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sgibbers17 · 2014-08-31, 00:24

I am thinking of upgrading to the B+ from the B for the extra USB ports so I don't have to use a hub. My fear is that my 1TB portable 2.5" USB 3 HDD may still pull too much power. Does anybody have the Raspberry PI B+ model that can tell me if I can run a 2.5" USB HDD, wireless keyboard, and mini WiFi dongle without issues?

Milhouse · 2014-08-31, 00:56

The B+ will, by default, provide up to 600mA to the USB ports.

However it is possible to double the USB current to 1.2A by adding a configuration setting to config.txt:

Code:
max_usb_current=1

You should be able to use your setup without a problem on the B+. Should you experience a USB power-related problem then add the above configuration setting.

noggin · 2014-08-31, 11:34

Of course, stating the obvious, the PSU you use to power the Pi will need to have the current capacity to power the Pi and all connected peripherals as well. The B+ is a bit less power-hungry than the B, and has an improved power regulation system on-board so should be a little less finicky. (One of the most common causes of problems with the original B was people getting erratic results when under-spec PSUs were used)

sgibbers17 · 2014-09-04, 00:50

I just got my B+ today and I can't get my external portable drive to work with it. I have even hooked it up to and external power source do make sure the drive has enough power.

The drive works fine off the standard usb 2.0 port on my computer so it should work fine with the B+

**doug** · (This post was last modified: 2014-09-04, 06:19 by doug.)

Our crystal balls must be broken...as we can't see an xbmc.log, or what xbmc distribution (OE, rasbmc, xbian), or make/model of drive, or whether it works in raspian...

Also, after booting and then plugging in the drive, SSH in and do a "dmsg".

sgibbers17 · 2014-09-04, 09:56

(2014-09-04, 06:16)doug Wrote: Our crystal balls must be broken...as we can't see an xbmc.log, or what xbmc distribution (OE, rasbmc, xbian), or make/model of drive, or whether it works in raspian...

Also, after booting and then plugging in the drive, SSH in and do a "dmsg".

I was away from my Pi when I posted to the forum so I didn't have access to my log.

I was able to fix it. For some reason the power adapter for the HDD wasn't working for it but when I switched it out with another it worked just fine, I got out a old y cable so I can power it separately. Also when I edited the config.txt file using notepad++ to add max_usb_current=1 was deleting itself when I would boot the R Pi into raspbmc. I then found the section of the raspbmc setting page where I can add to the config file and now it works just fine without the y cable.

I ultimately want to use openelec, do I just add to the config file using notepad++ or do I have to do it some other way?

Milhouse · 2014-09-04, 14:25

Just add it to config.txt using notepad++, OpenELEC won't change config.txt.