Help, my USB devices keep getting spiked/destroyed!

C

chargin

n00b
Joined
Dec 18, 2002
Messages
44
I have a NF7 abit motherboard and a codegen 400w powersupply Ive broken 2
USB devices so far, a canon i560 printer and a logitech wireless joystick.
The printer worked fine on other machines, then I plugged it into mine and
it wasnt recognised by the usb device detect thing, put it back on the other
machines and same problem, still worked on the parrallel port though but I
took it back and got another and the exact same thing happened, canon
verified that a chip had blown. Ive kept this one as it must be at my end.
Next up is the usb reciever/dongle from my new wireless joystick, joystick
worked fine then I swapped from the usb connection off a header to the MB to
the usb connection at the back of the case, next thing you know "device not
recognised" and cant be recognised in any other machine either, and the
light on the front of the reciever/dongle doesnt work any more although Im
not sure if it was on all the time it was plugged in or just when it detects
a signal. So whats going on here? I have several other devices that work
fine on any of my usb ports, card readers, wireless access point, ISDN
modem, PDA, drawing tablet etc. Perhaps these 2 devices were more sensitive
to voltage and got "burnt"? Im reasonably savvy electronically so I can run
some tests if anyone has anything they could think of to check? Any help
appreciated.
Ive just installed MBM5 and have been monitoring the +5 voltage , it seems pretty steady at +5.03.
 
The voltage regulation for usb on the mobo or psu might be fubared. Easiest way to test would be to replace that horrible psu. If usb devices keep getting fried anyway then an rma to abit is in order.

Good luck either way and don't test out anything expensive!

Edit: you might want to post a seperate thread in the psu forum...or PM ice czar to move this thread for you.
 
Do you think if the regulation was bad thered be more variance in the 5v that MBM is seeing? Or could it be a one off spike every now and again?
I wasnt sure where to post this one...
 
The bios and monitoring software usually give flawed readouts, A test using a multimeter hooked up to a molex would be much more accurate. It can definitely be the result of a spike or other power anomlies that occur in areas notorious for "dirty power". If you live in a home or area notorious for brownouts and dirty power in general then a line conditioner would be another worthy investment.

A name brand UPS that openly advertises "AVR" (auto-voltage-regulation) is a godsend for computers in this type of environment. Newegg has quite a few to choose from btw. As for psu recomendations, a Fortron/Sparkle "FSP" series powersupply has the best combo of high quality and low prices hands down.

Edit: if the psu/house current is the culprit (may not be!) then you're actually lucky you haven't fried your ram or some hard rives till now. But as i said, it may be bad voltage regulation on your mobo alone. If thats the case then a pci USB 2.0 card ought to remedy that. (i'd personally contact abit for an rma if the mobo were the culprit)

Your PC and house in general are properly grounded right? don't use a 3prong>2prong adapter for your PC btw.
 
If its bad MB regulation, do you think a very good quality PSU will fix that, Im keen to get myself a new PSU but I think Id have a hard time doing an RMA on the board...
 
chargin said:
If its bad MB regulation, do you think a very good quality PSU will fix that, Im keen to get myself a new PSU but I think Id have a hard time doing an RMA on the board...
Click to expand...
it "may" help but i certainly would no longer want to risk any expensive usb devices on those ports. A new psu and pci USB card together may be in order.

I'd def recommend getting a new psu either way because codegan psu's have a bad habit of going "bang" and taking out other hardware with it. It has much fluctuation in the rails too. As mentioned B4, the Sparkle/Fortron "FSP" series is a great choice at a very low price. To check what minimal size is needed for your rig, here's the recommended psu calculator to help you do the voltage math: http://takaman.jp/D/index.html?english

If you need a very inexpensive pci USB card buy it here for dirt cheap, be sure to use coupon code PRICEWATCH for free shipping. They have a 5 port model for $7 and a USB/Firewire combo card for $17 shipped. I bought the five port model and it works perfectly fine.
 
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