2

I have bought an OWC Aura SSD that I have used to expand the memory of my previous Macbook. Now, for various reasons, I would like to use the Aura SSD as an external drive. Is there any enclosure available which is compatible with it? Apparently, the Envoy enclosure it was delivered with is not - it is only intended to be used with the original Apple SSD. I found the following disclaimer in the product description:

"Important Note: The OWC Envoy enclosure has been specifically designed for use ONLY with the factory SSD found installed in Apple MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with Retina display mid-2013 and later models. Do NOT attempt to install or use the OWC Aura SSD in the Envoy as you can damage the Aura drive, the Envoy enclosure or both and such damage is not covered under warranty."

OWC Aura SSD product description

Improve this question
2
  • 1
    Why use an enclosure? I just attach my bare SSD with a cable/SATA adapter that was part of an enclosure.
    – Zonker.in.Geneva
    Aug 20, 2017 at 9:33
  • Did you find a compatible enclosure? And did you try the Envoy enclosure with the Aura?
    – Kaizer Sozay
    Dec 29, 2021 at 3:06

5 Answers 5

Reset to default
1

As far as I know, there's no such enclosure on the market today.

The reason behind the disclaimer is that the OWC drive produces more heat than the Apple-supplied drive. The enclosure simply does not cool the OWC sufficiently.

You could add some custom cooling to the enclosure (or simply not put on the lid), and make sure that the temperature stays within specs.

Improve this answer
0
2

This is the answer I just got asking OWC why you can't use their Envoy enclosure with an Aura drive:

They use a different voltage than the Apple drives. Using them together may cause damage to the drive, enclosure, or both.

Sincerely,
Duane C. Customer Experience

I'm not sure I believe that. I would believe the heat issue.

Improve this answer
1
  • Did you find a suitable enclosure?
    – Kaizer Sozay
    Dec 29, 2021 at 3:08
2

This enclosure works with various Aura models (not sure which one yours is). You can check if yours is compatible :

https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MAU3ENP1AW/

It is made by OWC itself and looks the same.

You can ask support if your drive is compatible, otherwise OWC seems to have a number of enclosure variants which are compatible with different kinds of drives.

Improve this answer
1
  • How do you know that works? - The description from OWC specifically states that it works only with the Auro Pro (X/X2) and Aura N(2) drives. The drive in this question is specifically not listed as compatible.
    – jksoegaard
    Mar 7, 2022 at 9:03
1

The CY USB 3.0 to 17+7pin SSD HDD to SATA 22Pin Hard Disk Cartridge Drive for Macbook Air Pro MD223 MD224 MD231 MD232 SSD available on Amazon for $16 worked for me. I had removed my OWC Aura 480 gb SSD from my mid-2012 Air that I was selling. As OWC stated, the Envoy would not work, but took a chance on this adapter from Amazon (which includes USB 3.0 cable worked. I plugged my USB-C adapter into the USB-3 cable and into my 2016 MacBook and DiskUtility recognized and allow me to erase and reformat as a new external drive. The adapter does not have a case...but who cares, it works and I now have 480gb's of usable SSD

Improve this answer
0

I have a "OWC Aura" 1st edition (not the Pro, which is a NVMe. the older 2TB one with a power cable extended from it). If I knew what the voltage was that I needed to provide to it, I think I could get it connected to USB and then I would be able to reformat it. The 10.14.6 update hosed it and now when the OWC drive is connected to the computer it hangs on startup and recovery utility cannot be opened. NOTE: When the OEM Samsung drive is installed in my "Mac Pro", 10.14.6 works fine and in that case booting to recovery utility works.

So, If I knew either the voltage OR if there was a USB adapter that might work with it, then I think I could fix the drive.

Improve this answer
0

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .