USB external HDD convert to SATA possible?

I bought an HD PVR and they use a SATA port to connect an external HDD
instead of USB for extra storage space. I have 5 external USB HDDs and
would rather use one of those than having to buy a new external SATA
HDD. I looked on NCIX for such a converter and can't find one. Is there
such a converter?

Previously Dave Seven wrote:
I bought an HD PVR and they use a SATA port to connect an external HDD
instead of USB for extra storage space. I have 5 external USB HDDs and
would rather use one of those than having to buy a new external SATA
HDD. I looked on NCIX for such a converter and can't find one. Is there
such a converter?

Not possible without implementing a full bridge. USB needs
a master on the other side. Such a converter would basically
need to be a computer that emulates an SATA drive on the other
side.

Bottom line: While there may be such converters, expect to
pay several hundred or more USD/EUR and expect them to be
the size of a small industrial PC. Also expect problems when
using them.

Arno

On Sun, 27 Apr 2008 03:50:23 GMT, Dave Seven
put finger to keyboard and composed:

I bought an HD PVR and they use a SATA port to connect an external HDD
instead of USB for extra storage space. I have 5 external USB HDDs and
would rather use one of those than having to buy a new external SATA
HDD. I looked on NCIX for such a converter and can't find one. Is there
such a converter?

Maybe one of your external USB HDDs has a SATA HDD inside, in which
case you could just buy an external SATA enclosure and transfer one of
your HDDs to it.

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

Dave Seven wrote:
I bought an HD PVR and they use a SATA port to connect an external HDD
instead of USB for extra storage space. I have 5 external USB HDDs and
would rather use one of those than having to buy a new external SATA
HDD. I looked on NCIX for such a converter and can't find one. Is there
such a converter?

No need to buy an entire external HDD system, just buy a new enclosure
with an eSATA connector already included on it. And then you can
transfer the hard drive inside one of your USB-only enclosures into the
new enclosure.

However, there is one solution I've seen. It seems to be something
that'll convert SATA into USB, but I'm not sure if it can convert a USB
into a SATA. Your best bet is to get a new enclosure with the eSATA
already built in.

usb to sata usb hub
http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives...h_usb_hub.html

Yousuf Khan

Yousuf Khan wrote
Dave Seven wrote:

I bought an HD PVR and they use a SATA port to connect an external HDD instead of USB for extra storage space. I have
5 external USB HDDs and would rather use one of those than having to buy a new external SATA HDD. I looked on NCIX
for such a converter and can't find one. Is there such a converter?

No need to buy an entire external HDD system, just buy a new enclosure
with an eSATA connector already included on it. And then you can
transfer the hard drive inside one of your USB-only enclosures into
the new enclosure.

Whether that works or not depends on whether the existing external
USB HDDs have sata drives in them or not. It wont work if they have
PATA drives in them and most of the older ones will have PATA drives.

However, there is one solution I've seen. It seems to be something that'll convert SATA into USB,

Its just what external USB HDDs have in them,
without the box and with an extra passive USB hub.

but I'm not sure if it can convert a USB into a SATA.

No it wont, it only does the other way.

Your best bet is to get a new enclosure with the eSATA already built in.

That will only work if the existing USB HDDs have SATA drives in them.

usb to sata usb hub
http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives...h_usb_hub.html

Previously Yousuf Khan wrote:
Dave Seven wrote:
I bought an HD PVR and they use a SATA port to connect an external HDD
instead of USB for extra storage space. I have 5 external USB HDDs and
would rather use one of those than having to buy a new external SATA
HDD. I looked on NCIX for such a converter and can't find one. Is there
such a converter?

No need to buy an entire external HDD system, just buy a new enclosure
with an eSATA connector already included on it. And then you can
transfer the hard drive inside one of your USB-only enclosures into the
new enclosure.

However, there is one solution I've seen. It seems to be something
that'll convert SATA into USB, but I'm not sure if it can convert a USB
into a SATA. Your best bet is to get a new enclosure with the eSATA
already built in.

usb to sata usb hub
http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives...h_usb_hub.html

Yousuf Khan

Unlikely. SATA to USB is easy and oten needed. USB to SATA
is very hard and rarely needed.

Arno

Arno Wagner wrote in
Previously Dave Seven wrote:
I bought an HD PVR and they use a SATA port to connect an external HDD
instead of USB for extra storage space. I have 5 external USB HDDs and
would rather use one of those than having to buy a new external SATA
HDD. I looked on NCIX for such a converter and can't find one. Is there
such a converter?

Not possible without implementing a full bridge.

USB needs a master on the other side.

So do IDE or SATA or SCSI or... or ... or ... devices, take your pick.

Such a converter would basically need to be a computer that
emulates an SATA drive on the other side.

Similarly that IDE to SCSI converters need to be a computer that
emulates a SCSI drive on the other side, babblebot?

Pity that IDE to SCSI converters are available in chip form anyway.
Pity that SATA to IDE converters are available in chip form anyway too.

Hey, there's even IDE to SATA converters, imagine that eh, they plonk
a whole computer on those SATA drives.


Bottom line: While there may be such converters, expect to
pay several hundred or more USD/EUR and expect them to
be the size of a small industrial PC.

Bwahahah.

Also expect problems when using them.

Arno

Arno Wagner wrote in
Previously Yousuf Khan wrote:
Dave Seven wrote:
I bought an HD PVR and they use a SATA port to connect an external HDD
instead of USB for extra storage space. I have 5 external USB HDDs and
would rather use one of those than having to buy a new external SATA
HDD. I looked on NCIX for such a converter and can't find one. Is there
such a converter?

No need to buy an entire external HDD system, just buy a new enclosure
with an eSATA connector already included on it. And then you can
transfer the hard drive inside one of your USB-only enclosures into the
new enclosure.

However, there is one solution I've seen. It seems to be something
that'll convert SATA into USB, but I'm not sure if it can convert a USB
into a SATA. Your best bet is to get a new enclosure with the eSATA
already built in.

usb to sata usb hub
http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives...h_usb_hub.html

Yousuf Khan

Unlikely. SATA to USB is easy and oten needed.

USB to SATA is very hard and rarely needed.

No, really?

http://www.addonics.com/products/io/aau2esa.asp


Arno

Previously Squeeze wrote:
Arno Wagner wrote in
Previously Dave Seven wrote:
I bought an HD PVR and they use a SATA port to connect an external HDD
instead of USB for extra storage space. I have 5 external USB HDDs and
would rather use one of those than having to buy a new external SATA
HDD. I looked on NCIX for such a converter and can't find one. Is there
such a converter?

Not possible without implementing a full bridge.

USB needs a master on the other side.

So do IDE or SATA or SCSI or... or ... or ... devices, take your pick.

True for IDE and SATA, and consequentially the corresponding
type of converter does not exist for the either. SCSI happens
to be a multi-master bus, where every device can be master, if
so inclined. In modern words, SCSI is Peer-to-Peer, while USB
needs one fixed, dedicated master, has a hierachical structure
and nothing happens without the single, fixed master.

Such a converter would basically need to be a computer that
emulates an SATA drive on the other side.

Similarly that IDE to SCSI converters need to be a computer that
emulates a SCSI drive on the other side, babblebot?

Ahh, roddles the clueless. They are done in this way. But as SCSI
supports very slow signalling, usually a slow 8 bit SoC is enough.

Pity that IDE to SCSI converters are available in chip form anyway.
Pity that SATA to IDE converters are available in chip form anyway too.

SATA to IDE is simple, because of the same command-set,
bust structure and bus arbitration.

Hey, there's even IDE to SATA converters, imagine that eh, they plonk
a whole computer on those SATA drives.

So?


Bottom line: While there may be such converters, expect to
pay several hundred or more USD/EUR and expect them to
be the size of a small industrial PC.

Bwahahah.

As usual: No clue, no arguments that withstand even quick
scrutiny and a big mouth.

Arno

Previously Squeeze wrote:
Arno Wagner wrote in
Previously Yousuf Khan wrote:
Dave Seven wrote:
I bought an HD PVR and they use a SATA port to connect an external HDD
instead of USB for extra storage space. I have 5 external USB HDDs and
would rather use one of those than having to buy a new external SATA
HDD. I looked on NCIX for such a converter and can't find one. Is there
such a converter?

No need to buy an entire external HDD system, just buy a new enclosure
with an eSATA connector already included on it. And then you can
transfer the hard drive inside one of your USB-only enclosures into the
new enclosure.

However, there is one solution I've seen. It seems to be something
that'll convert SATA into USB, but I'm not sure if it can convert a USB
into a SATA. Your best bet is to get a new enclosure with the eSATA
already built in.

usb to sata usb hub
http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives...h_usb_hub.html

Yousuf Khan

Unlikely. SATA to USB is easy and oten needed.

USB to SATA is very hard and rarely needed.

No, really?

http://www.addonics.com/products/io/aau2esa.asp

This device is SATA to USB, not the other way round. Read
the discussion.

You are clueless as allways, rod.

Arno