A Bizarre USB Problem

[Danny DeVito]

Asus p4p800se mb
Vista Home Premium
O2 mobile broadband E1752C

Broadband worked fine. Then the signal got gradually worse. While moving the usb stick to different ports etc something happened. I made a y cable using two certified hispeed cables, to add more power for the device. The stick works using this cable but only if plugged into the front usb ports. Any other ports and the pc tells me its malfunctioned. If i plug the stick direct into the port it still tells me malfunction. The stick works now without using the extra power from a second port. If i plug an extension cable into the hispeed cable it malfunctions. If i use any other extension cable it sees the modem but keeps connecting / dis connecting as if being plugged in and out .
The stick works fine in my laptop with any extension cable. The usb output is 5.15volts. I need to use an extension to get the signal.

If anyone knows a magic trick perhaps they can help ??

Thanks

Danny

 

[C63er]

Asus p4p800se mb
Vista Home Premium
O2 mobile broadband E1752C

Broadband worked fine. Then the signal got gradually worse. While moving the usb stick to different ports etc something happened. I made a y cable using two certified hispeed cables, to add more power for the device. The stick works using this cable but only if plugged into the front usb ports. Any other ports and the pc tells me its malfunctioned. If i plug the stick direct into the port it still tells me malfunction. The stick works now without using the extra power from a second port. If i plug an extension cable into the hispeed cable it malfunctions. If i use any other extension cable it sees the modem but keeps connecting / dis connecting as if being plugged in and out .
The stick works fine in my laptop with any extension cable. The usb output is 5.15volts. I need to use an extension to get the signal.

If anyone knows a magic trick perhaps they can help ??

Thanks

Danny

Seems you have a dodgy PSU not giving the correct voltage across the devices

 

[Danny DeVito]

Isn't 5 volts the right voltage ?

 

[wilsodg]

It's not just the voltage - it's the power too. A lot of USB ports do not have the power to drive some USB devices.

 

[Danny DeVito]

You see the modem used to work fine. I read articles about weak signal increasing the power and so vodafone etc often supply y-cables. It doubles the available current without changing the voltage.

 

[agatward]

Try using a powered USB hub where you need to put the dongle. The powered hub has its own PSU so doesn't rely on your motherboard's supply.

It's not uncommon to experience issues like this - the USB spec tends to be somewhat abused / badly interpreted by various device manufacturers.

 

[markjay]

Not directly related to computers... just thought that occurred to me re MB dealers.

I work with computers, but wouldn't even think of getting this fixed - all the equipment we deal with is covered by manufacturers' hardware support agreements, for up to five years. After that, no business computer if worth fixing. If a hardware fault develops during the cover period we do not waste expensive engineers' time on it, but get the manufacturer to replace the computer of the faulty component. So someone who actually tries to fix these things may know more about what's wrong with them then we do... and that's probably the explanation why (good) Indies seem to know more about the cars than the main dealers.

 

[Danny DeVito]

Markjay how do you fit yourself into a car with a big brain like that. Here am i thinking about my little usb drive while you are thinking about the vast number of car dealers the world over. I dare say you hit the nail on the head though. Main dealers also have protocol to follow in case of comebacks while indies can say ah well we tried that and sorry it didnt work we may have to do more..

 

[markjay]

Sorry I wasn't able to offer more useful advice, and hope you get this USB problem sorted.

 

[190omg]

Danny,

not farmiliar with your particular laptop and usb device, however just be aware that there are a mixture of usb versions out there. For example my work laptop has four usb ports and i get different behaviour depending on what i plug into which USB port, I have a mixture of usb versions. As a rule, if you look at the usb socket on the laptop/pc and the plastic in the middle of the socket is black it will be usb 1 or 2 . If its blue it will be usb 3. Usb 3 supports faster transfer rates and has different power management features. Not sure if this helps, but just wanted to make you aware.

cheers

Si.

 

[Danny DeVito]

Thanks Si. My puter is too old for usb3. The stick did work in any port. Still scratching my head with this. Maybe when i get a usb hub it might work normally either powered or otherwise.

 

[dickchailey]

The front and rear USB sockets can come from different controller chips on the motherboard. It is common for one set to be damaged but the other set to be fine. If it is only the power supply to one set that has failed you may get away with the suggested powered hub. I always use one for items which get removed or need a good power supply leaving the normal sockets for mouse and keyboard only.

 

[toolman1954]

Just as a thought, have you tried another dongle in the USB port, I ditched my E156 ( on 3 ) which was playing up constantly and now have a ZTE MF112, which works faultlessly.