Forums › BB Series Discussions › External Power Cable for BB60C
- This topic has 8 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 9 months ago by
Andrew.
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Jake JanovetzParticipantHey folks… I apologize if this has been asked before, but I’m new to the BB60C.
The BB60C includes a non-standard (and not USB approved) method for powering it. It has two Type A connectors with the power lines in parallel. Depending on the design of the host, this can either just not work, work marginally, or cause damage to the host.
Not work: If the host has current limits, it can disable the port(s) when they exceed current.
Work marginally: Current limits again.
Cause damage: Not likely since most things are pretty robust, but if two independent supplies power the two ports, there is certainly no guarantee that you can safely put them in parallel. Unless supplies are specifically designed to do this, runaway conditions can end up destroying the ports.
With new USB Type C / USB 3.1 ports, supplies are much more sophisticated and are not likely to take kindly to non-negotiated power demands.
Anyway… to my question.
We’d like to know if there’s a version of the custom screw-mountable cable that doesn’t pass the power lines at all to the host and, instead, offers a port for external 5V supply.
We’re seeing a lot of flaky connectivity issues with a MacBook Pro with USB Type C connections. We see the same with a powered hub. Using a USB power meter, we see things go over the 900 mA limit which is likely tripping the supply and causing the device to reboot.
Next step, we might hook it up to our Beagle USB analyzer to check things… But we’re also considering cutting into the cable to detach these things and to create our own cable. But that’s messy.
AndrewModeratorHi Jake,
It was nice meeting you today.
Justin will need to comment on the USB cable/power concerns/questions directly. He will be back in the shop on Friday.
We do have an option/upgrade for the BB60C that removes the need for the y-cable and adds an external power supply.
Are you running in a VM on your Mac? We don’t recommend running our products on Apple hardware or in VM’s. If possible, are you able to switch to a native Windows PC for running our device? It could help us rule out a few concerns if you are running stable on a native Windows PC.
Feel free to follow up with us directly. andrew and justin at signalhound dot com.
Regards,
Andrew
Jake JanovetzParticipantAndrew- Thanks for the response. Can you let me know about the option for an external supply? Since the Y cable violates USB spec and can create issues depending on the power supply implementation of the host / hub, I feel that would be a more reliable setup for us.
We are running on a VM. Unfortunately, we don’t have a native Windows (Bootcamp) install for this Mac — and it’s the only one with Type-C connectors (and therefore likely a more “strict” power management system for the ports). The device works on some computers and not others — but it doesn’t seem to have any bearing on the VM or not. Best we can tell, these are strictly power supply issues.
For example, on a powered hub, the device turns on and off as the hub offers power and declines it repeatedly.
For what it’s worth, we run our Cypress FX3 devices all day long on a VM, Mac, and native PC without issues. But these either run self-powered or we make sure to keep current under control if they are bus-powered.
Justin CrooksParticipantJake, option 10 does completely remove the 5v USB power connection. The BB60C will only operate if it enumerates as a USB3 device. Otherwise it will wait a second, cycle, and try again. Typically when the device appears to be powering on and off, it is enumerating as a USB 2 device. I’ll be available tomorrow to chat as well
vanderbasaranParticipantHi Justin,
I am also interested in such power cable but I could not see option 10
AndrewModeratorHello vanderbasaran,
If you are interested in the option 10, contact justin at signalhound dot com. He can give you pricing information and set you up with an RMA to get the option applied to your unit. If you haven’t purchased your unit yet, you can order through sales at signalhound dot com, and be sure to mention you want the option 10.
Regards,
Andrew
TishersParticipantThe last few times out I have been using a USB-C adapter cable to connect to one of the ports on my computer. I have not yet ran in to a power problem and it allows me to occupy only one port from the computer. It is not a Mac.
andrewcleggParticipantI have been searching for a USB 3 Y-cable with the locking screws, like the ones that ship with the BB60C, but no luck so far. I can only find them without the locking screws. Does Signal Hound sell the cable as a separate item? If not, is there a suggestion of where to buy them?
Thanks!
Andy
AndrewModeratorHi Andy,
We custom make the locking y-cable. Reach out to lori@signalhound.com if you need another. If you purchased through a distributor, reach out to them and they will be able to help you get another.
Andrew
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