Someone's gonna put a 3.5in HDD in a lap and power it with NiMH batteries - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Ushiwaka
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 11:45:28 am
content: Apparently a guy on a random Discord server claims that he's working on putting a 3.5in HDD in a laptop. I asked him the details, he said he's gonna make a dock with the drive in there. He said he's going to useNIMHAA batteries to power itand when I asked him what he's going to use for shorting protection and power management re said he's gonna use a fuseI'm just sick of people with this kind of stupidityAttached is 2 pics of what will be the dock and the "circuit" (yes im aware that it is legit cringefuel)

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 11:50:52 am
content: That's, err, going to be interesting and short lived if it even works. Let them fail!

author: catMCswag
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 11:57:24 am
content: I'm the one who did this, roast me!

author: Ushiwaka
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 11:58:10 am
content: sighHe took a challenge from a person without knowing what he'll faceJust pathetic.

author: Towger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 11:58:43 am
content: I had a Acer laptop with a 3.5 inch hard disk, a big beast of a thing. Still have it somewhere.

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 12:00:15 pm
content: I’m not going to roast you. I’ve done worse and ended up with things on fire. That’s the only warningChallenges are good but you have to carefully rationalise everything.

author: Nusa
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 12:12:37 pm
content: Too many specifics left out, but if you gotta do it, first thing would be to see if the laptop can support the drive directly, or via usb or docking ports, including power. If so, then use whatever battery pack solution as an external supply for the whole laptop....basically an alternative to plugging it in.Integrating it into a single case is another matter. The main thing is not to compromise the cooling solution the laptop uses while doing so.

author: Ushiwaka
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 12:13:07 pm
content: A lot of people in the server warned him, yet he ignores. Stubborn.Can't agree more, he left out too many specifics. What I know at the moment is he's gonna use SATA and use NiMH batteries for power, doubt it's gonna work at all

author: catMCswag
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 12:18:23 pm
content: I'm not going to use nimh batteries, it was a joke. I'm going to plug it directly into the laptop battery.

author: Ushiwaka
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 12:21:30 pm
content: Quote from: catMCswag on December 04, 2017, 12:18:23 pmHow are you going to plug it to the laptop bat?Solder a few wires to the lithum cells?Joke gone too far.

author: glarsson
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 12:25:27 pm
content: Why only 3,5"? Go for the 14"!

author: Ushiwaka
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 12:27:36 pm
content: Stop being a dumbass, improve your skills and return to this project in a year or two. You're just hopeless

author: Nusa
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 12:56:11 pm
content: Quote from: Ushiwaka on December 04, 2017, 12:27:36 pmPersonal attacks aren't the proper approach in this forum. Even as a joke.

author: catMCswag
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 12:58:48 pm
content: It's ok, i don't get offended

author: gnavigator1007
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 01:04:59 pm
content: So what was the challenge exactly? Just curious

author: Ushiwaka
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 01:06:32 pm
content: Quote from: Nusa on December 04, 2017, 12:56:11 pmNo intentions of a personal attack here. It's the undeniable truth.Look, he can't even draw proper concept sketches, he doesn't have basic knowledge. He's truly hopeless as of this moment

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 01:07:30 pm
content: Quote from: Ushiwaka on December 04, 2017, 12:27:36 pmI don't quite understand why you're so upset about this. Going for something like this is a great way of having a cool project and learning about a lot of stuff, and learning about all the things you never knew you didn't know.And to be fair, he has a "realy" in his schematic!

author: Ushiwaka
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 01:10:02 pm
content: Quote from: gnavigator1007 on December 04, 2017, 01:04:59 pmThe challenge is put a 3.5in HDD in a laptop, which thevictimlaptop is an old thinkpad which his sister ruined by putting hot glue which melted through the plastic lolQuote from: Mr. Scram on December 04, 2017, 01:07:30 pmI'm upset since a lot of people (including me) have warned him that doing such a thing blindly is dangerous and he didn't care at all

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 01:12:13 pm
content: Quote from: Ushiwaka on December 04, 2017, 01:06:32 pmIt's quite the opposite. It's how you learn.And yes, calling someone a dumbass is considered a personal attack.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 01:18:29 pm
content: Quote from: Ushiwaka on December 04, 2017, 01:10:02 pmHe gets to learn a lesson, whichever lesson that turns out to be. It's not as if he's trying to walk a tightrope across a canyon while juggling hungry grizzly bears that are on fire.

author: Ushiwaka
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 01:20:09 pm
content: "It's quite the opposite. It's how you learn."Learn by having a bunch of batteries overloading and blowing up, pretty much how you learn eh?Plus I said "Improve your skills then return in a year or two""And yes, calling someone a dumbass is considered a personal attack."It is, but the problem here is, this is pure stupidity. Again, he's doing things blindly w/o doing any research at all.Also, the battery he's going to used is relatively oldAnd he has no plans of integrating any short-prevention methods other than a fuseHe really is in that kind of situation

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 01:31:09 pm
content: Quote from: Ushiwaka on December 04, 2017, 01:20:09 pmIt's not stupidity. It's a lack of knowledge. Not knowing enough to even know what you don't know. It's the first stage of learning. And yes, by blowing up a few batteries you learn a lot, if only how much you don't know. The very act of doing that is improving your skills through experimentation. Making mistakes is the best way of learning. It's why Dave always says he hopes your circuit doesn't work. That's how you learn!It's time to put your indignation to rest. Mocking someone over what he doesn't know doesn't help that person, on the contrary, and makes you look mightily uncharming.

author: Ushiwaka
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 01:33:55 pm
content: Quote from: Mr. Scram on December 04, 2017, 01:31:09 pmThe problem is people warned him, told him to implement protection features yet he doesn't care

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 01:37:35 pm
content: Quote from: Ushiwaka on December 04, 2017, 01:33:55 pmBecause he doesn't know. Why would he care if he doesn't know? Why are you careful with fire? Because someone told you? No, it's because you got curious and burned your hand. You learned to care.

author: catMCswag
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 01:57:55 pm
content: I just got the idea of putting a 3,5" in laptop. I haven't looked into it at all, I just joke around with nimh batteries and so on. I am going to do a little bit of research about where you should take 20w of power out of a thinkpad when i come home from school.

author: HalFET
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 02:06:53 pm
content: Kind of depends what he does really, but if he can get the power connector right it should work actually, just got to make sure your own power solution has a shared ground with the computer for this one. There is nothing really special on the SATA power connector, just got to provide the 3.3, 5, and 12V supplies. Most HDs don't really expect much in terms of the precharge and signalling pins, since many power supplies are rather dumb at using those anyway. And I doubt it's going to blow up in his face if he uses NiMH batteries, now if we were speaking LiPo it'd be another storyBut yeah, he ought to use a good battery safety circuit on this one to prevent ruining the cells.

author: BNElecEng
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 02:11:14 pm
content: Safety glasses and gloves when you connect it all up! Good luck!

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 03:58:31 pm
content: Quote from: HalFET on December 04, 2017, 02:06:53 pmExactly. A SATA drive is a SATA drive. The worst case scenario is probably hitting the safety limits of the internal regulation circuits, or burning them out. Lithium Ion batteries are generally quite well protected, so you'd need to do some work to circumvent that or find batteries that aren't protected.

author: Red Squirrel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2017, 08:42:44 pm
content: While NiMH batteries is not the way I'd go about this, why is it such a horrible idea to use a fuse for current protection? Since it's a laptop and has it's own battery and I presume multiple voltage regulators I would personally just have tapped into that. Either way the hard drive will probably need some kind of voltage regulator as it probably wants a very steady voltage to function properly.Edit: don't know why I said floppy drive. fixed.

author: Ushiwaka
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2017, 01:06:27 am
content: Quote from: Mr. Scram on December 04, 2017, 01:37:35 pm"got curios and burned your hands"That's common sense isn't itWhen I started learning electronics, the first thing I did was not starting at the basics, I started learning about safety basics, what-not-to-do stuff like that then I started learning the basics. Safety first!Anyways, I think we should let him have the lithium cells blow up his face. Should give him a lesson about listening to others and why you should integrate power management in your projects

author: Ushiwaka
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2017, 01:11:25 am
content: Quote from: Red Squirrel on December 04, 2017, 08:42:44 pmIt doesn't have an FDDQuote from: HalFET on December 04, 2017, 02:06:53 pm"LiPo"This guy is changing his mind too fastPlus he's not planning to use anything for circuit protection other thana fuse

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2017, 01:38:22 am
content: Quote from: Ushiwaka on December 05, 2017, 01:11:25 amI have to say, this ragging on someone is becoming a bit tiresome. How about making this into something constructive? Can you show us how it should be done? Drawings, maybe a little prototype, or real life experiments why things do or don't work?

author: Ushiwaka
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2017, 04:21:54 am
content: Apparently, instead of making a dock, I think he should make a sidecar and instead of using batteries, he should steal power directly form the charger (should add a switch for switching between charging the laptop and providing power for the HDD) and I think he should use two LT1038s (one for 5v, one for 12v) for regulating the power. Just a bare idea.

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2017, 04:29:46 am
content: Quote from: Ushiwaka on December 04, 2017, 01:33:55 pmActually, I just edited my comment out. A quick look at your posting history suggests you won't learn from constructive criticism either.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2017, 05:00:14 am
content: Quote from: Ushiwaka on December 05, 2017, 04:21:54 amLet's back up a bit. What interface does a modern 2,5" drive have? What interface does a 3,5" drive have?

author: iampoor
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2017, 06:48:45 am
content: Why does the OP care so much? Either try to help the person (which maybe they dont want), or ignore them. Maybe this is a language barrier thing, but your condescending attitude really doesnt help.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 05, 2017, 07:55:00 am
content: Quote from: Ushiwaka on December 04, 2017, 11:45:28 amErr so you have started a thread about something you reckon someone else is planning to do so that you can laugh at them? are you asking to be banned? this topic is being locked and if you start one like it again you will be banned!