Rewiring a broken USB port

Troubleshooting
1

Hello @spinal ! This is for you. But published here for refrence

If your Pokitto USB port breaks, you CAN use the other next to it as follows (warning! requires soldering skills):

If the MicroUSB connector breaks off, you can use it to fix the pokitto by soldering it to the other unpopulated pads OR by making your own connection from a USB breakout etc.

There is also a component PRTR5 (USB voltage protection IC) in the lower left corner, to which you can connect wires relatively easily.

This shows the location of that component:

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#REWIRING

First you need to clean up the legs of the broken connector from any bits and pieces that may have been ripped from the PCB when it broke.

Then, looking at the lower left corner of the PCB from the front side, you can rewire as follows:

GROUND

Use the pad of the unpopulated USB connector or fix to leg of PRTR5:

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POWER

Use the pad of the unpopulated USB connector (that is connected to the same pad on the broken pad) or fix to leg of PRTR5:

repin1.jpg1280×800 232 KB

Dataline D-

Connect a jumper wire to leg of PRTR5 shown:

repin2.jpg1280×800 230 KB

Dataline D+

Connect a jumper wire to leg of PRTR5 shown:

repin3.jpg1280×800 229 KB

Hello to everyone from Amtrak Train 20 making its way through Virginia!

5 Likes
2

OK, well, first I tried reusing the original USB port, but I made the whole situation worse. My soldering skills and eye sight are not good enough for that. So I just soldered a USB cable directly. Now my poor little Pokitto has a tail!

It DOES work though :slight_smile:

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3

The main thing is you can continue working until you get the replacement.

4

The tailed Pokitto is so cute!
Just had to draw this up on my phone quick.

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5

You just need to paint that cable in green now :smiley:

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6

What it needs is matching horns and maybe some bat wings so it can have a demon motif.

Either way it reminds me of Tink from Disgaea 2:

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7

Just to be sure, can I use the right most usb connector place? Are alle the 5 pins electric parallel?

1 Like
8

The right connector isn’t actually connected at all. You will still have to wire it up.
Unless @jonne can say otherwise?

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9

No, only 5V and GND are connected.

The placeholder is actually intended for a future on-board hardware debugger.

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10

hmmmm. After redoing this fix on my pokitto, I get ‘USB device not recognised’ in windows. I fear I may have killed it :frowning:

11

You can’t kill it. Bad contact/short.

I’ll send you a new board if you can’t get it to work.

12

Don’t worry about it, it was the old broken one anyway.
[Edit] I think I’ve damaged the bottom left pin, (d-).
[edit 2] Nope, worse than that, I broke the voltage protection thingy off. I suppose that means I can’t charge it now?

13

I don’t suppose there’s somewhere else to connect the usb?

14

Bit of a necropost, but my Pokitto is also rocking a tail now. USB port broke so I soldered a female JST connector to it and a male one to a severed USB cable.

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15

I want to point out that this involved an actual physical accident, unlike a couple of the older incidents reported here. Good work @tuxinator2009

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16

Yes I should mention that my USB cable got snagged on some other cables when I went to grab it and pulled sideways which broke the pins on the USB port (they’re very small after all and not well suited to be yanked sideways :man_facepalming:). This was entirely my own fault, but I was at least able to solder a female JST receptacle in place for the time being and then severed a USB cable and spliced a male JST connector to it.

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