DJ Charlie
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2012 6:33 pm

Re: Can't boot with /dev/sda!

Fri Feb 08, 2013 1:31 pm

Partial breakthrough, but it's making me question my sanity even more...

Drive now works with 100% perfection, as long as I do NOT have a keyboard plugged in.
Doesn't matter WHICH keyboard (I've tried 3), nor does it matter if I plug the keyboard into the hub or the Pi itself.

And once the Pi is booted, drive running perfectly, if I plug in a keyboard, the drive instantly disconnects.

So either I'm going insane, or the drive's USB/SATA interface is bad in some wonky way.

MaxK1
Posts: 1043
Joined: Sun Aug 26, 2012 11:34 pm

Re: Can't boot with /dev/sda!

Fri Feb 08, 2013 2:48 pm

Well, welcome to the whacky, weird world of the Pi ;-)

Does the drive have separate power and USB connections? Or does it get power on the USB connector? If it's all on the USB connector you may need a Y cable (Or if you can, make it yourself)
Feed the drive from a separate power supply if possible, ie not through the USB hub. Or the same supply, but separate from the hub. If it's a 3.5" drive, it should have it's own 12V/5V supply. A lot of 2.5" drives draw more current than a hub can (theoretically) provide while spinning up and depending on how everything else gets powered, cause a temporary drop in voltage. Just enough to create "issues".
You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
When General Failure and Major Disaster get together, Private Parts usually suffers.

DJ Charlie
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2012 6:33 pm

Re: Can't boot with /dev/sda!

Fri Feb 08, 2013 4:46 pm

MaxK1 wrote:Well, welcome to the whacky, weird world of the Pi ;-)

Does the drive have separate power and USB connections? Or does it get power on the USB connector? If it's all on the USB connector you may need a Y cable (Or if you can, make it yourself)
Feed the drive from a separate power supply if possible, ie not through the USB hub. Or the same supply, but separate from the hub. If it's a 3.5" drive, it should have it's own 12V/5V supply. A lot of 2.5" drives draw more current than a hub can (theoretically) provide while spinning up and depending on how everything else gets powered, cause a temporary drop in voltage. Just enough to create "issues".
Nope, powered by USB. Luckily, the cable is the Y type. So I can wire that second connector (pins 1 and 4 I'm assuming) straight to my power input?

MaxK1
Posts: 1043
Joined: Sun Aug 26, 2012 11:34 pm

Re: Can't boot with /dev/sda!

Fri Feb 08, 2013 5:03 pm

Yup - I have rigged mine up that way (I also put a cap or 2 across the power supply to at least lessen power sags when "hot plugging" various things) Seems to work well.
You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
When General Failure and Major Disaster get together, Private Parts usually suffers.

DJ Charlie
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2012 6:33 pm

Re: Can't boot with /dev/sda!

Sat Feb 16, 2013 6:04 pm

Finally had a minute to patch the cable. It's working perfectly now!

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