Tat content:NO Mingebag content:YES

[KruJoe]

By way of preemptive consolation, have a random spot from my old thread, which, by now, must be down to about page 86. I WILL get 'round to resurrecting it sometime.

 

 

 

More advice sought now. Most of us on 'ere are not fans of electrickery, but all of us must have at least some idea about computer things.

 

 

This was a USB memory stick.

 

 

My old man accidentally kicked it out of his computer tower when he walked past. He's writing his life-story.

 

 

Normally it could just be chucked away and replaced, but this one is 32GB, so not peanuts to replace. The data is backed up, so that's not an issue.

 

 

I think these two parts overlapped slightly, and those pins soldered onto the PCB.

Any hope for it? What is the black cube of plastic on the PCB... is it a component, or just the bit that holds the USB plug?

 

Ta.

[Station]

If you can post it, I can solder it back on if you can't do it yourself?That black bits looks like it's meant to be in one piece, it's probably best to solder a USB cable onto it tbh.

[chester drawers]

Was it in use ie. was data being written to it when the erm, incident took place? Assuming not the data should be easily recoverable, without recourse to forensic recovery software.I don't think the broken plastic is a component - just part of the plastic moulding through which one of the connections passes. Soldering on a flying lead will allow continued use. Doesn't fit in your pocket as easily but works fine.I'll happily get things working if you don't fancy doing it yourself.

[KruJoe]

That's very kind chaps, leave it with me...

 

 

Yes, looks like 'A' mirrors 'B', so the black bit doesn't seem vital.

...probably best to solder a USB cable onto it tbh.

I still have this mouse, which recently stopped working... would this USB cable/plug do it?

Doesn't matter about it not being as compact as before - the 32GB is handy to have for backup / transfer etc.

Was it in use ie. was data being written to it when the erm, incident took place?

The data is backed up, so that's not an issue.

[Richard]

I wouldn't be too confident about getting it working tbh. I've attempted to fix three of these without success, I think the bending that causes the plug to break off also damages the board or one of the components, or possibly it's to do with voltage spikes as it breaks.I don't even bother with USB sticks any more, I use an SD card with a USB card reader. The assembly is only slightly bigger but breaking it doesn't mean losing the memory or the data on it.

[Station]

They need an earth. So A is either the earth to the shield or 12vDC.

[chester drawers]

I wouldn't be too confident about getting it working tbh. I've attempted to fix three of these without success, I think the bending that causes the plug to break off also damages the board or one of the components, or possibly it's to do with voltage spikes as it breaks.

Easy on the cloud of doom there! It’s almost always retrievable. Occasionally the flat pack SMDs need a reflow following PCB flex, but that’s about it. If the multi-layer board and via holes have become damaged then it gets a bit more tricky, but looking at those pictures that’s not going to be an issue here. It’ll be fine

I still have this mouse, which recently stopped working... would this USB cable/plug do it?

Depends on what caused the mouse to fail! Thin cables like that one tend to fail more readily. Measure the resistance of the cable and if it checks out go ahead and recycle your rodent. Otherwise a trip to the Pound Shop would seem to be in order.

[M'coli]

I don't even bother with USB sticks any more, I use an SD card with a USB card reader. The assembly is only slightly bigger but breaking it doesn't mean losing the memory or the data on it.

If I use a stick I've a short USB extension cable that solves this problem.

[Pillock]

They need an earth. So A is either the earth to the shield or 12vDC.

Nooooooo!

 

5v, not 12v. 12v makes smoke come out of them

 

The centre two pins are data, the outer two are power.

Pin 1 is 5v, pin 2 is -Data, pin 3 is +Data, Pin 4 is GND. It's hard to tell from your picture which way around the plug is (and hence if the broken black bit is 1 or 4) but all four pins are needed. It shouldn't be totally dead, I've repaired a few by soldering the plug back on, or a cable if it's too badly damaged.

 

The black bit is the moulding for the USB plug, the end pin passes through this into the socket. It is needed.

 

Like a few others, I can get this fixed if you post it to me. We have all the component repair gubbins at work for laptops/xbox/camcorders.

[andrew e]

Sod the usb stuff is that 504 factory?

[KruJoe]

Thanks for the help guys. Been busy, so tomorrow I'll try to find a multi-meter, cut the cable off the mouse and test the plug.

Sod the usb stuff is that 504 factory?

Yep. As discussed somewhere in this old thread.

But I've found out more since.

I took the picture in Thailand. These were not made at all in Europe (conversions of four-stud estated were), but I know they WERE made as a "Guangzhou-Peugeot 504" in China. BUT I know of no other cars imported to Thailand from China (until very recently), so I don't think it's a Guangzhou. I have read somewhere that they may have been built in Thailand from "Knock Down Kits", like so many other European cars. Where the kits came from, I don't know.

There are a few around Chiang Mai where I used to live. It would be kewl to roll one of these one day.

 

 

 

[ChinaTom]

There are still a few knocking about in south China too - mostly in the really remote parts and nearly always used by Public Security, Power or telecoms engineers. Most of them have wooden covers and boxes (cupboards actually) for the back.

[KruJoe]

I found a picture of a Gruau conversion in my p'bucket:

 

 

Back to USB guff.

 

The mouse wires are SO fine, and I couldn't get a connection with the multimeter ONTO the wires, let alone along the cable, even after I melted some solder onto them:

 

 

So we had a dig around and found this cable that was for a long-lost camera:

 

 

I cut it, stripped back the plastic, the protective braiding, foil, and the nylon. The wires are more substantial and easier to work with.

 

 

The continuity is good between the four wires and the connections in the plug, so we can go with this.

 

When assembled, the memory stick looks like this:

 

 

 

And in bits... the screw goes through the casing to hold the PCB.

 

 

The other side... the LED shines through 'A' then 'B'.

 

 

Once the wires are soldered on, and the PCB is put in the casing, how can we prevent the wires pulling off the solder?

 

 

Would a squirt of hot glue from the gun do it?

[Richard]

Would a squirt of hot glue from the gun do it?

It would help, that's a standard way of retaining wires. I'd be tempted to glue the wires, reassemble the stick then fold it over and cable tie the stick to the cable.

[Pillock]

Drill a hole in the outside of the plastic case, on the wide flat side the end that the USB plu would have been. Thread the cable through this hole, and then put a knot in the end of the cable, about 5mm from the stripped end (so it's the full black cable knotted, not the induvidual wires.Solder it to the board and pull it back through the hole, it'll then be impossible to pull the cable off the board.Most cheap electronics use the 'knot' method over any fancy securing methods.

[KruJoe]

Drill a hole in the outside of the plastic case

 

The casing is some kind of chromed metal - not great for easy drillin'.

 

Thread the cable through this hole, and then put a knot in the end of the cable, about 5mm from the stripped end (so it's the full black cable knotted, not the induvidual wires.

Solder it to the board and pull it back through the hole, it'll then be impossible to pull the cable off the board.

 

From the pictures it's not easy to see just how tiny this gadget's gubbins are. The PCB is the size of my two pinky finger nails end-to-end. The new cable is almost as wide as the mouth of the case: no way a knot would fit in, especially if there is the PCB in there!

 

 

Would a squirt of hot glue from the gun do it?

It would help, that's a standard way of retaining wires. I'd be tempted to glue the wires, reassemble the stick then fold it over and cable tie the stick to the cable.

I think I'll do it that way.

 

I got hold of that little black cube that was covering the fourth terminal on the corner of the PCB. It just slid off. Which was nice.

 

 

So, after all this messing about, I reckon I could have a go at doing this myself, to avoid packing it off to one of you, weighed at the post office... return envelopes etc. Nearest post office: eight miles.

The thing now is, my smaller soldering iron is rather ham-fisted. Normally it would be for fixing trailer wiring or door speakers. Here it is with this job for scale:

 

 

I'm also worried about heat transfer into the PCB and components. Would it work if I found some 1mm (or finer) copper wire, and wrapped it around the soldering iron to extend it to a finer point?

 

 

(Excuse the crudely rubbed out PCB!)

Ta.

[Pillock]

Does your soldering iron have a replacable tip? TBH that looks a bit too big for the job, what you'll find is that if you touch two contacts with the iron and flow some solder onto it, it might bridge the two and then you've got a ballache getting rid of the solder bridge.Heat transfer isn't an issue, as you only want to touch the contacts for 2 seconds max. If you need any longer than this, it's not hot enough or you're using the wrong solder. Certainly that coil of wire idea wouldn't transfer enough heat down it to actually melt the solder, I'd have thought.

[chester drawers]

^WHS. Hot melt glue is frequently used for this sort of thing, but over time it has a tendency to go conductive. Mechanically secure the cable with it by all means, but restrict coverage to its insulated parts. Keep it away from the solder pads and wire ends.That tip does look a tad big but it might do if you don’t leave it on the print lands too long. The coiled wire thing won't work even with low melting point solder. I’d approach as follows:1. Cut each of the cables so they are the exactly same length. This evens out the strain when they’re attached to the board, and reduces the chances of them subsequently detaching.2. Clean the ends of each stripped cable before tinning (emery cloth, fibre glass pencil etc.) – they’ll tin more effectively that way.3. Gently press the iron onto the board and apply a small blob of solder to each solder pad in turn. Don’t try attaching the cable at the same time – you’ll need 3 hands and the insulation is likely to start burning away. Allow the solder to cool naturally – don’t blow on it.4. Offer a tinned cable end up to the board and press the iron gently onto the pre-soldered print land. As soon as it melts press the cable in and remove the iron. Any longer than a couple of seconds is likely to see the cable insulation melt away and the print lands may start to lift away from the board.Good luck. Let us know how you get on

[KruJoe]

Thank you so much for your instructions, guys! You must have as little to do this evening as I do. The tragedy is that I did the following before I saw Mr Drawers' reply...

 

After Pillock's reply, I thought 'What the hell!' I'll put some copper around the iron and see if it still gets hot enough to melt solder. More than hot enough!

 

 

The copper turned black with the heat.

 

My hands were feeling steady, so I did it! I covered some of the surrounding area with tape, covered the first little wire with molten solder, and touched it on the 'print land' (?), it cooled and caught. Did the same with the other three, and presto:

 

 

Not exactly pretty, but it is tiny.

I let it cool, took off the the tape, and plugged it in.

 

 

It lit up, and my computer 'found a new storage device' or something, but doesn't show it's name, and it won't open. It pops up as drive E in 'My Computer'. I get this upon clicking:

 

 

Nothing showing in its properties, either

I also tried to 'Format'. No joy.

Any ideas, shite friends?

[chester drawers]

I stand corrected – I’m rather surprised enough heat came down your copper wire. Starter motor terminals should be no problem Your screen shot confirms you have the wires connected the right way round - RESULT (be careful of the amount of insulation that has burnt away mind. The remains of the old lead out under the black wire can be removed if you wish).Next step is control panel, computer mangement, storage, disk management. What's displayed there?EDIT I've given the path for XP and those look like Vista screen shots. Typing disk management into the search box will probably take you to the right place. I'd normally have a virtual machine running to confirm this, but this isn't my usual laptop so please bear with me!EDIT x2 Going to bed - up at half 5 Will have a shufty at this thread at work assuming the proxy is in a good mood

[KruJoe]

Thanks, Chester!

I stand corrected – I’m rather surprised enough heat came down your copper wire. Starter motor terminals should be no problem

Copper conducts heat like a mother, as it does 'leccy. The copper seemed just as hot as my soldering iron.

 

Next step is control panel, computer mangement, storage, disk management. What's displayed there?

 

EDIT I've given the path for XP and those look like Vista screen shots. Typing disk management into the search box will probably take you to the right place. I'd normally have a virtual machine running to confirm this, but this isn't my usual laptop so please bear with me!

Struggling to find 'Disk Management'. I'm on XP. Here is my control panel:

 

 

EDIT x2 Going to bed - up at half 5 Will have a shufty at this thread at work assuming the proxy is in a good mood

Ta v much!

Forgot to say, when the incident happened, a file was open from the memory stick, but it was not being written.

 

Also, it has always been fussy... it refused to open via a USB hub (tried two hubs), that's why it was plugged directly into the front of the tower.

[chester drawers]

I missed out administrative tools. Wychwood's Hobgoblin may be to blame for that.The full sequence is control panel, administrative tools, computer mangement, storage, disk management. Another screenshot would be handy here.

[KruJoe]

OK, this is with the thing plugged in, and it stays lit up.

 

 

I'm gonna have to go and do something useful, soon.

I'll check in later this evening. Thank you for your help again!

[chester drawers]

Windows can see the interface, but not the flash memory. A few possibilities here:

 

1. Flash is corrupt (file open when damage occurred). What brand of flash drive is it? Some manufacturers provide proprietary initialisation tools, searching their site might yield something. If you can't find a manufacturer specific utility try this one from HP.

 

2. Dry joints on the flash memory due to board flex. A reflow would bring it back to life – I can do that for you if you like.

 

3. Worst case scenario the flash memory has actually failed. Let’s not write it off just yet though.

[pogweasel]

Hey can I join your gang??Just busted the licence dongle for my survey software, though with mine it broke off the whole end bit that plugs in the computer. So that's fucked then. They want £50 for a replacement (initially £150!), so that's that.

[KruJoe]

Last night I thought I'd be back to update, but the mission to collect a new daily ran late (don't they always?)

Seller's shoddy pic:

N.A. 2.0 £300

 

Windows can see the interface, but not the flash memory. A few possibilities here:

1. Flash is corrupt (file open when damage occurred). What brand of flash drive is it? Some manufacturers provide proprietary initialisation tools, searching their site might yield something. If you can't find a manufacturer specific utility try this one from HP.

It is a no-name thing from China via eBay.

Here is the result of trying the above after downloading the link:

As I said before...

...it has always been fussy... before the incident, it refused to open via a USB hub (tried two hubs), that's why it was plugged directly into the front of the tower.

The symptoms when it was in the USB hub were similar (if I remember rightly) to what we have now. Do you think it would be worth cutting the new cable down to an inch or two, and re-soldering it in the way you described? Would this minimise delay / resistance?

If not...

2. Dry joints on the flash memory due to board flex. A reflow would bring it back to life – I can do that for you if you like.

Very kind, I may well take you up on that...

[Minimad5]

i had the same problem with a USB hub i broughtThe cable was too short so i replaced it with a stupidly long one The device connected like yours has done, but because of the long cable and wire resistance it just would not work correctly i cut an inch out of the wire and it Worked Good luck

[Pillock]

Just a note, but that HP 'installation' tool is a format utility! It'll wipe the drive clean, it's the one I have at work for formatting >4GB USB drives as FAT32. Don't run it if you want to save any of the data on the drive.I have to say it's probably buggered. If it's detecting as a removable disk OK then your wiring is probably fine, as the power (pin 1 and 4) is getting through OK, and the data (2 and 3) is also fine in order for the device to send it's product class, identifying it as a mass storage device.So the only bit that's not working is the storage part itself. Reflowing the PCB might help in case any tracks are cracked, but it's looking grim. Sorry

[chester drawers]

Last night I thought I'd be back to update, but the mission to collect a new daily ran late (don't they always?)

Seller's shoddy pic:

N.A. 2.0 £300

Dear Sir, Please can KruJoe be excused from P.E. this week as he has to collect some new shite?

 

300 sheets looks like a winner! A mate had a 2.0 Sport. We spent a while toggling a purposeful looking switch of mystery, eventually coming to the conclusion that it just changed the brightness of the clock.

 

Anyway, unless the cable you sacrificed is especially long I doubt the problem is high resistance. Nowt wrong with the logic though, given your previous experience of the device’s unreliability it could be worth giving it a go. Try it – nowt to be lost.

 

If this doesn’t work by all means PM me about a [free] reflow. As you already have the data backed up, you’d need to weigh up [no pun] the cost of postage against a new drive

[chester drawers]

Just a note, but that HP 'installation' tool is a format utility! It'll wipe the drive clean, it's the one I have at work for formatting >4GB USB drives as FAT32. Don't run it if you want to save any of the data on the drive.

Some manufacturers provide proprietary initialisation tools

Initialisation as opposed to installation. And he's got the data backed up so that's not a problem. I've not actually used the HP utility so you have the advantage over me there. Specifically, I was hedging my bets on it doing a bit more than just partition and format. A bit like Discwizard, only for flash rather than HDDs. Bugger. I'll see if I can track down the Sandisk utility I used before.

 

So the only bit that's not working is the storage part itself.

Windows can see the interface, but not the flash memory.

Thought the same

 

Reflowing the PCB might help in case any tracks are cracked

I was thinking more of dry jointed SMDs than cracked print. Increasing use of BGA devices means I can't pull off this trick as often as I used to though. Bit of an arse really, it's like having a license to print money.