In a July 27, 2026 ZimaSpace Discord discussion, KairosFury asked whether a ZimaCube could use an LSI SAS HBA with a 24 TB SAS hard drive. A Community Moderator explained that a PCIe HBA can physically be installed, but the stock ZimaCube drive backplane does not provide SAS support, so the normal hot-swap drive path cannot simply be converted into a SAS setup by adding an HBA.
The practical answer from the discussion was therefore: an HBA card alone is not enough. Using the SAS drive would require bypassing or removing the stock backplane for that drive, creating a separate data path to the HBA, and solving drive power independently. The moderator also cautioned that HBA support can depend on the operating system and exact card.
Does the ZimaCube Backplane Support SAS Drives?
No, not as a SAS storage path. An earlier IceWhale Community discussion about SAS drives in ZimaCube records the official explanation that the drive controller supports SATA drives and cannot recognize a SAS disk even though the physical connector shape can accept it.
This distinction explains why the question is easy to misunderstand. A connector or backplane that physically resembles a SAS-compatible interface does not necessarily mean that the controller and signal path implement the SAS protocol.
Can You Install an LSI SAS HBA in ZimaCube?
Physically installing a compatible PCIe HBA is possible in principle, according to the July 27, 2026 Discord reply. The problem is that the stock drive bays remain attached to the ZimaCube backplane and its SATA-oriented controller path. Installing the HBA does not reroute those bays to the new card.
To make a SAS drive communicate directly with the HBA, the drive would need a separate SAS data connection to that card rather than the normal ZimaCube backplane path. The moderator described this as a modification that effectively requires taking apart the intended storage layout rather than a supported plug-and-play upgrade.
Why Drive Power Becomes a Second Problem
Once a SAS drive is removed from the normal backplane path, data connectivity is only half of the problem. The drive still needs a suitable power source. The Discord response explicitly called this out: after bypassing the backplane, the user would also have to determine how to power the SAS drive safely.
The discussion did not define a supported cable, power adapter, current budget, or wiring method for this modification. For that reason, this page does not provide an improvised power-wiring procedure.
Does ZimaOS Support Every SAS HBA?
No such guarantee was made. The moderator cautioned that depending on the HBA model, ZimaOS might not support the card. HBA compatibility depends on the chipset and the operating system's available driver support, so the exact LSI model must be checked rather than assuming that every LSI SAS card behaves the same way.
KairosFury then clarified that Ubuntu would be used instead of ZimaOS. That changes the driver question, but it does not change the physical limitation of the ZimaCube backplane itself.
What Did KairosFury Decide?
After the moderator explained the backplane, power, and possible driver limitations, KairosFury decided not to rebuild the ZimaCube storage path around the SAS drive. Instead, the user said they would put the 24 TB SAS drive into a personal PC while running Ubuntu on the ZimaCube.
That outcome reflects the central trade-off in this Discussion: a custom SAS configuration may be technically possible with enough hardware modification, but it is very different from simply installing an HBA and continuing to use the stock ZimaCube bays as if they were SAS bays.
What the Discussion Did Not Confirm
The July 27, 2026 discussion did not identify the exact LSI HBA model, confirm a working SAS cable layout inside ZimaCube, provide a supported drive-power method, verify Ubuntu driver support for a specific card, or document a completed SAS conversion.
It also did not establish that SAS drives can operate through the stock backplane in native SAS mode. The available community guidance points in the opposite direction: the stock storage controller path is SATA-oriented even though the connector form can cause understandable confusion.
ZimaCube SAS HBA FAQ
Can I put a SAS drive directly into a ZimaCube drive bay?
The physical connector may accept the drive, but the stock ZimaCube storage controller does not provide native SAS support, so a SAS disk should not be expected to work through the normal backplane path.
Will adding an LSI SAS HBA make the existing bays support SAS?
No. Adding an HBA does not automatically reroute the stock backplane bays to that card. A direct SAS data connection to the HBA and a separate power solution would be required.
Is Ubuntu more likely than ZimaOS to support an LSI HBA?
Ubuntu may have broader driver availability for some HBA chipsets, but compatibility still depends on the exact card. The Discord discussion did not test or confirm a specific model.
