Basic Hard Drive Questions

  • Thread starter Thread starter Annabelle
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Annabelle

1. I understand the concept of jumpering connections on a hard drive or
other device, but I have never seen these little jumper things. Where do we
buy these, or did they come with my hard drive, and the installer person
just threw them out?

2. I just bought a notebook drive to go in an enclosure that can store
photos in the field, but the enclosure has not arrived and so I was
examining the drive. Where does the power come from? It looks to me like all
the connectors are signal connectors.
 
Annabelle said:
1. I understand the concept of jumpering connections on a hard drive or
other device, but I have never seen these little jumper things. Where do we
buy these, or did they come with my hard drive, and the installer person
just threw them out?
Click to expand...

Which country are you in?
Radio Shack
Model: JUMPER254
Catalog #: 55011114
$16.79 per 100 pk
2. I just bought a notebook drive to go in an enclosure that can store
photos in the field, but the enclosure has not arrived and so I was
examining the drive. Where does the power come from? It looks to me like all
the connectors are signal connectors.
Click to expand...
I don't completely understand your question, but if a part is missing,
ring the supplier & ask where it is.
 
Either as 1 of 1 said , or visit a nearby computer parts shop/supplier and
ask if they have (usually for next to nothing)

The question on the laptop HD:
On standard IDE HDs, there's the 4-pin molex connector for power and a
40-pin connector for data.
On a 2.5" laptop disks both of those are combined on to one 44-pin
connector. As for the external enclosure you've ordered, did you specify it
was for a laptop disk or a generic one??
If generic enclosure for 3.5" disks, there's adapter available to use 2.5"
laptop disks in them (combines 4-pin power + 40-pin data onto 44-pin
conector and rails to the sides), like this
http://www.cablesforless.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=776




--
Tumppi
=================================
Most learned on these newsgroups
Helsinki, FINLAND
(translations from/to FI not always accurate
=================================
 
1. I understand the concept of jumpering connections on a hard drive or
other device, but I have never seen these little jumper things. Where do we
buy these, or did they come with my hard drive, and the installer person
just threw them out?
Click to expand...

Old disks. Dumpsters if necessary.
2. I just bought a notebook drive to go in an enclosure that can store
photos in the field, but the enclosure has not arrived and so I was
examining the drive. Where does the power come from? It looks to me like all
the connectors are signal connectors.
Click to expand...

Yup.
 
Should have came with.
Old disks. Dumpsters if necessary.
Click to expand...
My favorite one is to find one of those old fashioned digital MHZ
displays. There's a TON of jumpers on them.
 
Annabelle said:
1. I understand the concept of jumpering connections on a hard drive or
other device, but I have never seen these little jumper things. Where do we
buy these, or did they come with my hard drive, and the installer person
just threw them out?
Click to expand...

I guess you saw the pnis on the back of the hard drive

some hard drives for example to set them to master or to slave, use no
jumper. I usually cellotape a jumper on the back incase it's needed.
e.g. some drives use a jumper for master or slave , or if they have a
master with slave option, that always seems to use a jumper.
2. I just bought a notebook drive to go in an enclosure that can store
photos in the field, but the enclosure has not arrived and so I was
examining the drive. Where does the power come from? It looks to me like all
the connectors are signal connectors.
Click to expand...

I think you'll probably find that the 2.5" IDE cable (laptop ide cable)
sends power down - probably 2 - of the wires. Rather, the laptop sends
the power down 2 of the wires of the cable.

Perhaps if you went to buy a 2.5" cable or a 2.5-3.5 adaptor cable, it
might come with a power supply. in certain instances. i'm not sure.
It's so cheap so I just buy it and find out afterwards. If I dont' want
it now i'll probably want it later anyway. Good to have stocks of these
little gadgets.
 
Thanks for your answer. By the nature of the enclosure I ordered, it
requires a 2.5" drive so as to conserve power and be of light weight. I was
surprised at the size of the laptop HD; the enclosure is a tight fit, so we
are talking about a 40GB self-powered HD that reads camera data cards and
fits in a pocket! Pretty cool. If I am willing to reformat it each time, It
will serve as USB backup for my computer, too.
 
1. I understand the concept of jumpering connections on a hard drive or
other device, but I have never seen these little jumper things. Where do we
buy these, or did they come with my hard drive, and the installer person
just threw them out?
Click to expand...

They are sometimes in the bag with the screws but often you'll find
them on the jumper pins in a configuration that has no effect, or
perhaps on the pins in a configuration for master or cable select.
2. I just bought a notebook drive to go in an enclosure that can store
photos in the field, but the enclosure has not arrived and so I was
examining the drive. Where does the power come from? It looks to me like all
the connectors are signal connectors.
Click to expand...

4 are really power connectors. It's 44 pins, not 40. There's a
geegaw you can buy that takes a standard power connector and a
standard IDE cable on one side and a laptop HD on the other.
 
Annabelle said:
1. I understand the concept of jumpering connections on a hard drive or
other device, but I have never seen these little jumper things. Where do
we
buy these, or did they come with my hard drive, and the installer person
just threw them out?
Click to expand...

If you go to your favorite computer store, they should be happy to give you
one or two. However, you should bring the drive with you, as there are at
least 3 different sizes of jumpers, especially if it's an older drive.

On the other hand, there have been times I was on-site at a client's, and
needed a jumper right then, I've used a stapler. Just staple nothing, and
use your pliers to size it to fit. I've also used a wire-wrap tool, but I
realize that most people don't know what they are, and certainly don't have
one.
 
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