External USB Optical Disk Drive not detected using the Dell Legacy Adapter (LD17)

Summary: Some external USB Optical Disk Drives (ODD) may not be detected when connected though the Dell Legacy Adapter (LD17).

Dell Legacy Adapter background

The Dell Legacy Adapter (LD17) provides the following legacy ports using a USB connection to you system.

• Serial RS232 Port
• Parallel C36 Port
• Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45) with PXE boot support
• USB 2.0
  NOTE: The USB 2.0 connection on the LD17 supports up to 1.2 Amps only. Devices requiring more than 1.2 Amps must be connected to laptop's USB port.

External USB Optical Disk Drive not detected

During initial product testing it was documented that some USB External Optical Disk Drives (ODD) would not detect when connected to the USB 2.0 port of the legacy adapter.

Analysis of the issue concluded that the ODD required a higher amperage than the 1.2 Amps available via the legacy adapter.

If this issue is encountered, connect the USB device directly to the system and the drive will be detected.

References

Dell Legacy Adapter (LD17)