HGST drives fail to activate when powered via 3.3V SATA supply.
HGST drives fail to activate when powered via 3.3V SATA supply.
Hello, I recently purchased some HGST drives from serverpartdeals. I noticed that receiving 3.3V power stops it from turning on. For reliability, should I use electrical tape or Kapton tape? I’m trying to avoid SATA extension cables because they might fail or cause shorts. Thanks for your advice!
any wire could theoretically break and cause a short. kapton tape is a better choice because it withstands heat, is thinner, and more durable. i’ve even used painter’s tape to secure connections. however, what type of power supply are you using for the drives?
You might remove the 3v3 cable from the PSU SATA connection. Most recent drives don’t require 3v3 power, and it’s simple to adjust later if needed.
It's good that the PSU is brand new and under warranty. I'm trying to keep it in its original condition right now.
You're not changing the PSU, only a few of the modular cables. That won't affect you, and you usually don't need the cables for warranty with modular units. You could also purchase the hard drives without the power disable option, which WD offers in both versions.
You can also remove the pin from the PSU-side connector, allowing it to be reinstalled when necessary.
Kapton would be the optimal option. Scotch tape can be useful when needed (it eventually wore out and briefly disrupted my setup). I’d be concerned about electrical tape being too bulky. If you use SATA power connectors with insulation displacement, simply remove the back, pull the 3V3 wire, and reattach the cap. Cover the exposed wire with tape for a secure solution. Alternatively, consider building a custom SATA backplane PCB with adjustable jumper blocks to control 3V3 per drive.
Great, I'll attempt to remove the back section; if needed, I'll opt for the Kapton solution. Appreciate the help!