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USB cradle & powered hub annoyance

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Topic: USB cradle & powered hub annoyance    
Yorick
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Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Out of my skull, back in five minutes
Posts: 1435

Angry

[I tried searching for this in older posts, but since I can't search for a word less than 4 characters (leaving out "Mac," "USB" and "hub", arg) I get about 2000 threads to blunder through which is waaay too much.]

I have a VDX and am using a USB cradle, which is connected to my Mac G4 (OS 9.0.4) via a macally iHub7 powered USB hub.

Just about every time I've gone to do a HotSync, when I put my Visor in the cradle, the hub wipes out and I get a message saying, "The USB port has been deactivated because it is drawing too much power." Several, actually, because all seven ports drop. All I need to do to get the hub back is to pull out the power cord then plug it back in.
It's just an annoyance. Seems to be some sort of power relationship between the hub and the cradle.

does this happen to anyone else using a USB cradle?

Thanks for any help.

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Yorick is offline Old Post 05-15-2001 09:33 PM
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pjs
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Registered: Feb 2001
Location: mass
Posts: 56

I suspect the hub. You might try these ideas (all obvious I know, but worth a shot):

1. Make sure that the proper external power supply is plugged in for the hub. Since you mention that this is a seven port hub, the power supply for it should be a big honkin' one.

2. Try another hub, if you have one available.

3. If you don't have another hub, try connecting the cradle straight to one of your Mac's USB ports.

I have had hubs behave like you are describing, not with a Visor but with other peripherals. The solution for me was to retire the flakey hubs and use others that work.

pjs is offline Old Post 05-16-2001 04:56 AM
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MPM
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Registered: Jun 2000
Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Posts: 216

quote:
Originally posted by Yorick
[I tried searching for this in older posts, but since I can't search for a word less than 4 characters (leaving out "Mac," "USB" and "hub", arg) I get about 2000 threads to blunder through which is waaay too much.]

I have a VDX and am using a USB cradle, which is connected to my Mac G4 (OS 9.0.4) via a macally iHub7 powered USB hub.

Just about every time I've gone to do a HotSync, when I put my Visor in the cradle, the hub wipes out and I get a message saying, "The USB port has been deactivated because it is drawing too much power." Several, actually, because all seven ports drop. All I need to do to get the hub back is to pull out the power cord then plug it back in.
It's just an annoyance. Seems to be some sort of power relationship between the hub and the cradle.

does this happen to anyone else using a USB cradle?

Thanks for any help.


My guess is either the hub is at fault or there could possibly be a short in either the cradle or the Visor.

Here is how to tell: If the hub crashes when just the cradle - no Visor - is plugged into the hub, then the cradle is shorted out. If the hub crashes when you place the Visor into the cradle, then either the Visor is shorted out, has a damaged Hotsync connector, or the Hotsync connector on the cradle is damaged.

The cradle is very simple. It is basically an adapter from the USB connector to the Hotsync connector on the Visor. There is no active circuitry in the cradle, just the Hotsync switch.

MPM is offline Old Post 05-16-2001 09:06 PM
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Yorick
Member

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Out of my skull, back in five minutes
Posts: 1435

Thanks for your suggestions, pjs and MPM.

quote:
Originally posted by pjs
I suspect the hub. You might try these ideas (all obvious I know, but worth a shot):

1. Make sure that the proper external power supply is plugged in for the hub. Since you mention that this is a seven port hub, the power supply for it should be a big honkin' one.



confirmed. It's a brick. (tho, I'm not drowning slowly. )

quote:

2. Try another hub, if you have one available.



I don't have another one. However, when I first got it [The Visor, in January], I tried using the cradle through the second USB port on my keyboard; my Mac wasn't able to identify that it existed.
The keyboard's akin to an unpowered hub.

quote:

3. If you don't have another hub, try connecting the cradle straight to one of your Mac's USB ports.



well, okay, but I already have two devices (aside from the hub) that require a direct connection and that's enough of a hassle for switching.
argh. but, see below.


quote:
Originally posted by MPM

My guess is either the hub is at fault or there could possibly be a short in either the cradle or the Visor.

Here is how to tell: If the hub crashes when just the cradle - no Visor - is plugged into the hub, then the cradle is shorted out. If the hub crashes when you place the Visor into the cradle, then either the Visor is shorted out, has a damaged Hotsync connector, or the Hotsync connector on the cradle is damaged.



The hub crashes when the Visor is placed in the cradle.

However, since Monday (when I started this thread) IT'S STOPPED HAPPENING!! I've synced three times since then, no downage.

I'll wait for dark and use my flashlight on the Gremlin what's messin around. sigh

Now that I've said that, maybe I'll have problems again.

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Yorick is offline Old Post 05-18-2001 10:18 PM
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miradu
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Registered: May 2000
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miradu is offline Old Post 05-18-2001 11:19 PM
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