Slot Loading DVD in Dash With a Laptop

Anshu · 06-08-2006, 06:39 PM

I've hunter around the forums for awhile and managed to come up with people figuring out that they cant get their dash drives to work because there isnt enough power, so simply they just hook it up to their power source and it works just fine. I was just wondering because i wont have a power source if its possible to rig this some other way. Also i only have 2 usbs coming straight off the computer, one if not both will be take by hubs. Mabye i could power the hubs, but some have said that even 1a isnt enough.
Any ideas and possible setups?
Cheers
Anshu

psyrex · 06-08-2006, 06:43 PM

Why can't you have power directly to the drive? if you can pull a usb cable to it, you have room to pull a 5v line from your PSU.

-psyrex

Anshu · 06-09-2006, 01:50 AM

problem with that is that i dont have a psu. or at least i dont want to hack up the one inside the laptop.

psyrex · 06-09-2006, 02:48 AM

Aaaah, laptop. Well, you want power no matter what. Even if you power the usb hubs, you still need 5v. So you have a few options:
- make your own 5v regulator (fairly cheap and easy, but requires some work)
- buy a point of load PSU like this one: CNX-P5V

The 5v can go to the hub or to the drive itself, doesn't really matter.

-psyrex

Haystack · 06-09-2006, 03:03 AM

eh cheat. Get a generic power supply at walmart for $10 switch it to 5V and then just wire it to your ignition on wire.

fenton · 06-09-2006, 12:37 PM

haven't been around long enough to fully understand what you are trying to power. are you talking about a 5.25" slot-load or an external slim (laptop) drive? have you considered tapping the keyboard port (if it has one)?
This is for a desktop, but maybe it'll help:
http://www.epanorama.net/circuits/power_from_pc.html

psyrex · 06-09-2006, 02:16 PM

Nice link, am bookmarking it. I rejected the idea of power from PS/2 since it probably won't supply enough amps, but didn't know the joystick port one. Too bad a laptop and/or docking station might not have one.

-psyrex

fenton · 06-09-2006, 02:38 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by psyrex

Nice link, am bookmarking it.

me too. good info. again, what is he trying to power exactly?

psyrex · 06-09-2006, 04:20 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by fenton

me too. good info. again, what is he trying to power exactly?

Odd that it's not him replying to this, but it reads like a USB DVD drive. If it was a full sized, it requires external voltage (12v?), if it's notebook sized, the external 5v is optional, but recommended. I assumed notebook and ran with it.

-psyrex

Anshu · 06-09-2006, 08:54 PM

yea defintily its a usb dvd drive. I havent decided on exactly which one because cost is a factor but i just keep reading about peoples problems with the power.
im interested in the cheapo power supply idea. but dont those require 110 to start with?

psyrex · 06-09-2006, 10:07 PM

There are 110v AC to 5v DC PSUs, and there are 12v DC to 5v DC PSUs. Just get the 12v-to-5v kind. The link i provided above does just that.

-psyrex