How to make a external HD (FireWire or USB) spin down when no in use?

I have a MM and want to make sure that the external HD spins down if not being used.
Would this automatically happen if I tick the box 'Put HD to sleep when not in use' in the control panel? Or is there an other solution to make sure it does so? I have not bought a disk as of now, but would be looking at a 2.5 (Samsung HM500LI 500 GB (SpinPoint M6)) in a FireWire housing.
Thanks

I really have no idea because I never sleep disks. However, that's controlled by the setting in the /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.PowerManagement.plist file. The default is ten minutes if you sleep disks. Experiment with various settings by issuing this command in the Terminal.app, until you get it the way you want it:
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How to make a external HD (FireWire or USB) spin down when no in use?

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