Portable External Hard Drive cannot be powered

[core2kid]

I have a P5Q-E motherboard with a 650w power supply that won't power my external 320GB portable hard drive. I have tried front USB, rear USB and a USB hub on the monitor. All ports produce a clicking sound except the USB hub which poweres it fine. It is also only my custom built computers. My bought Dell desktop and laptop doesn't give me a problem. I am also using the 2 USB plug (data+power) cable. Is there a setting to send more power to the USB hub or a secondary header for the front USB that provides more power?

 

[SolMiester]

Have you disconnected all other usb powered devices, sounds like your board has run out of juice....

 

[core2kid]

No I haven't bur the only other devices on USB are the mouse, kb, Bluetooth module that's disabled in windows and an internal USB wireless adapter off the p5k-e wifi/ap motherboard. None of these devices should be drawing a lot of power. The psu is also a cooler master 650w 80+ certified one.

 

[C1]

You could try a shorter (and more heavy duty) USB cable (eg, 12" long ZIO cables purchased from Cyberguys). If your external drive doesnt work with the double ended USB cable (usually supplied with the HDD where the second USB is for additional current), then my guess is that something else is wrong (such as the computer/OS isnt properly recognizing the ext. HDD).

Again about ext. HDDs. Try to stay with single platter models (which generally require less current). Also, buy a high quality unit that has been integrated properly using properly selected components by the manufacturer such as IOMEGA drives made to support operation using a single USB. You'll pay more, but they work!

http://go.iomega.com/en-us/products...ortable-series/prestige-compact/?partner=4760

 

[Old Hippie]

Your computer's PS's rating has nothing to do with powering an external drive.

C1 is correct.....if it doesn't work with a dual-USB cable there's another problem.

Either connect the drive directly to your computer or use a different external case to troubleshoot the problem.

 

[Russwinters]

I have seen some of the boards used on the external devices not play nice with certain motherboards before. I have not figured out an exact cause, but basically it can be an incompatibility with the SATA -> USB adapter inside the case and your motherboards USB controller.


It could be that the USB hub you are using helps this because it communicates with the adapter properly, and sort of acts as a "middle man" interpreting in between your motherboard usb controller and the controller on the adapter inside the external hdd case.


Regards,

 

[C1]

Yes, the electronics in the ext. enclosure are important. if you read the box for the external HDD cases like one of the 2.5" Sambia's at Fry's, you will see a bunch of compliance standards related from SATA to power management that the electronics supports.

Again, on something as important as an ext. USB drive, dont buy low class. The HDD is portable & that means a lot of things. That it is properly contained to provide the flexibility to carry it with you where ever you go as well as plug it into to God knows what. (In my case, I may be visiting a relative or friend in their home & want to use their machine or be at the public library using its machine. With IOMEGA ext. HDDs, I have been all over the country & have never encountered an issue with either a drive failure or one wire USB non-interoperability. I can use a six foot cable too. I have a bunch of different sizes of these drives & they all work as stated.)

 

[core2kid]

Thanks for all your help but it's not just this computer that's doing it. It's all my 3 custom built ones. One uses a P5K-E motherboard, the other uses a P5Q-E motherboard and the last uses a Mach Speed PT88AS board. This works fine on all pre built like HP, Dell, Gateway's that I have.
As for the type of drive it is, It's a 320GB 5400 RPM Western Digital drive in an Antec enclosure:

Enclosure:
http://www.amazon.com/Antec-MX-25-2-.../dp/B0025X1A2M

HDD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136197

I also tried removing all other USB devices and that still didn't work (I couldn't remove the internal wireless card)

In the case earlier, I had a 160GB drive that worked fine. Not on the front USB, but on the rear with the same cable. The hub I'm using is my Dell monitor so I think it gives power to the USB drive.

If I can't get that drive to work, what power adapter should I use for it?

 

[VirtualLarry]

It seems odd that it wouldn't work with the dual-plug USB cable. But if you really want to make sure that you are giving it enough power, connect the non-DATA USB plug to an AC-to-USB charger unit, the types that have a +5v USB socket on them for charging phones. That should definitely give it enough juice.

 

[core2kid]

It seems odd that it wouldn't work with the dual-plug USB cable. But if you really want to make sure that you are giving it enough power, connect the non-DATA USB plug to an AC-to-USB charger unit, the types that have a +5v USB socket on them for charging phones. That should definitely give it enough juice.

That will work but it's not really practical. I was looking for a AC adapter that I could just plug into the enclosure. The enclosure has a port for an AC adapter but it doesn't have any voltage ratings on it. Anybody know what I should use?

 

[C1]

You will use 5 volts DC. There may be a question about polarity. All the auxiliary power input ports of the drives I have show as clearly marked that the center terminal is positive.

 

[core2kid]

Well now I plugged in an iPod touch that I thought was dead to the USB port and it didn't do anything. Then I plugged it into my Dell Laptop and it showed me the low battery logo and started charging. It seems as though it's with anything that requires more power. Is this a motherboard problem?

 

[corkyg]

These issues with USB 2.5 drives have been around for years. The best solution is a powered hub, period. That will deliver the necessary 5 vdc to the drive with zero impact on your system PSU. USB power from the mobo ports has always been somewhat flaky.

If the drive is designed to be used with two USB ports, it usually comes with such a cable.

 

[Russwinters]

it could be some sort of problem with the USB ports not properly acting as USB 2.0.?


Check bios

Check drivers


ask on manufacturer boards


Regards,

 

[Modelworks]

These issues with USB 2.5 drives have been around for years. The best solution is a powered hub, period. That will deliver the necessary 5 vdc to the drive with zero impact on your system PSU. USB power from the mobo ports has always been somewhat flaky.

If the drive is designed to be used with two USB ports, it usually comes with such a cable.

I hate the drives that come as two usb port solutions for external power because it often does not solve the problem. A lot of motherboards will split the current limit between two ports to save cost so the 2 usb port method sometimes fails.

To the OP. Get a powered hub. I wasn't satisfied with even that as I have a lot of development stuff that uses USB power so removed the connection to the +5v wiring for the pc connection inside the hub. Then I attached a wire to my pc power supply +5v and connected that inside the hub to the +5v it normally would be supplied through the usb cable. I now have a hub that can source more than 5A.

 

[core2kid]

Well I tried a 250GB SATA drive in the enclosure and it worked. The drive on the back said +5v 0.6A. My 320GB drive that doesn't properly work says +5v 0.55A so it is using less power than the one that worked.

The USB ports are properly running at USB 2.0 mode since I can copy 700MB in about a minute @ 30MB/s

@Modelworks
You're saying that the drive is unable to run because of a lack in amperage, not voltage thus this can be solved by shortening the length of the USB cable as mentioned earlier in this thread.

 

[Emulex]

you know the main problem i've seen with the usb powered devices is crappy grounding

 

[Old Hippie]

You're saying that the drive is unable to run because of a lack in amperage, not voltage thus this can be solved by shortening the length of the USB cable

That works?

 

[RebateMonger]

Seagate whitepaper on external USB drives:
http://www.seagate.com/docs/pdf/whitepaper/TP-535.pdf

One of the early issues with 7200 rpm notebook drives was that some laptops couldn't provide enough startup current to get them to spin up.

The Seagate paper says that motherboards vary in their ability to provide short-term current above 1 Amp that's required to spin up many notebook drives. It's a good reason to use powered USB hubs for hard drives.

 

[core2kid]

That works?

My electrical engineering professor said the flow of amperage degrades over a long thin wire so basically using a thicker shorter wire should provide more amperage. Somebody here said that earlier.

I think I am definitely going to look into the USB powered hub option. I'll also try a new enclosure since my WD 120GB works fine.

 

[C1]

The limit for USB supply is 500ma & your drives are already specified as exceeding that. The drive, when it is fully normally spun up & running typically uses less than the maximum current (in your case 0.55/0.60 amp). This is one of the areas where the right electronics in the enclosure comes in to play. Good quality electronics will spin up the drive then make the proper registration with the OS thru the hardware all within the operational limits of the USB. It also helps to select a suitable HDD with favorable power characteristics (eg, max current, read current, write current, etc.)

If you would buy the correct hardware for the job (eg, an integrated design for single wire application you wouldnt have to be going thru all this trouble; IOMEGA does not come with a stupid two headed USB cable because it doesnt need it).

http://go.iomega.com/en-us/products...ortable-series/prestige-compact/?partner=4760

 

[core2kid]

The limit for USB supply is 500ma & your drives are already specified as exceeding that. The drive, when it is fully normally spun up & running typically uses less than the maximum current (in your case 0.55/0.60 amp). This is one of the areas where the right electronics in the enclosure comes in to play. Good quality electronics will spin up the drive then make the proper registration with the OS thru the hardware all within the operational limits of the USB. It also helps to select a suitable HDD with favorable power characteristics (eg, max current, read current, write current, etc.)

If you would buy the correct hardware for the job (eg, an integrated design for single wire application you wouldnt have to be going thru all this trouble; IOMEGA does not come with a stupid two headed USB cable because it doesnt need it).

http://go.iomega.com/en-us/products...ortable-series/prestige-compact/?partner=4760

You have continuously been referring me to Iomega drives. Do you work there or something?

The thing is, I'm not spending $90 for a 320GB hard drive when the drives alone are less than $50. Sure, I might be having some trouble now but I can go and buy another enclosure for $30 at the most. Reason I'm using this enclosure is because I already had it laying in the house and I just ended up swapping one of my laptops 320GB drives with the 160GB that used to be inside. I don't need a lot of storage space on my laptop, it's only a college laptop. I have my desktop for the storage (1TB)

 

[C1]

If one had to guess, then the 320GB is probably a two platter drive & requires a larger current draw (and for a bit longer of a time period) than the 160GB to spin up because of the increased platter mass/inertia. The enclosures electronics were based on the assumption of the property characteristics for the 160GB HDD.

No I dont work for IOMEGA, but Ive been involved with too many friends who bought ext. USB HDDs that wont work with their computers. Also, I see people all the time buying a nice big thick multiplatter ext HDD like a 640GB & expect to run it on a 6' USB cable.

 

[killster1]

nice they have 640gb usb ext that only run off usb power? i have cheapy usb lappy ext and it runs fine with every computer i have with the two plugs but i think it only has 250gb hd in it i love not having to plug in the power tho.. i know on a old mobo i had i had to up the soulthbridge volts to make teh usb work proper (might have been because of overclock or maybe just needed moer volts dont remember)

 

[core2kid]

I could try to increase the Southbridge voltage on mine and see if that works. Are there any adverse effects to it?

If that doesn't work, I'll just look into buying a broken portable Iomega HDD from eBay and putting my drive inside it. I'm pretty sure Iomega doesn't make HDDs and rather just the enclosures with third party drives inside them.