2.5" SATA SSD not being detected over USB 3 adapter

[GunsMadeAmericaFree]

I just bought a couple of SSD's and some SATA (power & data) to USB 3 adapter cables. I plan to install these eventually as external storage for a couple of thin clients. The SSD draws about 3 watts.

According to the (very minimal) document that came with the adapter cables, I SHOULD be able to just plug this in and have Windows 11 detect the drive. Nothing of the sort happened - system doesn't seem to see it.

I also booted into BIOS, and it does not see the drive either.

Any thoughts on why the system would not see the drive, or what I might need to do to be able to use it? Thanks for any help!

 

[sdifox]

If the device is not showing up in the device manager, you are not going to see the drive either. Look up the chipset being used in that usb adapter, you may need to hunt down the driver.

 

[VirtualLarry]

The $10 (on sale) StarTech USB3-TO-SATA dongles have been pretty-much flawless in every program and environment for me.

You do know that you can't use these with 3.5" HDDs, right? That they could burn them out? They make special ones for 3.5" drives, with an added wal-wart to supply +12V power to the interface/motor.

Rosewill are OK in a pinch, usually, but I've run into flakiness with them at times.

"Generic" (under $5) adapters, AVOID. Chinese Garbage.

 

[sdifox]

The $10 (on sale) StarTech USB3-TO-SATA dongles have been pretty-much flawless in every program and environment for me.

You do know that you can't use these with 3.5" HDDs, right? That they could burn them out? They make special ones for 3.5" drives, with an added wal-wart to supply +12V power to the interface/motor.

Rosewill are OK in a pinch, usually, but I've run into flakiness with them at times.

"Generic" (under $5) adapters, AVOID. Chinese Garbage.

Err he has 2.5" SSDs.

 

[GunsMadeAmericaFree]

>>>"Generic" (under $5) adapters, AVOID. Chinese Garbage.

Unfortunately, it looks like that is what I got: several model HQX02 adapters, from Shenzhen Haoqixin Technology Co.

Interesting that the drive I am trying to use, a Patriot P210 (P210S1TB25), I have found a couple of places mention that it uses less than 3 Watts, max. USB 3 SHOULD supply about 4.5 Watts, so I wouldn't think that would be a problem....

However, the lights on the adapter itself show a tiny blue led where it says "access", but a red light where it says power. I would assume that this seems to be indicating not enough power. In device manager, it seems to be showing up as a SCSI disk drive, which is strange, but at least it is detecting the Brand name and model number, so it sees it.

However, no disk shows up when I go into "this pc"". I do notice that the adapter seems to have a round power adapter hole, probably for adding 12 volts DC power supply. But surely that isn't necessary for such a low power draw SSD?

*SIGH* - should I just throw these out and start again? Tried another of the adapters on two different PC's, and same issue.....

 

[sdifox]

Give the power port a try? Wait the drive is listed in device manager? Then go to disk manager, you may need to assign drive letter.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Then go to disk manager, you may need to assign drive letter.

this

 

[GunsMadeAmericaFree]

this

Haha! That was it! I had assumed that the red light on 'power' meant that it didn't have enough, but evidently that just showed that it was getting power! I'm in process of doing a slow format to exfat. What would eventually be a good choice for a dual boot Linux and Windows system?

 

[tcsenter]

This is worthy of technical professional forum?

 

[sdifox]

This is worthy of technical professional forum?

A thread is a thread. Beggers can't be choosers.

 

[mikeymikec]

My old 'ICY DOCK' multi-interface USB 3 docking bay doesn't work either Samsung SSDs newer than the 850 or 860 (I can't remember which). I have another one that does.

it could be a compatibility issue?

 

[sdifox]

My old 'ICY DOCK' multi-interface USB 3 docking bay doesn't work either Samsung SSDs newer than the 850 or 860 (I can't remember which). I have another one that does.

it could be a compatibility issue?

There shouldn't be compatibility issue. Sata is sata.

 

[mikeymikec]

There shouldn't be compatibility issue. Sata is sata.

Logically there's more to it than that, isn't there? If you crack open a USB drive enclosure, there's going to be a chip in there that facilitates communication, not some simple pin-out rewriting arrangement to turn SATA into USB. Maybe the chip in my 'ICY DOCK' doesn't completely correctly implement UASP in some way that affects its ability to talk to newer Samsung SATA SSDs? After all, there's been plenty of southbridge chips over the years failing to implement SATA completely correctly (it's why particularly older SATA drives had jumpers to say disable SATA 3Gbps/6Gbps), why not a USB drive enclosure too?

Otherwise, the docking bay has been completely reliable, I use it regularly and it must have seen hundreds of models of storage drives since I bought it in 2013.

MB881U3-1SA_SSD/Hard Drive Docking_EXTERNAL DRIVE ENCLOSURES / DOCKING_ICY DOCK manufacturer Removable enclosure, Screwless hard drive enclosure, SAS SATA Mobile Rack, DVR Surveillance Recording, Video Audio Editing, SATA portable hard drive enclosur

ICY DOCK product page overview description for SATA/SAS/NVMe rugged mobile rack enclosures.

www.icydock.com

 

[sdifox]

That's not compatibility, that's competence.

 

[GunsMadeAmericaFree]

This is worthy of technical professional forum?

Sorry, it was my first time ever trying to hook up a 2.5" SATA SSD to one of these USB3 to SATA adapters. (I didn't even know such a thing existed until last week) The thing didn't come with ANY useful documentation, so I thought I'd ask on here for suggestions from folks who had experience with them.

Speeds are fairly decent, I guess.

 

[tcsenter]

>>>"Generic" (under $5) adapters, AVOID. Chinese Garbage.

Unfortunately, it looks like that is what I got: several model HQX02 adapters, from Shenzhen Haoqixin Technology Co.

Like these?





I also have one with extra power via AC adapter that works with 3.5" HDDs:





All of these have worked fine for my needs thus far. I think they're all (the ones I have) using the latest ASMedia controller or bridge chip.

 

[GunsMadeAmericaFree]

Like these?

View attachment 99194



I also have one with extra power via AC adapter that works with 3.5" HDDs:


View attachment 99195


All of these have worked fine for my needs thus far. I think they're all (the ones I have) using the latest ASMedia controller or bridge chip.

Yep, it looks just like the USB A one, but on the back of the SATA hookup, near the cable, it has a round power connector, which I assume is for 12 volt AC, since it does say it will support 3.5" hard drives with that.

 

[Jimminy]

FWIW, I have a bunch of these adapters, both those contained in a 2.5" case, and some which are just the adapter and cable, with no case.

I found that the more expensive ones had almost as many problems as the cheap chinese no-name devices.

By far, the most common problem I've had was with the cable itself. Either they are flakey when brand new, or they get that way not long after. So, I got to where I wouldn't buy any adapter or case if the cable wasn't removable. After finding some really nicely made cables, I tested them a while and finally bought a number of them as replacement spares.

The adapters with removable cable are hard to find, but I finally found two: an Anker A7620 and a QICENT AD20U3. ( I think ORICO 20UTS is possibly the same under a different name.)

 

[tcsenter]

Honestly the external enclosures are not all that much more. I have removed the PCB with connector from a couple enclosures and just use them as-is because I was swapping drives so much.

 

[sdifox]

I would just use a usb hub with power.

 

[GunsMadeAmericaFree]

Patriot finally answered my question about the SSD's power draw with the info above. My understanding was that USB 3 offered just 4.5 Watts max power. If the active write takes 20 watts, then how in the world is this thing working well??? They are saying that this thing (P210) uses more than that just at idle......

 

[sdifox]

View attachment 99286

Patriot finally answered my question about the SSD's power draw with the info above. My understanding was that USB 3 offered just 4.5 Watts max power. If the active write takes 20 watts, then how in the world is this thing working well??? They are saying that this thing (P210) uses more than that just at idle......

There is a reason I would never use an unpowered sata usb connection. Unless you get a Type-C PD one.

 

[GunsMadeAmericaFree]

Strange that I have been able to xfer 800 gigabytes worth of files back and forth between the drive and another drive with no problems. Either usb 3 gives more power than I thought, or this thing is drawing a lot less power than they are saying.

 

[sdifox]

Better make sure there is no file corruption

 

[tcsenter]

Patriot finally answered my question about the SSD's power draw with the info above. My understanding was that USB 3 offered just 4.5 Watts max power. If the active write takes 20 watts, then how in the world is this thing working well??? They are saying that this thing (P210) uses more than that just at idle......

They must have pulled up the wrong document or fudged a decimal place. Those are power figures for like enterprise class spinners.