Teac & Plextor problems with USB 2.0 as external drives?

[articulate]

I just bought an external box (USB 2.0, for use w/ hard drives, burners, CD-ROMS. etc.) in order to hook up my Teac 540E as an external device, since there's no room for it in my new PC (the DVD-ROM and DVD-RW I of course don't want to remove!).

Well, I tested the 540E w/ both master and then slave jumper positions, and it wouldn't burn properly. With Nero, the burn progress bar would immediately jump to 50% and go from there, and the burn would be finished way too fast. Afterwards, Nero would always report a failure in checking/comparing the written data to the original.

At first I feared my Teac had bitten the dust, so I put my 512EB (which I know is OK) in the external box, with the same results.

To my relief, the 540E performed normally in the old PC.

I wrote to the company that sold me the USB 2.0 box and reported the incident, because I figured the box or the USB cable (I don't have a second cable to test) must of course be defective.

To my surprise, a guy wrote me back and said Teac and Plextor drives have known problems w/ being externally connected.

Just my luck! I'd never heard about this, has anyone else?

[Ian]

Do you know what chipset the USB to IDE bridge is using?

With Plextor and TEAC drives as popular as they are, you'd think they'd make it compatible. At least the company that sold it to you would have advertised that fact.

[jase]

The problem could be PSU-related.

I had a similar problem with an IDE duplicator and Aopen drives.

Temporarily plugging in a PC PSU into the TEAC made the whole thing work perfectly.

[articulate]

I don't know what chipset, but I can find out....

But, more importantly, is there any "workaround" so that I can use my 540E w/ the box? It's pretty nice-looking, aluminum and all....

[articulate]

The problem could be PSU-related.

I had a similar problem with an IDE duplicator and Aopen drives.

Temporarily plugging in a PC PSU into the TEAC made the whole thing work perfectly.

You got me! Can you elaborate on the PSU solution and how I could maybe apply it?

[jase]

I ran the dupe with the top casing off and a standard AT PSU (not ATX as you need some way of switching it on!!!) with the 5/12V connector running into the Aopen in place of the one which runs to the PSU in the duplicator's dongle.

It worked fine.

Obviously you can't run it like this permanently but it could be a useful test.

[articulate]

I ran the dupe with the top casing off and a standard AT PSU (not ATX as you need some way of switching it on!!!) with the 5/12V connector running into the Aopen in place of the one which runs to the PSU in the duplicator's dongle.

It worked fine.

Obviously you can't run it like this permanently but it could be a useful test.

Thanks! A little technical for me, but if it isn't some sort of permanent solution, as you indicate it's not, I guess I'll have to send the external box back....