Momentus XT, Momentus, Momentus Thin, MobileMax, and other notebook drives

[JanJanowski]

I'm waiting for the new 500GB XT to arrive and friend calls, saying he'll sell...

So now I've a 320GB XT with SD22 in it, and an XT500 'on the way'.

Put it in an USB2/3 enclosure (NO Power connection), and connected it to USB3 card (With 4 pin power plug).  reformatted it, NTFS, and tested it... Claims 150MB/sec in copy from raid0 to USB3-XT320.  So next  plugged it into a USB2 on front of same computer (Supermicro Server)  and I hear Chirps!  Now I know what you're talking about!   W7-64. .  Try a rear USB2 connection and it spins up fine with SD22...  They are both USBV2 connections... However the manual on motherboard says the front USB connections (2) are "LOW POWER" USBV2.

I have used XT 500 drives on my wife's Dell Inspiron 1720 W7-64 where I have two XT-500's inside it --- Never heard any Chirps.... SD23--SD28...  This USB3/2 enclosure with the XT320 SD22 It's fine on Dell!!

Take it back to the Supermicro--- Front (Low Power USB): Chirps!  Rear USB  NO CHIRPS!!!

Same Drive & Controller..... Just different ports!!

My guess is its the Power of the USB port or Disc that's causing the chirps..... The higher current available--No Chirps!

Now this XT320 will eventually  be placed in a USB2 encosure.  And the New (As yet un-deivered XT500) will live in the USB2/3 enclosure that the 320 is presently in....

I'm also waiting for an extra drive caddy so I can put it in the second drive of the Dell laptop.. for firmware updating XT drives without having to pull the 2nd  XT500 out of the caddy from the Dell Laptop..

I won't get the drive caddy for a couple weeks, and the XT500 until this weekend....

Gives me time to do some tests...  But from what can see, it's kind of obvious the chirp is a power related issue of  the USB Port or Power to drive plug....  Insufficient current supplied.... You'll hear a Chirp which I bet is the drive Spinup circuitry going into current limiting....

Once I get the caddy.... I'll try SD28 and see if that is any more successful than SD22 is....

When I put the drive to my ear (Supermicro Front USB2)... I hear the Chirp and what sounds like heads being parked... No Spinup, however...   

Supermicro USB2 Rear.... Normal Spinup...    Same Drive, Same Controller.... Different ports

Has Seagate ever posted what the 5V current draw is on XT drives compared to firmware versions?  It would be interesting to know that......

More later

[JanJanowski]

HELLO SEAGATE!!!!!

That was a request for information!!!!

What I'd like to know is what is the 5V current draw for the various Firmwares SD22 --- SD28  for the first 2 seconds of operation..... Graph preferred....

My guess THAT is what changed in the firmware... The current startup draw of the drive....

Again, from what I  'heard' when I put the drive enclosure to my ear, was simultaneous head park and spinup start...

I'm thinking that if head park was done BEFORE Spinup start... and possibly Spinup start done as 2 separate 'kick' operations instead of one Higher Current 'Kick', that maybe the current draw would be less.....

Kind of the "Appollo 13"   Power Startup sequence"   From the Movie, where they had to carefully turn things on in a way that didn't exceed Startup Current Limits.....

I think this is what we are encountering..... and it really would  be a Public Relations Benifit if Seagate would help us with some explanation of this..........     But I think we now know what we're fighting....  Startup Current Limiting...   We're Exceeding the Current draw, and it's "Shutting Down", JUST LIKE THE APPOLLO 13 MOVIE!!!!

Come on now, Seagate... Some information PLEASE!!!

[WiseDrive]

USBs are limited to something like 900ma or less, depending on version, implementation, and what else is already drawing power on the bus.

Most better external casings allow the use of two power plugs (one power and data, the other power only) to maximize the power available to the device.

Even better, some allow the use of an external power source (eg via a transformer).

Very probable that current limits are being exceeded on the system end...

[JanJanowski]

Wise... Please read the post before replying... and stay on topic, not send us off on an un-necessary tangent! Really, some of your answers are un-necessary... Here we have an example of multiple ports that will, and will not work... My request was... And I repeat it for clarity..... What Difference in the Startup Current Draw, do the various firmware versions have??/ Don't cloud the issue of which Enclosure's you suggest... There many enclosures that draw power from the buss.... Deal with it! I'm wanting to know what the different firmware's Current draw is.... Simple question.... Has nothing to do with clean install or viruses either.... So please don't post that, either.....

[JanJanowski]

Hello Seagate!!!  Need information!

[JanJanowski]

I still would like information regarding Firmware versions and startup current...... However.... Seeing that nothing has turned up here.... I posted elsewhere, and you might enjoy the answer I got from someone else..... Still don't have the information on Firmware versions and Statup current draw.... and still would like that..... DSLReports.com http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r26806737-I-Think-I-know-why-Momentus-XT-drives-qChirpq-sometime Jan

[JanJanowski]

Got the 500GB XT today... Already in the USB3/2 enclosure....  320 moved to USB2 enclosure until the drive caddy gets here.

500 XT had SD28 installed.    320XT had SD22 installed... 

I can hear SD22 acting altogether different than SD28.   SD22 is moving both the heads and attempts spinup simultaneously... SD28 moves heads then attempts spinup.

Anybody who followed the posted thread now knows I now know what they "Y" USB2 cable is for... It does make a difference.. SD22 actually spun up  with the Y cord in the front USB of the Supermicro..  Didn't reliably work, but that sure will give me some ammunition to try SD28 in it when the drive caddy arrives!!!

For now, I'm testing both drives.... I was getting a bit faster copying with fresh formatted 500XT with SD28, than a fresh formatted 320XT with SD22, which is exactly what I discovered a couple years ago with the Laptop XT's and firmware upgrades...

OK... Here's my request again for Startup current specs based on Firmware.... Anybody up there listening, or do I have to get this info from DSLREPORTS.COM ?

[JanJanowski]

The new XT 500 drive that arrived yesterday had SD28 on it, per the silkscreen on the drive....

[JanJanowski]

So far, the 5000XT USBV3 drive works good on a USBV3 connection.... But I've been concentrating on testing that on USBV3 connections only...

Haven't received the laptop drive caddy, so the 320 with SD22 on USBV2 still doesn't like single or Y USBV2 cable operation...

Once caddy gets here, I'll upgrade firmware... and try again....

It sure would be easier if Seagte would post a startup current vs. firmware chart!!!  (Hint, Hint!!)

[JanJanowski]

I'm still awaiting the drive caddy for the 320GB SD22... So have been concentrating on the New 500Gb SD28 I have installed in a USBV3 enclosure...

I got a 6' USBV3 to USBV3 Micro, replacement cable, and am finding too much IR loss for the 500 GB SD28 drive to spinup... It "chirps"

This is with a USBV3 card with external power plugged into the card....

Works on a 1' cable... Doesn't work (CHIRP) on a 6' USBV3 cable....

Seeing that it's SD28, and noting to upgrade to... It has to be the IR Loss of the USBV3 cable.

Seeing that there is a external 4 Pin Power connector on the USBV3 board... I certainly wasn't expecting this....  But, seeing that Seagate isn't helping with any current specs, I guess were are delegated to approaching this blindly....