USB PORTS on the motherboard WORST INVENTION EVER.

[rickman]

Oops. That wasn't obvious from what I read.

I only figured that out after reading a few of his posts and some of the
replies.

Umm, maybe I'm missing something here.

I'm talking about older computers. I worked on an old PII and before
that a 486 that were very unsophisticated in preventing you from doing
something stupid and didn't have USB. They had some dozen or more wires
that connected to lights and switchs on the front panel. Around 10
years ago I built a couple of PCs that still had some front panel stuff
hand wired. The ones I'm tearing down these days seem to have a ribbon
cable for the front panel and are harder to screw up.

My problem is a bit different. I'm getting older and my eyesight is
deteriorating at an alarming rate. I now have to use various eyesight
correction and amplification devices, in addition to more intense
illumination. For me keyed connectors are not a luxury but a
necessity.

Same here. I've given up on prescription glasses as they want to give
me a new pair every time I have my eyes checked. I now use two pair,
one for every day and one for computer work. If I'm doing up close
stuff I use them both in series and if I'm watching the Redskins play
while using the PC I stack them so they are like bifocals... lol

I figured I should be able to get my own glasses made, but here they
won't make them without a prescription. I figured I could get a pair
made overseas, but so far nothing that is a bargain price. Maybe they
are *all* made overseas!

Drivel: At home with a cold or flu for a few days. Sorry about the
spew but all I can do right now is alternately sleep and rant on
Usenet.

I haven't noticed your posts before (so much Internet, so little time)
but I did notice you have posted a lot today. That explains it. Better
than watching the tube I suppose.

What do you do for a living?

Rick

 

[rickman]

I suggest looking into Zenni Optical. They're cheap and from China.
<http://www.zennioptical.com>
The law requires that the prescription is no more than 2 years old.
That's about right as my eyes deteriorate. $75 for an eye exam and
glaucoma test at Costco.

They used to be $50... Is zenni obligated to follow our laws?

What I do is experiment with the prescription. Unlike a dispensing
optician, I'm not obligated to follow the prescription exactly. I use
the astigmatism corrections per the prescription, but juggle the
magnification depending on what I'm trying to accomplish. The correct
magnification is easy to determine by simply buying or borrowing an
assortment of drug store reading glasses, and see which one seems to
be the correct power for specific distances. I then buy the cheapest
$15 glasses I can find from Zenni Optical to test my guesswork. Once
the best combination is established, I buy some better frames. My
only diversion from this scheme is that I wanted a pair of real glass
lenses instead of plastic. It took some effort, but I eventually was
able to order some from Costco.

I have very strong astigmatism in the right eye and mostly ignore it.
When I'm doing a lot of computer work I use a prescription pair with
close and closer focal ranges.

I'll take a look at Zenni.

<http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jeff-liebermann/0/823/151>
This week? That's difficult to answer. Mostly, I repair PC's, do
computer consulting, and fix whatever else the customers wants
repaired. Sewing machines, chain saws, appliances, home theater, 2way
radio repair, weather stations, etc. Whatever pays the bills. My
palatial office:
<http://802.11junk.com/jeffl/pics/office/index.html>
My combination chain saw and RF test bench at home:
<http://802.11junk.com/jeffl/pics/home/slides/chain-saw-repair.html>
<http://802.11junk.com/jeffl/pics/home/slides/test-equip-mess.html>
I'm good at repair, but not so good at design. In the distant past, I
ran a 2way radio shop, did RF design for several companies, and did
some RF related consulting. I've also done some writing. I've been
on Usenet for longer than I care to admit.

That's an impressive lab. I noticed one or two HP laser printers from
some 10 years ago, I don't remember the model number but I have the same
one with the sheet fed scanner on the front. In the first year the
separator pad wore out and now I have to manually feed the paper. HP
was actually sued by class action on this and the lawyers got a bunch of
cash and the complainants got some coupons from HP... lol!

Any suggestions on how to fix it? Otherwise it works great, I just have
to feed the sheets. Fortunately I don't print very often.

I also saw the radios. Any marine VLF transceivers? I kayak and will
be buying one next season. Not sure what to look for in the way of
features and specs.

I'm working on an all digital receiver for the WWVB time signal. What
have you done in the RF domain? Any antenna work?

Rick

 

[Skybuck Flying]

I don't think I plugged the usb plug in backwards.

What happened was the plug was 1 row of pins too high which is definetly
possible.

I might make a youtube video of that to show how I presumebly killed it.
(I will probably do this, but I dont want to remove the usb card reader, it
was quite a hassle to get it in, but before I rebuild my dreampc I will put
it on the table and put the dead motherboard in it, and make a nice video of
it... and then I will start the repair build )

However there is a bit of a mystery:

According to the ASRock 790GX manual, the pins that were left unconnected
were the actual power pins.

So the only pins which were connected were the data pins as far as I can
tell ?!?

So this would mean the data pins somehow caused the motherboard to fry
?????!!

If this is "impossible" then something else must have killed it ???

Bye,
Skybuck.

 

[GMAN]

I was thinking the same thing...

Instead of getting a device I could also store my information on "the
cloud"...

However if internet goes offline well then you know what would happen...

A network attached storage device is still not usefull for me without
processing power...

That's the main thing right now... getting more processing power... and then
I can get my data back and so forth.

Also not a lot of room for even more devices... where would I place a nat
device... I'd be a bit worried if I kick it on accident... at least with
everything inside the PC I know I have to be carefull... however the
occasional bump against the table might also not be too great.

However a kick from the feet is probably much harder than a bump against the
table

Bye,
Skybuck.

Most routers let you plug an external drive into them and share data. Such as
my Linksys WRT610.

 

[GMAN]

Most routers let you plug an external drive into them and share data. Such as
my Linksys WRT610.

I should have said most newer wireles -N routers

 

[GMAN]

303.jpg>

More of the same:
<http://failblog.cheezburger.com/thereifixedit/tag/computer>

Actually that would not be a bad test bed type setup

 

[GMAN]

Just because motherboards are implemented in a stupid way doesn't mean
that power-over-serial is a bad idea.

USB doesn't kill motherboards -- motherboards kill motherboards.

No, Skybuck kills motherboards and EVERYTHING he touches. He has a decent
Antec 1200 case and even then, he doesnt treat the compnents right.

 

[Pete]

I should have said most newer wireles -N routers

I use a Netgear WNDR-4500 which has two USB 3.0 ports and allows
external storage to be plugged in. It also can be configured to allow
FTP access to that device It is also dual band wireless.

My NAS (used only for backup) is in a cabinet at my front door, since
its smaller than a shoebox you wouldnt even know its there.

If you need more processing power why not build a new setup. Buy an
intel board with an LGA1155 socket and add an i5/i7 CPU. Two boards I
use are the DH61BE (Micro-ATX) & the DH77KC (ATX), both under £100. I
have yet to max out my i7-2600, and in truth I don't remember seeing it
above 50%.

The current Intel boards have on-board tech which support RAID so you
can have a nice RAID array utilising a number of smaller drives you have
by putting them in a RAID0 or JBOD configuration. I personally recommend
using a RAID controller as it keeps the CPU free from having to manage
the drives (4-port ones can be bought for as little as £10!)

Pete

 

[Johann Klammer]

Yes, the wall socket doesn't have a ground pin as far as I know...

Just 2 pins.... (Europe).

Bye,
Skybuck.

I think we've found your (real) problem. Use a socket with those
grounding brackets, not one for electric shavers/hairdryers. The buzz
you hear from your soundcard is the line frequency(50 Hz). The case is a
big capacitor and may charge up to line voltage. You cannot expect the
thing to suffer repeated discharges(when you touch it) and continue
working.

 

[Jasen Betts]

When USB was invented I thought what I stupid idea.

Who the fok powers devices via a communication cable ?!

so at the time you had a steam powered keyboard?

 

[Robert Baer]

Most definitely a certain idiot at the helm caused damage.

 

[Pete]

My NAS isn't wireless. I only use wireless for portable devices, I'm
much to impatient to use wireless for data transfer.

I haven't bought into the 'cloud' thinking, I like to have all my data
on a physical drive I own so I can be responsible for backups. (I have
on-site backup for all my data/media & off-site backup for documents and
photos)

The Dlink DNS-320 is an entry level NAS which has two bays, supports
RAID & also incremental backup (it will scan the primary drive each
night and update and files that have been modified or added during the
day. This is only the basic features, there are many others including FTP.

 

[Spehro Pefhany]

Probably yes,

How do you figure that? If they're not physically in the country then
no foreign laws should apply to them (especially state laws). The
government(s) can go to the trouble of seizing the paid-for eyeglasses
at the border if they're so interested in protecting "patients".

but they aren't asking for the original prescription or
any optometrist identification information. Apparently, nothing is
going to happen until someone complains.

I'm sure the optician cartels have complained bitterly, but the gov't
has to weigh potential anger against themselves from consumers against
the protectionist lobbyists, plus as a state-regulated service, they'd
have to involve the feds. It's a lot easier to quietly shut down a
local business with massive administrative fines. I'm sure they've
actively searched for even a single case of someone who claimed injury
(from a bad prescription? Most of us have old glasses that are way out
of prescription as spares, or have gotten prescriptions that are a bit
off, but it didn't really cause any lasting harm, just inconvenience).

Like many of our medical
related restrictions allegedly designed to protect the GUM (great
unwashed masses) from alternative medicine, the 2 year requirement
creates an almost captive market for optometrists and opticians at
inflated prices. My last pair of bifocals from Zenni Optical cost me
about $40. My last pair of single vision glasses from Costco cost me
$280.

The optometrist I go to gives me PD numbers for close/far with only a
bit of griping (he also sells glasses). I think it's currently around
$80 for an exam (will go soon). A good pair with mid-range frames
locally costs $400 or more (no tax) and with similar generic frames
about $40-50 from Zenni. I see no difference in the lenses.

Thanks. There's more test equipment piled in odd places around the
house and office. If this were 1975, I would have a state of the art
laboratory.

Modern stuff doesn't stack nearly as well. This is a problem.



Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

 

[notbob]

THE USB PORTS ARE DESIGNED SO RETARDLY that it is actually possible to
connect the USB PLUGS wrongly very easily !!!

no rectangle around USB PORT ?!!!!

I don't know what you mean by "no rectangle", but I have a couple
older (P4) Asus boards and it's almost impossible to insert the plugs
in backwards. .

Unfortunately, these older boards have another USB problem. The USB
board connectors are mounted only by the soldered trace to the
connector. There is no supplemental supporting mount device, at all.
So, after trying to incorrectly push that USB plug backwards into the
socket for the hundreth time, or kicking the cord with your foot for
the dozenth time cuz the yer box is on the floor by your feet, the
trace finally weakens to the point where the board socket jes tears
the traces and the socket rips loose from the board. This on the
front panel mounts. I hadda plug a 5 plug hub into the 2 remaining
back USB ports as both front ports are long ago hosed. Fortunately,
Linux didn't blink an eye with the addition of the USB powered hub and
all is well, again.

nb

 

[krw]

How do you figure that? If they're not physically in the country then
no foreign laws should apply to them (especially state laws). The
government(s) can go to the trouble of seizing the paid-for eyeglasses
at the border if they're so interested in protecting "patients".

They don't even attempt to stop "prescription" drugs at the border,
unless they're narcotics. These are far more dangerous than eye
glasses.

I'm sure the optician cartels have complained bitterly, but the gov't
has to weigh potential anger against themselves from consumers against
the protectionist lobbyists, plus as a state-regulated service, they'd
have to involve the feds. It's a lot easier to quietly shut down a
local business with massive administrative fines. I'm sure they've
actively searched for even a single case of someone who claimed injury
(from a bad prescription? Most of us have old glasses that are way out
of prescription as spares, or have gotten prescriptions that are a bit
off, but it didn't really cause any lasting harm, just inconvenience).

States have also forced opticians to give the customer the
prescription so they can shop elsewhere. My OD has always given me
the prescription but there is no inter pupil distance on it, since the
optician measures it when fitting glasses.

I've bought replacement lenses at cut-rate storefronts with it but I
need that number for Zenni. Though, as I've mentioned before, Zenni
doesn't carry glasses as large as I'm accustom to, they'd work for a
third set (I keep old frames and replace the lenses). My insurance
pays for lenses every year and frames every two, so they don't cost
anywhere close to what others here have indicated (about $90/yr,
including the visit to the OD).

I'll probably have to get a distance pair when I go to the OD the next
time and one of my frames is about dead (I didn't replace them the
last few times because I didn't like what they had), so I'll probably
try Zenni for my backup pair soon.

The optometrist I go to gives me PD numbers for close/far with only a
bit of griping (he also sells glasses). I think it's currently around
$80 for an exam (will go soon). A good pair with mid-range frames
locally costs $400 or more (no tax) and with similar generic frames
about $40-50 from Zenni. I see no difference in the lenses.

It's the law in most states. Again, I pay around $90/year and that
includes the lenses every year and frames every two. The lenses and
frames are pretty basic and you can spend that sort of money on
"designer" frames and coatings.

Modern stuff doesn't stack nearly as well. This is a problem.

I find laptops stack pretty well. ;-) I just added another to the
pile (new one on order). I've fallen back to my NetBook now
(*sucks*).

 

[Spehro Pefhany]

It's the law in most states.

They don't offer the pupillary distance here (that's the optician's
job), but the guy I go to measures it for me and writes it on the
scrip. If he refused, I would go elsewhere. In HK they have machines
that automate the whole thing (have had for at least 10 or 15 years).
German made, IIRC.

If you're ordering online, note that the PD is a bit different for
computer glasses vs. distance glasses since your eyeballs are angled
inward (toward each other) a bit for the former, so the PD is less,
maybe by enough to give you a headache.

 

[qrk]

The following went wrong:

USB port pins:

.
..
..
..
..

plug was connected as follows:

xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
..

One row too high !

This happened because I did not want to take apart my entire PC...

It was a bit dark, as usual in cases... !

Tried plugging it in from the side...

Or maybe I even did it from the top with full light...

Apperently somehow it happened ?!

WEIRD !

Perhaps something else killed the motherboard, but this is a prime suspect.

The question is now:

Could it actually have killed it ?!

Me think so, but somebody with detailed motherboard and pin layout will have
to investigate further.

I might also do so later on...

I also suspect the "ground wire" got electrified... or perhaps eletricity
tried to escape via it... the eletricity ended up into the
soundblaster/receiver it was hearable...

I wonder if a grounded-pc might have prevented damage... I don't know... PC
is not grounded.

Bye,
Skybuck.

I've always wondered why you killed so many computers. The only time I
saw this happen on a wide scale is for ungrounded equipment. The
engineers loved to disable earth connections thinking that earthing
equipment was evil. They had a huge box of dead computer parts and
test equipment. The chassis ends up at around half the mains voltage,
depending on the RFI circuitry. Plugging in equipment with different
chassis potentials will start blowing ports. Get a bloody earth
connection to your computer gear! This ain't rocket science. And yes,
earthing equipment is a world government conspiracy against humanity,
but it does keep things happier.

 

[Yousuf Khan]

When USB was invented I thought what I stupid idea.

Who the fok powers devices via a communication cable ?!

Only a NUTCASE would have thought of that ?!

And my feeling has become a reality.

THE USB PORTS ARE DESIGNED SO RETARDLY that it is actually possible to
connect the USB PLUGS wrongly very easily !!!

As a result of the power flowing through the USB cables this will FRY the
motherboard in such a situation.

A friend of mine was seeing random problems in booting up his PC. We
tested his power supply and it seemed to be working fine. Eventually it
turned out that a powered USB hub that he had plugged into one USB port
was causing the problem. How did we know? Everything worked fine when we
removed the power from the USB hub and let it run unpowered.

Yousuf Khan

 

[krw]

They don't offer the pupillary distance here (that's the optician's
job), but the guy I go to measures it for me and writes it on the
scrip. If he refused, I would go elsewhere. In HK they have machines
that automate the whole thing (have had for at least 10 or 15 years).
German made, IIRC.

I'll do that next time. It should be in the next couple of weeks.

If you're ordering online, note that the PD is a bit different for
computer glasses vs. distance glasses since your eyeballs are angled
inward (toward each other) a bit for the former, so the PD is less,
maybe by enough to give you a headache.

Good information. My glasses must all be set that way because they're
for close-up only. I can still see better with them up to about
15'-20' (somewhere in there out_of_focus > astigmatism_correction) but
they're set for 12" (lowers) and 24"(uppers).

 

[krw]

It's called a pupilometer. They're $50 and up on eBay:
<http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_from=R40&_nkw=pupilometer&_sop=15>
I'm tempted to buy one and setup a carnival kiosk offering to measure
and record the distances.

I only need it once. $50 seems steep. ;-)

They're more than a little different. You need more than one number
as the PD is different when you're looking near or far. A fairly
complete set (in order of decreasing distance) would be:
Left and Right PD for viewing at infinity.
Left and Right PD for viewing a television.
Left and Right PD for viewing the automobile dashboard.
Left and Right PD for viewing a computah monitor.
Left and Right PD for reading
Left and Right PD for close inspection.
The left and right values are useful for ruining someone day by
demonstrating that their face is slightly asymmetrical. For ordering
glasses, the sum of the right and left PD is used.

They've only measured one number for me. Perhaps the places I've gone
aren't any better than mail-order.

If you have values for the PD at infinity, and the PD for close
inspection, one would suspect that it would be possible to calculate
the intermediate values by simple geometry. Nope. That would work if
you knew the eyeball diameter and if the eye muscles were perfectly
centered as in a world globe. Do the measurements and be sure.

The PD for single vision glasses are quite simple. Measure the
viewing distance and use the corresponding PD.

The PD for bifocals involves some guesswork. If you're trying to
contrive bifocals for viewing at infinity, that are also suitable for
reading, one would assume that you would need two PD values. Nope.
The factory uses the PD for the distance viewing, and makes a good
guess at what the PD would need to be for reading. This estimate
works because the major factor in calculating the PD is the size and
shape of the face, and to a lesser degree, the diameter of the
eyeball, and not the mechanics of eyeball movement. Of course, if you
want single vision glasses for reading, you use the PD for reading.

The PD is more critical as the power of the lenses increase. I can be
very sloppy with ordering my +1.0 diopter reading glasses. However,
it took me 3 tries to get my +3.5 diopter close inspection glasses
correct. The problem turned out to be a bad PD measurement. The good
news is for adults, the PD doesn't change. Get it right the first
time.

Seems even ODs don't care that much.