I'm using Ubuntu 20.04 and it was my first main foray into Linux (I had 18.04 for one week prior to upgrading).
I connect two SanDisk USB stick drives to my Dell laptop but they are used infrequently, however they are always hot to touch when the laptop is on. Is that normal? If that is normal, will that level of heat degrade them in anyway?
Also, where there is heat there is power, so it will obviously be reducing battery life too. Is there anyway of 'turning' them off until I need them (without removing them, smart ars*s)?
81 Answer
When you plug in any USB device, the first thing that happens ("first" is enforced by plug design), is that the computer supplies power (+5V GND) to the USB device.
The USB device runs a tiny computer to communicate with the computer.
The first message sent is "I am a disk/mouse/keyboard/NIC/...", and here's how we'll communicate.
Then, the tiny computer devotes its attention to behaving like a "disk/mouse/keyboard/NIC/..." and communicating with the host computer via the appropriate USB protocol.
In your case, it's pretending to be a disk, ready to accept "disk" commands via USB.
Running the tiny cpu takes power, and dissipates heat (see "Laws of Thermodynamics").
Is it excessive power usage? Will the USB device frogboil itself?
Probably not, but YMMV.
Power dissipation is a concept known to Electrical Engineers and Product Designers.
