And one more general question, when connected to a computer via USB, does the drive need to be plugged into a wall outlet?

Drive?

The drives are not separate. It's a pullout stereo. You take the whole thing out of your dash and take the whole thing into the house. And yes, it needs A/C power, an A/C adapter is included with the unit.

As far as the timing goes, I'll probably have a few hours to spare around midday on Saturday the 2nd. Plan on being there around 11am to early afternoon sometime. I'll try to remember to pack my tools for the Consonance trip. I'll probably be checking into the hotel Friday evening sometime, so call on Friday night and leave a message for me saying when you plant to show up, and I'll just look out for a stainless-steel car around that time.