Help Locating USB Cable

[MDJAK]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AWM-E101344-Style-2725-Space-Shuttle-C-B-USB-Cable/350309024180

The above cable was used with my Firelite (now Verbatim) external drive. I need another one and can't seem to find them.

The above auction ended with no sale and I've emailed the seller.

Anyone know where I can get that type of cable? It seems that whatever is in that "black barrel" is what sets the cable apart from a regular USB cable, as no other cable works.

Thanks,
mark

[brucea]

This is a pretty standard cable. The black barrel is a ferrite choke. Canon used to provide their camera to computer cables with the choke, now they provide a lower cost choke-less cable.

Check electronics shops, should not be too hard to find.

[Jon]

By "no other cable works" do you mean you can connect them or you can't get any other cables that even fit into the drive? Like Bruce said, that cylinder's a ferrite choke. You'll see them in mouse cords too. It sort of looks like, as best as I can tell from the lousy picture in the eBay auction, which eBay doesn't want me to see, the connector that goes to the drive is a USB Mini-B 4 pin connector (http://www.cablesforless.com/p-974-6-foot-usb-20-cable-a-male-to-mini-b-4-pin-male.aspx?v=982&).

[MDJAK]

it is a standard usb connection and I have many other cords, without that ferrite choke, which fit but they don't power up the drive. Does that make sense? Is a ferrite choke something that helps power the drive?

[MDJAK]

well, I just googled what ferrite chokes are and it seems they should have no influence on making the drive work. That's very strange.

[Jon]

If power's the problem, try something like this (http://www.amazon.com/USB-Power-Adapter-Y-Cable/dp/B000JIOHDE). With 2 A connectors it gives you a bit more power to the device. Or you can try plugging the drive into a powered USB hub, or even sometimes a different port on the computer will do the trick.

[minhi]

so none of this makes any sense, but i have a mini usb cable with a ferrite choke on it (well i assume that's what that giant end is) which i will happily send to you if you want it.

[Skids]

A ferrite bead (choke) is to filter electronic noise see here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrite_bead it should make no real difference to the lead. Maybe the lead has extra pins for the power like scart leads had either 19 pins or 21. (21 Pins automatically switched channel)

Might be worth looking for something like fully pinned USB lead. This is just guesswork though

[hollis_f]

I've got around 20 USB cables. Three of them don't power my iPhone's Powerskin the others do. I reckon there must be quite a variance in the quality of the cables.

[krb]

I've got a WD external drive at home and I discovered on a trip that the only cable that it works with is the one that came with it. The plug on the drive is set deeper into the case and the mini-USB side of the cord is longer than usual so it still works but normal mini-USB cables don't go in far enough. Normal cords will feel like they've connected and don't fall out but the actual connections are not touching.

This cable is also different in that it has two plugs on the computer side, one is the normal USB connection and the other is for power only in case the single USB plug on the computer side doesn't provide enough.

[dedsen]

I did a Google search for "USB cable for Firelite drive" and lots of sites came back.
Example: http://www.superwarehouse.com/Smartdisk~FireLite_USB_2%252e0-series.htm
I do not know anything about this site and am not recommending them, but the drive they picture requires a USB 2 cable. If you are trying to use a USB Ver. 1 cable that might be the problem.
Do a more refined search using the model number of the drive you have and you should find something.
That is what is so great with standards. There are so many of them! :)