USB trouble with external hard disk

[Ralf Mardorf]

The firmware of almost all USB to SATA controllers is crap. You think
everything is ok and then suddenly, after minutes or years, you get IO
errors because some period of time is exceeded in which the controllers
go into sleep mode and with Linux you cannot reasonably clarify the
reawakening of the controller. So far I have only found one enclosure
with which this crap does not occur. Good housing, suitable firmware but
with miserable switching power supplies if you don't like electric
shocks. Cheap switching power supplies are a topic in themselves.