Hey all, for my tech work I use the zalman ve 300 usb drive enclosure since it can emulate any ISO, and its dead simple to use, I'm in love with it.
Bought a second one since my first one appeared to have stopped working, I have to test it but it may have been due to the really long cable I have, though usually the drive at least tries to spin up.
Anyways, on quite a few computers the USB ports can't give enough current, the short lead it comes with usually helps, but that also makes it harder to use and also increases the chance of the port on the drive getting damaged, since it is the mini usb 3.0 connector.
Anyways there are basically two options, three if I want to do the DIY approach.
I could get an SSD to put in the case, it would be even faster, however that would cost roughly $80 for the same sized drive and I already need more space on this. I can get a 32gb one for $54 but I have an ISO that would take up that entire amount, and I wouldn't have much for other stuff anyways (yes, a 32gb iso, it's ophcrack with all the libraries included)
The other option is just to get an externally powered USB hub, however most of them are fairly large, I am looking for something that would even just have one port to power the drive. Using a little USB current meter I have seen it draw up to 700ma when it starts the drive up, with the long cable it sits at around 200 and the drive can't spin up properly.
I was also thinking I could either make my own with an external power adapter, I am guessing the way they do it is just hook ground ground together and don't connect VCC to the computer, though I've never looked into it.
So, any suggestions on a product that would fit my needs? I might grab a cheap hub off ebay but I'd like something fairly compact. I could also maybe try making a split cable adapter like the USB 2.0 hard drives had but I'm not sure that would work.