Making my bare HDD attach via USB

[Rod Speed]

What is involved in making an ordinary 3.5 inch
hard drive attach to a PC via USB or Firewire?

Basically just buy a case thats designed to have the
drive installed in it, install it in it and carry on regardless.

What is involved in making this sort of thing myself:
http://www.sewelld.com/USBHardDriveCase25.asp

Are some specialised electronics needed?

Yes, there is a bridge between the ATA system
the drive uses and firewire or USB or both.

Can I buy them
Yes.

or would I need to construct them?
Nope.

Are less (or no) electronics needed
if the bare drive has a SATA interface?

Yes, if the PC does support SATA, you can
basically just plug the external SATA drive
in and put the drive in some sort of case
that just provides power to the drive.

 

[John Smith]

What is involved in making an ordinary 3.5 inch hard drive attach to a PC
via USB or Firewire?

What is involved in making this sort of thing myself:
http://www.sewelld.com/USBHardDriveCase25.asp

Are some specialised electronics needed? Can I buy them or would I need to
construct them?

Are less (or no) electronics needed if the bare drive has a SATA interface?

 

[Tom Scales]

For $49, it seems like buying would be easier the building. Don't forget
that the case has to be designed to conduct heat away from the drive, or the
drive will fail. That amount of thermodynamic design seems best left to the
experts.

Tom

 

[Rod Speed]

For $49, it seems like buying would be easier the building.
Don't forget that the case has to be designed to conduct
heat away from the drive, or the drive will fail. That amount
of thermodynamic design seems best left to the experts.

No rocket science required. Its just basic
conduction using metal if you dont use a fan.

 

[John Smith]

Basically just buy a case thats designed to have the
drive installed in it, install it in it and carry on regardless.



Yes, there is a bridge between the ATA system
the drive uses and firewire or USB or both.


Yes.

Where can I buy this from? What name is given to the electronics to bridge
ATA and USB/Firewire.

Yes, if the PC does support SATA, you can
basically just plug the external SATA drive
in and put the drive in some sort of case
that just provides power to the drive.

I am sorry that I was not clear in asking my question. I want to take a
hard drive and connect to it a PC which does not have any SATA support but
which has USB ports.

I meant to ask if I could take a hard drive (which I was guessing might have
to be SATA) and attach it to a USB port using some relatively
straightforward electronic interface I could make myself.

Can someone advise on this.

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

No rocket science required. Its just basic conduction using metal

Which there won't be much of with screws through the bottom
or with punched steel drive (side)rails with sharp edges on them.

 

[Rod Speed]

Where can I buy this from?

Depends on exactly what you want to buy. There
are heaps of external cases that come with everything
except the hard drive. Including the one you listed above.

What name is given to the electronics
to bridge ATA and USB/Firewire.

Thats the name.

I am sorry that I was not clear in asking my question.

Yeah, both questions in fact. Looks like
some confusion about the first question too.

I want to take a hard drive and connect to it a PC which
does not have any SATA support but which has USB ports.

OK. You basically need the external case which doesnt have
a hard drive included, which allows the use of SATA drives.

They arent very common at all.

I meant to ask if I could take a hard drive
(which I was guessing might have to be SATA)

Nope, you can still buy plenty of standard ATA drives.

and attach it to a USB port using some relatively
straightforward electronic interface I could make myself.

The bridge is too complex for that.

Can someone advise on this.

It isnt practical. You'd best buy something like the case you listed.

 

[J. Clarke]

Where can I buy this from? What name is given to the electronics to
bridge ATA and USB/Firewire.




I am sorry that I was not clear in asking my question. I want to take a
hard drive and connect to it a PC which does not have any SATA support but
which has USB ports.

I meant to ask if I could take a hard drive (which I was guessing might
have to be SATA) and attach it to a USB port using some relatively
straightforward electronic interface I could make myself.

Can someone advise on this.

While you can in principle make the interface yourself it's mainly a matter
of getting a chip and some connectors and making a circuit board and
soldering them onto it. You can probably find the bridge board you need
preassembled more readily and less expensively than the components alone in
single quantities and you won't have to etch a board.

 

[Mixxo]

69072.news.uni-berlin.de:



Why do some pre-built cases for external USB drives manage to draw
sufficient power from the USB port but others need a separate power
adaptor "brick"?

 

[Rod Speed]

69072.news.uni-berlin.de:

Why do some pre-built cases for external USB drives
manage to draw sufficient power from the USB port

Normally only those which have a 2.5" laptop
drive in them. Those only use 5V power and
thats all thats available on the USB cable.

but others need a separate power adaptor "brick"?

Normally those with 3.5" drives in them that need
12V which isnt available from the USB cable.

Some which have a laptop drive in them have some form
of external power which can be used when the USB port
its plugged into doesnt provide enough 5V current.

 

[Toshi1873]

Why do some pre-built cases for external USB drives manage to draw
sufficient power from the USB port but others need a separate power
adaptor "brick"?

Depends on the USB bus as well as the type of drive
inside the enclosure (AFAIK).

I've only ever seen 2.5" drives that are self-powered
from the USB drive... I think 3.5" drives require too
much power.

On a side note, I dislike external USB/firewire
enclosures that require seperate power bricks instead of
having a built-in power-supply. Sure, using a power
brick makes the enclosure smaller, but it's a pain to
have to lug around a power-brick that is unique to the
box and easily misplaced during transit. Much nicer to
have a box that takes standard AC power cords and
standard USB/firewire cabling. (Especially because
those items are easy to find if you accidently leave
your cables at home.)