Powering an external USB hard drive
From ComputingPlugs
People asked if the Sheeva Plug could supply enough power to run an USB external hard drive. Anecdotally I would say that it can supply enough power for a 2.5" external hard drive. I have a Western Digital My Passport Essential 320G (WDME3200TN) powered only by the Sheeva Plug and it has been working continuously for the past 2 months.
I found the following in Western Digital's knowledge base:
If you are using a WD Passport 2.5" hard drive, please ensure that the computer's USB ports supply at least 650 milliamps through the USB ports. If your USB controller or USB hub is limited to 500 milliamps of power draw, you may need to use a USB 2.0 Power Booster Cable or a WD Passport Power Supply. Both of which can be found on the Online Store under Accessories.
The Electrical specs of the Sheeva Plug states that:
USB OUTPUT: 5V -- 780mA
So there should be plenty of power to supply the Western Digital Passports.
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May 18 2009 2:14 pm
Please keep comments clean and constructive. Inappropriate comments will be removed. Thank you.
Sep 15 2009 3:16 am
Been doing this for two months with no problems yet.
Mar 07 2010 9:42 am
Update…
My plug died in Jan 2010 after nearly six months uptime. The power supply failed. This seems to be a common complaint of people who power an external usb drive from the hub, have a look at plugcomputer.org/plugforum.
It's a twenty minute job to replace the power supply though and now my plug is back up and working.Mar 08 2010 11:13 pm
My plug has also died, and it is almost certainly the power unit too. I used this exact HD for a two months. The more I look into this, the more I find this has happened to people. There are two reasons being banged around, cheap capacitors and hard disc spin up drawing beyond the stated draw. I think the nub is, it is not safe to power any HD via USB with your SheevaPlug.