External Harddrives that Don't Require a Y-Cable

[zebragreen]

@zebragreen,
Sorry, I was actually speaking about USB socket, not wall socket. I understand now Sorry for misunderstanding.
Is there any chance of having something like this (https://amzn.asia/d/a64bTQA) to resolve the socket problem? Depending of the setup of course. If you don't have spare space where to put all this stuff... it'll be a problem, I guess.

Well it's all very hidden and difficult to access, if there's a way to ensure the second socket only draws power at the moment the Wii is powered on, and turns off when the Wii is turned off, I can get a splitter electrical cable.

Have you already looked at the USB Devices Compatibility List? I looked at this years ago prior to purchasing my drive, to confirm function was what I required. That'd be a good starting point.

Thank you, yes I was on there and oddly users report problems under 1TB My Passport Ultra.

There's almost no mention in that table from the people testing of Y-Cables or electrical power at all, people just check if their Hard Drive opens games or not.

As @k0walski went into some detail in a previous post, there's potential risks of under powering a hard drive.

The thing I'm trying to avoid is what he mentioned of running the drive underpowered in the Wii leading to computers complaining of unsafe removals. On my very first Wii hard drive (prior to my working one), it too worked well. However, it would (very) occasionally give a false start on the Wii boot or something, no different than that very occasional 1% false start from normal usage.

The problem is afterwards, on next launch it would go to the System Menu instead of Autobooting, and it would need a Check for Errors on Windows to get back to Autobooting like before. The problem was every time, a very small amount of MB (maybe 1-3MB) show up in a folder called Found.000 on the root of the drive (which can be seen when Show Hidden System Folders is enabled).

The problem is 1-3 MB of files somewhere (anywhere) randomly on the drive is missing after that. That's the problem I'm trying to avoid and unfortunately that graph only really tests for if a drive can be used to launch games.

I've heard the PS3 also uses 2.0 USB ports and also, gives 500ma. Why have I never heard of people using Y-Cables for their PS3 external drives? What is it about the Wii?

 

[k0walski]

I've heard the PS3 also uses 2.0 USB ports and also, gives 500ma. Why have I never heard of people using Y-Cables for their PS3 external drives? What is it about the Wii?

https://www.psdevwiki.com/ps3/USB

 

[AkikoKumagara]

Well, I can only tell you what worked for me, and others can tell you what worked for them. I've never had a hint of an issue or a need for a Y-cable until trying to use the same drive on a Wii U.

 

[Jmdaemon]

Neither are correct, I wrote about what happened here: https://gbatemp.net/threads/usb-y-cable-usb-hub-usb-peripherals.636729/

The drive I used was a drive that has worked flawlessly (with a Y-Cable in both ports) for a year.

After attempting the setup pictured, it worked exactly the same, full speed, identical to my eye, for about 2 hours. Then the Wii suddenly crashed dumped.

When I looked at the drive it was perfectly wiped (even the title label was gone) and blank. However my drive still showed almost full capacity, so I thought to do a scan for errors, and when I did, the complete totality of my drive's contents were placed into Found.000 as file fragments.

After a full (not quick) format, with zero fragmentation, it works in the Wii but it's at quarter the speed it used to run at.

I only wrote USB Data for the hub in the picture to specify that it was with the Hub's data cable, not a powered one. It was never powered when this happened and although I don't have a cable the Hub does have an optional powered input that's never been used.

Sound exactly like a head crash. You drive died as mechanical drives do.

Post automatically merged: Jul 30, 2023

So since we are talking about drives in the now, maybe going back to flash might work best for you? samsungs fastest 256gb usb flash can be had for just over $20, you can grab a couple if you really need more space. But I seriously doubt you will ever come close to its end of life write cycles.

 

[zebragreen]

https://www.psdevwiki.com/ps3/USB
View attachment 385875

What does it mean, can you share your expertise?

Well, I can only tell you what worked for me, and others can tell you what worked for them. I've never had a hint of an issue or a need for a Y-cable until trying to use the same drive on a Wii U.

Yes, so far there's been two recommendations, one in a external enclosure and yours (vouched by two people). At this point I will try a second Western Digital, 1TB this time instead of 2TB, unless someone else has some knowledge or information about this. And if it really needs 650ma or not.

Sound exactly like a head crash. You drive died as mechanical drives do.

Post automatically merged: Jul 30, 2023

Well it still functions and can do a full (not quick) format, no fragmentation and looks good in both CystalDiscInfo and Mark, it just runs at quarter speed in a Wii now. It likely didn't just die because it's old but got damaged by underpowering it with that USB Hub in the Wii. Thanks for saying it sounds like a head crash and giving me insight into it, is this drive no longer an option for simply storing other general files? It does seem to run full speed in a PC, at least, each time I restored from a backup, it took the usual time to restore the Wii's files.

So since we are talking about drives in the now, maybe going back to flash might work best for you? samsungs fastest 256gb usb flash can be had for just over $20, you can grab a couple if you really need more space. But I seriously doubt you will ever come close to its end of life write cycles.

I would need four of these sticks to store my Wii files.

Most, if not all, USB Sticks give occasional load hangs and occasional crashes when used by the Wii. This happens almost daily with a USB Stick, it's not a problem because you simply press power or try a second time, and then it works. However, every time the USB Stick fails in the Wii, a few MB (1-3) get corrupted somewhere randomly on the drive. Worse still, when running a 128GB USB Stick in a Wii, one of these infinite loading hangs happened at the same time I had used a "Delete" button on Wiiflow, when deleting a file. When the Wiiflow logo loaded endlessly, as it does occasionally with USBs, I had to press the power button. After that, more than half the USB stick had been wiped.

 

[k0walski]

What does it mean, can you share your expertise?

That's actually a confirmation of my and your words - PS3 USB port is limited to 0.5A . However, I suppose, the power supply circuit on the main board may be separate. And this may give a little boost up to 0.65-0.7A or so.

 

[Fishaman P]

Slower RPM drives, or those built with slower spin-up specifically for USB power, will do fine. My old reliable HP external HDD (using a WD inside) always worked flawlessly with its original, non-Y cable.

Nowadays, an SSD is a far easier solution.

 

[zebragreen]

That's actually a confirmation of my and your words - PS3 USB port is limited to 0.5A . However, I suppose, the power supply circuit on the main board may be separate. And this may give a little boost up to 0.65-0.7A or so.

Well, when the 2TB Western Digital could not get enough power even with a Y-Cable in both Wii ports, it became the PS3's external hard drive, which does run in that with one USB port.

 

[raging_chaos]

Slower RPM drives, or those built with slower spin-up specifically for USB power, will do fine. My old reliable HP external HDD (using a WD inside) always worked flawlessly with its original, non-Y cable.

Nowadays, an SSD is a far easier solution.

I second this, ditch mechanical HDDs and use an SSD in an enclosure instead since they don't use much power while reading data. Alternatively, look for 5400RPM 2.5-inch laptop HDDs and slap that in an enclosure since those tend to be power efficient.

 

[k0walski]

Well, when the 2TB Western Digital could not get enough power even with a Y-Cable in both Wii ports, it became the PS3's external hard drive, which does run in that with one USB port.

Very much likely that PS3 is capable of providing more power, than original specification declares... How much, however, requires digging deep into the h/w specification for the motherboard which goes beyond this topic

Post automatically merged: Jul 31, 2023

Slower RPM drives, or those built with slower spin-up specifically for USB power, will do fine. My old reliable HP external HDD (using a WD inside) always worked flawlessly with its original, non-Y cable.

Nowadays, an SSD is a far easier solution.

Well, possibly. E.g., based on this (https://www.samsung.com/us/computin...rives/870-evo-sata-2-5-ssd-1tb-mz-77e1t0b-am/) page's specs, it's said that average current is exactly 0.5A with peak to 0.8A which solves half of the problem. I guess the enclosure might consume something... Maybe around 0.1A... Then, keeping fingers crossed, it might work with @zebragreen setup...

 

[Jmdaemon]

I would need four of these sticks to store my Wii files.

Most, if not all, USB Sticks give occasional load hangs and occasional crashes when used by the Wii. This happens almost daily with a USB Stick, it's not a problem because you simply press power or try a second time, and then it works. However, every time the USB Stick fails in the Wii, a few MB (1-3) get corrupted somewhere randomly on the drive. Worse still, when running a 128GB USB Stick in a Wii, one of these infinite loading hangs happened at the same time I had used a "Delete" button on Wiiflow, when deleting a file. When the Wiiflow logo loaded endlessly, as it does occasionally with USBs, I had to press the power button. After that, more than half the USB stick had been wiped.

What are the brand and quality of your past experience. If you've been using the crap you see on walmart or target shelves, those things are not made for any level of performance. Try grabbing one of these guys... it may not be SSD speeds but it should be consistent and fast enough for the wii interface.

BTW I have never.. heard of anything break because of LACK of power. Electrical devices just become unstable or don't function at all, and hard drives often to into a spin up and click loop if it isn't able to pull enough power. The click from the head is not GOOD for it but it isn't going to wreck itself the instant it happens. It is part of it's startup procedure.

 

[k0walski]

@Jmdaemon ,
quick example: during file allocation table update (e.g., when OS opens a certain file and updates its access time, or writes down minor change or whatever related to write I/O) and at the same time the drive got underpowered (for some reason) leading to drive reset. Likely result (it MAY happen) - partition table corruption leading to, likely, - data loss.
Clicks are not good, especially if they're frequent (it may mean that the drive is dying - S.M.A.R.T. tests, probably extended, which takes hours, might tell more).

 

[Jmdaemon]

the click in question was just the head resetting during the power cycle. its normal, just not if it repeats it every 2 seconds.

Yes a drive powering down mid right leads to data loss. But if you give it back full power it isn't broken, just may need a file table repair. No permanent damage.

 

[zebragreen]

What are the brand and quality of your past experience. If you've been using the crap you see on walmart or target shelves, those things are not made for any level of performance. Try grabbing one of these guys... it may not be SSD speeds but it should be consistent and fast enough for the wii interface.

The brand was SanDisk 128GB USB 2.0 (not 3.0) and it was new.

Well, USB sticks aren't compatible with the Wii, they can appear as if they partially work. However, they cannot function in a Wii without frequent load hangs or crashes where you need to reboot the Wii, then it works, and these crashes also then means a small file from one of your files on the Wii, now has corrupt segments and missing parts all over the drive. It has nothing to do with the USB quality or that is has a high read speed, it's to do with the fact that it's actually physically different, an External Harddrive physically spins, whereas a USB is flash storage. However, it's not the flash storage but the "program" the USB uses to convert the USB signal to the Wii, is unsupported by the Wii or the Wii cIOS.

BTW I have never.. heard of anything break because of LACK of power. Electrical devices just become unstable or don't function at all, and hard drives often to into a spin up and click loop if it isn't able to pull enough power. The click from the head is not GOOD for it but it isn't going to wreck itself the instant it happens. It is part of it's startup procedure.

Well, the (very new) external hard drive was working flawlessly in the Wii for several weeks with a Y-Cable, no issues. Then, after just two hours of plugging it in a USB hub in the Wii, the drive became instantly wiped.

Yes a drive powering down mid right leads to data loss. But if you give it back full power it isn't broken, just may need a file table repair. No permanent damage.

The difference is, the hard drive, after it got wiped, now functions at barely less than quarter speed in the Wii and doesn't work, with the same identical power setup (a Y-Cable) I started with.

I'm not sure what repairs the file system. I've done a Scan and Repair which succeeded, I've done a quick format through GuiFormat, a full format with GuiFormat and there's zero fragmentation on the drive.

@k0walski, I'm confused if there's a difference between S.M.A.R.T and the CystalDiscInfo and Mark of the drive that I linked you?

Post automatically merged: Aug 2, 2023

UPDATE:

Thanks everyone for all the recommendations, to update/conclude the question, here's what was suggested.

To highlight the original question, we're looking for storage solutions that function WITHOUT files gradually corrupting over time in the Wii, and that leave ONE USB PORT free.

Here's what's suggested:

- A 1TB or less Western Digital My Passport
- A 1TB or less Western Digital My Passport Ultra (a specific one with product code WDBZFP0010BBK-05)
- A 1TB or less Western Digital Elements SE

All should function (despite official WD power recommendations) in the Wii- with a single USB cable and with no file corruption.

Don't Use:

- A 2TB or more Western Digital External Drive

These require more power and do not function in the Wii.

Also suggested:

An internal hard drive in an enclosure:

- Enclosure: Sabrent EC-UASP 2.5" SATA Hard Drive USB 3.0 Enclosure
- Drive: WD Blue 1TB Mobile Hard Disk Drive - 5400 RPM SATA 6 Gb/s 9.5 MM 2.5 Inch - WD10JPVX

Works "without issue" with a single USB cable.

Another Solution:

- A 1TB micro SD card in an SD Card Adapter.

 

[Jmdaemon]

I see, so if I am not mistaken the wii's support for external storage is a fluke at best and most mediums we use today are not supported? I would probably seek out those optical drive replacements then, where you can store images on an sd card just for convenience sake.

 

[Jayro]

Give up on hard drives and use a USB SSD instead.

 

[k0walski]

Give up on hard drives and use a USB SSD instead.

One need to see power rating. My Samsung T7 SSD is rated at 1.5A over USB3.0 (which works for PS4 which has a capability). Wii has USB2.0 with 0.5A max.

 

[zebragreen]

So, after I fried my first Wii hard drive by plugging the wrong power volts into a powered hub, and the hard drive smelled like burning, I bought a fresh 1TB Toshiba, which did work well in the Wii with a Y-Cable, however when trying to connect it with a non-powered USB Hub to also connect the Tony Hawk Receiver, that drive also permanently broke, so, I bought a fresh 2TB Western Digital, which did not work in the Wii.

I had the 2TB Western Digital in my PC just last night and was copying files to it (as I've done hundreds of times with this drive). However, I think my PC seems to draw more power from the CPU when doing high intensity tasks. For example, when booting up complex software, my keyboard lights slow down.

Just last night, I was copying files to my fresh 2TB Western Digital, and even though I've done it hundreds of times, this time I did something different which was make a copy of a file on the desktop at the same time as transferring another file to the hard drive. While this was happening, the fresh 2TB Western Digital made one, quite loud, metal sounding "click" noise. Almost like a sound you would need a metal spoon to produce. I stopped copying the file on the desktop but kept the drive going, and it didn't do it again. When the file on the drive had finished, I ran a Disc Check. It said something like Windows Cannot Scan the Drive, close this and try again, then I scanned it and it said it had been scanned and repaired. Then I checked the folders and it had no files in Found.000, so, no file loss. Is this hard drive safe to use or should I consider it about to die?

 

[k0walski]

I don't think that one case is representative... I would say - watch and listen. But again, to have more information about what happened, you might need a S.M.A.R.T. check.

 

[BigJon]

I use a 1tb kingston ssd £35 (scan or cclonline) with a nice all white usb eclosure for £7 (ebay) and it all works fine, I can post links on here if anyone wants direct links and its allowed to post ecternal links.