Dodgy WD Passport 2.5" portable HDD

[Odyssey]

My 320 GB WD Passport portable HDD has become unpredictable. Some times on some computers, it will be recognized, usually not.

I always plug it into a USB port on the back of each computer.

The thing cost over $100 so I didn't want to toss it without trying to fix it. Because it works sometimes, part or all may be OK.

I managed to get the case apart (start separating the two pieces at the corner opposite the USB plugin and carefully work it apart with a very small screwdriver). I have a SATA USB docking station which will dock either 2.5" or 3.5". The WD hdd from the Passport fired up immediately and works perfectly.

So it is either faulty in the Passport's connector board that plugs into the end of the drive and converts the signal to USB, or it is not getting enough power through the USB connector.

I think I have seen a Y-connector to allow the drive to take power from two USB ports, and if so, is this recommended? If not, is there another way to boost the power?

If not, then it must be the connector board. Has anyone tried to get parts from WD? Does it make more sense to just get a new 2.5" USB case than to try to get a replacement board from Western Digital? 'Twould be a shame as the Passport is a very handsome case.

TIA

[Memfis]

I have a seagate freeagent 3.5" drive with external supply that stops working if it gets above body temperature. (This drive also has other issues I can go into).
I have a 2.5" usb powered drive that wont work if the usb cable is longer than 6 inches... 'Y' cable or not.

Motto : Try a 'Y' cable see if it's a power issue, then try a little voodoo and see if that makes it any better.

[Mender]

A "Y" cable is most probably the answer. I have one of these drives (250gig), and although it works on some computers, it didn't work on some others. A "Y" cable has cured that problem, so now it works on all computers except my daughter's laptop which only has two USB ports, and her mouse is plugged into one of them. Next time I visit her, I'll take a powered four port USB hub with me so I can use the "Y" cable with that

[Odyssey]

Thanks. Now on the hunt for a "Y" cable.

Then I have to try to put the case together again and see if it stays together.

[Odyssey]

A few days ago I had ordered an inexpensive portable USB case for a 2.5" SATA drive, and it just arrived, and it has a twin lead USB cable.

I put the Passport hdd drive in the new case and plugged only one of the two leads into a front USB port (a 2.0) on my Dell 4700, and it fired up instantly and runs like a rocket!

So the controller card in the Passport looks like the weak link. Good job the new case, which cost about $9.00, arrived before I could extract a reply out of WD about the price of a replacement controller card. But I'll bet it would have been at least twice the cost of the entire new kit, if not more.

[Hiddenvision]

100% the Power supply.
The Y cable will give you twice as much power as a single cable.

Some PC's and Laptops wil provide just enough and MOST wont.
500ma is normally the maximum out of a single USB port.

Check the Drive spec, I would bet it has a current rating of 500ma+

Hv.

[Odyssey]

Hv, I was heavily predisposed to find that it would be power issue, but it fired up just fine with only one USB plug (of the two) into the computer, and that into one of the front ports.

Have subsequently moved it to my linux box which recognized it instantly. Both computers read and write to it perfectly happily.

[Memfis]

voodoo i tell ya
glad you got it sorted.