LaCie Hissing Power Supplies FAIL

[kyleevans5]

Lacie used 35 cent 10 volt capacitors than cannot handle not have a load on the power supply (the drive) instead of 50 cent 25 volt capacitors (although even 16 volt might have worked). 15 cents times 5 is 75 cents saved for Lacie per power supply.

[cdigas]

Never again lacie. I had two hard disks with this power supply. They both failed after two years. lacie sucks...

[MADagain321]

Ok my hdd wont turn on, its a external lacie hdd and im trying to open the thing up so i can try to hard recover my data but the thing needs external power which it will not turn on so is there anyway i can retrieve my data from a external thats got external power, wont turn on????

[mikegnome]

Mine makes a clicking sound.

[macboook84]

I have the same power supply, 1st failed at 2yr 8Months, 2nd failed at 3 weeks. 

[drewz10]

You are a fool. There is litteraly something wrong with you kind of people. I put you in the category of NUT. You have serious mental health issues. Do you think aliens are coming to get you. What a blessing that would be. YOU NEED HELP AND LOTS OF IT. Who rasies whackos like yourself. I imagine you have a history of mental health issues. At the same time its worth a good laugh but also a bit scarey that your not locked up in a nut house where you belong.

[dzunku1]

My LaCie external HDD and also LaCie external DVD drive were long dead. I just found that their PSUs did not give any juice!

It is crazy that LaCie has been making money from the junk they have sold. Is there anyone thought of a class action lawsuit? If so, I want to jump on it.

[joevvaccaro]

Thanks for the info! I'm going to contact LaCie now and ask for a new adapter.

[add909]

Son of a B !!!! my hard drive has been acting up as well !!! Come to find out, its this power supply. Damn this POS. I need a new one though.

[RocBuug]

same problem and I made the mistake of buying a 1TB Lacie HD. I've already replaced the plug once and I'm sick of having to become a technician because my money wasn't good enough to buy a quality product that will last for more than a year.

[fileunderT]

had this same exact power supply fail on me. never heard the hiss before until you mentioned it and now that i plugged it in again...what do you know? It HISSES!!! off to purchase a new one!

[nondescriptman]

I just discovered I have a hissing power supply on one of my lacie drives. I also discovered one of them (the non hissing one) was not plug all the way into the drive causing it to make all kinds of crazy noises... the disc was probalby struggling from not having enough power. The hissing supply is also larger than the other one.

[MonkeyFCoconut]

I've had mine for a couple years now with no problems. The other night we had a bad storm with a lot of wind, and the power at my house surged. We didn't lose power but a couple things turned off, like my computer which is not on a UPS. Right after, my Lacie power supply started hissing, and my drive light was fast blinking. Eventually it will come up in Windows, but I don't trust it and will find a new supply. I could cut the cable off and use a standard computer power supply.

[MonkeyFCoconut]

I believe a surge in power if high voltage enough could "punch through" the insulation barriers in the transformer, but they would have to be pretty poorly done in the first place. Capacitors would seem more likely.

[harlingtonstraker]

LaCie has a REAL problem with these. I have had 3 fail on me and I only have two drives.

Replacing the brick is more expensive than buying a new enclosure.

Maybe there is a market for RELIABLE LaCie compatible bricks.

[iNaoH]

Lacie sucks i've got my hard drive repaird once then it fucking broke again first it broke after 3 months maybe then the second time it broke after 2weeks i dont feel and it took them like 6months after i sent them my harddrive till i got it back.

[Looongdog]

I replaced my Lacie brick about 1 1/2 years ago, thankfully my drive was still under warranty since it had only been 10 months since my purchase. Now a year and 4 months later the second power supply is hissing and my drive is clicking and won't mount. I'll never buy another Lacie drive again.

[user12119]

Sounds like the mains transformer is getting ready to arc! basically the air molecules around the coils are breaking down.

[Annarianexile]

Same problem as everyone. Thanks for posting this and making me feel better that my whole hard drive isn't sunk. Beyond personally replacing the capacitators, any suggestions on how to get a new power cord (not manufactured by the same company). BTW, I bought my Lacie which is having problems in 2007...

[talentedlosers]

I have had 10 of these fail at work (we are a video editing facility) They will replace if you register your drives. But the phone supprt people claim there is no problem. BS!

[ddscentral]

The hissing most likely comes from the main switching transformer inside that power brick.

It might be bad capacitors or just crappy design

Just find a better power supply with similar power ratings (it does not have to be another LaCie).

LaCie does not make power supplies, they just buy them from some manufacturer (in this case, SunFone) and puts their label on them.

[0MrENigma0]

It's the capacitors... I have posted a video reply.

[DickeFix]

I have talked with Lacie today and they have changed internal design of the power supply. Hopefully the new ones work better but this have been a problem since at least 2003.

[DickeFix]

Yes, this is a GIANT problem for LaCie. I have now had SIX power supplies fail for me both the type that gives 12V, 2A and 5V, 2A and that that gives 12V, 2.2A and 5V 2.0 A both in combination with LaCie d2 drives and CD drives or plugged-in without load! The supply gives still correct voltage but can not handle more than 1A output after a year and the drive, which needs up to 1.6A during power up fails to mount and just gives a repeated clicking sound.

[0MrENigma0]

I've just posted a video reply... may help you.

[bernieandreu]

In addition to power shorts, and adapter exploding, LaCie admits if your drive appears to not be showing on the desktop or if you hear a soft clicking that it is the power supply. If you are out of warranty they don't care and want you to buy a power brick. no recall issued for this hazardous issue. Anyone else with this problem?

[bernieandreu]

same thing has happened to me. same MO. however, i refused to pay for a replacement. I hear class action suit. we should do something about it.

[0MrENigma0]

Okay... I have replaced the capacitors that were going bad on my power supply and the hiss is completely gone and the drive is working just fine.

I'll make a video on it.

[sajishtr]

thanks for the video.. i lacie stopped working.. power button is not switching off. i contected tech support, they said the problem is with the power supply adapter! hope it should work once I get the new power adapter

[sajishtr]

i just kept my ears on the power adapter.. my god... the same hizzzzzing sound is coming..

[yashrg]

Hello, I was having trouble with my Hard drive too. I thought it must be the hard drive. But the LaCie support center asked me to check with another power supply. I said I didn't have access to one so they agreed to send me a new one if I shipped them mine back. I was stupid and didn't do it then.

Thanks to your video, I have realized that the problem is indeed the power supply and have opened another support ticket and am waiting for the response.

[intergalacticartist]

I HATE those damn drives... you can't trust them.

Hard Drives are like girls... if you can't trust your girl... dump her.

[longartphoto]

My 2TB drive failed. It would no longer mount. I contacted LaCie. They were quick in responding and walking me through different things to do. Looks like it has come down to the power supply. I tried a different one from my old 250 GB and it worked!

Hopefully they will replace it for free because it's still under warranty and the other one from my 250 is probably not powerful enough to handle the 2 TB.

Thanks for posting this because it has helped solve a mystery for me!

[morrisonAV]

Welcome to the world of LaCie! I bought into the hype years ago and started buying their HD's back in the pre-d2 case days (grey case, blue front panel) but never again. I had power supplies fail but the one that pissed me off the most was when the bridge board failed inside the case. This is the part that connects the internal drive (which tested fine) to the Firewire cable coming into the case. LaCie wouldn't sell me the replacement part I needed. I put the drives on CraigsList but takers..

[HorseFlicks]

And two hours after I posted my previous message, ANOTHER power supply failed. Arrrggghhh.

[HorseFlicks]

I haven't experience the "hissing" power supply but with 13 LaCie drives I have had ones that get alarmingly hot, then fail. They have replaced 4 of my power supplies, of which 2 have already failed. I have had no drive problems ever- but these power supplies drive me nuts.

[0MrENigma0]

Okay I submitted a help ticket at their site... will post what they say to me.

[0MrENigma0]

Well... I just couldn't resist breaking open my power supply. There were in fact three capacitors that were swollen. I only managed to get half the silver shielding/heatsync removed, but I am pretty sure these three are the culprits. There are two in the same place that are fine. The only difference is the two good ones are 16V and the three that are going bad are 10V. So, either the three are poorly constructed... or they made a mistake... or they tried to go cheap with the 10V's.

[0MrENigma0]

Thanks! I am actually listening to mine now. I have two drives and do not use one because I am afraid to plug this PS (Power Supply... not the other words.. he he) back in. Don't know if they will help me but I will give it a try. Thanks for the link.

[nununu8]

hey there, this too also happened to my lacie. one day i tried to turn it on but it would'nt turn on, i was wondering if there was any way to get all my files off the hard drive? even though it wont turn on

[TheAgroom]

I have the same problem with my LaCie, not surprized! This is not only a problem to Lacie PSU´s. Today the world is bombarded with scale produced electronics marked "Made in China" = good profit to the brand in the short run, cheap to buy but poor reliability and early replacement (not good to the environment...).

The key components stuffed into these products are poor compared to the original ones and suffer from rigid quality specifications, just made to gain profit to LaCie and all other.

[lawrencezaius]

Thanks for the post! Ditto on the hiss. Sent a support ticket. We'll see what happens.

[0MrENigma0]

@lawrencezaius

Did they reply to you, did you get a new power supply from them?

[lawrencezaius]

out of warranty. zzzt.

[0MrENigma0]

I am waiting to see if they reply to me on mine.

I have since also opened up my power supply and found three capacitors that went bad. I plan on replacing them and seeing how it goes. I'll let you know.

[0MrENigma0]

@lawrencezaius

I was able to fix mine by replacing the capacitors that were going bad. I'll post a video on it.

[CanImakeYouLaugh]

Same problem here...just mailed them a support ticket.

[dbrsystems]

I've had (4) Lacie Power Supplies die and have (2) replacements that are currently dead. I really need a 3rd party. The drives are all fine...the Power Supplies are constantly failing.

[FerralVideo]

A defect in the main switching system. I would suspect the primary switcher capacitor. /NO/ Power Supply should EVER sound like this - if you hear it, from ANY power supply, discontinue use immediately and seek a replacement, it will fail soon!

[Cabijazz]

Man, thank you SO MUCH. Exactly the same problem here...just wrote to LaCie...

[stvlush]

Haven't heard any hissing but we have a backup server at work with 6 bunch of 1TB Lacie drives. The server is constantly going off line because the LaCie power bricks die, crash the drives and hang the computer. We have gone through 15-20 PSUs. I have had similar experiences at home with Lacie drives and optical drives. NO MORE LACIE DRIVES, only drives with built in power supplies. It pays to spend the extra money for good drive chassis like Glyph. Crappy drives=lost data. Not worth it.

[Safirium]

Thank you for this video!!! I´ve got the same problem - and nobody in the store where I bought it could give me information about what was wrong, but now I´m just happy that it´s only the "power crap" from Lacie who need replaced. I have to Big Extreme Disks 1TB and switched power-supply between them and isolated the problem to the power supply. If Lacie care for their products and customers, - they should be more than happy to replace the broken ones for free!

[MitchJC1990]

Thanks for posting this! Mine has failed too, It started a day or two ago and would hiss only when Time Machine on my Mac would back up to it (or if I transferred any files from the external hard drive to my Mac). So I turned it off for several hours, but that didn't solve anything. Now I am unable to get it to mount when I turn it on. Thanks again for posting this video.

[halfgoku]

Thanks for taking the time to post this. I just encountered this problem with my BigDisk Extreme yesterday, and was glad to see that I'm not the only one. I was about to actually pay money when I saw your video. Thanks for saving me the money.

[RobertKS]

Does anyone have any recommendations for non-Lacie manufacturers of these power supplies?  I've had 2 fail on me in the same fashion, and if I buy a replacement I want one that's not just going to die exactly the same way.

[jmsender]

YES! I have awoke to my FOURTH Lacie failing hissing power supply. After the hissing starts, the drive will start to unmount periodically, then function ok for a bit - Eventually it stops mounting altogether but, like a dying car battery - you can hear the starter trying... but never getting ignition... and it stays in that mode... sometimes associated with a clicking on the hard drive as well. Lacie will replace them IF the drive is still in warranty... they will not admit the problem. Hiss!

[CanImakeYouLaugh]

@jmsender -

I am so glad I read your input. I guess this is exactly how mine started, although I didn't know the cause of the frequent dismounts I was experiencing since I never sit near the LaCie.

[DrFranklin]

Got the exact same problem, so glad its not the drive itself, I would have been furious to lose all my data.

[inntoon]

Me too - but SO glad to realize its the power supply and not the drive itself. As with others, LaCie is replacing mine but is backordered. I ordered a replacement from a third party retailer and will be just as glad to have the free replacement as backup when it eventually arrives.

[11joeman11]

if you cut the cable from the lacie power supply, their are 3 wires - blue is 5V, red is 12V and the black is ground. I picked up a $30 mini atx power supply, bridged the green wire to ground so it stays on, and soldered one of the HD power wires to the appropriate wires from the lacie cord. works fine now! of course, i'm assuming this power supply will last long than lacie's, if we know the lacie one is crap, this can't be worse.

[11joeman11]

i had the same problem but figured the drive was worth saving. a blown power supply isn't a big deal and it's a shame lacie didn't provide a decent unit to power their drive (which seems to work fine). I adapted a regular CPU power supply instead.

[vieuxnez]

The problem is in the capacitors they have in their supplies. My second and third supplies have gone bad, now, and I've pulled them apart, to see bulging capacitors on all. I will never buy from LaCie again.

[Dabagboy]

I have two of these drives, have replaced 4 PSUs, 3 under warranty one they charged me ~$30 IIRC...they really need to stop shipping the same lousy PSUs

[blazindevil818]

thanks for the vid, i just got off the phone with lacie, they kinda just sugar coated the problem and shipped a new power supply.

[daltondeuce]

Thanks, for sharing!

[musick123]

Thanks for the video!!! My hard drive has been making all kinds of noise and not wanted to mount. I noticed that the power supply was also making this sound so I talked to LaCie about it. They're sending me a new power supply as I write this. I'm hoping it corrects ALL of the problems I have been having with the drive.

[sgribber]

I'm having the same problem with the power supply. The lovely hissing sound. In addition, the drive itself makes horrible beeping and crunching sounds. When you consider how inexpensive an internal drive is, this is so not worth the cost.

[colwiz]

I have had two of power units go. Decided that with all the effort needed to resolve the problem, it was better to get a server to store all my files with a pair of mirrored hard drives. This way if anything happens I can pop the hard drive into another computer. I will never order anything from this company again...

[dpkristin]

We've had both power supply and drive failures with LaCie so much that we don't purchase the brand anymore. But I was told we should be turning the drives off regularly and not leave them running all the time.

[kivavision]

my lacie d2 went down 2 days ago, I was just testing it today and noticed the same sound coming from the power supply. good to know my data is not lost. thank you for posting this!

[DewGuy1999]

The hissing sound makes me think that this may be related to the bad capacitors that hit the computer industry in the last few years. I've got a 120GB D2 from 2003 that is still going strong proving that La Cie has made quality products. I'm currently looking at getting a 500GB or 1TB D2 but the current power supply is giving me doubt, hopefully La Cie can get a handle on this.

[mxyzyptlk]

I've had 2 LaCie failures in the last 6 months, both under warranty., and both due to power supplies. My oldest LaCie drive and power supply, from 2001 or 2002, seems bullet-proof. Too bad their QC has slipped so.

[sdlabs]

hear hear. Got the same piece of crap.

[rachelelnar]

Same here! thanks for sharing!

[mcoupe2001]

my laice home edition has a solid blue light and i can't hear the hd spinning, just making a light knocking sound. i also have no access to my lacie disk. if i press the power button to shut down nothing happens. also the power supply is making that hissing noise that this post describes. i'm replacing power supply tomorrow, hope it works.

[thetoby2000]

THANK YOU for posting/making this video. I had the same problem you did. I contacted LaCie and they sent me a new power supply as a "worthwhile trouble shooting measure." Anyway, my drive works fine now with the exception of one share (it says it is broken in the admin panel.). Do you think LaCie is going to admit to this problem?

[kroetjes]

yup, just discovered it on mine. Hard drive wasn't working for a while. Fortunatly I have two HDD with the same supply so I can use but still...

you think LaCie'd give me a new one for free?

[MrCoolian]

Ok I couldnt wait till the morning, Just cycled over to a friends to borrow his power supply and it works....

If any one else is reading this with LaCie problems its worth mentioning that I diddnt have any hiss or noise, the power supply looks normal (and so does the LaCie)the only difference was the boot up sound....

Right back up time.

[MrCoolian]

My LaCie has just failed, I hope its the power supply, Ive got a 2 hr film on there with only the first 45mins backed up if Ive lost the rest Im gonna cry....

Im amazed that its worked perfectly for the year its taken to cut this film and then fails on the day I get round too backing up!

Gonna be at the shop the second it opens for a new power supply, please let that work..

[healthytext]

Ahh, that sound. I recently paid $20 for a replacement power supply and never thought to complain to LaCie. At least the shipping was free!

[brokentoes69]

Holy Shit mine is hissin' like a f'in COBRA !!!! Only looking at it because I think the whole things fried but man I'm glad it's just a fried hard drive and not a fried family Cheap computer sheeite !!!!!

[auroraron]

Out of stock. Same problem here. It says it is UL approved I'm going to file a complaint both in Canada and the USA. This is a fire hazard, it overheats and its just a matter of time before someones house burns down. It should be recalled.

[jj78fram]

This is ridiculous! I've had one Ethernet Big Disk power supply fail, AND a Quadra D2 power supply fail! The first one less than 6 months old and the second one about 24 months.

I guess it's because I'm a junkie, and the Lacie gear just isn't up to snuff for it.

I'm done with external HDDs now. I'm making my own gigabit computer NAS and stuffing all the drives in there instead. And while I'm at it, I'm making sure any new drives are server-class too.

[XIS99]

Welcome to the club , And when you try to order a replacement , they will be back ordered .