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Potentially Dead Micro USB

Posted: Tue May 02, 2023 1:22 pm
by RedPhosphorous

I recently got a MiSTer Hub 2.1 with Bridge Board and when attempting to install it I think one of the pins got bent and shorted 5V to ground. The MiSTer turned off but came right back.

Unfortunately neither the hub or the other USB OTG adapter I was using before work with the MiSTer. It doesn't seem like the port is totally dead since the DE10-Nano will show up as a mass storage device if I plug it in to my computer when it's running the official Linux distribution.

If the port really is dead is the board unusable?


UPDATE: Potentially Dead Micro USB

Posted: Wed May 24, 2023 10:45 pm
by RedPhosphorous

So after a three week RMA with Terasic I learned that the R15 resistor underneath the board was knocked off. I wasn't sure how until it happened AGAIN and I discovered that the USB hub v2.1 comes into contact with it and will scrape it off. Thankfully I was able to find it and resolder it, even thought I don't have the proper tools to solder on that scale, and I'm just glad it works.

I will not be using the MiSTer hub so a external one will have to do. I guess this is another thing that can be added to the list of poor design choices of that hub. Looking online, all the photos I found have different layout on the bottom so it could just be an issue with newer revisions of the DE10-Nano. Maybe it's only the kit I got from the Ultimate MiSTer store, the SDRAM they sent me was faulty too.

Terasic was kind enough to send over a partial schematic so if you're handy you can replace the 100k ohm resistor yourself.

TLDR: Anyone with a newer board revision of the DE10-Nano shouldn't use the MiSTer USB hub, it comes into contact with a resistor on the bottom and can cause damage.


Re: Potentially Dead Micro USB

Posted: Thu May 25, 2023 11:19 am
by pbsk8

my hub usb is odd these days

I have a wifi dongle that takes forever to connect now and when I connect a usb controller the wifi dongle doesnt work.


Re: UPDATE: Potentially Dead Micro USB

Posted: Fri May 26, 2023 5:12 am
by legacypixels
RedPhosphorous wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 10:45 pm

So after a three week RMA with Terasic I learned that the R15 resistor underneath the board was knocked off. I wasn't sure how until it happened AGAIN and I discovered that the USB hub v2.1 comes into contact with it and will scrape it off. Thankfully I was able to find it and resolder it, even thought I don't have the proper tools to solder on that scale, and I'm just glad it works.

I will not be using the MiSTer hub so a external one will have to do. I guess this is another thing that can be added to the list of poor design choices of that hub. Looking online, all the photos I found have different layout on the bottom so it could just be an issue with newer revisions of the DE10-Nano. Maybe it's only the kit I got from the Ultimate MiSTer store, the SDRAM they sent me was faulty too.

Terasic was kind enough to send over a partial schematic so if you're handy you can replace the 100k ohm resistor yourself.

TLDR: Anyone with a newer board revision of the DE10-Nano shouldn't use the MiSTer USB hub, it comes into contact with a resistor on the bottom and can cause damage.

Just to qualify your warning...
This shouldn't happen if your USB Hub uses 13mm standoffs.
Mine (Legacy Pixels) and Porckchop's (MisterAddons) use the correct 13mm spacing.


Re: UPDATE: Potentially Dead Micro USB

Posted: Fri May 26, 2023 2:56 pm
by jd213
RedPhosphorous wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 10:45 pm

I will not be using the MiSTer hub so a external one will have to do. I guess this is another thing that can be added to the list of poor design choices of that hub.

I'm curious, what else is wrong with it?

The reason I passed on it is because it was $60 while an external one cost me $10 and seems to work just fine.


Re: Potentially Dead Micro USB

Posted: Fri May 26, 2023 6:33 pm
by FPGA64

Nothing is wrong with the official design with the correct standoffs. Many many people use it without an issue.


Re: UPDATE: Potentially Dead Micro USB

Posted: Fri May 26, 2023 10:33 pm
by RedPhosphorous
jd213 wrote: Fri May 26, 2023 2:56 pm
RedPhosphorous wrote: Wed May 24, 2023 10:45 pm

I will not be using the MiSTer hub so a external one will have to do. I guess this is another thing that can be added to the list of poor design choices of that hub.

I'm curious, what else is wrong with it?

The reason I passed on it is because it was $60 while an external one cost me $10 and seems to work just fine.

There's two types of the USB hub, one uses a barrel jack to get power and the other has pins that make contact with 5v and ground from the bottom of the DE10-Nano. Maybe this is some jank board that Ultimate mister came up with for their complete kit. It's fine if it's already installed and working, but I would be very careful when assembling if you have the board that uses the pins.


Re: Potentially Dead Micro USB

Posted: Fri May 26, 2023 11:25 pm
by rhester72

I've dis/reassembled my Ultimate at least half a dozen times and never lost a resistor to the process :P


Re: Potentially Dead Micro USB

Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2023 11:48 am
by Longtime4321
pbsk8 wrote: Thu May 25, 2023 11:19 am

my hub usb is odd these days

I have a wifi dongle that takes forever to connect now and when I connect a usb controller the wifi dongle doesnt work.

This happened to me too. My wifi/bluetooth dongle got worse overtime until it stopped working, My usb hub works perfectly fine.