodate two small fans). No fan means much less build up of dirt and dust - few things compare to the inside of a fan-cooled PC that hasn’t been opened in years, whereas we’ve never seen a dirty free-standing printed circuit board assembly.

Heat Sinks

In addition to the enclosure’s great airflow, its anodized aluminum side plates help dissipate heat away from the mainboard.

Drive Size

NB-PC2 is compatible with 3.5" drives, and can work with a wide variety of adapters for SSDs & HDDs.

Free as in Freedom

Like NiuBi Personal Cloud 1, the NiuBi Personal Cloud 2 firmware is 100% free of binary blobs. Check out this NB-PC1 campaign update to see some of the backstory of how this is possible.

Libre Software

NiuBi Personal Cloud 2 can run several popular FLOSS suites for managing routers, NAS devices, or just general computing. These are some of the main suites NB-PC2 can run:

Debian

Yep, NB-PC2 can run Debian.

openmediavault

The openmediavault project is a Debian-based network-attached storage solution designed for home and small office user who lack deep technical experience or knowledge of setting up and and administering an NAS.

libreCMC

Billed as "the libre embedded GNU/Linux distro," libreCMC is a fork of OpenWrt that uses only libre components. NiuBi Personal Cloud Two will ship with libreCMC installed.

LEDE

The Linux Embedded Development Environment (LEDE) project is a reboot of the OpenWrt community. NB-PC1 is supported by the LEDE-project, which means NB-PC2 will also be supported, since the two devices use the same OS image.

NB-PC2 PCBA (top)
NB-PC2 PCBA (bottom)

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Produced by NiuBi in Shenzhen, China & Tulsa, OK.

Sold and shipped by Crowd Supply.

NiuBi PC2 Starter Kit

One fully populated and assembled NB-PC2 mainboard, two anodized aluminum side plates, six threaded brackets and bracket screws, and 24 drive mount screws. Power supply, microSD card, and drives not included. Requires screwdriver for assembly.

$175 $8 US Shipping / $18 Worldwide

NiuBi Power Adapter

An energy efficient (level V) global input power supply that puts out up to 8 A at 12 VDC through a 5.5 mm x 2.1 mm center-positive barrel jack. Perfect for powering your NiuBi Personal Cloud 2.

$29 $8 US Shipping / $18 Worldwide

NiuBi PC2 Deluxe Kit

All the bells and whistles: one fully populated and assembled NB-PC2 mainboard, two anodized aluminum side plates, six threaded brackets and bracket screws, 24 drive mount screws, power supply, imaged SD card, and USB-to-UART adapter cable. Drives and screwdriver not included.

$285 $8 US Shipping / $18 Worldwide

NiuBi SD Card

A 2 GB (or greater) full-sized SD card imaged with Debian. Run your NiuBi Personal Cloud 2 directly from the SD card. Copying Debian to an SSD or HDD is recommended, but this SD card will get you started.

$10 $8 US Shipping / $18 Worldwide

About the Team

NiuBi

Shenzhen, China & Tulsa, OK

FLOSS devices at reasonable prices.

L. D. Pinney
Founder and CTO
Xiaoping Pinney
Chairman Ping
Douglas Gazineu
Software Developer

See Also

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