cheap external hard drive

[donut]

i am going to buy a usb to sata adapter.

i want to run a hard drive (3.5 sata) outside of the case (bare) to
transfer files

i have a spare power supply that can connect to the hard drive

the molex on the power supply will connect to the hd and the sata data
cable will connect to the usb-sata adapter.

will the hard drive power up and operate without being connected to
a motherboard?

--

 

[Flasherly]

i am going to buy a usb to sata adapter.

i want to run a hard drive (3.5 sata) outside of the case (bare) to
transfer files

i have a spare power supply that can connect to the hard drive

the molex on the power supply will connect to the hd and the sata data
cable will connect to the usb-sata adapter.

will the hard drive power up and operate without being connected to
a motherboard?

It's connected to a MB as soon as the USB<>SATA adaptor decides it is.
I've a USB docking station for 3.5" SATA drives, with electronics and
a PS on it, that, as soon as connected to a computer's USB root hub,
picks it up for a storage device to assign appropriate driver letters
when a drive is seated. You'll be attempting the same thing from a
distinct PS with the required HD voltages to run one in an effective
"hot-swap" USB/SATA adaptor capacity.

 

[Paul]

i am going to buy a usb to sata adapter.

i want to run a hard drive (3.5 sata) outside of the case (bare) to
transfer files

i have a spare power supply that can connect to the hard drive

the molex on the power supply will connect to the hd and the sata data
cable will connect to the usb-sata adapter.

will the hard drive power up and operate without being connected to
a motherboard?

One kind of solution is a drive dock. This one is USB3, but
will still work if plugged into a USB2 computer. The dock accepts
2.5 inch or 3.5 inch drives, and a spacer takes up some of the space
when the 2.5 inch drive is being used.

"VANTEC USB 3.0 Hard Drive Dock $50"

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817392049

This is the other style of adapter. It supports 2.5 inch IDE (44 pin 2mm spacing),
3.5 inch IDE (40 pin 0.1 inch spacing), and SATA for 2.5 or 3.5 inch drives.
Comes with its own power supply.

"Vantec 2.5"/3.5"/5.25" SATA/IDE to USB 2.0 Adapter $18"

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812232002

Always read the customer feedback reviews, as not all these
kinds of products are good. On the latter one, you need to check
the reviews for failing power supplies. And with any kind of
adapter (if it is physically possible), watch for ATAPI compatibility
for optical drives. In this case, you could use the latter one
potentially with an optical drive, because it can be fitted. So
you'd check the reviews for that as well.

If you had the cabling inside a desktop computer available,
you can also get SATA to IDE or IDE to SATA adapters, but
the chips for those have gone out of style. The only chips
remaining, might not be the best brands. In some cases, these
plug into the back of the drive.

http://www.startech.com/HDD/Adapters/25in-and-35in-40-Pin-Male-IDE-to-SATA-Adapter-Converter~IDE2SAT

Some of the chips used in those, are bidirectional, and then
the one adapter can support both directions of adaptation.

http://www.startech.com/HDD/Adapters/Bi-Directional-SATA-IDE-Adapter-Converter~PATA2SATA3

*******

I also just run the cables outside my PC, with the door taken
off the side. Then I can run both power and IDE or SATA, to
external drives. That's the cheapest solution. I made a home-made
drive rack, to hold the drives while they're next to the PC. I also have
an 80mm fan, to hold next to the drive, for cooling.

Paul

 

[VanguardLH]

i am going to buy a usb to sata adapter.

i want to run a hard drive (3.5 sata) outside of the case (bare) to
transfer files

i have a spare power supply that can connect to the hard drive

the molex on the power supply will connect to the hd and the sata data
cable will connect to the usb-sata adapter.

will the hard drive power up and operate without being connected to
a motherboard?

Why not try a USB/SATA docking station? It provides its own power
rather than try to suck out the 1/4 W from 1 or 1/2 W from 2 USB ports.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817801093

I got one of these to handle several external hard disks, including
those for saving backup images. I don't know what you are looking at
for a USB-to-SATA adapter to know how much you would spend on that. If
you are doing this task just once and never expect to do it again then a
docking station is probably more expensive than whatever adapter you are
contemplating on using.

If you are using an ATX power supply then you'll have to short the PS-ON
(green wire) to ground (black wire) to get it to turn on when not
connected to a motherboard. Some PSUs will not stay up if there is an
insufficient load on them.

The external drive does not rely on data signals to power up. In fact,
you would have to use the proper command sent via data cable to spin
down the drive. Once you apply power to the hard disk, it will spin up.
Whether the computer can communicate with the drive depends on what
USB-to-SATA converter you intend to use. They're pretty simple and can
be had for about $10 but they're clumsy and inelegant as you end up with
a spider cable setup. Yet if it is not for your personal use but
something to put into your toolbox at a computer repair shop for when
needed then it's all you need.

 

[Charlie Hoffpauir]

i am going to buy a usb to sata adapter.

i want to run a hard drive (3.5 sata) outside of the case (bare) to
transfer files

i have a spare power supply that can connect to the hard drive

the molex on the power supply will connect to the hd and the sata data
cable will connect to the usb-sata adapter.

will the hard drive power up and operate without being connected to
a motherboard?

Yes, that will work, but you really don't need the usb-sata adapter.
It's much better performance to go SATA all the way. Buy a SATA-SATA
cable, of sufficient length to connect to connect to the MB SATA
connectors (most MBs have several) and run it outside the box to the
bare drive. Power your drive as you plan, and you're all set....
however for hotswap you might need a few other things.... a free
program called Hotswap is useful to ensure your system recognizes the
drive, and then frees it so you can disconnect it when finished.
.... and, you night have to jumper a couple of pins on that spare
power supply to get it to turn on.... I don't remember which ones, but
if you run into that problem a post will quickly get you that
information I'm sure.

 

[donut]

i am going to buy a usb to sata adapter.

i want to run a hard drive (3.5 sata) outside of the case (bare) to
transfer files

i have a spare power supply that can connect to the hard drive

the molex on the power supply will connect to the hd and the sata data
cable will connect to the usb-sata adapter.

will the hard drive power up and operate without being connected to
a motherboard?

--
i was planning to get one of these

http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-2-0-to-eSATA-external-SATA-Convertor-Adapter
-2-5-hard-disk-for-laptop-PC-HMY-/290968253412?pt=US_Drive_Cables_dapter
s&hash=item43bf0f33e4

 

[Paul]

i was planning to get one of these

http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-2-0-to-eSATA-external-SATA-Convertor-Adapter

-2-5-hard-disk-for-laptop-PC-HMY-/290968253412?pt=US_Drive_Cables_dapter
s&hash=item43bf0f33e4

You shouldn't put your followup, after the .sig mark "-- "
as then it doesn't get copied. I had to copy your second
text into the message manually.

*******

Yes, it's likely to work. If you use an ATX power supply, with
+5V and +12V on a Molex, the ATX power supply will need PS_ON#
connected to COM to turn it on. You'll need a Molex to SATA
power cable, if the ATX power supply does not come with SATA
15 contact power connectors.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812200061

Avoid making too complicated a powering setup. An ATX supply
has a "safety ground" connection, and does not float. You preferably
do not want two or more ATX power supplies in your hardware picture.
One ATX supply should be OK.

With the laptop, the laptop adapter floats, so there is no
ground in that path. And the SATA data cable used with the
USB adapter, ensures the external hard drive and its power source,
are brought to the same ground potential as the laptop. You
should be able to safely run the laptop off its AC adapter, at
the same time an ATX supply is powering the hard drive.

Since the SATA data cable has "Advanced" ground pins (a little
longer than signal pins), you can even try plugging it hot
and it should be OK.

And to answer your original question, the USB adapter
you're buying, is a replacement for your motherboard.
And it does the talking to the hard drive, and makes
it work. It implements the USB Mass Storage standard,
and the OS on the laptop will know what to do with that.
It will work, the drive will operate.

In terms of jumpers on the drive, normally SATA has no jumpers.
Some Seagates come with a four pin connector block, and you
can visit the Seagate site to learn more about those pins.
One pair of 2mm pins, is "Force150". The other pair is
"Spread Spectrum" and only one Macintosh model needed
that jumper used. So generally the Spread Spectrum jumper
is not used. The Force150 jumper comes in handy occasionally,
like with my VIA motherboard.

Test the new adapter with a SATA II drive first. If you
test with a SATA III drive and the adapter appears not
to work, that may not be a definitive test that the
adapter works. I would test the adapter with a SATA II
drive, and if necessary, insert the Force150 jumper
if the drive will not communicate. While in theory
there should not be a problem mixing drives with
the adapter, to know whether the adapter was busted
or not, I'd want to test with a SATA I (forced 150)
situation in hand. And a SATA II drive offers that
option. SATA II drives become SATA I drives, when
Force150 jumper is inserted. SATA III drives become
SATA II drives when using Force150 jumper, and if a
really bad USB controller chip is involved, the chip
may not negotiate the cable rates properly. That's
known to happen on VIA-based motherboards or older
VIA based SATA cards, but I don't really know what
the history of USB to SATA adapters is. I'm mentioning
the potential for a problem, mainly for completeness,
just because VIA blew it.

Paul

 

[donut]

i am going to buy a usb to sata adapter.

i want to run a hard drive (3.5 sata) outside of the case (bare) to
transfer files

i have a spare power supply that can connect to the hard drive

the molex on the power supply will connect to the hd and the sata data
cable will connect to the usb-sata adapter.

will the hard drive power up and operate without being connected to
a motherboard?

--
do not put your followup after the sig mark?

i am using xananews 1.18.1.6
do i select the original post and then reply
or do i select the reply (eg your reply) and then reply

 

[Paul]

do not put your followup after the sig mark?

i am using xananews 1.18.1.6
do i select the original post and then reply
or do i select the reply (eg your reply) and then reply

You click on my reply message, then you click "Post Reply".

When you see the "two hyphens and a space", remove those
with the editor, then put in your reply. Then hit send.

I looked at xananews, and could not see an option to stop
it from emitting an empty sig (two hyphens and a space).
You would think if the signature file option was blank,
the tool would not insert a blank sig. Such a signature
serves no purpose. Neither does allowing you to type
after the blank sig make sense.

I must be missing something, as an egregeous bug this
far along, must have been noted and commented upon already.
So it must be some kind of design intent.

I'd hoped there would be a registry setting (not visible
in the program GUI), but didn't see anything.

Paul

 

[donut]

You click on my reply message, then you click "Post Reply".

When you see the "two hyphens and a space", remove those
with the editor, then put in your reply. Then hit send.

I looked at xananews, and could not see an option to stop
it from emitting an empty sig (two hyphens and a space).
You would think if the signature file option was blank,
the tool would not insert a blank sig. Such a signature
serves no purpose. Neither does allowing you to type
after the blank sig make sense.

I must be missing something, as an egregeous bug this
far along, must have been noted and commented upon already.
So it must be some kind of design intent.

I'd hoped there would be a registry setting (not visible
in the program GUI), but didn't see anything.

Paul

test reply
after clicking on post reply
below the cursor there were 2 hyphens
deleted them
thanks for your help

 

[Paul]

test reply
after clicking on post reply
below the cursor there were 2 hyphens
deleted them
thanks for your help

Looking good. You've got the right idea.

Paul

 

[Loren Pechtel]

i am going to buy a usb to sata adapter.

i want to run a hard drive (3.5 sata) outside of the case (bare) to
transfer files

i have a spare power supply that can connect to the hard drive

the molex on the power supply will connect to the hd and the sata data
cable will connect to the usb-sata adapter.

will the hard drive power up and operate without being connected to
a motherboard?

No, because the power supply won't power up.

Short the appropriate two pins (Google, I don't recall them) on the
main power connector and this *MIGHT* work although it's possible the
power supply will go out of spec and shut down because it's got such a
light load on it.

I have run drives simply sitting on the desktop with an appropriate
connector plugged in but that used a supply built for the purpose, not
an ordinary PC power supply.

 

[Charlie Hoffpauir]

No, because the power supply won't power up.

Short the appropriate two pins (Google, I don't recall them) on the
main power connector and this *MIGHT* work although it's possible the
power supply will go out of spec and shut down because it's got such a
light load on it.

I have run drives simply sitting on the desktop with an appropriate
connector plugged in but that used a supply built for the purpose, not
an ordinary PC power supply.

I've run several different supplies and all worked just fine after
jumpering the appropriate pins (all powering just a single SATA disk
drive). Only I'd have to also google to find out which pins I used

 

[VanguardLH]

Short the appropriate two pins (Google, I don't recall them) on the
main power connector and this *MIGHT* work although it's possible the
power supply will go out of spec and shut down because it's got such a
light load on it.

Same info (but with the detail of shorting the green PS-ON wire) that I
gave 3 days ago. Although not indicated, the OP might already know this
trick but he may have spare mobo ports and PSU connectors (or use a Y
power adapter to add one) and not even need an external PSU or an
external USB/SATA converter. The OP's post indicates he has a desktop,
not a laptop, netbook, or otherwise non-servicable hardware.

I have run drives simply sitting on the desktop with an appropriate
connector plugged in but that used a supply built for the purpose, not
an ordinary PC power supply.

An ordinary PSU will work. It should come up with the load of a single
hard disk drive -- the type with spinning platters, not flash memory
based; however, 2.5" hard disks specifically designed for use in laptops
may not draw as much power -- but the OP's starter post states "outside
the case" so he has a desktop and not a laptop. I've never seen a
laptop user refer to outside the case since all devices are normally
outside the case with a laptop.

The OP indicates he has a desktop ("outside the case"). He said he has
a 3.5" hard disk. That will provide ample load on the external PSU. A
special-purpose lab-quality PSU is not required. Even the external PSU
the OP contemplates on using isn't needed as he could use the PSU inside
the case.

 

[donut]

i am going to buy a usb to sata adapter.

i want to run a hard drive (3.5 sata) outside of the case (bare) to
transfer files

i have a spare power supply that can connect to the hard drive

the molex on the power supply will connect to the hd and the sata data
cable will connect to the usb-sata adapter.

will the hard drive power up and operate without being connected to
a motherboard?

installed the adapter
jumpered the psu
and it works
thanks for the tips

--