External HDDs generally require a maximum of 12v

We hear many times “I plugged in the laptop’s power supply into my external HDD” when clients call us about data recovery.

The root cause of this situation is external enclosure manufacturers are refusing to implement simple safeguards against overvoltage. I generally hate proprietary power connectors, but they do make sense in the case of external HDDs.

Under no circumstances should you ever connect your laptop’s power supply, which is generally in excess of 12V, into your external hard drive enclosure.

This is especially true if you are in a pinch and need to power up the drive.

The consequences are severe:

If you are lucky, you can remove the drive from its enclosure and it may work.

Usually, you are not so lucky and fry at least the controller board, which is known as PCB.

From there, there are two modes of failure.

If you are lucky, an electronic repair to the controller board is sufficient. Expensive.

If you are unlucky, the drive must be opened. Very expensive and prone to failure with some of the newer HDD models.

If you are about to connect your external HDD into power and your laptop is unplugged, please connect the laptop’s power supply into your laptop first, just in case.

This may sound silly, but it’s better to avoid a very big headache for both of us.

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Uncategorized by Leonid S.