# HL15 Tinman Simple JBOD Expansion **URL:** \ **Category:** Show Your Homelab Builds\ **Created:** [March 3, 2026, 12:41am UTC](https://forum.45homelab.com/t/hl15-tinman-simple-jbod-expansion/3750 "2026-03-03T00:41:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DigitalGarden](https://forum.45homelab.com/user_avatar/forum.45homelab.com/digitalgarden/32/1785_2.png) [@DigitalGarden](https://forum.45homelab.com/u/DigitalGarden)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2026, 12:41am UTC](https://forum.45homelab.com/t/hl15-tinman-simple-jbod-expansion/3750/1 "2026-03-03T00:41:45Z")
I needed to make some changes to my main NAS that I couldn’t accomplish easily in the one chassis; - Replace a disk that is failing - Change the ZFS VDEV layout - Encrypt the drives for easier disposal - Increase the pool capacity with larger drives I could have set up a full second HL15 for this. I do have 10G networking that would handle the replication reasonably well, but I preferred to do this with direct attached drives if possible. So I bought a few components to turn a second bare HL15 chassis into a simple disk expansion; - [24-Pin ATX Power Supply Jumper Bridge](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09DY9KF77?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title) - [4 Pin 12V PWM Fan Speed Controller For 6 Fans](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FPCR3XVF?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title) - (2x) [Dual Port Mini SAS HD SFF-8644 to Internal SAS HD SFF-8643 Adapter](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09DCXDJLK?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title) And the following to connect it to the main HL15; - [Broadcom LSI 9305-16e 12Gbps SAS-3 PCIe x8 HBA](https://www.ebay.com/itm/167164666349?_skw=9305-16e) - (4x) [12G Mini SAS HD SFF-8644 to SFF-8644 Cables](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B4DGW2XR?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title) This setup is dependent on being able to have two PCIe electrical x8 slots. In my case I have a Proart Creator motherboard that allows splitting the bandwidth of the x16 slot with a second slot. Of course you have a lot more lanes on the full build Epycs. I plugged the ATX jumper into the 24-pin from the PSU, the fans into the fan speed controller along with a SATA connector for power, installed the two SFF-8643/8644 adapters in the PCIe slots and connected them to the backplane cables, and I think that was it. It just turns on via the PSU switch; the case power switch/LED isn’t connected and there’s nothing fancy to trigger powering it on and off concurrently with the main HL15. I installed the 9305-16e into the main HL15, connected the main system to the Tinman with the SFF-8644 cables (the adapters were a bit fidgety to get the cables locked in), powered everything on and it worked. I do have a spare motherboard/cpu/ram that I’ll put in the chassis eventually to make it an independent backup server, but this seemed like an easier setup to get my pool refactored. ![PXL_20260302_070421955](https://forum.45homelab.com/uploads/default/original/2X/f/f5f1a5b127a40a8218ca68532288a34a5a450e10.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Hutch-45Drives](https://forum.45homelab.com/user_avatar/forum.45homelab.com/hutch-45drives/32/64_2.png) [@Hutch-45Drives](https://forum.45homelab.com/u/Hutch-45Drives)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2026, 12:30pm UTC](https://forum.45homelab.com/t/hl15-tinman-simple-jbod-expansion/3750/2 "2026-03-03T12:30:28Z")
This is so cool!! Love what you are doing, keep it up! ---
**Author:** ![brainchill](https://forum.45homelab.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/a3d4f5/32.png) [@brainchill](https://forum.45homelab.com/u/brainchill)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 12:48am UTC](https://forum.45homelab.com/t/hl15-tinman-simple-jbod-expansion/3750/3 "2026-03-04T00:48:58Z")
This is pretty cool stuff. Another good option for doing something like this is one of these guys. I keep one on a shelf for just this kind of operation. [https://www.qnap.com/en-us/product/tl-d1600s](https://www.qnap.com/en-us/product/tl-d1600s) I got mine from eBay for $500 with an 9305-16e ---
**Author:** ![DigitalGarden](https://forum.45homelab.com/user_avatar/forum.45homelab.com/digitalgarden/32/1785_2.png) [@DigitalGarden](https://forum.45homelab.com/u/DigitalGarden)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 1:58am UTC](https://forum.45homelab.com/t/hl15-tinman-simple-jbod-expansion/3750/4 "2026-03-04T01:58:34Z")
Yeah, there are definitely other, cheaper solutions, although I didn’t think of using an expansion unit from one of the consumer NAS brands. But, I have other uses for the case, it wasn’t purchased just for this.