Centon Data Stick III - USB Drive Explosion :)

[USMC2Hard4U]

Well This is a funny story I would thought I would share.

I am deployed to iraq, and we have the on base store here and the only USB drive they have here is a 256MB Centon DataStick III. I cant order a good one from like newegg because it would take too long to get here. I needed this now, because while we have the internet here, I cant hook my iBook up to our network. So I DL stuff here at work then use the USB drive to transer stuff over.

Anyway, I know Centon isnt a brand I have ever heard of, and Hate buying off brand computer stuff, but I was in a pinch. I needed this. So i Bought it... After using it for a while, coping stuff back and forth no problems, but i left it in my iBook for a while while watching a DVD and the stick was so hot, it accually melted the pastic casing.... I noticed the smell and promptly removed it... it no longer worked... after opening it it, the silicon was melted around the ram chip too wtf. At first I thought it was my iBook giving too much power or something to this... I was worried. So I bought another one, because I needed it....

Well this time, Same thing happened, it melted but now it was in my work computer. a Completly different windows based PC.... WTF...

So my question is... The package says its USB 1.1 ..... and both ports are USB 2.0. Now I know things are backwards compatable but could it be giving it too much voltage or is the Centon DataStick III just a peice of shit?

HAHA i thought I would share with you

 

[zekez]

Yeesh, that had to be kinda scary. Sounds like a poor quality product to me if it's happened in two different machines now. From the USB spec sheets, it appears both USB 1.1 and 2.0 use the same voltage levels (max 5.25V) so I don't think it was a problem with it being a 1.1 device. I imagine there's a pretty hefty pricetag on those too. I'd say stick it out until you can get a decent product online.

 

[Carnival Forces]

it's a piece of shit.
thank government contracts to political friends for that, probably (probably not, just a rant...)

 

[zoobaby]

So my question is... The package says its USB 1.1 ..... and both ports are USB 2.0. Now I know things are backwards compatable but could it be giving it too much voltage or is the Centon DataStick III just a peice of shit?

There is no diference in the voltage or current specs between USB 1.1 and 2.0. It is all signaling differences.

Chances are they are using a bad USB device controller that has a short in it somewhere. Causing it to heat up and blow up/melt down.

 

[Dan17]

definately a piece of junk. I'm surprised that it would have went to market, you think they would have tested it enough to figure out this problem.

...Dan

 

[slowbiznatch]

Blame Haliburton.