#279680 - 18/04/2006 05:42
What's wrong with this picture?
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pooh-bah
Registered: 12/02/2002
Posts: 2298
Loc: Berkeley, California
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I just bought six of these, and I'm intrigued. I can't figure out why, or if I should bother sending them back.
Matthew
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280067-enclosure.jpg (272 downloads)
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#279681 - 18/04/2006 05:49
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: matthew_k]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 12/02/2002
Posts: 2298
Loc: Berkeley, California
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Here's a bad camera phone picture of a different angle which makes the strangeness a bit easier to spot.
Matthew
Attachments
280068-enclosure2.jpg (260 downloads)
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#279682 - 18/04/2006 05:53
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: matthew_k]
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addict
Registered: 27/10/2002
Posts: 568
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What are they supposed to be? USB 2.5 inch harddrive enclosures? Or don't you know what they are and that's why you're intrigued? If so, why buy them in the first place...?
Stig
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#279683 - 18/04/2006 06:05
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: StigOE]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 12/02/2002
Posts: 2298
Loc: Berkeley, California
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Nope, it's a 3.5" USB2.0 enclosure. They work fine, they're just a bit queer.
Matthew
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#279684 - 18/04/2006 06:22
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: matthew_k]
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addict
Registered: 27/10/2002
Posts: 568
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Ok. I didn't see anything strange (by my eyes), though.
Stig
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#279685 - 18/04/2006 06:33
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: StigOE]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5916
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
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Is that the wrong flavour USB socket ? Looks like the socket you would expect to see on the PC, not on the external device ?
None of my USB cables would be able to connect to that, they all have the large USB connector on one end and one of the two types of small connector on the other.
_________________________
Remind me to change my signature to something more interesting someday
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#279686 - 18/04/2006 06:35
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: StigOE]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 12/02/2002
Posts: 2298
Loc: Berkeley, California
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Spoiler:
Gurl'ir tbg HFO glcr N pbaarpgbef, gur xvaq lbh'q frr ba n pbzchgre, abg ba n HFO fynir qrivpr. Gurl pbzr jvgu gur hfo N/N Znyr/Znyr pnoyr gung znxrf gurz jbex svar, ohg vg'f abg tbvat gb or rnfl gb ercynpr gur pnoyr vs arprffnel.
Matthew
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#279687 - 18/04/2006 06:38
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: andy]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 12/02/2002
Posts: 2298
Loc: Berkeley, California
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Yes, exactly. Very odd. Were these just some chinese engineer's expensive mistake? These were $3 cheaper than the cheapest usb enclosure anywhere else.
Matthew
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#279688 - 18/04/2006 06:43
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: matthew_k]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 16/04/2002
Posts: 2011
Loc: Yorkshire UK
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The only reason that Andy beat me to the thread was that I was poring over an electronics catalogue, you can get male to male USB's, I think my old Linksys wireless b USB used them. They would presumably work these.
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Politics and Ideology: Not my bag
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#279689 - 18/04/2006 07:14
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: matthew_k]
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addict
Registered: 27/10/2002
Posts: 568
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The Intronix logic analyzer Mark bought some time ago also uses a USB A plug, but I don't think it would be very difficult to get new cables.
I just checked the Komplett site (Norway's largest supplier of computer gear) and they only had A-B cables, but a electronics supplier had A(male)-A(male) cables.
Stig
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#279690 - 18/04/2006 07:25
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: StigOE]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 16/04/2002
Posts: 2011
Loc: Yorkshire UK
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Maplins in the UK lists A to A
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Politics and Ideology: Not my bag
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#279691 - 18/04/2006 08:54
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: matthew_k]
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journeyman
Registered: 04/05/2000
Posts: 84
Loc: Australia
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The excellent LogicPort logic analyzer also uses a USB A connector instead of the B connector you would normally expect. As long as your happy to use a non standard cable there shouldn't be any problems. Rod.
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#279692 - 18/04/2006 11:59
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: matthew_k]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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Maybe it supports USB-OTG (On the Go) - enabling you to connct a digital camera to it and unload your pictures for instance.
Bruno
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#279693 - 18/04/2006 12:44
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: matthew_k]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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I've got all sorts of Amale-to-Amale cables lying around. It doesn't seem nonstandard to me at all. Maybe slightly unusual....
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Bitt Faulk
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#279694 - 18/04/2006 19:36
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: wfaulk]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 12/02/2002
Posts: 2298
Loc: Berkeley, California
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Quote:
Maybe it supports USB-OTG (On the Go)
I'll be dammned if it does. Would be nice though.
Quote:
I've got all sorts of Amale-to-Amale cables lying around.
Hmm. I don't think I've ever seen one except for the ones with active electronics for data transfer between two masters. I found a couple online, so I could buy one if I needed to, but it's a pain to have to keep track of a special cable for one thing.
Matthew
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#279695 - 19/04/2006 00:07
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: matthew_k]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 20/01/2002
Posts: 2085
Loc: New Orleans, LA
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Speaking of which, How much are the tools to make your own USB cables? I am SO sick of paying $20 per cable, for 50¢ in parts.
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#279696 - 19/04/2006 00:15
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: lectric]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 30/10/2000
Posts: 4931
Loc: New Jersey, USA
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Considering shipping is free, these are cheap. Of course, you're limited to 6 ft. and I suppose you have to live in the US.
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-Rob Riccardelli
80GB 16MB MK2 090000736
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#279697 - 19/04/2006 00:45
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: robricc]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14493
Loc: Canada
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Quote:
Considering shipping is free, these are cheap. Of course, you're limited to 6 ft. and I suppose you have to live in the US.
That's okay. Any canucks on the board can find 10' A-A cables for about $CAD$8 at Active Surplus in Toronto (hey, they even have a telephone for the 90% of Canada outside of Toronto, too!).
Cheers
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#279698 - 19/04/2006 00:52
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: lectric]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 12/02/2002
Posts: 2298
Loc: Berkeley, California
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monoprice.com is my current favorite by far for cables, with the exception of the nice RCA cables partsexpress sells. Their shipping isn't free but it's reasonable. http://www.deepsurplus.com/ is my favorite for bulk cable and jacks/panels. It looks like monoprice does sell A-Male/A-Male cables, so I guess I know where to go if I need more. Matthew
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#279699 - 19/04/2006 02:52
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: matthew_k]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
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My long held belief: For any two connectors, there is a cable to connect them. And if not, there is an adapter to convert the signal.
LVD SCSI to 25 pin external SCSI. Mini USB B to 9 pin serial. Sun video to ethernet. Ok, so I'm just guessing, but I've seen a lot of weird adapters and cables.
Who can think of a pairing for which there is no adapter? And who can find an adapter for said pair? Come on, no saying "RJ11 to carrier pigeon" or anything. Haha, 1/8" mono to telegraph. 5 1/4" floppy drive ribbon cable to bluetooth...
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#279700 - 19/04/2006 03:23
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: FireFox31]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 12/02/2002
Posts: 2298
Loc: Berkeley, California
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USB to 5.25" floppy. I looked a while ago and couldn't find one.
Matthew
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#279701 - 19/04/2006 04:17
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: FireFox31]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5916
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
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Empeg to USB slave device
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Remind me to change my signature to something more interesting someday
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#279702 - 19/04/2006 10:10
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: andy]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14493
Loc: Canada
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Quote:
Empeg to USB slave device
Lots of cables available for that -- joining the connectors is not the issue!
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#279703 - 19/04/2006 14:49
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: matthew_k]
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old hand
Registered: 14/04/2002
Posts: 1172
Loc: Hants, UK
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Quote:
USB to 5.25" floppy. I looked a while ago and couldn't find one.
Just had a look and although there aren't any commercial products this page has some interesting info, although the best solution (hacking a drive with an SMSC USB controller) would still only read HD formatted 5.25" disks:
http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/19449
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#279704 - 19/04/2006 16:34
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: g_attrill]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 16/04/2002
Posts: 2011
Loc: Yorkshire UK
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There are times when I've wanted to run a PCI card from a USB socket on a laptop: I bet somebody brighter than me is going to say easy, peasy!
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Politics and Ideology: Not my bag
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#279705 - 19/04/2006 16:54
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: boxer]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31597
Loc: Seattle, WA
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Quote:
I bet somebody brighter than me is going to say easy, peasy!
Just the opposite, in fact.
(can't be done. PCI is a completely different thing and requires a lot more bandwidth anyway)
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#279707 - 19/04/2006 17:17
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: matthew_k]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 16/04/2002
Posts: 2011
Loc: Yorkshire UK
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Great, I'll bookmark that in case the need arises again.
_________________________
Politics and Ideology: Not my bag
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#279708 - 19/04/2006 20:11
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: boxer]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14493
Loc: Canada
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Quote:
There are times when I've wanted to run a PCI card from a USB socket on a laptop: I bet somebody brighter than me is going to say easy, peasy!
Hey, that's a great idea for a niche product! I could really use something like that here!
Not totally trivial to do, especially with hardware that includes onboard memory etc.., but, yes, I can envision doing it.
Mmmm..
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#279709 - 19/04/2006 23:59
Re: What's wrong with this picture?
[Re: matthew_k]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 20/01/2002
Posts: 2085
Loc: New Orleans, LA
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Oof...... That's quite a price tag on those. A grand a piece.
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