USB cables - which is best for noise rejection?

The designers of a particular pinball game decided to go with USB A to Mini-B cabling to connect the computer (off the shelf Chinese motherboard) to the four IO boards.

We'd been having trouble with noise rejection - the game would randomly lock up or sections would freeze - and ended up with some USB cables from Digikey made by Molex, LLC, numbers 0887328802, 0887328502, and

0887328702.

Example doc on the cable:

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While these sheilded cables worked well in our shop environment the game was unreliable once it got to its new home - so I was curious what other considerations do USB controlled logic require besides shielded cables?

Oh, and the manufacturer of the game has gone out of business, so no recourse there.

Suggestions? I'd love to rip out the USB and replace with twisted pair, but that is a bigger job than the customer wants.

Schematics of the game are not currently available...

Suggestions?

Thanks!

John :-#)#

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John Robertson
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No clue on the cable quality, but I have had some problems with ground loops, where the computah and device grounds came from different AC power grounds. There are plenty of USB ground loop isolators available. Maybe try one: Try a ferrite bead around the cable and check the 5V line for noise. If the client is using a USB hub, try it without the hub, with an external 5V supply, or with a different USB hub. Also, measure the DC resistance of the wires in the USB cable. I've seen a few cables with lots of insulation and decorative wrapping, but high resistance tinsel instead of copper wire.

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Jeff Liebermann

Cheaper:

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Jeff Liebermann

I had tried ferrite filters on the original USB cables, and while they helped it did not work nearly as well as the shielded cables did. Once the game was running reliably in the shop I did not try the ferrite collars on the new shielded cables but simply sent the game home after testing for a few days. And it's indeed a tough life my staff and I lead, forced to play pinball to check proper game operation!

As for the USB interface on the IO boards the board has a 2KV opto-isolation interface designed into it.

The USB cables are MOLEX, so that suggests a reasonable level of quality, does it not?

John :-#)#

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John Robertson

John Robertson wrote

There exist galvanically isolated USB adaptors, for example:

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Ground loops can create bad USB connections. And use decent shielded cables, not the very thin cheap ones.

Reply to
<698839253X6D445TD

Reply to
David Brown

David Brown wrote

LOL in a way sad, poor guys who fall for that...

Reply to
<698839253X6D445TD

Regards,

Boris Mohar

Got Knock? - see: Viatrack Printed Circuit Designs (among other things)

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void _-void-_ in the obvious place

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Boris Mohar

John Robertson wrote in news:8JadnZ5PS4qpnmPGnZ2dnUU7- L snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

Hard wired would be the best solution, as you could then shield all the way in.

Very likely your issue is with USB's 'loose' connection scheme. The contacts merely lay on each other with little opposing pressure.

If I even touch my USB cable when I have a USB SSD running Linux, it pukes on the entire session.

In Windows, file copies, etc. recover from temporary losses (of connectivity) most times. Linux is a lot less tolerant.

Your game may not like loss of connection and a mere wiggle of the cable can do that. Hard wire one end or both if possible, even if you do it with a USB cable with the ends lopped off.

Reply to
DecadentLinuxUserNumeroUno

But they only come in one length. I needed a 1.1 meter cable... darn!

Rick C.

Tesla referral code -

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gnuarm.deletethisbit

Jeff Liebermann wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

True, there are ferrite beaded USB cables out there. That would likely solve his problem if it is indeed noise related. I am still going with intermittent connectivity at the connector latches something up.

Reply to
DecadentLinuxUserNumeroUno

John Robertson wrote in news:OoKdnZbCWfR5uGPGnZ2dnUU7- T snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

It depends. They make the connector ends, but they do not make the wire/cable AFAIK. So even they outsource for their raw goods.

I have found that the flat wires *with* cloth overbraid are pretty good.

Micro B or just B?

If micro, the gamers who make cables for the controllers make really good ones.

Look up cables made by Bionik if it is micro B

If the regular, Belkin makes pretty good stuff, but it is expensive.

Reply to
DecadentLinuxUserNumeroUno

John Robertson wrote in news:OoKdnZbCWfR5uGPGnZ2dnUU7-T snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

Do a google search under google images for 'USB with ferrite" and a byunch pop up. Many look very well done.

It really ends up being trial and error.

For a good brand, see if Anker has ferrite beaded versions. Even if not they make good stuff.

Reply to
DecadentLinuxUserNumeroUno

David Brown wrote in news:ptlkf1$f75$1@dont- email.me:

Bwuahahahahahah! Must be for "audio enthusiasts". The charger is thre times that price.

Hahahahahaha!

Reply to
DecadentLinuxUserNumeroUno

WOW! That makes even Russ Andrew's prices look cheap by comparison

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No doubt assembled by virgin mermaids in an oxygen free atmosphere.

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Martin Brown

Some years ago there was an investigation into this. it was found shops in the US sell things at those prices and function a front end for drugs trade. A street seller buys one or more cables at that price, as payment for his drugs. The money then goes to for example Mexico, where the factory is. All legal.

Reply to
<698839253X6D445TD

I use these at work:

Reply to
krw

snipped-for-privacy@notreal.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

snip

snip

B&B went and got all greedy.

Those prices are worse than audio enthusiast crap.

Rugged my ass. Plastic case... not rugged. Hardly.

Individual port/cable isolation is plenty and a hell of a lot cheaper.

Reply to
DLUNU

The second one has a steel case. You're wrong, as always, AlwaysWrong.

And a real mess.

Reply to
krw

-

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That seems to be the most common complaint about USB connectors. I wonder i f his pinball game is subjected to getting knocked around...I would try a P ermatex non-hardening fillet joining the USB plug to the board/case frame, making it immovable, in addition to strain relieving the cable, before doin g a pita hardwire fix. Also there are spring metal leafs in the USB socket that put pressure on the plug/socket pins when connected, he needs to bend these outwards to exert max pressure before he assembles and glues things.

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bloggs.fredbloggs.fred

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