As you know, the raspberry pi ports have a limit to the amount of power they can deliver. Therefore it is not possible/not recommended to connect, among other things, HDDs to them.
The first recommended option is to power the HDD with its own power supply. The problem in this case is that the HDD I was using is the typical one that is connected directly without the possibility of powering it externally.
Another option is to buy a powered HUB. But you don't want to spend money and you like to complicate things like me, you can do something like this.
The DIY \"Power Distribution Unit\"
The idea is simple. Instead of waiting for the power to run all over the board looking for the HDD, feed it directly with the power that is directly available from the official power supply.
The cable would be connected to a USB Y split, which allows data and power to be connected separately.
Diagram of my current setup
Wait, why not use another power supply directly to the Y-split?
It's something I did at first but it's not a good idea at all. You have to make sure you balance the voltages so that nothing bad happens.
Finally, if you plan to do something like this, be very careful with the polarities (positive and negative). If you do that wrong, you're going to fry something. Also check the soldering so they don't come loose (in the picture they look really bad but it was a prototype. I improved them later).
submitted by /u/juaniman99
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Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/raspberry_pi/c ... power_the/