Author Topic: fix for USB COM port disconnects  (Read 2081 times)

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Offline rjkeller

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fix for USB COM port disconnects
« on: June 16, 2008, 06:38:44 PM »
After suffering through over 5 months of daily disconnects, for which nothing worked as recommended by Davis or other forum members, which included updating to direct USB with W/L 5.8.0, moving the console all over within limits of the cable, removing suspect software on my Windows XP SP2 PC, shutting down various processes, changing which USB port is used, front or back, no hub, disconnecting all USB cabled devices other than from VP2, etc. etc. etc. You get the picture; well, I decided to use my 50+ years of acquired electronics troubleshooting technique and try what I have used to isolate ham radio interference (EMI/RFI) in various electronic devices, and that is the use of toroids.

Toroids are solid ferrite cores made up of chemical compounds combined with ceramic material which absorbs magnetic fields. They come in various content referred to as "material" or "mix" which is given a number such as 43, 73, etc.

I placed 3 split shell toroids with an inside diameter of 1/4 inch, mix #43, one at each end of the cable and one in the middle. For each I twisted the cable into a single loop so as to keep it from sliding on the cable and to increase the effectiveness (good excuse since all I had was 1/4 inch I.D.)  These can be purchased from Radio Shack as part number 273-105 and called Snap-On Ferrite Data-Line Filter.

After 2 weeks of not one failure, I am completely convinced that the real problem with the Davis USB adapter is poor quality cable. If you have tried everything else, give this a try. It may be the answer you are looking for as it was for me.
Good luck, Richard

 

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