# Adding Hard Drive to Wally Receiver



## Victor C (Jan 14, 2017)

Hope folks have done this? I have read that the HD must have it own power supply? 
Does it have too? Has anyone tried a standard USB powered drive?
I have one connected and seems to work. Anyone? Hate to buy a drive if I don't have too.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

it could while is not recommended
just check if the enclosure with HDD doesn't drain more then 500 mA


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## RBA (Apr 14, 2013)

Victor C said:


> Hope folks have done this? I have read that the HD must have it own power supply?
> Does it have too? Has anyone tried a standard USB powered drive?
> I have one connected and seems to work. Anyone? Hate to buy a drive if I don't have too.


How long before you burn out the receivers power supply? Unknown, but you can buy a separate power supply for your hard drive and increase the chances of no problems.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

You could very well also be fine until you aren't and even if you don't damage the Dish equipment... you might one day find your recordings gone. Dish doesn't support USB-powered drives for a reason, though they haven't fully shared what that reason is with customers.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

Stewart Vernon said:


> for a reason


There is no space to guess - it's a power , eg max current what the STB could provide to USB device [drive]. 
How to find - easy, use eLoad and plot a graph: V/A.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

P Smith said:


> There is no space to guess - it's a power , eg max current what the STB could provide to USB device [drive].
> How to find - easy, use eLoad and plot a graph: V/A.


That's why it doesn't work... but it isn't why Dish chose not to support it. Had they chosen to support it, they would have built hardware designed to provide the consistent power necessary via USB. We don't know why Dish decided it was a feature they didn't want to support. That has not been shared with anyone publicly.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

By my past experience in the industry, it's a cost.
It's driven out the power of ext USB devices support, as it would require to pay for more powerful power supply's parts - more expensive transformer, nC, VR, etc.
Literally each cent accounting...


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

In any case, it is a guess. A guess that I agree with, but still a guess. DISH has not stated the reason.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

they will not - are they must or should ?

I don't see any plausible other reason...


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