A black thing falls out of the USB port of my laptop





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My new laptop fan cooler's usb cable plug sucks a small black thing out of a usb port on my lenovo Thinkpad T400. That thing seems to be used for fixing the four pins inside the port. Without it, the connection is often loose,and there is often no detection of the devices.



I wonder if there is a solution for fixing the problem?



Is it a design problem of my new cooler, or a problem of my old laptop?
Although my laptop was purchases since 2009, it hadn't have that problem, until last month my new cooler's plug suck the black things out of two ports. Is it reasonable to ask for redemption from the cooler's seller or manufacturer?



The little black thing from a port:
enter image description here



A port with the little black thing:
enter image description here



Two ports without the little black things because the cooler usb plug suck them out:
enter image description here










share|improve this question




















  • 2





    That black tab helps prevent inverted insertion of the USB plug. The USB receptacle is broken without it.

    – sawdust
    Oct 18 '14 at 19:04











  • Yup, you've knackered the USB sockets on your laptop. If you have a sound, working port I would recommend you get a USB hub to connect your devices and if this breaks you can replace it rather than shell out loads to repair your laptop.

    – Kinnectus
    Oct 18 '14 at 19:08











  • @sawdust: although my laptop was purchases since 2009, it hadn't have that problem, until last month my new cooler's plug suck the black things out of two recpetacles. Is it reasonable to ask for redemption from the cooler's seller or manufacturer?

    – Tim
    Oct 18 '14 at 19:13











  • @BigChris: Thanks. What does "shell out loads to repair your laptop" mean?

    – Tim
    Oct 18 '14 at 19:14











  • Shell out = pay. On-board USBs are almost always soldered directly onto the laptop motherboard and can be costly to repair/replace.

    – Kinnectus
    Oct 18 '14 at 19:17


















0















My new laptop fan cooler's usb cable plug sucks a small black thing out of a usb port on my lenovo Thinkpad T400. That thing seems to be used for fixing the four pins inside the port. Without it, the connection is often loose,and there is often no detection of the devices.



I wonder if there is a solution for fixing the problem?



Is it a design problem of my new cooler, or a problem of my old laptop?
Although my laptop was purchases since 2009, it hadn't have that problem, until last month my new cooler's plug suck the black things out of two ports. Is it reasonable to ask for redemption from the cooler's seller or manufacturer?



The little black thing from a port:
enter image description here



A port with the little black thing:
enter image description here



Two ports without the little black things because the cooler usb plug suck them out:
enter image description here










share|improve this question




















  • 2





    That black tab helps prevent inverted insertion of the USB plug. The USB receptacle is broken without it.

    – sawdust
    Oct 18 '14 at 19:04











  • Yup, you've knackered the USB sockets on your laptop. If you have a sound, working port I would recommend you get a USB hub to connect your devices and if this breaks you can replace it rather than shell out loads to repair your laptop.

    – Kinnectus
    Oct 18 '14 at 19:08











  • @sawdust: although my laptop was purchases since 2009, it hadn't have that problem, until last month my new cooler's plug suck the black things out of two recpetacles. Is it reasonable to ask for redemption from the cooler's seller or manufacturer?

    – Tim
    Oct 18 '14 at 19:13











  • @BigChris: Thanks. What does "shell out loads to repair your laptop" mean?

    – Tim
    Oct 18 '14 at 19:14











  • Shell out = pay. On-board USBs are almost always soldered directly onto the laptop motherboard and can be costly to repair/replace.

    – Kinnectus
    Oct 18 '14 at 19:17














0












0








0


1






My new laptop fan cooler's usb cable plug sucks a small black thing out of a usb port on my lenovo Thinkpad T400. That thing seems to be used for fixing the four pins inside the port. Without it, the connection is often loose,and there is often no detection of the devices.



I wonder if there is a solution for fixing the problem?



Is it a design problem of my new cooler, or a problem of my old laptop?
Although my laptop was purchases since 2009, it hadn't have that problem, until last month my new cooler's plug suck the black things out of two ports. Is it reasonable to ask for redemption from the cooler's seller or manufacturer?



The little black thing from a port:
enter image description here



A port with the little black thing:
enter image description here



Two ports without the little black things because the cooler usb plug suck them out:
enter image description here










share|improve this question
















My new laptop fan cooler's usb cable plug sucks a small black thing out of a usb port on my lenovo Thinkpad T400. That thing seems to be used for fixing the four pins inside the port. Without it, the connection is often loose,and there is often no detection of the devices.



I wonder if there is a solution for fixing the problem?



Is it a design problem of my new cooler, or a problem of my old laptop?
Although my laptop was purchases since 2009, it hadn't have that problem, until last month my new cooler's plug suck the black things out of two ports. Is it reasonable to ask for redemption from the cooler's seller or manufacturer?



The little black thing from a port:
enter image description here



A port with the little black thing:
enter image description here



Two ports without the little black things because the cooler usb plug suck them out:
enter image description here







laptop usb thinkpad






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Feb 21 '16 at 2:33









fixer1234

19.6k145083




19.6k145083










asked Oct 18 '14 at 18:59









TimTim

1




1








  • 2





    That black tab helps prevent inverted insertion of the USB plug. The USB receptacle is broken without it.

    – sawdust
    Oct 18 '14 at 19:04











  • Yup, you've knackered the USB sockets on your laptop. If you have a sound, working port I would recommend you get a USB hub to connect your devices and if this breaks you can replace it rather than shell out loads to repair your laptop.

    – Kinnectus
    Oct 18 '14 at 19:08











  • @sawdust: although my laptop was purchases since 2009, it hadn't have that problem, until last month my new cooler's plug suck the black things out of two recpetacles. Is it reasonable to ask for redemption from the cooler's seller or manufacturer?

    – Tim
    Oct 18 '14 at 19:13











  • @BigChris: Thanks. What does "shell out loads to repair your laptop" mean?

    – Tim
    Oct 18 '14 at 19:14











  • Shell out = pay. On-board USBs are almost always soldered directly onto the laptop motherboard and can be costly to repair/replace.

    – Kinnectus
    Oct 18 '14 at 19:17














  • 2





    That black tab helps prevent inverted insertion of the USB plug. The USB receptacle is broken without it.

    – sawdust
    Oct 18 '14 at 19:04











  • Yup, you've knackered the USB sockets on your laptop. If you have a sound, working port I would recommend you get a USB hub to connect your devices and if this breaks you can replace it rather than shell out loads to repair your laptop.

    – Kinnectus
    Oct 18 '14 at 19:08











  • @sawdust: although my laptop was purchases since 2009, it hadn't have that problem, until last month my new cooler's plug suck the black things out of two recpetacles. Is it reasonable to ask for redemption from the cooler's seller or manufacturer?

    – Tim
    Oct 18 '14 at 19:13











  • @BigChris: Thanks. What does "shell out loads to repair your laptop" mean?

    – Tim
    Oct 18 '14 at 19:14











  • Shell out = pay. On-board USBs are almost always soldered directly onto the laptop motherboard and can be costly to repair/replace.

    – Kinnectus
    Oct 18 '14 at 19:17








2




2





That black tab helps prevent inverted insertion of the USB plug. The USB receptacle is broken without it.

– sawdust
Oct 18 '14 at 19:04





That black tab helps prevent inverted insertion of the USB plug. The USB receptacle is broken without it.

– sawdust
Oct 18 '14 at 19:04













Yup, you've knackered the USB sockets on your laptop. If you have a sound, working port I would recommend you get a USB hub to connect your devices and if this breaks you can replace it rather than shell out loads to repair your laptop.

– Kinnectus
Oct 18 '14 at 19:08





Yup, you've knackered the USB sockets on your laptop. If you have a sound, working port I would recommend you get a USB hub to connect your devices and if this breaks you can replace it rather than shell out loads to repair your laptop.

– Kinnectus
Oct 18 '14 at 19:08













@sawdust: although my laptop was purchases since 2009, it hadn't have that problem, until last month my new cooler's plug suck the black things out of two recpetacles. Is it reasonable to ask for redemption from the cooler's seller or manufacturer?

– Tim
Oct 18 '14 at 19:13





@sawdust: although my laptop was purchases since 2009, it hadn't have that problem, until last month my new cooler's plug suck the black things out of two recpetacles. Is it reasonable to ask for redemption from the cooler's seller or manufacturer?

– Tim
Oct 18 '14 at 19:13













@BigChris: Thanks. What does "shell out loads to repair your laptop" mean?

– Tim
Oct 18 '14 at 19:14





@BigChris: Thanks. What does "shell out loads to repair your laptop" mean?

– Tim
Oct 18 '14 at 19:14













Shell out = pay. On-board USBs are almost always soldered directly onto the laptop motherboard and can be costly to repair/replace.

– Kinnectus
Oct 18 '14 at 19:17





Shell out = pay. On-board USBs are almost always soldered directly onto the laptop motherboard and can be costly to repair/replace.

– Kinnectus
Oct 18 '14 at 19:17










2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes


















4














That black plastic thing is a contact support block that is a single integral piece (both arrows) that the contacts insert into. Black on your USB sockets, white in image below:



enter image description here



If you give the USB plug inserted into this socket a good sideways push, it can snap the contact support block (top arrow) out of the socket.



Once this happens, the port is destroyed. Even if you insert the USB plug in the proper direction, the contacts have no support to ensure full, proper contact.



At this point, you've got a few options.




  1. If the sockets are installed on the motherboard, you will have to do a full motherboard replacement (expensive)


  2. If the manufacturer planned on users abusing their equipment, they may install the sockets on a small sub-board, you will have to replace that sub-board (less expensive)


  3. If you know someone who has the skill to unsolder the socket, they (after much disassembly) may be able to desolder and reinstall the sockets. More or less expensive, a 2009 laptop may be worth less than the repair expense.



I would examine how you use the cooler and how its plug mounts. The most likely cause is that you use the combination of laptop and cooler in such a way that you keep hitting the USB plug, causing too much stress on the socket.



It's common when using stick type USB devices, to hit one of them and due to the leverage from the case length, snap the support block out.



Cable plugs tend to be a lot shorter and are less likely to break this piece as you're less likely to catch them just right.






share|improve this answer































    0














    As a temporary fix, if you have the loose plastic thing (black or white), try putting it in the way it should go, just before inserting USB plug. It may provide needed support to the contacts. When you pull USB plug back out, you may need tweezers to retrieve little plastic thing.






    share|improve this answer
























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      2 Answers
      2






      active

      oldest

      votes








      2 Answers
      2






      active

      oldest

      votes









      active

      oldest

      votes






      active

      oldest

      votes









      4














      That black plastic thing is a contact support block that is a single integral piece (both arrows) that the contacts insert into. Black on your USB sockets, white in image below:



      enter image description here



      If you give the USB plug inserted into this socket a good sideways push, it can snap the contact support block (top arrow) out of the socket.



      Once this happens, the port is destroyed. Even if you insert the USB plug in the proper direction, the contacts have no support to ensure full, proper contact.



      At this point, you've got a few options.




      1. If the sockets are installed on the motherboard, you will have to do a full motherboard replacement (expensive)


      2. If the manufacturer planned on users abusing their equipment, they may install the sockets on a small sub-board, you will have to replace that sub-board (less expensive)


      3. If you know someone who has the skill to unsolder the socket, they (after much disassembly) may be able to desolder and reinstall the sockets. More or less expensive, a 2009 laptop may be worth less than the repair expense.



      I would examine how you use the cooler and how its plug mounts. The most likely cause is that you use the combination of laptop and cooler in such a way that you keep hitting the USB plug, causing too much stress on the socket.



      It's common when using stick type USB devices, to hit one of them and due to the leverage from the case length, snap the support block out.



      Cable plugs tend to be a lot shorter and are less likely to break this piece as you're less likely to catch them just right.






      share|improve this answer




























        4














        That black plastic thing is a contact support block that is a single integral piece (both arrows) that the contacts insert into. Black on your USB sockets, white in image below:



        enter image description here



        If you give the USB plug inserted into this socket a good sideways push, it can snap the contact support block (top arrow) out of the socket.



        Once this happens, the port is destroyed. Even if you insert the USB plug in the proper direction, the contacts have no support to ensure full, proper contact.



        At this point, you've got a few options.




        1. If the sockets are installed on the motherboard, you will have to do a full motherboard replacement (expensive)


        2. If the manufacturer planned on users abusing their equipment, they may install the sockets on a small sub-board, you will have to replace that sub-board (less expensive)


        3. If you know someone who has the skill to unsolder the socket, they (after much disassembly) may be able to desolder and reinstall the sockets. More or less expensive, a 2009 laptop may be worth less than the repair expense.



        I would examine how you use the cooler and how its plug mounts. The most likely cause is that you use the combination of laptop and cooler in such a way that you keep hitting the USB plug, causing too much stress on the socket.



        It's common when using stick type USB devices, to hit one of them and due to the leverage from the case length, snap the support block out.



        Cable plugs tend to be a lot shorter and are less likely to break this piece as you're less likely to catch them just right.






        share|improve this answer


























          4












          4








          4







          That black plastic thing is a contact support block that is a single integral piece (both arrows) that the contacts insert into. Black on your USB sockets, white in image below:



          enter image description here



          If you give the USB plug inserted into this socket a good sideways push, it can snap the contact support block (top arrow) out of the socket.



          Once this happens, the port is destroyed. Even if you insert the USB plug in the proper direction, the contacts have no support to ensure full, proper contact.



          At this point, you've got a few options.




          1. If the sockets are installed on the motherboard, you will have to do a full motherboard replacement (expensive)


          2. If the manufacturer planned on users abusing their equipment, they may install the sockets on a small sub-board, you will have to replace that sub-board (less expensive)


          3. If you know someone who has the skill to unsolder the socket, they (after much disassembly) may be able to desolder and reinstall the sockets. More or less expensive, a 2009 laptop may be worth less than the repair expense.



          I would examine how you use the cooler and how its plug mounts. The most likely cause is that you use the combination of laptop and cooler in such a way that you keep hitting the USB plug, causing too much stress on the socket.



          It's common when using stick type USB devices, to hit one of them and due to the leverage from the case length, snap the support block out.



          Cable plugs tend to be a lot shorter and are less likely to break this piece as you're less likely to catch them just right.






          share|improve this answer













          That black plastic thing is a contact support block that is a single integral piece (both arrows) that the contacts insert into. Black on your USB sockets, white in image below:



          enter image description here



          If you give the USB plug inserted into this socket a good sideways push, it can snap the contact support block (top arrow) out of the socket.



          Once this happens, the port is destroyed. Even if you insert the USB plug in the proper direction, the contacts have no support to ensure full, proper contact.



          At this point, you've got a few options.




          1. If the sockets are installed on the motherboard, you will have to do a full motherboard replacement (expensive)


          2. If the manufacturer planned on users abusing their equipment, they may install the sockets on a small sub-board, you will have to replace that sub-board (less expensive)


          3. If you know someone who has the skill to unsolder the socket, they (after much disassembly) may be able to desolder and reinstall the sockets. More or less expensive, a 2009 laptop may be worth less than the repair expense.



          I would examine how you use the cooler and how its plug mounts. The most likely cause is that you use the combination of laptop and cooler in such a way that you keep hitting the USB plug, causing too much stress on the socket.



          It's common when using stick type USB devices, to hit one of them and due to the leverage from the case length, snap the support block out.



          Cable plugs tend to be a lot shorter and are less likely to break this piece as you're less likely to catch them just right.







          share|improve this answer












          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer










          answered Oct 18 '14 at 21:57









          Fiasco LabsFiasco Labs

          6,28011930




          6,28011930

























              0














              As a temporary fix, if you have the loose plastic thing (black or white), try putting it in the way it should go, just before inserting USB plug. It may provide needed support to the contacts. When you pull USB plug back out, you may need tweezers to retrieve little plastic thing.






              share|improve this answer




























                0














                As a temporary fix, if you have the loose plastic thing (black or white), try putting it in the way it should go, just before inserting USB plug. It may provide needed support to the contacts. When you pull USB plug back out, you may need tweezers to retrieve little plastic thing.






                share|improve this answer


























                  0












                  0








                  0







                  As a temporary fix, if you have the loose plastic thing (black or white), try putting it in the way it should go, just before inserting USB plug. It may provide needed support to the contacts. When you pull USB plug back out, you may need tweezers to retrieve little plastic thing.






                  share|improve this answer













                  As a temporary fix, if you have the loose plastic thing (black or white), try putting it in the way it should go, just before inserting USB plug. It may provide needed support to the contacts. When you pull USB plug back out, you may need tweezers to retrieve little plastic thing.







                  share|improve this answer












                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer










                  answered Jan 29 at 19:00









                  nobodynobody

                  1




                  1






























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