USB trouble with external hard disk

[gene heskett]

On 2/23/25 13:24, Ralf Mardorf via ubuntu-users wrote:
> On Sun, 2025-02-23 at 07:59 -0500, gene heskett wrote:
>> While that can be true, Ralf, switching psu's can be a problem, but
>> they've been 10000% better
>>
>> than any magenta drive cable, which has about a 2 or 3 year lifetime.
>> One popular psu maker
> Gene :)
>
> I can't resist kicking an older, very intelligent gentleman in the
> shins. 1. no, you usually do not need a SATA cable to connect the HDD
> with the SATA to USB controller thing.
>
> 2. I no longer work as a technician, but in childcare, and whenever I've
> fired up the soldering iron in my private life over the last few
> decades, a switching power supply was almost always involved.
>
> Regards,
> Ralf
Nominally 35 years ago that was quite true as the Chinese got ahold of 
quite a few barrels of antifreeze to make electrolytic capacitors that 
was not up to the purity for that use, and the failure rate was 
stratospheric. For several years.  But they learned, and that is no 
longer the case, For the last 25 years it's been cables made with the 
magenta dye. Mike cables for cb radios at first, then sata drive 
cables.  I no longer bother using them, replacing them with some other 
color, and life is much more peaceful.  You're an excellent tech, but  
I've been at this for 75 years, since before 1950, and I am a C.E.T., a 
bit of a rare bird.   Ferrites can be another sore point and quite hard 
to troubleshoot if they ever get above their "curie point" temperature. 
And for some formulations that temperature is less  than 75C.

Cheers, Gene Heskett, CET.
-- 
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