Building a USB drive...

[AJ@PR]

Hello guys,

Hope everyone is doing good when you read this. :)

I want to build my own USB drive, as I'm not happy with what I see in stores.

Currently, I'm using my camera's 512 SD card, inside a reader, as my USB drive (uDrive from now on).

But... 512MB is waaay too little for the stuff that's moving around... and the stuff I like to carry around.

So, I thought of buying one of them laptop hdd cases, that are single USB cable (no power cables). I don't want to have to carry a power adapter, in addition to the uDrive. One of them hdd, with one of the cases, and I have my self a nifty, big, personal, modded, uDrive! :banana:

Right?
Right???
Well... here's the thing...

I'm looking at this Rosewill External Enclosure (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817182033).

And I'm looking at this SAMSUNG 60GB laptop hdd (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822152506).

My dilema, and why I'm asking for help here (other than to start yet another thread where we can rant and stuff), is that:::::

The case

If the hard drive needs less than 0.5A; please use one connector of the USB cable to plug in.
If the hard drive needs more than 0.5A and less than 0.8A; please use two connectors of the USB cable to plug in.
If the hard drive needs more than 0.8A; please purchase a power adapter, which has 100-~240V for the input and 5V 1A for the output.
Ok. Ok.
So, we want a hdd that consumes under 0.5A
Fine.

Newegg doesn't have that listed for the Samsung drive, but... in the Samsung Product's Page (http://www.samsung.com/Products/HardDiskDrive/SpinPointM40Series/HM060II.asp?page=Specifications)... we have


Power Requirements --> Spin Up Current (max.) 4.5W mA
Maybe I'm missing the simple math... but...

???? :? :? ????

Suggestions?
Ideas?
Corrections?

Any other enclosure/drive combo anybody suggests? :think:

Thanks for the help and attention guys,...

:)

[XcOM]

that hard drive is pulling 0.45A, so your close to the limit, it may affect peformance. You should be ok, but if in dout, email samsung,

basicly, MA is milliamp, A is amp, so 500mA is .5A

[xmastree]

I have one here, which I built using a case I bought on eBay. It works well on my desktop, but this laptop's USB port can't drive it. The drive itself is rated at 0.5A.
I have another drive which is rated at 0.7A, but it's too big to fit in the case anyway.
It's my belief (and I could be wrong) that the 12mm thick drives draw more current than the 9mm ones. This case only takes 9mm anyway.
If you are short on current, the simple solution is to use a powered USB hub.

[AJ@PR]

^^^ Thanks for the help guys! :)

My major thing regarding the power is that I don't want to carry more stuff around.

It'd be ideal if I could just slip the case and the USB cable into my pocket, and that's it.

So, we continue. :) :) :)
w00t w00t

[XcOM]

@Xmastree

Thats not nessecery true about drive size,

i have some 12mm thick drives that draw 0.4a, the size has to do with the controller board, and the abilly to add passing, IE this is why the new impact drives are 12mm thick.

another main reason is in the old days it was ALOT cheaper to make 12mm drives.

[xmastree]

@Xmastree

Thats not nessecery true about drive size,

i have some 12mm thick drives that draw 0.4aWell it was rather a guess, based on what I've seen... Thanks for clearing that up.