New SSD cycling through "Successfully Removed Storage Device" and "Mounted Removable Storage Device"

1st Official Post

    Hi,

    My Libreelec/Kodi is running on an RPI3, LibreELEC 9.2.6.

    System has been running for a couple years, no real problems. Love it.

    Switched from a 500GB HDD to 500GB SSD today.

    External drive keeps disconnecting/reconnecting - "Successfully removed storage device", then a minute or so later "Mounted Removable storage device". Over and over.

    Old drive was in an external enclosure with both USB and separate power connector. New drive is in an enclosure with a single USB-C type connector.

    Is it possibly a power supply issue? I would think an SSD's power consumption would be pretty low and should run off a USB-C connector.

    Supply says it provides 2.4A. If supply current is the issue, would increasing the capacity of the supply help, or is it a limitation of what the RPI can put out on it's USB connector?

    If increasing the supply is the answer, any suggestions? Seems hard to find supplies that go above 2.4A that aren't big mulit-port things. Just need a single block with a single output.

    Thanks all!

    Todd

    You have described the symptoms of a struggling power circuit. Check the power requirements of the SSD. You may want to upgrade your Raspberry Pi 3 to a RPi 4 with a 3.5 amp power supply.

    try to us a powered USB hub. If it is a power issue, it should go away than.

    An SSD can take quite some power if it is reorganizing internally.

    Thanks, I'm going to try a better supply. I found a 2.4A charger block I had that has a voltage meter built into it, when I plug the SSD into the RPI the voltage drops from 5v to 0v, so I suspect the current draw is too much.

    To close the loop on this one, that was it - power supply.

    I ordered a higher capacity supply, put it in place, and have not had a single instance of connect/disconnect cycling of the drive since then.

    Weirdly enough, it also seems like file transfers happen faster too, not sure if that's connected or just my imagination (no testing done) but just noting in case it's useful.

    Here's the supply I used. I just ordered another one for a second RPI I've got that manages my music collection!

    https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00L88M8TE?…chk_typ_imgToDp

    other option is, to use powered HUBs for I/O USB devices (and do not use any power from the RPi). Too much power used on the USB ports will produce more heat on the RPi and there will be less reserve for short power peaks.

    this was my solution with a RPi4 and USB3 problems (disconnected SSD/HDD). Look at the specificatio of USB Hubs! Many can't provide full load on all ports at the same time. 4 Ports USB3 is at almost 20W (each 5V and 0.9A). And don't forget a little bit of overprovisioning.