Iomega MDHD-series PSU replacement intel — parked from mDrive research pass (parked 2026-05-26)
DARE.CO.UK · PARKED SKETCH · 2026-05-26
Mirrored from ~/.claude/.../memory/parked_sketch_iomega_mdhd_psu_intel_2026-05-26.md. This is a design sketch parked for future build — read for context, not as a current deliverable.
A background research agent surfaced detailed PSU-replacement intel for the Iomega MDHD-series external HDD when initially asked about “mDrive”. Dan subsequently confirmed mDrive is LTO (mLogic / Hedge Canister ecosystem), so this intel does NOT apply to that unit. Parking the report here in case (a) a household member has an actual Iomega MDHD that surfaces later, or (b) someone hits this page name later and the disambiguation is useful.
Background: 2026-05-26 mDrive PSU sourcing pass. Initial disambiguation surfaced Iomega MDHD as the most likely consumer-name match for “mDrive”. After Dan confirmed “Yes LTO”, this branch is no longer relevant to the actual mDrive — but the intel is solid and worth keeping in case it ever applies to another inventory item.
What the agent found
Top match (in absence of LTO confirmation): Iomega MDHD-series
Sold late-2000s / early-2010s as external USB hard drives: - MDHD-UP / MDHD500-N / MDHD320-U / MDHD500-UE / MDHD360-UE / MDHD250-U - “M” = Mac / media positioning - Large installed base; many replacement-PSU listings still active
OEM PSU spec
- 12 V DC, 1.5 A (some MDHD-UP units shipped with undersized 12 V 1 A — known failure mode at spin-up)
- OEM adapter manufactured by APD (Asian Power Devices)
- Center-positive barrel jack
- Connector almost certainly 5.5 mm OD × 2.5 mm ID (Iomega’s standard tip; some listings imply 7.5×2.5 — confirm against any photo)
Replacement options (2026 sourcing)
| Option | Spec | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| myVolts 12 V universal | spring-loaded tip covers 5.5/2.1 + 5.5/2.5 · CE/RoHS | £12-15 / $19.99 | Amazon UK B07Y8NJ9HV |
| Generic 12 V 2 A · 5.5×2.5 center-positive | barrel, regulated | $7-10 | eBay / Amazon search “12V 2A 5.5x2.5 center positive” |
| Mean Well GST25A12-P1J | regulated 12 V 2.08 A medical/desktop brick | ~$25 | universal cable to 5.5×2.5 tip · bulletproof choice |
Known failure modes
- Brick dies before drive — OEM 12 V 1 A undersized for 7200 rpm spin-up (drive can draw 2.5 A at boot)
- Capacitor degradation after ~8-10 years
- Symptoms: humming/clicking on power-up, LED flicker, drive enumerates then drops, completely dead
- Per Tom’s Hardware Prestige 1TB thread: “the Seagate adapter card that provides power to the drive failed, not the drive”
- Recovery path if enclosure board also dead: pull internal SATA drive (2.5” or 3.5”), use a cheap USB-SATA dock
Verified sources
- myVolts MDHD-UP listing — confirms 12 V output + generic spring-tip approach
- Tom’s Hardware “Iomega Prestige 1 TB no power” thread — confirms PSU failure mode is more common than drive death
- Amazon B06XWW4VP1, B0D7TJ84RQ, B086SC2K21 — 12 V single-rail across MDHD320-U, LDHD-UP, MDHD500-U variants
- Fixya MDHD500-N quote: “supplied power transformer was 12V 1A while enclosure required 12V 2A; HD drew 2.5A at boot, more than double what the provided transformer could output”
Secondary candidate ruled out
- Powersoft M-Drive pro-audio amplifier module — rack-mount, internal mains via IEC C13/C19, not a wall-wart. Only relevant if a 1U M-Force rack appears in inventory.
Resume trigger
- An Iomega MDHD-branded enclosure shows up in inventory
- A different household device matches the “12 V 1-2 A failed brick” failure profile and 5.5×2.5 connector
- Someone searches the substrate for “MDHD” or “Iomega”
Cross-references
- Actual mDrive substrate:
/Users/dansellars/Code/home-projects/pa/technology/mdrive/index.html - LTO tape ecosystem (relevant to the actual mDrive): mLogic mTape / Hedge Canister