Summary of KOBOL, THE COMPANY BEHIND HELIOS64 NAS SYSTEM CALLS IT QUIT AND SHUT IT’S DOORS
Helios64 maker Kobol, a three-person company, announced it is ceasing operations and will only provide support when available. The team returned from a two-month break in April before making the decision. Helios64, a five-bay open-spec NAS successor to Helios4, was downgraded from the planned Rockchip RK3399K CPU due to COVID-related shortages and faced hardware and software issues (faulty Ethernet port, oversized drive sleds, rushed updates). Customers face uncertainty about future support, hardware revisions, or a second production run.
Parts used in the Helios64 NAS:
- Five-bay chassis
- Drive sleds
- Ethernet port
- Rockchip RK3399K (original planned processor)
- Downgraded Rockchip processor (slower version)
- NAS motherboard (open-spec)
- Storage drives (user-supplied)
Recent news reaching us is that Helios4 and Helios64 manufacturer, Kobol, has decided to call it quits promising to only give its support to its customers when available.
The three-man company behind the popular open-spec network-attached storage (NAS) devices made this announcement shortly after it returned from a two-month break which it took in April.
Helios64 network-attached storage system was first unveiled by Kobol about two years ago as a follow-up to its considerably more blocky Helios4 system. The stylish five-bay open-spec NAS system was initially supposed to be powered by a Rockchip RK3399K processor but was later stepped down to a slower version due to the shortage of components during COVID-19. There were also other issues that came along when the system was finally launched — ranging from a faulty Ethernet port to drive sleds which were slightly too big to fit in the chassis and then to other bigger concerns that possibly came from rushed software updates — which according to guesses were part of what led the three-man team to shut its doors.
Meanwhile, this big decision by the team has left those who have bought a Helios64 with quite an uncertain future, especially as no one knows what the next line of action will be. There is also uncertainty as to when there would be a second production run of the system hardware as well as newer revisions that will see to the fixing of some or all of the design flaws.
Read more: KOBOL, THE COMPANY BEHIND HELIOS64 NAS SYSTEM CALLS IT QUIT AND SHUT IT’S DOORS
- Why did Kobol shut down?
The company announced it is calling it quits after returning from a two-month break and will only offer support when available. - What problems did Helios64 have?
The article reports a faulty Ethernet port, drive sleds slightly too big for the chassis, and issues possibly from rushed software updates. - Was Helios64 manufactured with the intended processor?
No, it was initially supposed to use a Rockchip RK3399K but was stepped down to a slower Rockchip processor due to component shortages during COVID-19. - Will Kobol continue to support customers?
The company promised to provide support only when available. - Is there clarity on a second production run or hardware revisions?
No, there is uncertainty about a second production run and when or if design flaws will be fixed. - How many bays does the Helios64 have?
Helios64 is a five-bay open-spec NAS system.
