Frequently Asked Questions:
1)
When I connect my external eSATA drive to your eSATA adapter, my drive does not work or spin up, why?
eSATA Technology comes in many forms, Standard eSATA do not provide power to device, it ONLY provides data link, but no power. That
could be the reason why your external eSATA drive does not spin up.
2)
If eSATA do not provide power, where do I get power for my device?
There are mainly two types of devices for connecting to eSATA.
Some are
self-powered
(have their own ac adapter) to provide power to the device and only rely on the eSATA connection for the data
link.
Some are
bus-powered
(rely on the computer to provide power to the device), for these devices and data link. If you are not sure what
device you have, please contact the eSATA device manufacturer for assistance.
3)
What is the proper way for connecting
Bus-powered
device?
Due to the numerous devices available on the market, In general,
most Bus-powered
devices will have two types of ports, a USB and an
eSATA. The USB port is used to provide power to the device and the eSATA for providing the Data link. Below is an example of the steps.
The sequence of steps is important.
a) Turn ON your system.
b) Using this adapter, connect eSATA cable to the enclosure and the USB 3.0 end to a USB 3.0 port on the system (this provides the Data
link to the system).
c) Connect another USB cable to your enclosure and to the system (this provides the power link to the system). At this point the drive
should spin up.
d) The laptop eSATA should see the external drive now. If not go into device manager and do a “scan for hardware changes” it should
pick up your new addition.
Do not reverse step #b and #c, if you do that the enclosure will assume you are connecting using USB and turn off eSATA. Only one can
work at a time that is why step #b has to be first.
On SOME situation, if the drive power requirement exceeds that of a single USB port, you have to use 2 USB connections. Please refer to
your external device for more instruction.
