RED RAM, USB2.0 and External AC Power Adaptor

[Emyr R. E. Pugh]

I've been having problems connecting a RED-RAM to offload footage using a USB2.0 cable.

I've tried to do this on both a Mac and a PC and neither computer was able to recognize the drive. Normally, I use Firewire 800, which works fine, but for some reason it's just not happening with USB2.0. Does the RAM need to be independently powered to be able to offload using USB2.0?

Also, looking through the RED One Operation Guide, there isn't much information on the actual connections at the back of the RED-RAM - is there a RED-RAM manual somewhere?

The listing for the RED-RAM on the RED Store states that it 'includes external AC power adaptor'. Maybe I'm reading this the wrong way, but an external AC power adaptor is a plug and a cable - right? Or is this referring just to the power port on the back of the RAM?

 

[Herring]

The RED RAM is not bus-powered if you use it with USB.
You can use it without external power if you connect it via firewire800, but it is recommended to run it on external power anyway.

Yes, it should come with an external AC power adaptor (plug & cable).

Cheers,
Joost van Herwijnen

 

[Alex Carr]

You can use any M type 12v DC connector rated for more than 1 Amp. A G-raid power supply will work fine. Many drives use the same exact power supply if you have one around somewhere.

 

[Tom Lowe]

Emyr,

I am having the exact same problem. I plug my Red RAM into my PC and sometimes the PC will not recognize it. This is mainly true for USB 2 but also for Firewire. Sometimes I will plug the Red RAM into the PC via USB (with power cable, too, of course) and like 10 minutes later, randomly, it will finally recognize the drive!

I talked with Nate at Red, and he suggested reformatting the Red RAM using the PC, but when I opened up my Storage Drive options in Windows 7, it would not allow me to reformat the Red RAM as FAT32, only NTFS or FATex.

I am really worried about this issue.

Also, obviously, it would have been really nice to have at least some kind of indicator light on the drive itself, to confirm that it's actually on and working.

 

[Nils Ruinet]

Try plugging the USB or FW cable first, wait a few seconds and then plug the DC power plug to the drive. It always worked for me that way.
And I've had similar issues doing it the other way (DC first and USB second).

 

[Paul Leeming]

Hey Tom,

try this out to format FAT32 on Windows (free or PayPal donation if you like it):

http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/guiformat.htm

HTH

Paul

 

[Emyr R. E. Pugh]

Thanks to everybody for the advice.

Firewire works just fine and it's always worked for us pretty much straightaway without externally powering the drive. It's a shame the USB2.0 is not so reliable. I was testing the USB2.0 functionality of the drive just on the off chance that there would be a problem with the Macbook Pro and we would need to off-load footage to a Windows laptop instead.

For some reason the one RED-RAM we ordered didn't ship with an external AC power adaptor. Is this something that changed recently or did the RAM always ship with an adaptor?

 

[Alex Carr]

The USB2.0 connection is 5V/500ma. It just doesn't offer enough power to run two drives and the enclosure's board.

 

[Simon Smith]

Wait for USB 3.0.