Seagate eSATA, no power up after power fail!

[James Of Tucson]

I'm disappointed with the Seagate eSATA drive, because after a power
failure, the drive requires you to push the button to restart it,
which is a real problem since the other equipment starts right up.
Seagate support says there's no way to fix it, and further claimed
that *NO* eSATA drive can power up after power loss (!). Of course I
do not believe them. Give me schematics or something so I can just
make a harness, please.

I haven't decided yet whether to return the Seagate drive or go in and
bridge the switch.

 

[=?iso-8859-1?Q?Rita_=C4_Berkowitz?=]

I haven't decided yet whether to return the Seagate drive or go in and
bridge the switch.

The simple solution is to use an APC Smart-UPS UPS and power failure
problems are a thing of the past.





Rita

 

[Arno Wagner]

I'm disappointed with the Seagate eSATA drive, because after a power
failure, the drive requires you to push the button to restart it,
which is a real problem since the other equipment starts right up.
Seagate support says there's no way to fix it, and further claimed
that *NO* eSATA drive can power up after power loss (!).

This is a direct lie. The usual "what you want is not possible,
go away" from scumbag "tech" "support". I am pretty sure that
all eSATA drives with a rocker switch poer up just fine. I
have one that does. Only an idiotic push-button design would
have this problem.

Of course I
do not believe them. Give me schematics or something so I can just
make a harness, please.

I haven't decided yet whether to return the Seagate drive or go in and
bridge the switch.

Return it and get a decent product. Seagate obviously thinks that
making soemthing that works is optional for them. Bridging the switch
does not necessarily work.

Arno

 

[Arno Wagner]

James Of Tucson wrote:

The simple solution is to use an APC Smart-UPS UPS and power failure
problems are a thing of the past.

Nonsense. And you get battery maintanance, configuration and other
tasks you now need to take care of. In addition on being short
some cash better spend elsewere. Side note: APC does not answer
inquieries except when they think you are a company. My guess
would be that as private customer you do not get support at all
with them.

Arno

 

[=?iso-8859-1?Q?Rita_=C4_Berkowitz?=]

Nonsense. And you get battery maintanance, configuration and other
tasks you now need to take care of. In addition on being short
some cash better spend elsewere. Side note: APC does not answer
inquieries except when they think you are a company. My guess
would be that as private customer you do not get support at all
with them.

That's total and utter bullshit! Do you really consider changing a set of
batteries every 5-years a real hardship? An APC Matrix 5000 with three
Smart-Cell XR cabinets protects the server in my basement and the batteries
get changes on a 5-year cycle whether or not they need it. I also run small
APC Smart-UPS throughout the house for protection of various electronics
gadgets and the "battery maintenance" on them is dirt-cheap. As for APC not
answering questions that is more bullshit. APC was very helpful in
answering some technical questions I had in modifying Smart-Cell battery
packs for an undocumented feature that I needed. Maybe it's how you
approach and talk to these companies when you seek their assistance?







Rita

 

[Arno Wagner]

Arno Wagner wrote:

That's total and utter bullshit!

No, for the person operating the equipment it is not.
For the person selling the equipment, of course everything is
easy. And 5 years is rather optimistic.

Arno

 

[=?iso-8859-1?Q?Rita_=C4_Berkowitz?=]

No, for the person operating the equipment it is not.

Maybe you can explain in a little bit of detail why it is not so we all can
learn? In most cases you don't even have to shut the UPS down to change
batteries. Me thinks you don't know what you are talking about.

For the person selling the equipment, of course everything is
easy. And 5 years is rather optimistic.

It was designed easy for both seller and end-user. And 5-years real isn't
optimistic it's the norm if you keep good airflow around your UPS so the
batteries stay cool. The main reason for extended battery life is using
good batteries. You should never use any other brand battery than Yuasa or
PowerSonic. Use cheap batteries and reliability and life expectancy is a
crapshoot.






Rita

 

[James Of Tucson]

That's total and utter bullshit! Do you really consider changing a set of
batteries every 5-years a real hardship?

Even on a UPS I'd want the device to power up after an off cycle. The
point is moot and your posts are already verging on hostility, and
that's inappropriate.

 

[=?iso-8859-1?Q?Rita_=C4_Berkowitz?=]

Even on a UPS I'd want the device to power up after an off cycle. The
point is moot and your posts are already verging on hostility, and
that's inappropriate.

Please don't take the tone of Arno's and my posts seriously as we go back a
long way and are good pals. Now to the issue at hand. You bought
inappropriate hardware for the task at hand, so any suggestion you get in
these forums aren't moot. These problems are eliminated with a bit of
research prior to making the purchase. Now, if you're handy with a volt
meter and a soldering iron you can fix this power supply to stay on all the
time or you can get a scrap one from an old external CD/DVD writer and use
that with little effort. Your problem isn't serious and is only as
complicated as you want to make it.









Rita

 

[James Of Tucson]

Your problem isn't serious

It caused an interruption in data acquisition.

and is only as
complicated as you want to make it.

I was hoping for a simple recommendation; after confirming that the
Seagate drive was crap,
which one will work?

Do you understand how hard it is to choose products according to
features that are not at all documented?

 

[Arno Wagner]

It caused an interruption in data acquisition.

Which can be arbitratily bad...

I was hoping for a simple recommendation; after confirming that the
Seagate drive was crap,
which one will work?

Do you understand how hard it is to choose products according to
features that are not at all documented?

Hehe. Without being able to open the package and trying it out?
Very hard. More so in the abasence of competent sales people.

Try to get one with a rocker switch, as I recommendend. I
have several different ones, all will restart on power up.

Of course one reason for the broken original design is that
it is not intended for "server" usage (server equipment can
restart itself after power outage, since it may be hard to
get to), like so many stuff today. The MS world allways
assumes somebody at the keyboard/switch. They really
never left the "home/persobal computer" thinking behind.

Arno

 

[=?iso-8859-1?Q?Rita_=C4_Berkowitz?=]

It caused an interruption in data acquisition.

No, it worked as described. You just wanted it to do something it wasn't
designed and advertised to do.

I was hoping for a simple recommendation; after confirming that the
Seagate drive was crap,
which one will work?

Take back the one you are struggling with now and get a Netgear SC101. Best
Buy has them on sale for $99, just add the hardrive(s) of your choice.

Do you understand how hard it is to choose products according to
features that are not at all documented?

This is more of a problem of the consumer allowing themselves to get duped
into buying a piece of garbage that they know isn't going to do what they
want while throwing pennies in the fountain wishing it will. Stay away from
products that don't have clearly and accurately described specifications and
features.







Rita