Re: How to make USB ports more zap resistant?

From: daytripper (day_trippr_at_REMOVEyahoo.com)
Date: 01/15/05 

Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2005 16:36:11 -0500

On Sat, 15 Jan 2005 08:42:09 -0800, John Larkin
<jjSNIPlarkin@highTHISlandPLEASEtechnology.XXX> wrote:

>On 14 Jan 2005 22:19:26 -0800, "larry moe 'n curly"
><larrymoencurly@my-deja.com> wrote:
>
>>Several months ago, a port on an NEC-based USB card failed (a section
>>of its LM3526 power controller & overcurrent protection chip blew), and
>>just recently the same happened to an ALI-based USB card. I'm pretty
>>sure I didn't zap either card with high voltage because I always touch
>>the outer metal shell of the USB connector to bare metal on the
>>computer case before plugging it in.
>>
>>Each USB port has a 100-220 uF aluminum capacitor across its +5V and
>>ground lines, and the NEC-based card also had a ceramic chip capacitor
>>in parallel. Is there anything I can change or add to protect USB
>>ports better? Does it help to use tantalum or low ESR aluminum
>>capacitors? I installed tantalums on my other USB cards just after the
>>NEC card blew.
>
>
>Tantalum caps are inclined to explode.

That's a mischaracterization.

When they *fail*, they tend to 'splode.
But they don't tend to fail if the application is appropriate...

/daytripper

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