Fixing a loose USB port

[Denis W. Veteran]

Both of the rear USB female plugs on my Cooler Master Notepal X1 laptop cooler have gone loose. Very often the cooler's fan won't power on, requiring me to tug on the wire to try to re-establish a power connection. Is there an easy fix to these plugs? I really don't want to waste money on another cooler and the warranty on this cooler is already out. :(

[Hum]

Got to open it up and solder the connections.

[goretsky Supervisor]

Hello,

I did not really find a good image of what the USB connectors look like on the Cooler Master Notepal X1 laptop cooler, but if it is not an electrical problem that requires soldering like Hum suggested, than perhaps it is a mechanical problem that can be repaired with a hot glue gun?

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

[Denis W. Veteran]

I don't think the actual cables to the plugs are loose. What I'm suspecting it to be is that the centre strip containing the electrical contacts is slightly bent upwards, so it's not connecting well with the USB power cable.

(by the way, slight typo: it's the Notepal X2 not X1)

[Denis W. Veteran]

Well, I finally figured out what was causing the problem. I was tugging the plug on the back of my cooler, moving it back and forth, and to my surprise, the cooler's power connection didn't go down. Then I bent the wire a bit, and it hit me - the USB cable was to blame. It's the same problem that's causing certain USB mice to go bad after a while. Some of the wires inside the USB cable are broken or too bent.

That's a huge relief for me as I wasn't too happy of considering a replacement for this cooler. Now I just need to replace the cable and nothing else. :p

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

It's nice to hear a simple fix like this that accomplishes your goal. Just recently I had a belkin laptop cooler fan go out on me, or so I thought...I oiled it using motor oil, which worked for a day, but by the time that the fan reached max rpm's and started to actually cool it, I thought...I'll just order another fan, no biggie. Then I got to thinking...that motor oil (10W 30) just gummed it up....what if I used an oil that would break up that oil-gunk/dust paste combination....well, I was sorting through my bathroom cabinet, when all of a sudden, a bottle of KY heating massage oil fell over...I thought, well, it's worth a try, as I don't even know who left this.... :shifty: (she was blonde, as I come to remember since, it's been a few months ago)..so I dabbed a few drops on the motor bushings, and voila! Still working to this day, and I've had it going on 3 years...it was a cheap-o, but it works for me....giggety! :devil: