underhole Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 Ok i haven't been on the forum in a long time, but I'm in need of some help. Yes I have googled this and yes I have searched the forums for this, so if you can find something you are a god. I have a computer that is frying USB flash drives. I have played around with the box alot and have come to the conclusion that the usb controller on the the mobo must be shorting some where, because all the usb ports are giving off well over 500mA. So here is my question to the community. Is there a device out their besides wiping out a meter that can tell me the mA coming off a USB port. I'm thinkin like a usb dongle that can give some kind of visual display according to the power in the line. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mat Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 nope, you would use a power meter for that. However, I dont think electricity works in quite the way you think it does. A usb port will not 'give off' 500ma, they will offer an amount of current up to their maximum supply rating (which should be limited to 500ma) that the connected device needs. So if you plug in a device that has a 200ma draw, then 200ma is what will be drawn, even if you build your own 10A 5V supply and connect it to that, it still wont draw any more current. You may have a problem with the voltage coming from the ports, it's possible that the 5v rail is actually 12v, but it's unlikely. Get a power meter, set it to the 200V DC and connect it to the outer two pins of the port, step down the range on the meter one step at a time to get a more accurate reading. Once you confirm the power rails on the USB port are indeed 5V, go ahead and check the current, but in order to do that, you'll need something in circuit with the meter, else you are not really measuring what you think you are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparda Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 Once you confirm the power rails on the USB port are indeed 5V, go ahead and check the current, but in order to do that, you'll need something in circuit with the meter, else you are not really measuring what you think you are. I'd get a 1 meter extension cable, cut it up, put the meter inline (yay crock clips) and monitor it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
underhole Posted November 21, 2008 Author Share Posted November 21, 2008 I'd get a 1 meter extension cable, cut it up, put the meter inline (yay crock clips) and monitor it. That is what I'm doing now, just wishing there was an easier/more compact method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.