Question Having a small list of wrong things......

[chuffedas]

A quick question to start with:
Could a faulty USB to sata adapter kill an SSD?

I am trying to set my Pi up with libreelec and since that started, I have had some issues.
I can't get sound through hdmi on my pi.

The ssd is intermittent connection now through the adapter (i have only realised that as it has got worse)
I have stopped using it.
I am now wondering if the adapter had done something to the pi.

While messing with the pi, I went to juggle around some ssd.
Took one from my laptop and all was going well, then things started going wierd.
I thought it was me, as I don't do these things a lot and can get them wrong, but formatting was all wierd I spent hours checking stuff, but then my pc (linux mint) wouldn't recognise the ssd (in the adapter) but the laptop would (manjaro) anyway, eventually it stopped working and i realised it wasn't me, but the drive has failed completely now it seems.

Anyway, since then, I have tried to charge my torch from my pc and my torch won't charge or work now.

Then my SPDIF out card stopped working when I was trying to stop a buzzing sound.
(I did idiotically forget to power down my pc when I unplugged it)

I don't know if these are all a coincidence as I am fiddling with them anyway, or if something has gone wrong. Can a faulty usb to sata short something out?

Cheers.

 

[Krotow]

The reason I was asking about touching to the mobo screw is that someone else told me to use the screw on the the mobo. I was a bit surprised that is what you did.

It depends from where board is used.

Desktop PC motherboard screws are connected to computer case. And case is grounded to Earth - literally connected to ground below your home through yellow/green Earth/Ground wire in your home fuse box. It is done like that to avoid user electrocution if mains neutral become loose or PSU fail with live mains voltage connection to PC case. In both cases it must trip fuse in fuse box. With missing grounding and failed PSU mains voltage appear on motherboard screws. So these screws must be disconnected from other circuit to avoid even larger damage. Obviously motherboard back panel connectors and adapter connectors must be disconnected from computer case or have their common ground (GND) disconnected from outer metal sleeve too. Some manufacturers are ignoring that in their cheap devices though

In laptops however motherboard screws are connected to common ground very often. Because they have very little room for proper isolating and laptop power sources and connector sleeves are not connected to mains grounding. Laptop power supplies are plastic bricks and they usually provide only common ground, power and sometimes - temperature level signal. Also some other embedded devices like routers or home NAS may lack mains grounding because of simple design and have grounded circuit board screws. It is not an axiom though. Some devices may have both power and grounded screws at once so always check that before trying. In my drone racing hobby folks who build their racing/freestyle quadcopters by themselves and forgot about screw holes having both common ground and full battery voltage, sometimes lost their 100$-s worth electronics in spectacular fireworks.

So. I still don't understand what has happened.
If the torch controller is shorted, my immediate reaction is that the same thing happened to the spdif.
But there was no power to it.
So could power have gone up the spdif data cables?

I need to check all of the components on that. Other than just the bigger ones.

I doubt about that. Motherboard USB ports are powered through controller directly or through separate MOSFET switches. May have even separate onboard DC-DC converters. Proper USB port circuit should have short protection. It yours have it and it worked then don't bother about the rest. Don't plug shorted devices into your computer USB ports further though. Some motherboards have fuses like this or this after connector 5V pin too. If USB port is not working after being shorted then you must find and replace blown fuse. Had two occasions of this earlier. Was a final push for me to purchase a microscope because SMD element replacing is easier with it.

Well, enough education. You must connect SPDIF to motherboard SPDIF connector pins as I wrote above. Look into motherboard manual at last too. And DO NOT USE MOTHERBOARD SCREWS.

 

[chuffedas]

It depends from where board is used.

Desktop PC motherboard screws are connected to computer case. And case is grounded to Earth - literally connected to ground below your home through yellow/green Earth/Ground wire in your home fuse box. It is done like that to avoid user electrocution if mains neutral become loose or PSU fail with live mains voltage connection to PC case. In both cases it must trip fuse in fuse box. With missing grounding and failed PSU mains voltage appear on motherboard screws. So these screws must be disconnected from other circuit to avoid even larger damage. Obviously motherboard back panel connectors and adapter connectors must be disconnected from computer case or have their common ground (GND) disconnected from outer metal sleeve too. Some manufacturers are ignoring that in their cheap devices though

In laptops however motherboard screws are connected to common ground very often. Because they have very little room for proper isolating and laptop power sources and connector sleeves are not connected to mains grounding. Laptop power supplies are plastic bricks and they usually provide only common ground, power and sometimes - temperature level signal. Also some other embedded devices like routers or home NAS may lack mains grounding because of simple design and have grounded circuit board screws. It is not an axiom though. Some devices may have both power and grounded screws at once so always check that before trying. In my drone racing hobby folks who build their racing/freestyle quadcopters by themselves and forgot about screw holes having both common ground and full battery voltage, sometimes lost their 100$-s worth electronics in spectacular fireworks.



I doubt about that. Motherboard USB ports are powered through controller directly or through separate MOSFET switches. May have even separate onboard DC-DC converters. Proper USB port circuit should have short protection. It yours have it and it worked then don't bother about the rest. Don't plug shorted devices into your computer USB ports further though. Some motherboards have fuses like this or this after connector 5V pin too. If USB port is not working after being shorted then you must find and replace blown fuse. Had two occasions of this earlier. Was a final push for me to purchase a microscope because SMD element replacing is easier with it.

Well, enough education. You must connect SPDIF to motherboard SPDIF connector pins as I wrote above. Look into motherboard manual at last too. And DO NOT USE MOTHERBOARD SCREWS.

Thanks for all that.
As said before, I have not found a faulty usb, but will test them properly to be sure.

I did already wire up the spdif as you suggested and it didn't work.
Which is why i was asking the question in case i had done something wrong.
No light, no sound.

 

[Krotow]

I did already wire up the spdif as you suggested and it didn't work.
Which is why i was asking the question in case i had done something wrong.
No light, no sound.

When you connected SPDIF panel to motherboard properly (SPDIF Out to SPDIF_O pin 1, GND to SPDIF_O pin 2, POWER aka +5V to SPDIF_IN pin 1), did you switched audio output to digital output (SPDIF output) in operating system? How do OS can know where to output sound if it is not told to?

 

[chuffedas]

yup.



You are obviously right to ask.
I shall have another try tomorrow.
I can't think what to do different, but I will try again in case i did something wrong.

 

[chuffedas]

Microscope looks amazing btw.

 

[chuffedas]

OK, am I being an idiot again?
Have i done something else wrong?

So, with the pc shut down.
Cables plugged in as suggested. We have a little red SPDIF light.
Switch pc on, light goes off.

Also, with pc off, spdif light is on and still when i touch the case with the card.
BUT
As soon as I touch the case (as if to put it in place)with the top and bottom (narrow way) of the card the light goes off.
If i touch the bottom to the case it blinks. If I touch the top, it stays on.


🤷‍♂️

 

[chuffedas]

I will unplug everything and pull it out from under the table tomorrow to make absolutely 100% i am putting it in the right plug.

But I am pretty sure.

 

[Krotow]

Also if you use decent Linux distro, don't hesitate to play with output settings. Linux Mint 20.1 (I use it in dualboot) in my system with selected SPDIF have like 8 analog and digital output mixes and only one of them works.

From mentioned SPDIF optical output blinking seems that output itself already works.

 

[chuffedas]

Can I just remind you of the scenario with the spdif card?
The coax out used to work fine before the 'ssd/adapter thing'.
Since that time, the coax produces no sound at all.
Plus it makes my amp buzz on a completely different input.

 

[Krotow]

Unlikely that adapter would fry amp at other side because SPDIF output have a capacitor in middle so no DC continuity. Anyway if your amp have optical input, maybe try it?

I'm off computer things at today (went to skiing holiday till tomorrow).

 

[chuffedas]

Nice one.

No, it didn't fry the amp.
But it has done something to the coax at the pc end eh?
It doesn't work. That is what I am wondering, what did the adapter do to stop my spdif coax stop working?

 

[Krotow]

Teared grounding in coaxial cable or one of connectors (PC or amp side) can. Bring out multimeter in continuity mode (beeper mode) and begin testing.

 

[chuffedas]

Teared grounding in coaxial cable or one of connectors (PC or amp side) can. Bring out multimeter in continuity mode (beeper mode) and begin testing.

Amp tested fine using another source to coax.
coax cable tested fine.
Cable from mobo to spdif board tested fine.

On board:
Diode tests only one way.
Big cap 101 ish uf (states 100uf on cap) 0.6Ohm, vloss 9.1%
c05 shows 92nf 0.68 ohm 1.2 vloss
c02 shows 102uf 0.51ohm 9.3 vloss

Resistor R07 101.6. Has 101 printed on it.

Ah HAH, R08 shows nothing. 391 printed.

How could that have happened when the board wasn't powered?
Should there be a path from both parts of the coax connector to both grnd and data?

 

[chuffedas]

Not had anything odd happen since that week.
(well, since the ssd shutdown the house, when the heating comes on it makes my music and/or tv flicker)

Managed to get sound on my pi which was a nice thing.
That was a coincidence. Settings.

I picked up a UM25C to test my usb outputs on my pc.
All of them show 4.9 something volts. So they seem good which is a nice thing.
The things that broke must have been when i had the ssd or adapter plugged in.
Will try and work out the adapter at some point.

The only way I can think the spdif card broke would be power going down the data line right?

 

[Krotow]

The only way I can think the spdif card broke would be power going down the data line right?

Maybe. In worst case you can swap adapters with someone without cable SPDIF

 

[chuffedas]

I'll have a go at replacing the resistor.
Cheap board and broken board anyway.
Good for learning.

 

[Krotow]

 

[chuffedas]

Don't know if you remembeer this conversation.
HAd a bunch of problems with USB stuff.
Haven't had time to follow things up once i got caught up.

I have just tested for continuity on the usb to sata adapter.
Am I right in thinking there should not be any continuity from the sata power side to the sata data side?

 

[chuffedas]

https://forums.tomshardware.com/thr...de-of-sata-usb-adapter.3711288/#post-22371379

 

[Krotow]

Oh yes, it was a while ago. Yes, there should be no zero Ohm continuity between USB/SATA data lines and power rail. Some resistance (usually 30-90 Ohm) is Ok if lines are terminated to power rail through resistors.