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Thread: 3.5" USB HDD enclosure ran off of ni-cd rechargable bat

  1. #1
    elmezie Newbie
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    Default 3.5" USB HDD enclosure ran off of ni-cd rechargable bat

    I have a usb 3.5" hdd enclosure , currently it uses an external 40watt ac adaptor to power the hard drive. Is there anyway i could replace this wihth a rechargable battery?


  2. #2
    Super Moderator mechie Good mechie Good
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    Give us a clue ... what voltage is required ?
    If I guess at 12v then 40W is about 3.5 Amps (P = V*I)
    If I guess at 18v this comes down to 2.25 Amps.
    This will only be required when the HDD is running so a battery pack could cope but its life will be short unless you have power-saving options on your computer to stop the HDD when not required.

    Maybe a sealed rechargeable, Yuasa make a 2.8Ah 12v battery, #if the voltage is correct# it would give just under an hour of operation per charge. A 7Ah one would give 2 hours.

    Disposables such as a pair of PP9's in series would give 18v and last for a couple of hours (at a cost of 6 pounds (UK) a time - that's £3 per hour !)

    Does the size and weight matter?
    A 30Ah car battery would last for 10 hours?
    I need a memory upgrade ...
    My head is full !

  3. #3
    elmezie Newbie
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    The power supply that comes with the usb hdd enclsorue has an
    AC input: 100 - 240V DC output: +5V/+12V

    I only want to be able to use the drive for like 30 minutes at a time. In between use i wanted to recharge the batteries using a charging station or something.

  4. #4
    Super Moderator mechie Good mechie Good
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    Default HDD Power

    I guess the 5v line will be around half the total power (20W = 4A).
    It now gets messy ...
    A 12v battery and a 5v regulator capable of 4A.

    If my guess is right - the regulator (simple series type) will waste 4A*7v = 28W as heat in addition to the HDD power requirements.
    40W just went up to 68W !

    Can you tell us the currents for each power line ? maybe only a few mA are required for the 5v line ...
    I need a memory upgrade ...
    My head is full !

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