Hacking Is a Y Cable realy needed for a Wii U USB HDD?

[MichiS97]

I didn't use a Y-Cable at first and used a drive which worked perfectly on any other device, including the Wii. I experienced random slowdowns, loss of sound etc., once I've started using a Y-Cable everything was fine. So yes, I can confirm that just because the drive works without a Y-Cable on the Wii it doesn't mean that it does on the Wii U.

 

[migles]

Most HDD would need a Y cable however to my surprise I just bought a 1TB WD Element USB 3 HDD and it doesn't need a Y cable
link: https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Portable-Drive-Storage-WDBUZG0010BBK-EESN/dp/B00CI3BLPA

i ahve this one as well, use it on both ps3 and wii. doesn't need any extra power works fine..
but can't confirm it on wii u and was kinda sceptical about not working on the wii u...

however as for the WD ULTRA series, i couldn't made it work on a ps3 (but i was kinda in a hurry when i tried it (could be just bad format) and my friend asked if he could have that drive for his pc in the first day i bought it. so i gave it but can't really say for sure it needs the Y cable... and i remember people on the internet saying this drive really required the y cable..

 

[Lumince]

Well Im glad I saw this before my wii U gets delivered. My amazon Prime expires in 2 days so free Sunday delivery for the Y cable it is

 

[Deleted member 373223]

my hdd works just fine with no y cable

 

[Lumstar]

A real fully powered hdd doesn't need a y cable.
Yet wii u's pickiness extends beyond power. Certain drives may refuse to work, for no reason obvious to the casual observer.

 

[zac122]

Iirc any hdd that gets power from the USB needs a y cable, but if you have an hdd with a power source of its own you're good to go.

 

[sj33]

Obviously if your drive has an external power cord then you don;t need a Y-cable because it's not being powered by USB.

But if you're using a 2.5" drive in a caddy, you almost certainly will.

 

[Crass]

Has anyone actually stuck a multi meter to the USB connection on a Wii and Wii U and measured the amperage coming out of it? I thought all USB ports were 500mA minimum as per the standard.

 

[Sumea]

Yes , because the Wii U doesn't give enough power for the HDD to stay on.

It will be recognized but you won't be able to install nor play games from it.

In my experience, and this is 4 or 5 different small drives, Wii U Will not detect the drives at all. Most of the time with just one wire for power, the drives will start clicking, in manner that is normal when a USB is not giving it enough power and causing it just click in slow rhythm. All drives I used have needed extra power, and I used a Y cable with my Wii U always.

Nintendo themselves probably knows this which is why their own support page seems to say "even if this works and that works..." they still strongly advice for a USB HDD with external power adaptor. In smaller laptop drives, this is rare, though happens. I have one enclosure that takes external power, though was not sold with one (I repurposed an adapter for USB hub with extra power for my HDD and created greatness)

 

[sj33]

It's not really as confusing as people are making it out to be. As a general rule, you're SUPPOSED to use the Y-cable with external 2.5" drives anyway - that's why they come with them. It's sheer luck that some devices can provide enough power over 1 USB to make the second unnecessary.

 

[Localhorst86]

As a general rule, you're SUPPOSED to use the Y-cable with external 2.5" drives anyway - that's why they come with them.

I have purchase quite a lot of different external 2.5" and 1.8" USB Hard drives and enclosures, only a single one of them came with a Y cable. However, most of my harddrives do not work on my wiiU, only my 500Gb Buffalo USB 3.0 drives (one of the earliest USB 3 models) do.

 

[Cuphat]

It's not really as confusing as people are making it out to be. As a general rule, you're SUPPOSED to use the Y-cable with external 2.5" drives anyway - that's why they come with them. It's sheer luck that some devices can provide enough power over 1 USB to make the second unnecessary.

Every 2.5" external drive and enclosure I've bought and seen has come with a single USB cable, not a Y cable. The only device that has given me issues with that is the Wii U.

 

[Dvdxploitr]

I have an external drive bay that I got on MacSales for like $4...it was a clearance item so it may not be on there anymore. It came with that Samsung USB 3.0 cable (the one that was wider than most USB cables...)...it would not work with that cable, but since it's also compatible with MicroUSB, I can use a MicroUSB cable. I only had ONE issue with game installs, but I think that was because FunkiiU had issues with downloading that particular game. It got almost finished and WupInstaller Y gave an error about no drive connected...that could be a generic error...but it is the only time i've had issues ad as I said, FunkiiU said there were 4 files it couldn't download (the game was LEGO City Undercover, just in case anyone else has had issues with that download). But if you can find a USB drive bay that uses that Samusng USB 3.0 cable for cheap, you will be able to use it with a MicroUSB cable which are a dime a dozen

 

[sleeperdk]

I have a Toshiba Canvio basics 1TB and when i put it on with the usb it got, it would format and work but says a bib sound again and again after 5 sec.. Installed games allmost with no problems "mario kart 8 could not start and would not delete so had to format the drive again, sigh 70 gb redownload and install"
After i got the y cable it works with no problems no sound or load errors. So just get a y cable if the usb only powers on with usb and not with it's own powersupply

 

[dpad_5678]

You could always make your own Y cable...

 

[the_randomizer]

You could always make your own Y cable...

Not everyone has the resources to do that, better to just buy one.

 

[dpad_5678]

Not everyone has the resources to do that, better to just buy one.

No resources are required... Just use a regular USB cable for the HDD, strip the 5V and GND connections, and connect the 5V and GND to another male USB cable by soldering,twisting the wires together, etc.

 

[the_randomizer]

No resources are required... Just use a regular USB cable for the HDD, strip the 5V and GND connections, and connect the 5V and GND to another male USB cable by soldering,twisting the wires together, etc.

Meh, to each their own, not everyone has a soldering iron on hand either, just sayin.

 

[dpad_5678]

Meh, to each their own, not everyone has a soldering iron on hand either, just sayin.

I agree, but if he needs a quick and fast solution he can just twist the wires together and secure them with electrical tape. If he wants anything that looks nice, or that will actually last, buying one would be much better.

 

[castdreams]

I just bought a 1TB Seagate drive last week that didn't come with a Y-cable, and wouldn't work on my Wii U.

My solution was to plug in a POWERED USB hub (needs to have an external power supply) into the Wii U, and plugging the hard drive into that. It works perfectly when it's plugged into the POWERED hub. On the plus side this also give you additional USB ports to use for other accessories if you feel like it.

I posted this to Reddit last week, but the mods hid my post for some reason. I figured I'd post it here to let people know, just in case anyone else has this issue.

There's even official support documentation showing that USB hubs work on the Wii U! Not sure how so many people have missed this:
http://en-americas-support.nintendo...3284/~/using-a-usb-hub-with-the-wii-u-console

EDIT: Also make sure the USB ports on your hub can supply more than 500mA. That's what Nintendo recommends for the Gamecube Controller Adapter.