CDRLabs.com

I have a portable hard drive that plugs into my USB port... My port does not supply enough power to power the hard drive. The manual states I can use an AC Adapter which outputs 5volts, 800 or more milliamps, polarity negative on the tip. I am unable to locate such an AC Adapter. I have a 4.5 volt adapter which seems to work.

Question: Does anyone know if using a 4.5 volt AC Adapter rather than a 5 volt adapter will potentially damage the hard drive ?

As long as it can output a minimum of 800ma without dipping below 4.5V, you should be ok. AC to DC adapters are notorious for poor voltage regulation, so the circuitry is usually designed to take this into account.

KuoH

Rodale Power Supplies are designed for computers and hard drives.

They make a couple of models that supply 5V @ 800mA, and a variety of 5V power supplies with a rating of 1A and above.