USB Hard Drive?

JP · Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2025 12:41 am Post subject: USB Hard Drive?

Yesterday, I bought what seems to be a USB 2.0 Hard Drive. It is a Beyond Micro brand, I see they are out of business, but some of the sites I've gone to indicate that it might be a 120 GB, 320 GB, or 500GB drive .... the model number is PHR-100A. I don't know anything about these things, so I've got some questions.

I'm using Dreamlinux for an OS.
1. I plugged it in and started up the laptop, nothing comes up to tell me there is a new device, and I can't find it in "computer."
2. I hooked it up to the wife's M$XP desktop, and it doesn't seem to see it either.

If it's dead, would that explain why the computers can't even see it? I would have thought that they would at least recognize that there was a USB device installed whether it was working or not, but maybe not ?????

Input/advice is welcomed Wink

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bdquick · Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2025 12:48 am Post subject:

Is this a portable drive, or one a larger one that requires external power? If it is a portable drive it may still require extra power, if your usb ports are low power. Generally usb 2.0 ports don't have that problem, but I have seen it.

Have you tried it with different usb cables?

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mmmna · . . . . Joined: 21 Apr 2025 Posts: 7224

PHR-100A leads me to a Macally external hard disk enclosure at Newegg. http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16817146601

That is a 'kit' for converting a bare IDE hard disk into a portable hard disk drive. Install any drive and it becomes that big. 120 megs would work, I used 120 Gigs, and I don't know of any published capacity limitation... I'd begin to worry with drives around 600 Gigs.

I have an I/O Magic USB 2.0 hard disk converter box that is identical to the Macally kit. http://www.iomagic.com/Products/show_all_results.asp?ProdID=I35USBEN

If yours is very light weight, then it probably has no hard disk installed in it. It will still power up, but no motor, no disc, etc. means not recognized. I used to have a spare 120G drive in mine, and used it reliably with many distros for a couple years (no drivers, just turn it on, wait for the hard disk to spin up, connect the cable and Linux says "Hey! A hard disk!"). Ultimately my drive started spewing sectors into the void, so I had to give up on the whole thing. All I REALLY need is a new IDE drive and I'm good to go.

I have researched my own device a bit, the chip inside of it can support 2 IDE drives, and it offers decent ATAPI support, so with a new housing and a new IDE cable, theory says I could rebuild mine with an IDE hard disk drive AND a DVDRW drive.

JP · Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2025 5:02 pm Post subject:

@ bdquick - it has receptacles for DC and USB ..... that's it! It's portable, about 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" ..... only found the one cable, so I'll have to look around for another and see if that makes a difference.

@ mmmna- it's heavy, so it probably has a drive in it .... I'll see if I can get it opened up and try changing the drive with an old one I have laying around and see what happens .... I didn't realize that I could be able to put a new drive into it. That would be great to be able to add a large hard drive to the lappy which won't hold a large one like that. If it still doesn't work, I'll assume that the electronics are scrapped, so I'll have a good time looking inside anyways Wink

Thanks for the info, I'll post whatever I find out.

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Pet3M0ss · Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2025 8:23 pm Post subject:

if it has a DC receptacle, it probably needs supplemental power. Any LEDs that light up when connected??

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JP · Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2025 9:57 pm Post subject:

Nope, no LEDs ..... I did pop it open, and it has an 80GB western Digital hard drive in it .... guess I'll have to look around at the thrift stores and see if I can find a power supply for it ....I didn't find a whole lot of info about it, so I'll be doing some research to find out more about it ..... THX, I'll keep you posted Wink

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bdquick · Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2025 12:51 am Post subject:

So its a standard 3.5 inch drive in there? That would require extra power. A 2.5 inch drive like a laptop takes will run off of usb generally.

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ladypcer · Member Joined: 01 Aug 2025 Posts: 247 Location: Illinois

I have an external USB drive enclosure. It comes with a USB cord and a power cord that just plugs into it in the back and into a plug in. No separate transformer. It's a cord that looks like a pc power cord, so maybe one of those would work?

I have a extra 120 gig IDE drive in mine and formatted it to ext4, and use it for storage.

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melloe · Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2025 1:55 pm Post subject:

It is pretty common knowledge that generally, USB will NOT power any regular Hard drive. PATA or SATA, 2.5 or 3.5. Older ones of Both require 12Volt and 5Volt. Older ones as much as 3/4 Ampere for both 12Volt and 5Volt. Have not checked a recent 2.5 mechanical Hard drive. Don't feel like paying twice the price for half the storage.

Regular USB is 5Volt with a maximun of about half an Ampere marked ( 0.50A ) or less. The total power requirement for a mechanical Hard drive is close to an Ampere.
A newer regular mechanical Hard drive ( not SSD ) takes about 0.65 Ampere for the 5Volt Side, and 0.50 Ampere for the 12 volt side. External Hard drive Enclosures generally work by providing a 1 Ampere or better 12 volt Power supply/ adapter, and a regulator in the enclosure to provide the 5 Volts. A very few have dual voltages from the adapter. A few enclosures have the 12 Volt/5volt power supply built in and can be identified by the common AC type two prong AC female connector Instead of the round small female. Twelve Volt Enclosures AC adapters have become almost universal in recent times

Never saw an external enclosure that did not have some visual method to see if it was on. Either a straight power on LED, or one hidden in the Brand name, or an LED that only flickered when Hard drive was being addressed..or both.

Word of the day. If one watches the sales, and has a use for a PATA Hard drive, Hard drive externals with the hard drive can be purchased often be purchased cheaper than the Hard drive in them.

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mmmna · . . . . Joined: 21 Apr 2025 Posts: 7224

JP - if this enclosure is the same as the one I have AND the same as shown at the the link that I found for the Macally enclosure, then the power brick is not optional, and is also VERY uncommon.

My I/O Magic enclosure (and, evidently, the Macally enclosure also) use what looks like a PS/2 keyboard (or mouse) connector for this power connection. Look closely at the power cable connector on the top of this NewEgg photo (that I'm serving): http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/upJFmZuXrXkVjBHrJFtKlQ?feat=directlink

The enclosure would have the mating connector for it, and as I said a few sentences above, it looks like an older keyboard or mouse connector for the non-USB type connections that were used just before USB.

Why would you need a power brick?
The starting (surge) currents for IDE hard disks would eat all of the +5 volt USB power and very likely still need more power from the USB 5V supply (5V is part of USB standards) AND 3.5 inch hard disks almost always need a 12 V power source (not part of a standard USB connection). Using the USB 5V for generating the 12 V power AND for the 5V power could damage something when the drive is first powered up, so there must be an external power brick.

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ladypcer · Member Joined: 01 Aug 2025 Posts: 247 Location: Illinois

Yeah, it's not like mine. Here's the same model number on Newegg-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817146602&nm_mc=OTC-Shoppingnet&cm_mmc=OTC-Shoppingnet-_-External+Enclosure-_-Macally+%28Mace+Group%29-_-17146602

and the manufacturer website and phone number-
Manufacturer Contact Info

* Manufacturer Product Page|
* Website: http://www.macally.com|
* Support Phone Number: 626-214-2770
Maybe you can get a replacement power pack?

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DocZayus · Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2025 4:59 pm Post subject:

The link ladypcer posted definitely has a power cable in the items picture.

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JP · Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2025 9:03 pm Post subject:

I did some more searching .... apparently, it's a Rextor 5v-12v 1.2a 4 pin something or other ...... I called Macally, and the part is $35.00 + shipping. I didn't find anything to match on ebay, so I'll just bide my time ..... if nothing else, I can always use the 80GB hard drive if it works Wink

@mmmna Yes, it's like a PS-2 plug-in like you were saying .... I'm assuming that the person who donated it kept the old adapter to save $35.00 ..... at least that's what I would've done Wink

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melloe · Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2025 9:19 pm Post subject:

mmmna · . . . . Joined: 21 Apr 2025 Posts: 7224

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