Connecting HDDs to USB hub?

[sensimella87]

Hello,
I have 3 2.5" HDDs which are USB 3.
I want to connect them with a USB 3 hub that does not have an additional power supply.
Everybody tells me that its not going to be enough energy to supply the HDDs.
The reason Im writhing this thread:
I have one USB 3 with power share on my laptop. I cannot find information about how much power that port can supply but possibly its more than standard USB 3 and enough for 3 HDDs.
Would it work?
Thanks!

 

[RememberThe5th]

USB 3 can up to 1A it will not be eunogh. Soo get powered or try to plug 2 in usb hub and one in another port (just test out).

 

[Phillip Corcoran]

You're gonna need a mains-powered USB hub for sure.

 

[sensimella87]

People please, focus on what Im saying.
Im not asking about a standard USB 3.0. What I have on my Dell laptop is USB 3.0 with "PowerShare". Which is meant to provide more energy for quick charging of external devices like for example a phone.
The question is can this port provide the energy to be used by 3 HDDs.
Furthermore even if it does provide the energy will it be utalized properly keeping in mind that the cable going from the PowerShare port to the USB hub is nothing special, just standard USB 3.0.

 

[Paperdoc]

Unfortunately, I could not find the info needed to answer this on the Dell Website. Its description of the Power Share USB3 ports is not exactly what you wish it were.

According to the website, the design of the Power Share port is so that you can use it to charge some other device (e.g., a phone) using a USB3 cable from this port. It is intended to use the power stored in the laptop's battery to do that charging, and it has tools in Setup to limit how much of that battery power can be consumed for this purpose. It does say that IF the laptop is not plugged into an AC supply to keep its battery charged, then the Power Share feature will NOT operate unless the laptop is in a low-power state (not in use, but in standby mode). So, you could not use this port for charging anything while also using the laptop for normal work unless your laptop is plugged into the wall. It appears to say (not really sure about this) that you CAN use it for this kind of simultaneous charging and normal use when plugged into the wall, when the device you plug in is also a data access device like a HDD, and is not restricted to just charging something. However, it does NOT give any specification about how much power can be drawn from this port.

A standard USB3 port can supply 5 VDC at up to 0.9 amps. So-called "charging ports" on some externally-powered USB3 Hubs can supply significantly more in some cases - there seem to be several variations of the non-standard charging port systems. The new generation of "Portable Laptop USB3 Drives" are engineered to operate fully within the 0.9A limit. BUT when you contemplate trying to power THREE of these units simultaneously using a Hub with NO external power source, you had better be sure that the power available to that Hub from its host port is up to the challenge! I doubt that the Dell Power Share port can do that, but I cannot find a firm answer on the Dell website.