Richard Reynolds wrote:
On Mon, 10 Sep 2007, DJA wrote:
Richard Reynolds wrote:
It appears this laptop's USB jacks don't output power sometimes.
OK
They weren't making the light on my optical mouse turn on.
It appears to work *sometimes*.
However that can be a power issue or a data issue.... I donno do you
have one of those geeky fans or lights or messagers or .....
something that doesnt use data just power? how about a voltage meter
that you can play with???
Anyway to fix or replace USB jacks easily on a IBM Thinkpad laptop?
If its truely a power issue its a quick fix something that can be
done in well under an hour. even if the connector needs replacing it
shouldnt take more.
How do you figure?
I figured this first by limiting it to the problem stated "delivering
power" and not another problem, a usb mouse needs more than just power
to turn on the light, dont beleve me try it! you can use any 5v supply.
If its a data problem also then IF its only the connector its a quick
fix, if its not good luck, or get a cardbus to usb adapter.... so
hopefully a reply will come saying something like "the usb fan is not
working when the usb mouse stops"
It's a laptop, not a desktop. Not exactly a
Get-out-the-screwdriver-and-replace-a-card type of repair. Once one
gets the thing apart enough to get to the suspect connector (if that's
really what's wrong), de-soldering the bad part and replacing it with
a new one (you _do_ have a spare lying around that just happens to fix
that brand, model, and vintage laptop, don't you?), you've already
spent the better part of several hours - given you've done it before.
On this specific brand, model, and vintage laptop.
Laptops are not as special or complicated as many people are afraid...
once you have pulled apart a few hundred laptops you will start to get
the impression that they are not doing anything exactly new between the
manufacturers and in each new model. It wont take anyone who can work a
screw driver 20 minutes to get to the main board on a laptop, as long as
you dont force anything and keep track of where each screw came from or
at least what type of screw came from where, there are not that many
unique screws in laptops either. then you get to the connector itself
quickly. then if its intermitantly loosing power as stated with "It
appears to work *sometimes*." its going to be one of several things
mostly likely the connector, but it could be the wire to ground. IF its
the ground wire its very easy and works very well to just bypass it with
a new skinny wire. if not replace the connector and there just are not
that many different types of USB connectors, sure it might be upside
down or white instead of black or .... but it will work, need it
replaced frys and willies(i think thats the name 16th and D in chula
vista???) electronics stock several to choose from. the main power
circuitry to supply a usb port just doesnt fail intermitantly its going
to always not work or quikly power down every time just after pluging in
whatever you pluged in. the remaining cool things usb does require the
data connection.
And I didn't even count time spent in diagnosis.
neither did I really as I just figured the time to fix a power issue...
narrow that down first and then I should have said an hour from then.
who knows how much time has already been spent cursing at a mouse that
stops working...
Or maybe I'm completely misunderstanding the problem.
If its power then you probibly just made it more complicated than it is,
if its not .... neither of us knows yet
Richard Reynolds
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
In other words, to someone who's well practiced and experienced in the
repair of laptop computers ("Once you have pulled apart a few hundred
laptops..."), it's a fairly easy fix.
Okay, then, no more difficult to the average laptop owner than
rebuilding the automatic transmission in his car. Without a manual. No
wonder their's no demand for professional laptop repair services.
--
Best Regards,
~DJA.
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