Re: External 2.5" USB drive

Here is what Jim Gribbin's "Hotdrive" (2.5 inch mobile hd usb thingy)
shows on the case: center plus, sleeve minus, DC 5v.

The cable to connect the drive to a laptop or desktop has two type A usb
connectors. The one at the very end (opposite from the special tiny type
B usb connector that plugs into the device) probably does not have a
power connection withing the cable. The cable from the device end (type
B connector) to the type A usb connector almost at the end is about
twice as thick as the short piece of cable to the end-most type A usb
connector. So, my conclusion is the middle connector needs to be plugged
in to provide power to the device. Even a laptop ought to be able to
provide 650 ma at 5vdc - that is only 3.25 watts. I would probably be a
good idea not to have other usb devises plugged in when you want to use
the external drive.

fgd.

dhull wrote:
> I got an external usb 2.5" 40gig Seagate drive. Works well on my workstation. Can't use it on the laptop I have. If I watch /var/log/messages it says the drive is connected but I can't mount it. At the meeting last night we figured it's a power issue.
>
> I checked with the people at Friged North and they have a power supply that will work. However, the guy didn't want to sell it to me because he couldn't figure out the polarity. The only info on the drive is "5V DC" and "650mA".
>
> I searched google and found nothing. Looks like I'll have to call Seagate on monday.
>
> If anyone has suggestions I'll take them. I'd like to get this working as soon as possible.
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