PowerBook G4... powered enough?

Z

zoranb

Registered
I have the PowerBook G4 and none of the two USB plugs are powered. Powered enough to power a 2.5"HDD enclosure. The drive needs both USB ports to operate!
Is there anyone having this laptop that can test it like me so i know if they are powered or not or might this be a enclosure failure!
Thanx
 
A bit of deja-vu here ....

Have a look at the drive and see if you can post here how much power it needs to draw, it should say so on a sticker, maybe. Have a look anyhows. If the drive requires more power than a single USB 2.0 port on your PowerBook G4 can provide, then you will have issues running the Ext HD using just one USB 2.0 port.

It's not out of the question that your 2.5" HD may need two USB 2.0 ports, one for the data transfer and the other to provide power.

External Hard Drive requires 2 USB connections

Either way, you'll need to provide exact details about the brand of enclosure and the serial number/specs of the 2.5" HD if you can't find the power requirements of your 2.5" drive.

Check also, that your PB G4 has USB 2 and not USB 1 ports.

Apple Releases New 15.2" Aluminum PowerBooks: Faster, FW 800, USB 2.0, More

APPLE EXPO, PARIS - September 16th, 2003







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Yes, the USB ports on the PowerBook G4 are powered.

Yes, I have frequently encountered owners of PowerBook G4s and MacBook Pros that have the same issue as you do -- they require a special Y-shaped USB cord to power their drives off of two USB ports.

Seems like the PowerBooks and MacBook Pros just don't provide as much power to the USB ports as the MacBooks and desktops do. I don't think it necessarily points to anything wrong with the computer, I just think that's the way it is.
 
Which, basically, is wrong. Why would the *PRO* computer be underequipped? I mean: I've heard it, too. I just don't get it...
 
I would think that as long as the USB port is putting out enough power to be in compliance with the USB specification, then it couldn't be considered "wrong." Perhaps the drive in question is trying to pull just a tad too much power, and the fault lies with the drive -- not the MacBook Pro/PowerBook?

Believe me, I'm with you. I worked with a friend of mine who had a MacBook Pro (Core Duo) and his Hitachi external bus-powered drive required a Y-adaptor on his computer. On my measly little MacBook, the same drive worked flawlessly powered off of one USB port. Strange, and I can't explain it other than the MacBook Pros and PowerBooks put out slightly less amps or volts or whatever than the regular MacBooks. I dunno.
 
fryke said:
Which, basically, is wrong. Why would the *PRO* computer be underequipped? I mean: I've heard it, too. I just don't get it...
Click to expand...
It might be more reasonable than you'd expect.

The more powerful machines place a heavier load on the power supply and there are more space constraints due to them cramming more stuff into a small structure. So they may well run closer to the edge on the power supply specs than they would if they had lots of excess capacity.
 
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