Hardware Can you recommend me a USB Hard Drive case?

[f00had]

I have a 2.5" SATA hard drive inside a USB case hooked up to my Wii... It's one of those really cheap ones that uses up both slots to power the hard drive like this. Recently it's been having troubles getting the disc to spin and now when I plug it into my Wii the hard drive doesn't work at all, however it does work on all of my computers and PS3 so it's probably just that the Wii isn't giving it enough power. Can anyone on GBAtemp recommend a USB Hard Drive case that's compatible with the Wii? I was looking at this one on eBay but I figure it's best to ask you guys first.

 

[Wiip™]

is it the 320GB one? if so it should work with a Wii, maybe you plugged it in the wrong USB-port.

I myself use a WD elements 2TB, and I do recommend a WD device.
Look at this: http://wiki.gbatemp.net/wiki/USB_Devices_Compatibility_List.

 

[f00had]

It's a 120GB WD hard drive that I took out from my old computer and used on my Wii. That list isn't too helpful, most of the links to the cases/enclosures there don't work and the ones that do are too expensive because they have features I don't need.

 

[WiijT]

Frankly, a 2.5" hard drive is not suitable to use. A full size 3.5" drive with an external power source is the best option to use.

The one on ebay that you are looking at is no different than what you are using now. It simply just does not have a dual usb plug cord. The hard drive itself will still require the same amount of power, and that case or it's electronics do absolutely nothing to change that.

USB ports provide 5v of power only, there's no way around that.

However, one thing to take into account, if your drive has previously worked and now it's having problems, be mindful of which usb plug you are putting into the Wii's usb port. Those dual usb plug cords are configured so that one of the plugs is the main data plug, and the other is a supplemental power plug. If you plug the wrong one into the Wii's usb port it won't know that there is a drive there.

 

[Lucif3r]

Frankly, a 2.5" hard drive is not suitable to use.

They work just as good as 3.5", but as mentioned some requires over 500mA to operate properly, hence the dual USB plug.
So to say they aint suitable isnt true, its not a battery powered phone its plugged into (although my 2.5" works just fine on my phone and tablet, without any external power lol)

I agree with the usb plug and slot though. Good tip.

 

[f00had]

Thanks for the advice guys, I'll keep it in mind while looking for a new one. I managed to get my drive working again but in order to do that I had to tilt it for the disc to start spinning... Would you guys happen to know what could cause the hard drive to behave like that?

 

[Lucif3r]

Dying HDD. Ive had several HDDs that were "dead" which I got working (for a while) by tilting/shaking them a little

 

[tbgtbg]

Doesn't your existing case have the option to use it with an AC power supply in addition to the USB option? I know I have one that does, but maybe some don't.

Alternatively, you could try plugging only the data line of the USB cord into the Wii and then the other connector into another device for purposes of drawing power.

 

[f00had]

My case can only be powered through USB and the cable is too short to connect to a different device. No biggie though it just seems like my hard drive is dying... I'll try putting in a new one and see if that works and if it does then it's just my hard drive at fault, not the case.

 

[Jetowa]

I had a Western Digital MyBook, worked awesome, and it was really easy to swap out the 3.5 hd in it with another that was a larger size.

 

[WiijT]

in order to do that I had to tilt it for the disc to start spinning

Depending on exactly what you mean by tilting it (or the physical effect of it, if it's actually affecting the usb plug) It's possible that the internal usb port of the case has become lose and your "tilt" caused a better connection for the USB plug. The solder points aren't always the greatest and loosen/break apart after a few insertion/removals of the usb cord.

Open up the case and inspect the circuit board to see if the usb plug is loose. If it is, you could try soldering it... but if your soldering skills are anything like mine you won't be able to fix it. If that is the issue, then any cheap $5 case should be a good fix. You can usually find cheap cases on meritline dot com and they ship worldwide.

If it truly is the hard drive, then you have more options for buying a new drive.

 

[pwsincd]

USB ports provide 5v of power only, there's no way around that.

5v isnt the power provided , 5v is the constant in an equation that would see the current effect the power , hence P=I x V simple physics.

 

[qlum]

Just look at what's cheapest and it will usually work out fine.

 

[WiijT]

5v isnt the power provided , 5v is the constant in an equation that would see the current effect the power , hence P=I x V simple physics.

Actually, 5v is the power provided. That's the USB specification. That supplied 5v can be reduced by the load of multiple devices plugged in at the same time, and that's known computer physics too. So if you have anything worthwhile to add to the poster's problem of his case not working then add it, but trolling to address what is or is not the power output is a waste of everybody's time.

Wikipedia for all your teaching needs...The USB 1.x and 2.0 specifications provide a 5 V supply on a single wire from which connected USB devices may draw power. [...] Some devices, such as high-speed external disk drives, require more than 500 mA of current and therefore cannot be powered from one USB 2.0 port. Such devices usually come with Y-shaped cable that has two USB connectors to be plugged into a computer. With such a cable, a device can draw power from two USB ports simultaneously.

 

[f00had]

in order to do that I had to tilt it for the disc to start spinning

Depending on exactly what you mean by tilting it (or the physical effect of it, if it's actually affecting the usb plug) It's possible that the internal usb port of the case has become lose and your "tilt" caused a better connection for the USB plug. The solder points aren't always the greatest and loosen/break apart after a few insertion/removals of the usb cord.

Open up the case and inspect the circuit board to see if the usb plug is loose. If it is, you could try soldering it... but if your soldering skills are anything like mine you won't be able to fix it. If that is the issue, then any cheap $5 case should be a good fix. You can usually find cheap cases on meritline dot com and they ship worldwide.

If it truly is the hard drive, then you have more options for buying a new drive.

Well in order to get a better connection for the plug I have to make sure I insert it only a certain distance so the hard drive actually spins... But once I do that it starts clicking and I have to tilt it to get it to spin properly, and then while USB Loader is starting the hard drive turns off so I have to disconnect it and do it all over again Maybe it'd be easier if I started USB Loader from a SD card

Like I said none of this happens when I connect the hard drive to any other systems.

 

[alphamule]

Clicking? You have a recording of that? Some sounds mean that the drive is dying, and another I can think of means that the USB port isn't supplying enough power. Anyways, if you're going to get a 2.5" case, go for any of the ones with extruded aluminum. Those hold up pretty damn well, physically. And you can usually get them for about the price of a cigarette pack which about the same size.