ex-80gb PS3 hdd - in enclosure.. need two usb ports?

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Level 1

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ex-80gb PS3 hdd - in enclosure.. need two usb ports?

Have got a 'Omata Mobile HD' enclosure.

Have installed the 80gb formatted hitachi drive that was in my PS3 into it.

PLugged it into powerbook usb port... disc utility doesnt recognise it... read instructions again from Omata, all in pigeon english - just talks about windows install etc.. .google search later reveals that it needs two usb ports - one for power, one for data - is this true? Does this go for all enclosures?
i would need to then buy a usb extendor as the usb ports are on opposite sides of the pbg4.

Are there any enclosures that can run a 80gb off one usb port? It also has DC 5V/1A on the enclosure are these quite common?

PBG4 1.67Ghz, 2GB DDR2, 120hdd, SD, Mac OS X (10.4.11), PBG4 Refurbed off ebay Apple certified engineer

Posted on Jan 8, 2009 7:45 AM

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Answer 1

eww

Level 9

53,052 points

Jan 8, 2009 9:17 AM in response to steveOooo

Hi, Steve. Given the inconvenience of connecting a dual-USB "Y" cable to your Powerbook, the drawbacks of USB2 compared to FireWire for use with any Powerbook (USB is non-bootable on all PPC Macs and slower than FW 400, never mind FW 800), and the very low cost of your Omata enclosure, I recommend simply replacing it with a FW enclosure. Save the Omata one for use with your next Mac, which will be Intel-powered and USB-bootable, and won't have the limited USB bus power problem that afflicts all Powerbook G4s. Most bus-powered FW enclosures are bootable and have no trouble getting enough juice from Powerbooks, unlike nearly all USB2 enclosures. Get one that has the Oxford 911+ FW bridge chipset in it; that's far and away the most reliable bridge.

Message was edited by: eww

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Answer 2

Jan 9, 2009 12:43 AM in response to steveOooo

A powered USB hub will provide enough juice to run your Omata with a single cable. I have the same problem; I replaced my stock 120GB HD with a 7200 RPM HD and put the OEM drive in an inexpensive enclosure. When traveling I use a USB extender cable for dual port power, but at home the powered hub supplies the current.

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