USB cables and attenuation of power

PiKe

PiKe

PiKe

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What's the longest USB cable I can use and still be able to power a hdd off the bus? I've got a 3 meter one but it wont power it :(
 
PiKe said:
What's the longest USB cable I can use and still be able to power a hdd off the bus? I've got a 3 meter one but it wont power it :(
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Hmm interesting, I doubt there is a loss of power in the cable.

Are you sure its not just a dogi cable? I don't think length would come into it. Having said that perhaps the HDD is drawing too much power (it is quite common ) and requires a powered hub.

sid
 
5m is the maximum length for USB. More than that, and you need repeaters.

I have a 5m USB extension cable with a repeater on the end. Can plug anything into it and it's fine. Which leads me to the conclusion sid came to: dodgy cable/port?

Jon
 
Max limit for USB is 2.5W (0.5A at 5V)

USB hdds are very close to that (+ some converting chip to convert IDE to USB will use some power as well), so it might just not have enough juice tbh,

Have you tried other cables? ports? powered hubs?

sid
 
Where are you plugging it into? My Seagate external HD won't work off the front panel USBs or off my monitor's ports, it has to be plugged directly into the motherboard.
 
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