ICYBOX, how to connect to computer?

meansizzler · 22 Jan 2007 at 23:40

I am amazed that at such a high price these don't come with instructions how to connect to computer but only to install hard drive.. have a "IB-250UE", it has 1 USB port on the back, 1 power port, and two firewire ports, if anyone can tell me why it has two firewire ports I would appreciate it.
What I want to know is how to connect it via firewire to the computer, after 10 minutes figured out how to connect via USB, connect both power and USB cables, but for Firewire it seems the firewire ports itself provides power to the device, but the computer will not detect it..

The way I get it to work is connect it via USB and make sure computer can see the drive, unplug USB cable, and with power cable still connected, connect firewire cable and windows see's drive, this is hardly an ideal way, as power is supplied via firewire and power cable so there is a possibility too much power could be sent to HD causing long term failure, but so far only way I know to get the thing to work via firewire..

Sent an email to the Distributor nanopoint but if anyone else knows how to get the thing working properly via firewire I would like to know.. bought Icybox's in the past and still don't come with full instructions, these things should not be sold in the UK without proper instructions....

ByteJuggler · 22 Jan 2007 at 23:55

Firewire is a daisy-chainable bus architecture (likek SCSI), the one port is uplink to the Pc, the other is for another firewire device, if you want to connect another.

I would not expect the firewire port to be able to power the drive. You probably have to have it externally powered both for USB and Firewire. (Certainly my old enclosure which supported firewire did NOT power its drive via firewire.) Make sure you try both firewire ports. (I presume you did, but...)

rpstewart · 23 Jan 2007 at 08:13

In my experience most of these sorts of device ship with the manual as a PDF file on a CD.

I'm surprised that the Firewire port seems to be unable to power the drive, the Firewire spec can supply 45W per port and the HDD is a 2.5" one which should draw far less than that. Are you using a 6 pin port at the PC end?

melbourne720 · 23 Jan 2007 at 12:17

I just plugged mine in. Could it be chipset drivers (for the firewire port), PSU, or dodgy device and RMA time?

I assume you are running XP. Does anything else (ipod, etc) work on that firewire port.

ByteJuggler · 23 Jan 2007 at 14:56

rpstewart said:
... 45W per port and the HDD is a 2.5" one which should draw far less than that.

Sorry my bad... didn't read the original post properly (didn't realise it's only a 2.5inch drive... ) so yes, agreed!

rpstewart · 23 Jan 2007 at 16:38

ByteJuggler said:
Sorry my bad... didn't read the original post properly (didn't realise it's only a 2.5inch drive... ) so yes, agreed!

Don't worry took me a while to find the enclosure, I was looking for a 3.5" one too.

meansizzler · 23 Jan 2007 at 17:05

melbourne720 said:
I just plugged mine in. Could it be chipset drivers (for the firewire port), PSU, or dodgy device and RMA time?

I assume you are running XP. Does anything else (ipod, etc) work on that firewire port.

I tired the onboard VIA firewire port and the one on the back of my Audgy 2 ZS, no luck, only works with the metod I said, the firewire does provide power but hard drive is not recognised, unless using method explained.., which enclosure do you have?, an can you explain what cables you have connected...

rpstewart · 23 Jan 2007 at 17:46

You mention a separate power cable in the original post. Does that just go to a mains adapter or is it pulling power from the PC?

meansizzler · 23 Jan 2007 at 23:07

rpstewart said:
You mention a separate power cable in the original post. Does that just go to a mains adapter or is it pulling power from the PC?

It pulls power via USB...