RED Drive 640GB power supply

[Antonio Forjaz]

Just a quick question, what is the exact output voltage of the RED Drive power supply?

 

[Antonio Forjaz]

Does no one from RED know this? I have lost my Power supply and I need to download my RED Drive. Any pointers how I can do this without the power supply?

 

[Jamison Stark]

This is what ours looks like...

 

[Martin Ubilluz]

YA just connect it via firewire800 it take a little bit longer to boot up but you dont need the power adapter

 

[Martin Ubilluz]

you dont need power adapter ive never used mine.

 

[Martin Weiss]

Threre've been quite a few cases where people burned their firewire port by not using the power adaptor.

 

[Antonio Forjaz]

Threre've been quite a few cases where people burned their firewire port by not using the power adaptor.

That was my exact concern, and it does take much longer to off load the Drive (at least it seems like it) when the drive is not powered by the Power Supply.

But Sean Ruggeri from RED sent me this:

It is a 12V power supply. However we cannot guarantee results with anything other than the original RED power supply. Please let me know if I can help further.

so all I can do is bare the wait and hope it does not fry my Fire wire port...

 

[Martin Ubilluz]

I use it almost daily and never once had a problem. If you want to be sure just turn your computer off be for you plug it in thats why ports get fried because of he quick electronic connection. Just make sure to eject and do every thing properly and it will never get fried. I my self never turn the computer off and never has my port been fried just make sure to eject.

 

[J. Bernard Vallon]

12V power supplies are just about all interchangeable except for the amperage. Using one not supplied by RED is against the red rules, but ask anyone who knows anything about electricity. As long as the 12V polarity is the same, (meaning your positive and negative arent switched), you can plug any 12V adapter into the RED drive and power it no prob. I do it all the time.

Voltage is like water pressure. Too much pressure can damage the mechanism, not enough pressure and it won't spin up. But 12V is 12V.

Amperage is like water current. If the adapter can't provide enough, the drive won't spin up, no problem. If it provides too much, the drive will just 'sip' what it needs. Meaning you need an adapter that can provide at least 1.5 amps. More is fine, less might not make your drive work.

PS, I don't work for RED, do this at your own risk blah blah blah.

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

The biggest problem with Firewire ports is they can blow out easily if you run too much juice through them. The RED Drive actually draws more power when under load than the Firewire connection is rated for. So it's best practice to use the AC adapter when possible, that is why RED supplies them with the drive.

That said, I've used my RED Drives and RED RAMs here and there without the power supply in a pinch and have never stressed over it. Some people have always run them this way and have never experienced problems. Some people end up with blown ports right away..

Productions like to lose my AC adapters. I find it really frustrating, but it happens constantly. That and other small accessories and cables like to not get returned with the camera. So this past year I started charging an additional damage and small accessories deposit...

If you need a quick fix for AC adapters, the Enercell ones from Radio Shack work well. The only real issue is they have the Adaptaplug interchangeable tips for them and this can be an issue on a production and I would never send out one of these on a rental. Reason why is that the RED Drive / RED-RAM require the center post to be positive and this can be changed on the adapter simply by disconnecting the Adaptaplug tip and flipping it around.

Anyway, as you can see in Jamison's post above, the AC adapter is a 12V 1.5A (1500mA) adapter. The RED Drive / RAM require a plug that has a 2.1mm internal and a 5.5mm O.D. In RatShack Adaptaplugs, this is a type "M" I think -- the dark blue one. I don't have it here to check. But also as shown on the label in Jamison's picture -- the center post must be + or else suffer the consequences of a toasted drive.

 

[Antonio Forjaz]

The biggest problem with Firewire ports is they can blow out easily if you run too much juice through them. The RED Drive actually draws more power when under load than the Firewire connection is rated for. So it's best practice to use the AC adapter when possible, that is why RED supplies them with the drive.

That said, I've used my RED Drives and RED RAMs here and there without the power supply in a pinch and have never stressed over it. Some people have always run them this way and have never experienced problems. Some people end up with blown ports right away..

Productions like to lose my AC adapters. I find it really frustrating, but it happens constantly. That and other small accessories and cables like to not get returned with the camera. So this past year I started charging an additional damage and small accessories deposit...

If you need a quick fix for AC adapters, the Enercell ones from Radio Shack work well. The only real issue is they have the Adaptaplug interchangeable tips for them and this can be an issue on a production and I would never send out one of these on a rental. Reason why is that the RED Drive / RED-RAM require the center post to be positive and this can be changed on the adapter simply by disconnecting the Adaptaplug tip and flipping it around.

Anyway, as you can see in Jamison's post above, the AC adapter is a 12V 1.5A (1500mA) adapter. The RED Drive / RAM require a plug that has a 2.1mm internal and a 5.5mm O.D. In RatShack Adaptaplugs, this is a type "M" I think -- the dark blue one. I don't have it here to check. But also as shown on the label in Jamison's picture -- the center post must be + or else suffer the consequences of a toasted drive.

I think this just about :closed2ur0: thanks for all the advice and information