Fix for intermittent USB port connection.
Delbert Franz
ddf at sonic.net
Fri Oct 25 18:57:49 EDT 2013
I had a "hardware" problem with my first Ben (I have two.).
The connection to the USB port was intermittent which was
not good, because the contact with a host computer could be
lost when the Ben was moved. Or even worse, the charging
would stop but not because the charge was complete:-(
At first I thought it was just wear after a few hundred
plugins and disconnects but that proved false when the same
problem occurred with several different cables. It was at
that point I ordered a second Ben just in case the problem
was on the connection to the circuit board.
I finally hit on the idea of using 1500-grit emery paper,
cutting a width of it to match a flat toothpick, and gently
polishing the contacts inside the port. That did the
trick--no disconnects since doing that. The little cover
for the port was lost in the first day or two in April 2010,
so perhaps the dust and grit of almost three years took its
toll on the contacts.
My newer Ben still has the port cover so it will probably
not suffer the same problem.
So, if the USB port is missing, you may build up some "dirt"
on the contacts that leads to a poor connection. Some fine
emery paper and a flat toothpick will then solve the
problem:-)
Hope this helps someone else.
Delbert
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