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Subject: RE: Archos Jukebox design flaw

RE: Archos Jukebox design flaw

From: Justin <jaf60_at_it.canterbury.ac.nz>
Date: Tue, 07 Jan 2003 17:08:40 -0800

>If your USB port strictly follows the spec, it is not possible to power a
>standard HDD, as 500mA just doesnt cut it (these drives draw ~ 1A when
>spinning up).
>So, this is one case where the Archos engineers did the right thing ....

Well, not really. At up to 500mA, USB delivers more power than many of
the archos power adpators can, and you can run the
Archos off the adaptors (the unit plays and charges simultaniously, and
the batteries handle the powerspikes when they happen), so why not power
it off the USB?

With a few design changes, the unit could run off USB, I imagine it
doesn't only because it's designwise, it's simpler to get an adaptor to
provide you with an easy voltage for the job, than it is to take a less
convenient and pre-determined voltage (USB 5V) and design your charging
system with that in mind.

As it happens, I seem to be plagued by unpowered USB hubs, so having the
archos run and charge off USB probably wouldn't be a huge advantage for
me, but I don't see that it shouldn't be done. In fact, I imagine I
could build a USB cable that has a normal USB plug that the computer
end, and terminates in a USB plug and a 9V DC plug, thus making it
possible to run and charge the unit from USB.

In fact, that cable almost sounds like a future Archos product... :-)
Received on 2003-01-08

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