Need a power cable for a Simple Tech 120 GB SIMPLEDRIVE PORTABLE USB 2.0

This device is supplied with a USB 2.0 "Y" cable. It requires two USB plugs on the PC; one for data, the other for power. You cannot toss this cable aside and use a regular USB cable because it gets it power from the PC. There is no battery to charge.

You will want to purchase a USB Mini B to USB A such at this listed below
Link

hi

The SimpleTech SimpleDrive Portable external hard drive features a USB 2.0 interface for speed and plug-and-play connectivity. The hard drive is USB -powered, so no extra power supply is needed.

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12VDC, 1.5A external power adapter Well that is what this page says, it's not your 120GB drive but unsure if it's no the same model maybe. However all external HDD that need a power supply should be needing 12 volts, as they are just internal drives mounted in a shell and some simple circuitry to power and connect it.

click start control panel administrive tools ,computer management ,device manager scroll down universal serial bus controllers you should see a yellow question mark?
right click to reinstall drivers
make sure the lead/s that attach to this drive have a secure seating and are not bad/faulty the light on only tells that its getting power it might not be getting enough power you might test the lead/s or
just replace the cable of the hard disk, when you plugged the external disk drive you got that windows could recognize the USB device change the cable everything should work fine again, sometimes the wires inside the cable will be damaged due to bending or stretching or placing heavy equipment upon the cable,
check the USB leads that attach to the motherboard usually red-white-green-black make sure they are securely seated and have no dust build up on them dust will cause static and a lot of unforeseen problems
hope this helps

make sure the lead/s that attach to this drive have a secure seating and are not bad/faulty the light on only tells that its getting power it might not be getting enough power you might test the lead/s or
just replace the cable of the hard disk, when you plugged the external disk drive you got that windows could recognize the USB device change the cable everything should work fine again, sometimes the wires inside the cable will be damaged due to bending or stretching or placing heavy equipment upon the cable,
hope this helps

You might try a different cable if you haven't already. Make sure the cable is short, less than 18", or it will not power up properly. Another thing to check is to make sure the computer's Energy Preferences settings are optimized for performance, not battery life, so that the computer can supply enough power for the drive. If you need more help, please call HitachiGST Tech Support M-F 8AM to 6PM PST at 1.888.426.5214 and a technician will be happy to help you.

1) Power:

It may be the problem that occurs with a lot of USB powered devices jrherrer. Not enough power provided.

The USB cable plugged into the computer, provides signal wires for transferring information back, and forth, and also provides 5 Volts DC for power. (Two D cell flashlight batteries produce 3 Volts DC)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB

[ Below shows the Signal pins, and the Voltage pins of the USB B Mini style connector, (Male), used to connect to the SimpleDrive Mini external harddrive,

Pin 1 is for the 5 Volts DC Positive (Wire color - Red)
Pin 2 is for the D- Signal (Wire color - White)
Pin 3 is for the D+ Signal (Wire color - Green)
Pin 4 is not connected. (Or sometimes joined to Pin 5 with a Resistor)
Pin 5 is for the Ground (Wire color - Black)

Just added info in case you wanted to know ]

From what I see the SDM/250RW has a USB port on the side, and a DC Power Jack, used for an AC adapter, also.
(Round port with a pin in the center)

http://www.hitachigst.com/tech/techlib.nsf/techdocs/0C876B7AB91B23988825773F006BEA02/$file/SD_Mini_DS_final.pdf


From what I see stated from Hitachi, and sellers on the 'net, the AC adapter may not be provided.
Many of those who provide a review state that both the USB cable, and the AC adapter is needed to provide enough power. Seems to be a power hungry external harddrive

It's a 2.5 Hitachi SATA laptop harddrive inside that external case. (The Harddrive is 2 and a half inches across in Width. Common size used for laptops)

When using an external device powered by a USB cable there are general guidelines to follow,
A) The USB cable should not be more than 2 feet in length
B) Connect the device directly to your computer, instead of through a hub, or other device, unless the USB hub has it's own power.


2) USB cable:

Could be a faulty USB cable, although I imagine you have tried different ones by now.


3) Interface Circuit Board:

The Hitachi SATA 2.5 harddrive inside the SImpleDrive Mini SDM/250RW, plugs into a small circuit board located inside that external case.

Components on the circuit board may be fried, or the Harddrive may have come loose from the interface.

Loose from the interface
To explain;
The back of the harddrive has connector pins sticking out.
The interface has socket holes which the pins insert into.

Faulty circuit board
The external case of the SimpleDrive Mini SDM/250RW can be carefully opened up, and the Hitachi SATA 2.5 harddrive extracted out.

Another inexpensive external case for a 2.5 SATA harddrive can be procured, and the Hitachi harddrive put in it.

Example of a 2.5 SATA external enclosure,

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3743049&CatId=2781

The external storage device has several major components:

* USB cable

* external power-supply (your "mini" device may not need one)

* disk-drive inside the enclosure

* USB-to-disk-drive adapter inside the enclosure.

Try a different USB cable.
Try a different USB port on your computer.
Try a USB port on a different computer.

Take a multi-meter, and measure the output voltage/amperage of the power-supply,
and compare with the specifications on the label of the power-supply.

Open the enclosure, and remove the disk-drive, and attach it as a "slave" drive in a desktop computer, to see if bypassing the USB-to-disk-drive adapter bypasses the problem.

Look at the label on the disk-drive, for manufacturer, product-number, serial-number, and manufacture date. Access the manufacturer's web-site, and use "check warranty status" to see if the warranty still is valid. If so, the drive can be replaced, at minimal cost to you.

Buy a new, compatible, disk-drive, and install it in the enclosure, to "revive" your external storage device.

Search online for a professional "data recovery service". For a significant fee, they can repair your disk-drive, just long-enough to copy your files to a new disk-drive.

http://www.grabcart.com/product/comp/harddrives/cbbstore7292/USB-Cable-Dual-Power-2-x-Type-A-to-mini-B-USB-2-0-1m

USB Cable Dual Power 2 x Type A to mini B USB 2.0