Hardware Can the Wii power hard drives through the usb ports?

[nando]

i'm asking because i hate cables and one more power supply would be unsightly. so has anyone had any problems with usb powered drives?

i don' have one to test myself. thanks in advance.

 

[chrisf]

yes it can but the small usb powered HDs are a waste of money. you will probably get one 25% of the size for the same amount of money and it probably wont last as long either.

 

[rustybanana]

Not true, Im using a 320gb sata 2.5" in an external enclosure which is usb powered and it works fine!

 

[omarroms]

Yes, the wii can power USB hard drives. I have a 320GB drive that I attached to the wii with Velcro since I take my wii to friends houses and to school. It's small and I do not have to worry about powering the hard drive. I'm using an Iomega 320GB portable drive. Dunno If they still sell it because they have a new portable series called eGo.

 

[nando]

thank you guys. sure helps on decision making.

 

[Kyzra]

I have one of these 320gb Passport Essentials.
I have five other friends who own the same one for their Wii's.
Not a single problem to report either. =P

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Pass...N/dp/B0012GQZZU

 

[ridgecity]

sure, it works.

 

[nando]

i just got me a 320gb freeagent go for mac from walmart for 83 bucks. i think it is mismarked, or they might be sending me the wrong product because they have the 250GB for $115... who would buy that?

i actually wanted the passport because it would look very clean next to my wii, but the ones with firewire 800 jumped up in price so much. free agent is good looking too tho.

 

[clownz]

Not true, Im using a 320gb sata 2.5" in an external enclosure which is usb powered and it works fine!

thats good to know. i think its about time i upgraded my hard drive

mines only 140gb

 

[OJClock]

does anyone know if the power to usb is always on (even when the wii is on standby), or it only turns on when the wii is on?

 

[ozguy]

USB Power stays on in standby.
Useful for charging WiiMotes, but not useful for having the hard drive run all the time when you don't want it to.

Because WiiConnect24 causes so many problems with overheating and with some games it is best to not leave the Wii on standby anyway. Only turn on WiiConnect24 when you need to go to shop/weather/etc then turn it back off.

NOTE:
Not all USB drives can be powered from a single USB port. I tried a Maxtor 250Gb USB drive and it would constantly power cycle if only plugged into one port on the Wii. I opened it up and checked the specs of the drive inside it and the drive alone required 560ma , not counting USB-SATA circuitry (USB ports are only rated for 500ma each). If the drive you are buying uses a Y-USB cable, intended to get power from 2 USB ports, it may or may not work if only plugged into one port (some will, some won't).