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View Full Version : Dead (well unusable) X'S Drive II


FlyingPete
18th of June 2005 (Sat), 20:18
Well, my X'S drive finnally bought it, I have it with me today at a client site down the line, was going to use it to backup the user data on a server, as I don't have a normal removable USB drive.

Plugged it in, no go, wiggled the USB cable and it powered off, checked the connection, the plug seemed a little loose, plugged it in again andthe sockedt disapeared inside the unit, no worries, probably on cables, will go and fish it out, opened up the X'S Drive, and found it WAS a surface mount component, but not anymore :(

That thing was relying solely on the surface mount solder to hold it on, what sort of %$&* designs something with a USB socket with no other support :mad:

I don't have the skill and patince to reconnect it to the board, the connectors pins are almost microscopic and I don't have any surface mount gear to fix it, and it looks like it took the contacts off the PCB as well anyway.

Grgghhhhh!

Oh well, it was a bit slow for use with my 1GB cardsa, was only getting one download on the battery now anyway.

So what is a worthy replacement? Must be fast and well built, I don't need another harddisk, already have the 40GB from the old drive!

joeseph
19th of June 2005 (Sun), 20:25
Any chance you could solder a USB lead directly onto the board? there's only 4 wires and sometimes a shield...

CyberDyneSystems
19th of June 2005 (Sun), 20:41
Mine died two weekeands ago when I was in Maine.. :(

Seems to be an epidemic!

FlyingPete
20th of June 2005 (Mon), 01:30
Any chance you could solder a USB lead directly onto the board? there's only 4 wires and sometimes a shield...

I don't personally have the skill to do it, all to small.

Photo time (any excuse to use the camera :D ), here is a shot of the PCB where the socket used to be:
http://www.lowden.net.nz/Stuff/XS1.jpg
And here is the socket next to a ruler for size:
http://www.lowden.net.nz/Stuff/XS2.jpg

Hmmm small.

pierrot
20th of June 2005 (Mon), 01:35
Pete and CDS :
Sell them to me for a symbolic $1.00 and I'll be happy to repair them and give them for free to young photographers students (without a dime) I know in the Fine Arts School here in PAris... ;)