Head Units and External Hard Drives

[darren700 10+ year member]

ok heres my question.. i have a 160gb external hdd with the ps2 type power connection. (looks the same as a keyboard plug in wire) the inputs are labeled 12v, 5v, and two grounds. my question is if i buy this http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOIBSAA:US:31&Item=250119804911 12v to 5v adapter, hard wire it into my car, then plug the 12V right to a power cable from the battery, will the fluxuating current on the 12v supply (12-14.4v) cause a problem with the hard drive? like could the over voltage on the 12v supply fry it? thanks

 

[chilly]

... will the fluxuating current on the 12v supply (12-14.4v) cause a problem with the hard drive?

A decent quality USB power adapter should handle a range of DC input voltage and provide a consistent 5v output. The unit you linked to (that I bought) says it handles like 12v->24v input and gives you 5v and 9v outputs @ 1amp. I guess it's from some old aviation headset or something (thus the 24v). So, no, if it does what it says, it shouldn't cause a problem with the drive.

AltairCrystal: I think that's right about powering the second leg of the USB splitter with an aux power source. I'd check the specs on the cig lighter->USB adapter you are using first though. I might actually change my approach and get this thing: http://www.addonics.com/products/pow...aacaru5v2a.asp which should do what you are saying. It specifically says 10v->16v DC input, and 5v+/-.25v DC output@2amp. Once installed, you'd only have to use a single connection (USB) day-to-day on your 2.5" drive (instead of a PWR and a USB).

This is all speculation for me though. I'm still using a broken Nakamichi CD400 that's only useable for the aux in cable //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crying.gif.ec0ebefe590df0251476573bc49e46d8.gif I'm just watching the threads until I buy something, so keep posting results and feedback! Thanks.

 

[AltarCrystal 10+ year member]

A decent quality USB power adapter should handle a range of DC input voltage and provide a consistent 5v output. The unit you linked to (that I bought) says it handles like 12v->24v input and gives you 5v and 9v outputs @ 1amp. I guess it's from some old aviation headset or something (thus the 24v). So, no, if it does what it says, it shouldn't cause a problem with the drive.
AltairCrystal: I think that's right about powering the second leg of the USB splitter with an aux power source. I'd check the specs on the cig lighter->USB adapter you are using first though. I might actually change my approach and get this thing: http://www.addonics.com/products/pow...aacaru5v2a.asp which should do what you are saying. It specifically says 10v->16v DC input, and 5v+/-.25v DC output@2amp. Once installed, you'd only have to use a single connection (USB) day-to-day on your 2.5" drive (instead of a PWR and a USB).

This is all speculation for me though. I'm still using a broken Nakamichi CD400 that's only useable for the aux in cable //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crying.gif.ec0ebefe590df0251476573bc49e46d8.gif I'm just watching the threads until I buy something, so keep posting results and feedback! Thanks.

Hm, well, link's not working, so I may have missed something, but the seagate is powered by USB, not an external power supply. I"m just asking if I can find a USB y-cable somewhere (can't find these suckers anywhere), run one to the ciggerate power inverter, and the other to the headunit, would it work? I"m worried about data not getting to the headunit, and overpowring the hard drive.

 

[AltarCrystal 10+ year member]

Ah wait, I got it now, atleast with this product...

http://www.addonics.com/products/power_adapter/aacaru5v2a.asp

Not the cheapest at almost $25 + shipping, but very simple and doesn't use much room.

Is is possible to patch this into the lines from any of my ciggerate lighters? Woule enough power still be supplied to the ciggerate lighter if I was using the HDD to, say, charge a cell phone?

Alright, seems doable.

 

[headless 10+ year member]

Cigg lighter circuits in my car are fused @ 10a. Yours probably are too - but check. My car has one that shares with dash lighting and clock etc. and another that is dedicated to just the socket. You'd be fine charging a phone and running that. Phone charging is a low current application.

 

[AltarCrystal 10+ year member]

Cigg lighter circuits in my car are fused @ 10a. Yours probably are too - but check. My car has one that shares with dash lighting and clock etc. and another that is dedicated to just the socket. You'd be fine charging a phone and running that. Phone charging is a low current application.

Awesome, I'm trying to make this look as nice as possible, so I'd rather not be taking up a cig lighter and have it look kinda dumb. This way I can run all the wires under trim //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[chilly]

Ah wait, I got it now, atleast with this product...
Not the cheapest at almost $25 + shipping, but very simple and doesn't use much room.

Is is possible to patch this into the lines from any of my ciggerate lighters? Woule enough power still be supplied to the ciggerate lighter if I was using the HDD to, say, charge a cell phone?

Alright, seems doable.

 

Yeah, it is a little pricey, and something super cheap off ebay might do the same thing... but they supply specifications, which make me feel better.

You could definately take it apart and solder some leads in to power it from any 12VDC supply. Most car fuses are AT LEAST 5amp, so you probably could still run a cell phone charger off that same cig lighter line. You could just go to the fuse panel too, and wire your own fuse for this thing if it was a problem.

 

[AltarCrystal 10+ year member]

Ah crap, was looking at it today in the store, and looks like it has an AC power cord. No fear, though, this should work, right?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16882739007

cool, still looking at the same price range.

 

[AltarCrystal 10+ year member]

Ugh, I sware my mind keeps changing on this so often. I wanted the 250GB pretty much for bragging rights //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/suave.gif.858fc102f7646e678ee8af7e1fbc41d1.gif but I think I'm gonna go with this...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822148258

Ment for travel, so it should be more than durable to handle being in a car.

 

[J31Rob 5,000+ posts]

Make sure you get heavy shock resistance.

 

[Hyperlite 10+ year member]

OK, this thread needs to be ressurected. I have a P690UB, and i am looking for a hdd to use for it. Heres the dilemma: I could go with a low end 2.5" drive that runs on USB power, but those are hit and miss as far as power requirements go, and all the ones i have seen don't use a Y cable, but two usb cables, one for data and one for power (which obviously isnt an option, unless i use a hub/splitter) and i can't for the life of me find any Y cables, anywhere. I would go straight AC with a hardwired power supply and a 3.5" drive, but they lack shock protection and i'm afraid i would eventually kill it. a cheap 2.5" drive that used AC power would be great....what could i do if i get something like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822173050? could i buy a line hub (i can't find a doubler/splitter) and just plug them both in? if i end up not being able to get enough power like that, what are my other options for powering the drive, not using USB? i don't know why a company hasn't come up with a simple solution to this yet...

 

[AltarCrystal 10+ year member]

OK, this thread needs to be ressurected. I have a P690UB, and i am looking for a hdd to use for it. Heres the dilemma: I could go with a low end 2.5" drive that runs on USB power, but those are hit and miss as far as power requirements go, and all the ones i have seen don't use a Y cable, but two usb cables, one for data and one for power (which obviously isnt an option, unless i use a hub/splitter) and i can't for the life of me find any Y cables, anywhere. I would go straight AC with a hardwired power supply and a 3.5" drive, but they lack shock protection and i'm afraid i would eventually kill it. a cheap 2.5" drive that used AC power would be great....what could i do if i get something like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822173050? could i buy a line hub (i can't find a doubler/splitter) and just plug them both in? if i end up not being able to get enough power like that, what are my other options for powering the drive, not using USB? i don't know why a company hasn't come up with a simple solution to this yet...

Well, either way, you're gona need a power inverter.

I just ordered a 160GB Seagate Go. It's 2.5", but has 2-usb plugs. For this, I got a normal power inverter that had a USB jack on it (Which a ton do, now).

If you get one that's USB powered but has a single USB cable, go for this...

http://www.addonics.com/products/power_adapter/aacaru5v2a.asp

The one one the right. The middle plugs into the device (in this case, a hard drive) and the end plugs into the HU.

I strongly suggest 2.5" drives, since they can resist vibrations/shock MUCH better then a 3.5", plus they're smaller and hell, usually look better. The hit you're taking is that the biggest 2.5" drive I've found is 160GB, but honestly, do you need more storage for STRICTLY music than that?

Nice thing about cig liger inverters, you can just soilder the leads from the cig lighter to the inverter, keeping it all hidden, and still use that cig lighter.

 

[Monologuist 10+ year member]

OK...a little OT:

6900ub and 690ub users: (I have the 6900 myself)

1.I have been trying to tune my system using the crossovers in the 6900. First of all, I thought the high pass crossover was supposed to have adjustable slope? I can't seem to adjust it, only can adjust frequencies. Does anyone know what the default slope is?

2.The low pass you can adjust +/- 6. Is this adjusting gain as well as crossover slope, or is it just the slope? Does anyone know what each increment corresponds to in terms of slope?

3.BTW, my unit all of a sudden began to put out extremely loud buzzing last week, either a ground issue, or the RCA outs are malfunctioning. Sounddomain is replacing it, but I thought I'd let people know of this potential problem...maybe same problem as I've been reading about reioneer receivers in general?

4.Can anyone confirm that the 6900 puts out a clean signal all the way to 61 on the volume stepper? I read this somewhere, but have no confirmed it with a dmm or anything.

5.What is the largest capacity hard drive (brand and model), either pre-enclosed like the Seagate one, or raw internal drive that could be put in an external enclosure, that has been confirmed to work with USB power on the 6900?

 

[Shu 10+ year member]

OK, this thread needs to be ressurected. I have a P690UB, and i am looking for a hdd to use for it. Heres the dilemma: I could go with a low end 2.5" drive that runs on USB power, but those are hit and miss as far as power requirements go, and all the ones i have seen don't use a Y cable, but two usb cables, one for data and one for power (which obviously isnt an option, unless i use a hub/splitter) and i can't for the life of me find any Y cables, anywhere. I would go straight AC with a hardwired power supply and a 3.5" drive, but they lack shock protection and i'm afraid i would eventually kill it. a cheap 2.5" drive that used AC power would be great....what could i do if i get something like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822173050? could i buy a line hub (i can't find a doubler/splitter) and just plug them both in? if i end up not being able to get enough power like that, what are my other options for powering the drive, not using USB? i don't know why a company hasn't come up with a simple solution to this yet...

Check out the Iomega silver series portable hard drives. They come with a Y Cable double USB power cable OR a 5V input and a switch so you can decide how to supply power (via single or double USB or via the 5V input). I am using it with my Kenwood DPX701 HU and powering it though the single USB source. Not a single problem, I love it. I know the I/O Magic Brand doesn't work and I am confident that the Western Digital portable drive wouldn't work either since it requires 650 mA to start up. Memorex would not disclose their portable drive power requirements, so I stayed away from them.

 

[JoshH]

What is the size of that Iomega drive that you are using?

I am thinking about getting this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822186019