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Portable ext. HDDs without power AC?



 
 
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  #1  
Old August 24th 14, 08:06 PM posted to comp.sys.mac.hardware.storage,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,alt.comp.periphs.hdd
Ant[_3_]
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Posts: 756
Default Portable ext. HDDs without power AC?

Hello.

I know some people prefer to use portable external HDDs, with their
power AC connection enclosures or adapters, for reliability and
stability. Some people prefer those tiny HDDs with only their USB
connections for both power and accessing data (easiest and lightest).

Are there any external HDD adapters and enclosures that do not use power
AC connections? I don't know mind having to use another
USB/Firewire/ESATA/Thunderbolt cable connection to the computer when
using one already instead of having to carry its power AC cable and
brick. I have not seen one yet. Or is it not possible?

Thank you in advance.
--
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trail going. You know, Texas red ants, inch long! Just love to bite into
human flesh, catch what I'm saying here? See, they're eating him alive,
nice and slow like..." --Ross Perot in Saturday Night Live's Debate '92
skit.
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  #2  
Old August 24th 14, 08:13 PM posted to comp.sys.mac.hardware.storage,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,alt.comp.periphs.hdd
nospam
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Posts: 160
Default Portable ext. HDDs without power AC?

In article , Ant
wrote:

Hello.

I know some people prefer to use portable external HDDs, with their
power AC connection enclosures or adapters, for reliability and
stability. Some people prefer those tiny HDDs with only their USB
connections for both power and accessing data (easiest and lightest).

Are there any external HDD adapters and enclosures that do not use power
AC connections? I don't know mind having to use another
USB/Firewire/ESATA/Thunderbolt cable connection to the computer when
using one already instead of having to carry its power AC cable and
brick. I have not seen one yet. Or is it not possible?


just about every 2.5" enclosure can be bus-powered.
however, usb power can be unreliable.
  #3  
Old August 24th 14, 08:26 PM posted to comp.sys.mac.hardware.storage,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,alt.comp.periphs.hdd
Ant[_3_]
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Posts: 756
Default Portable ext. HDDs without power AC?

On 8/24/2014 12:13 PM PT, nospam typed:
just about every 2.5" enclosure can be bus-powered.
however, usb power can be unreliable.


What about other connection types like ESATA, Firewire, Thunderbolt,
etc. if they exist on the computers?
--
"A coconut shell full of water is a(n) sea/ocean to an ant." --Indians
/\___/\ Ant(Dude) @ http://antfarm.ma.cx (Personal Web Site)
/ /\ /\ \ Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net
| |o o| |
\ _ / If crediting, then use Ant nickname and AQFL URL/link.
( ) If e-mailing, then axe ANT from its address if needed.
A song (i/wa)s playing on this computer: Madonna - Like a Prayer (Ultimix)
  #4  
Old August 24th 14, 08:38 PM posted to comp.sys.mac.hardware.storage,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,alt.comp.periphs.hdd
nospam
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Posts: 160
Default Portable ext. HDDs without power AC?

In article , Ant
wrote:

On 8/24/2014 12:13 PM PT, nospam typed:
just about every 2.5" enclosure can be bus-powered.
however, usb power can be unreliable.


What about other connection types like ESATA, Firewire, Thunderbolt,
etc. if they exist on the computers?


esata doesn't provide power.
firewire provides power.
very few thunderbolt drives are bus-powered and not cheap.
  #5  
Old August 24th 14, 09:00 PM posted to comp.sys.mac.hardware.storage,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,alt.comp.periphs.hdd
Ant[_3_]
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Posts: 756
Default Portable ext. HDDs without power AC?

On 8/24/2014 12:38 PM PT, nospam typed:

just about every 2.5" enclosure can be bus-powered.
however, usb power can be unreliable.


What about other connection types like ESATA, Firewire, Thunderbolt,
etc. if they exist on the computers?


esata doesn't provide power.
firewire provides power.
very few thunderbolt drives are bus-powered and not cheap.


Interesting. Now, do enclosures and adapters without power AC connection
and use stable Firewire's power exist?
--
"The ants are my friends, they're blowin' in the wind. The ant, sir, is
blowin' in the wind." --the misheard lyrics to Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in
the Wind"
/\___/\ Ant(Dude) @ http://antfarm.ma.cx (Personal Web Site)
/ /\ /\ \ Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net
| |o o| |
\ _ / If crediting, then use Ant nickname and AQFL URL/link.
( ) If e-mailing, then axe ANT from its address if needed.
A song (i/wa)s playing on this computer: Gigi D'Agostino - I'll Fly With
You (Jason Nevins House Remix)
  #6  
Old August 24th 14, 09:10 PM posted to comp.sys.mac.hardware.storage,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,alt.comp.periphs.hdd
nospam
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 160
Default Portable ext. HDDs without power AC?

In article , Ant
wrote:

just about every 2.5" enclosure can be bus-powered.
however, usb power can be unreliable.

What about other connection types like ESATA, Firewire, Thunderbolt,
etc. if they exist on the computers?


esata doesn't provide power.
firewire provides power.
very few thunderbolt drives are bus-powered and not cheap.


Interesting. Now, do enclosures and adapters without power AC connection
and use stable Firewire's power exist?


firewire is the most reliable since it sources the most power.

it can even run *two* laptop drives daisy-chained off of one port,
possibly even three but that's pushing it (7-8 watts available, versus
2.5w for standard usb).

older macs sourced more current and could even power 3.5" drives (which
did exist briefly) but that hasn't been the case for years.
  #7  
Old August 24th 14, 09:29 PM posted to comp.sys.mac.hardware.storage,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,alt.comp.periphs.hdd
Ant[_3_]
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Posts: 756
Default Portable ext. HDDs without power AC?

On 8/24/2014 1:10 PM PT, nospam typed:

firewire is the most reliable since it sources the most power.

it can even run *two* laptop drives daisy-chained off of one port,
possibly even three but that's pushing it (7-8 watts available, versus
2.5w for standard usb).

older macs sourced more current and could even power 3.5" drives (which
did exist briefly) but that hasn't been the case for years.


Aww, so it won't matter these days for the newer stuff then. I remember
using an external DVD-ROM drive that used two USB connections that
didn't use power AC.
--
"The ants and termites have renounced the Hobbesian war." --Petr Kropotkin
/\___/\ Ant(Dude) @ http://antfarm.ma.cx (Personal Web Site)
/ /\ /\ \ Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net
| |o o| |
\ _ / If crediting, then use Ant nickname and AQFL URL/link.
( ) If e-mailing, then axe ANT from its address if needed.
A song (i/wa)s playing on this computer: Gigi D'Agostino - I'll Fly With
You (Radio Edit)
  #8  
Old August 24th 14, 09:34 PM posted to comp.sys.mac.hardware.storage,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage
VanguardLH[_2_]
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Posts: 1,453
Default Portable ext. HDDs without power AC?

Ant wrote:
Note: I could not reply to alt.comp.periphs.hdd as that newsgroup is not
peered to my Usenet provider (Albasani).

nospam typed:

just about every 2.5" enclosure can be bus-powered. however, usb
power can be unreliable.


What about other connection types like ESATA, Firewire, Thunderbolt,
etc. if they exist on the computers?


eSATA is just SATA with a shielded data cable running to a backpanel
connector. Look at your SATA drives. They have BOTH a data connection
and a power connection. Those are separate connections. The eSATA port
just has the data cable going to it. The eSATA device (external drive)
must be self-powered.

http://www.interfacebus.com/eSATA_Interface.html

Like USB, Firewire provides a power pin in its connector. See:

http://www.interfacebus.com/Design_C...irewire.html#b

However, many of the IEEE-1394 devices (e.g., cameras) only have the
mini 4-pin connector in them. The 6-pin computer connector has a power
pin. The 4-pin device mini connector does not. The Firewire device
with a mini 4-pin connector must be self-powered.

I haven't heard of a "Thunderbolt" cabling scheme, and the above site
doesn't list specs and pinouts for one. Looks like a Mac/Apple thing:
http://macs.about.com/od/faq1/f/What...-Speed-I-O.htm.
Found the pinout at:

http://pinoutsguide.com/SerialPorts/...t_pinout.shtml

Doesn't look to be any power pins so the external device must be
self-powered. This hardware protocol was designed to work with monitors
and transfer data, so those other devices have their own power.

Is there a reason why you don't want to use a USB-powered external HDD?
When looking at e-tailers, look for 2.5" laptop drives. Don't get any
rated "green" or power saving. You don't want the drive to power down
or stop spinning as it can interfere with its use, especially during
long file transfers (e.g., backups that take an hour, or more).

Just as important is getting a good enclosure. I had tried a Rosewill
case but it seems USB is flaky on anything Rosewill (I've had several
Rosewill products with USB and ended up returning all of them). I got a
Vantec (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817392032)
and it worked very well. The retaining screws are ridiculously tiny
(but they provide the jeweler's screwdriver) yet they held okay the
drive tray into the case. Comes with a Y-adapter USB cable since you'll
need to use 2 USB ports to power an external drive. Each USB port can
supply a max of .5A and most drives (within reasonable price) require
more than that on power up (to handle the surge when the drive has to
start spinning from being stopped). This is a USB2 enclosure. You can
find USB3 enclosures, and with USB3's higher power output you'll only
need one USB3 port. Vantec has another that looks almost the same
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817392083) but
must have a different PCB or chips inside to support USB3.

Be sure to check the max partition size when getting an external case.
The chip they use may have a limit that is smaller than the drive you
want to use as one partition; else, you have to slice up the drive into
2, or more partitions. The Vantec USB3 mentioned above states a max
partition size of 1.5TB. The Vantec USB2 that I got to house the old
laptop drive (when I put a bigger drive into the laptop) says it
supports up to 720GB.
  #9  
Old August 24th 14, 09:43 PM posted to comp.sys.mac.hardware.storage,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,alt.comp.periphs.hdd
Rod Speed
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Posts: 8,559
Default Portable ext. HDDs without power AC?

Ant wrote

I know some people prefer to use portable external HDDs, with their power
AC connection enclosures or adapters, for reliability and stability.


That's mad. By definition external HDDs are less reliable than
internal drives just because they are easier to drop and knock
over and because they don’t have as good cooling as you can
easily achieve with an internal drive in a decent case.

Some people prefer those tiny HDDs with only their USB connections for
both power and accessing data (easiest and lightest).


And those use laptop drives which handle shocks better.
But those hard drives are a lot more prone to people
doing stupid stuff when they are running too.

Are there any external HDD adapters and enclosures that do not use power
AC connections?


Yes, the 2.5" drives are normally powered from the USB cable.

I don't know mind having to use another USB/Firewire/ESATA/
Thunderbolt cable connection to the computer when using one already
instead of having to carry its power AC cable and brick. I have not seen
one yet.


There are hordes of those around.

Or is it not possible?


Yes it is possible. The smaller external drives are done that way.


  #10  
Old August 24th 14, 09:44 PM posted to comp.sys.mac.hardware.storage,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage,alt.comp.periphs.hdd
nospam
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Posts: 160
Default Portable ext. HDDs without power AC?

In article , Ant
wrote:

Aww, so it won't matter these days for the newer stuff then. I remember
using an external DVD-ROM drive that used two USB connections that
didn't use power AC.


that's a gross hack.
 




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