The power consumption is very low, around 10W max when spinning up a drive. We have, in fact, run one successfully from a set
of 8 AA batteries for a while, although duracells do get pretty warm. NiMH would be a better choice, and on the mk2 version which
has a PSU that will accept voltages down to about 5.5V, should give a reasonable life.
Out of interest, I did some measurements, and it would just be possible to fit a battery pack of around 1.2AH into the second drive
slot. However, we have no plans to do so as a product, since the demand would be so low, and it would add a number of major
hassles to the design.
Patrick
Opinions expressed in this email may contain up to 42% water by weight, and are mine. All mine.
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Experience is what you get just after it would have helped...