Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

external usb 3.0 3TB hd

Apr 24, 2011 9:19PM PDT

Hello everyone,

I'm looking to buy a external hard drive that has the following features: usb 3.0 connectivity, 3TB hard drive, separate power supply BUT IT HAS TO LISTEN TO THE USB CONNECTION FOR POWERING UP! This last thing is something I can't find with features of a drive. It is important because I want to connect the drive with my multimedia center (popcorn hour a200) and use it as an extra storage device. However I don't want to have to plug in the power cable everytime I want to access it. I just want to turn on my a200 and have the ext drive switch on automatically. Does anyone know a specific ext hdd that fits this description? It can also be a separate hdd enclosure in which I have to put a 3TB drive myself. Your help is GREATLY APPRECIATED Happy.

Thx in advance,

Regards,

Usui218

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Answer
Re: external usb 3.0 3TB hd
Apr 24, 2011 10:13PM PDT

You're asking the impossible since any external hard drive with a separate mains power supply simply cannot work with just the USB cable connected. The power requirements of such a drive (typically 9 - 12 volts) are way too high for a USB port to supply. The USB cable carries data only.

What you require will only work for external drives that are usb powered - properly known as "portable drives".

- Collapse -
impossible?
Apr 25, 2011 1:22AM PDT

Thank you for your answer however I do not believe that I am asking for the impossible.

"You're asking the impossible since any external hard drive with a
separate mains power supply simply cannot work with just the USB cable
connected." --> these two things don't make sense to me. I am very well aware of the fact that the power consumption of a 3TB hdd is much to high for a usb only powered drive. That's why I know that it will have a separate powersupply. However I do not want the drive to switch on when the power cord is plugged in (and offcourse it will never switch on when only the usb is connected) but I'm looking for a drive that is constantly in stand by mode (both usb and powercord are plugged in but the disc is NOT spinning) until I switch on my a200 which will give a data signal to the external drive bringing it out of standby mode. Inversely when I turn off my a200 the ext drive should go back to standby mode (thus usb and powercord still connected but discs returning to an immobile state). If this indeed does not exist than it is a shame because, seeing that portable drives exist, an impulse is certainly able to cross the usb cable giving the pulse necessary to bring the disc out of standby mode.

"What you require will only work for external drives that are usb powered - properly known as "portable drives"." --> As you have just explained usb only 3TB drives don't exist, and it has to be 3TB.

Regards,

Usui218

- Collapse -
Re: impossible
Apr 25, 2011 1:32AM PDT

Two questions:
1. Why does it have to be an external drive? From your requirements until now an internal drive should be fine.
2. My externally powered drive has an on-off switch. So to use it I turn it on, and when ready I turn it off. Is that acceptable to you or is the requirement that it should happen automatically a hard one?

Kees

- Collapse -
Re: Re: impossible - New!
Apr 25, 2011 2:36AM PDT

Two answers Wink:

1) I already have a 2TB internal hdd which is full.

2) The thing is that everything on my "tv installation" is remote controlled, If it has an on/off button I'll have to go up to the tv everytime and then I might aswell have to plug in a powercord so I would really REALLY prefer to have one without an on/off button. Also the ext drive would go behind my a200 (behind a wall of "machinery" so I would not be able to see the ext hdd and thus switching a button on/off would be very annoying because I would have to move stuff all the time when I want to switch the ext hdd on/off.

Regards,

Usui218

- Collapse -
Re: I don't think it is impossible, but ...
Apr 25, 2011 6:15AM PDT

That's why I posted this question, hoping that someone here knows alot about ext hd and could send me
in the right direction.

I also don't want to disconnect my usb cable Silly, when my a200 goes down, so should the hd and the inverse
should be true aswell. If it would be usb 2 instead of 3 well ... I could live with that but I'd prefer usb 3.0.

Regards,

Usui218

- Collapse -
Answer
I don't think it is impossible, but ...
Apr 25, 2011 2:50AM PDT

you might have to look harder for it for I really don't see that many external usb3 cases available. I have a usb2 Seagate that does go to sleep when I disconnect the usb. The problem I notice it's not always that reliable thought.