Adding a self-powered USB drive to upgrade a Wally to a DVR

[JJinVista]

What brand and model EHD did you just buy?

Not an EHD; It was an Internal hard drive which I placed in a powered USB enclosure;
The Internal hard drive was a WD Blue 1 TB IDK 7200 RPM 64MB Buffer 3.5". $40.

The problem enclosure - Bytecc Super Speed USB to SATA Enclosure. $23. It had a touch-pad power switch that simply cycles the power mode - not something you could leave in the "On" position.

The enclosure with the On/Off slide power switch which ended up working for me was a Sabrent brand, several years old, probably not available anymore. Slide the hardware power switch to the "On" position and the enclosure keeps the drive powered on, no matter what the power state of the box it's plugged into, which is what is needed by the Wally.

Don't try to find a USB 2.0 enclosure -they're obsolete. And if you do find one they're probably old electronics compatible up to SATA II and won't work with SATA III 6GB/s. But USB 3.0 is generally backwards compatible with USB 2.0.

 

[reubenray]

I just got this one from Amazon. I tried to post the link, but I can't for some reason.

Sabrent USB 3.0 to SATA External Hard Drive Lay-Flat Docking Station for 2.5 or 3.5in HDD

 

[JJinVista]

I just got this one from Amazon. I tried to post the link, but I can't for some reason.

Sabrent USB 3.0 to SATA External Hard Drive Lay-Flat Docking Station for 2.5 or 3.5in HDD

Funny - I was just headed out to my local Frys to pick up one of these as a replacement for the one I borrowed to get my Wally working. It has a dedicated On/Off switch so that should solve the "sleep" problem. Let us know how it works out for you.

Model # is EC-DFLT. Under $25

One review says it could have a heat problem for higher performance high RPM drives. But if you're buying this enclosure new, and a new drive to go with it, stick with a nominal 7200 RPM drive and I think you'll be fine.

 

[pamajestic]

I have used this one for years on several DVR’s. They are regularly on sale for $14.99.

Rosewill RX35-AT-SU BLK Aluminum 3.5" Black SATA USB 2.0 External Enclosure - Newegg.com

 

[JJinVista]

I have used this one for years on several DVR’s. They are regularly on sale for $14.99.

Rosewill RX35-AT-SU BLK Aluminum 3.5" Black SATA USB 2.0 External Enclosure - Newegg.com

The Rosewill specs make no mention of which generation of SATA it supports, but reviews say the documentation which comes in the box state that it's limited to SATA I and II.

Have you tried using SATA III drives with this enclosure?

 

[pamajestic]

Have you tried using SATA III drives with this enclosure?

Yes and so far no problems for over a year. One of them is a Toshiba P300.

 

[JJinVista]

I just got this one from Amazon. I tried to post the link, but I can't for some reason.

Sabrent USB 3.0 to SATA External Hard Drive Lay-Flat Docking Station for 2.5 or 3.5in HDD

I did in fact pick up one of these. This is the Sabrent hard drive enclosure (model EC-DFLT).

It works OK with the Wally receiver. The On / Off power button allows you to keep the drive on 24/7 so when the Wally wakes up, the drive will be available.

But for a Wally in an RV it's totally inappropriate. The only thing that keeps the hard drive attached to the card-edge connector within the enclosure is the friction of the connector itself. If you turn it on its end and give it just a slight bump, the internal drive comes unplugged from the card-edge connector. Nothing holds the drive in place either horizontally or vertically, so bouncing down the road, it's going to flex the connector, and eventually come unplugged.

The enclosure's made of cheap plastic with a plastic cover and plastic hinge pins - you know the type that get brittle with age and then break the first time it's slightly overextended.

There are much nicer enclosures in this price range made from sturdy aluminum with hold-down screws for the drive.

I'll keep this one in the house to use for ad-hoc purposes, because although it's fragile, it's convenient for quickly shuffling drives in and out without having to deal with screws.

 

[reubenray]

Thanks for the info. I was planning on velcroing this down, but I may also put a shim of some type in it to keep the hard drive in place. I have also turned off and unplugged my Directv receivers while traveling so I may do the same thing with the Dish Wally.

 

[NYDutch]

Thanks for the info. I was planning on velcroing this down, but I may also put a shim of some type in it to keep the hard drive in place. I have also turned off and unplugged my Directv receivers while traveling so I may do the same thing with the Dish Wally.

I use a single outlet wireless remote control switch to fully turn off the Hopper in our RV when we're ready to travel since it's awkward to reach the outlet to unplug it. The switch was about $12 at an ACE hardware store when they had them on sale before Christmas one year. It's also handy when trouble shooting and I want to cold boot the Hopper.