Consumers of storage products are often faced with the fact that their devices do not have enough power from the USB connector. Because of this, the devices do not work as they should - they constantly turn off, periodically disappear from the list of disks, or do not turn on at all. And this happens, as always, according to the law of meanness, at the most inopportune moment, when it is urgently necessary to get access to your data. This article will discuss how to provide your portable hard drive with good power.
I'll make a reservation right away that this problem occurs with the USB 2.0 port, since the more modern version of USB 3.0, according to the specification, has a large output power, which is quite enough for starting and operating the drive.
So, what to do in case of a power shortage.
There are two options. The first one is simple: you need to find a very short USB cable - about 15-20 cm. According to my experience, losses on such cables are minimal, so the hard drive will work even from the old USB port.
Usually such a wire can be bought in one of the computer markets or breakdowns, and in addition, such wires are liked to put in the set of their products by the well-known manufacturer of portable products Western Digital. Chances are good that a short cable will fix the problem. In addition, such a "lace" is convenient to carry with you, it is light and does not take up much space, even if it is tiny in a purse or small purse.
Option two - you have to fork out a little. You need to buy a device that will feed your hard drive. There are also two paths here. You can take an internal solution or an external one. The first is suitable for owners of stationary computers, the second - for owners of laptops and other portable equipment.
An external solution includes the purchase of a USB hub (hub) for 4-7 ports with an external power supply, which has enough power to power devices in all ports at once.
The advantage of this solution is its versatility. It can be used with a laptop, a desktop, and in general with any device. If necessary, such a hub can be easily thrown into a bag and taken to work / friend / dacha, etc. However, there are also disadvantages, albeit not significant. First, an extra busy socket. It may seem that I am finding fault, however, as practice shows, the sockets are clogged with devices quickly enough, and soon they may not be enough. Secondly, this is extra space on the table and a bunch of additional wires. For lovers of minimalism, and just order on the table, this option will not seem the best.
The internal solution is much better in this regard. Purchases a 3-inch internal Molex-powered USB hub. This device also has a card reader, so in addition to everything you get a memory card reader, which is a definite plus. Since no power supply is required (power is supplied from the computer's power supply), such devices are usually very cheap. Their price rarely exceeds 250-350 rubles.
In this case, the solution is very elegant - there is no space on the table, there are no extra wires, everything is at hand. It will be especially convenient for those users who do not have front USB ports on the computer case (only on the rear panel). On the downside, such a device will only work with desktops, and also only if you have a free internal connector on your motherboard. It should be noted that such internal connectors are a dime a dozen in modern motherboards.
Why is there not enough power for USB devices
What is the reason for the lack of food. A USB 2.0 port at 5 volts is only capable of delivering 0.5 ampere of current. That is, the power of one port will be 2.5 watts. The starting current of the hard drive is also 0.5 (and sometimes slightly more) ampere. If the computer's power supply (like itself) is not new, then not 5 volts may be issued, but, say, 4.6-4.8 volts. That is, the total power can decrease, limiting the power supply to the hard drive already working at the limit. A long wire has more resistance than a short one, which also reduces the power supply to the hard drive. Fortunately, manufacturers of portable hard drives take this problem into account and install hard drives with lower consumption. True, this does not in the best way affect the speed characteristics.
The more modern USB 3.0 connector has a current of 0.9 Amperes according to the specification (almost 2 times more than the previous version). Therefore, such devices do not have problems with power supply. In addition, this connector provides faster data transfer rates. Because it is backward compatible, you can easily plug a USB 3.0 device into a USB 2.0 port. In this case, it will run in compatibility mode at lower speeds. Therefore, I recommend buying hard drives with USB 3.0. Even if your computer does not have this modern connector, it will be a good start for the future. When it appears, you will see a significant increase (3-4 times) in speed.
If you have any questions, write in the comments.
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USB devices for various purposes have spread today, like mushrooms after the rain: fans, lamps, kettles and coffee makers, heated slippers, etc. Almost everything is trying to connect to USB, smartphones and tablets are being charged. Some of the devices use USB for their primary purpose, but most newer products use USB for their five-volt power supply.
The lack of USB connectors is resolved by using hubs that branch not only the interface, but also the power bus. And simple USB interface splitters in the form of passive hubs, you can find hundreds, if not thousands of varieties. Sometimes they are created in the form of pretentious figures, there is no limit to the design thought.
Along with the usual (simple) hubs, there are also USB hubs on the market equipped with an additional external or built-in power supply. Why such a decision is being promoted, now we'll figure it out.
The lack of free USB ports for connecting external devices happens most often precisely because the computer user connects various devices to USB connectors, the need for which is highly questionable. Standard USB connectors from four pieces, brought out to the outside of the computer case in the standard configuration of the chipset south bridge, where at least two base (root) hubs are present, should be enough in almost any application. 
The need to expand the number of devices connected to a computer is often embedded in the external devices themselves. Card readers with USB hubs on board are no exception. And in other devices, the hub is often placed, simply as a buffer element of the circuit to reduce the load on the computer. Such devices have the ability to connect their own power supply or power supply from the second and subsequent USB ports of the computer.
Hubs with external power supply are designed to connect devices that are critical to power supply from the computer bus via the USB connector. The limitation on the load capacity of the USB port is laid down in the specification and is no more than half an ampere in the specification standard number two. And in order to save money, including batteries in laptops, most often computer manufacturers build such power schemes in which the standard values of the load current are not provided. 
It is not always and there is no need to supply the device with as much energy from each connector as this device does not need. Overruns due to redundancy translate into costly implementation of the final product. Therefore, in order to save power, the power supply circuits are made in such a way that it is sufficient to supply the buffer elements of the external device circuits.
For example, a manipulator "mouse" or a flash drive does not need a power supply of two or more watts. Printers connected to computers and laptops via USB also have a separate power supply. Since in no way can one provide power to the printer or multifunction device (MFP) from one USB bus connector.
Smart people themselves realize that one cannot rely on "protection from fools" and load USB ports, let alone overload, while it is stupid to be guided by the standard of the USB interface specification. Therefore, when connecting devices, they take care of turning on external power supplies for devices and hubs, without experimenting and temptating fate, they will not “withstand - will not withstand” the load.
An external (optional) hub power supply provides load balancing for the USB interface connector. Thus, the load on the circuits of the main (mother) board of a computer or laptop remains within acceptable values. That protects an expensive product from failure due to overloading of buffer elements of circuits, power distribution buses and other components.
