manual passthrough dying?

[LastOutlaw]

My beloved manual passthrough seems to be dying. I had an auto that i ordered on my second order and it acted up. This manual was sent as a replacement and I loved it. I love the manual so much better than the auto. Something about being in control. (Control freak?) Now it is acting up. I can't figure out if it is the button or the unit itself. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it works for a second then quits. I haven't done anything different with it. i use it on my laptop. now it looks like it quit altogether. I'll have to order another on my next one unless anyone has an idea on a fix.

 

[dohsma]

My beloved manual passthrough seems to be dying. I had an auto that i ordered on my second order and it acted up. This manual was sent as a replacement and I loved it. I love the manual so much better than the auto. Something about being in control. (Control freak?) Now it is acting up. I can't figure out if it is the button or the unit itself. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it works for a second then quits. I haven't done anything different with it. i use it on my laptop. now it looks like it quit altogether. I'll have to order another on my next one unless anyone has an idea on a fix.

You don't need to order another one... just mention it on your next order and we'll get you set up with a new one.

 

[CDC700]

I have that issue with my auto, but found that if i blow a little burst of air into it before drawing, it "wakes up" again.... Maybe a passthru thing, it doesn't happen on the regular batteries? But my passthru does get quite a workout!

 

[Thyestean]

I've noticed with my manual that about 1 out of every 15 - 20 drags on it I'll hold the button and for just a second it will start to go and then even though I don't move my finger it just doesn't heat up. So far every time it has worked as soon as I let go and hit it again. I just assumed it was normal since it works pretty consistently otherwise.

 

[LastOutlaw]

Thanks Mark, you guys are awesome!

 

[JLeigh]

I was just about to start a new thread on PT's when I saw this one. I'm now having problems with my less-than-a-week-old auto PT, and I'm very discouraged. This is the 3rd one that has gone bad on me in about 8 weeks, and I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. I've been thinking of ordering 3 PT kits for family members for Christmas, but I'm afraid they're going to die too quickly. I've tried taping, I did the glue thing on this new one, and nothing seems to work. The new auto stops working every 4th drag or so until I unscrew the carto and blow in the PT. I'm not going to ask Steve to replace this one for free because this one WAS free. It replaced my other dying PT.

I'm sorry to complain like this, but I'm SO frustrated!

 

[dale1962]

I have had three pts 1 manual and 2 autos and only one still working right is the manual the first one I got with vk uu kit,the 2 autos were bonuses with other orders.Dont get me wrong v4l been great bonuses every order great cust. service.Only reason mentioning this is one auto pt stays on 3-5 secounds after drawing from it,and the other auto pt has now completely died but before it died it was like burning smell and warning came up on pc something wrong with usb port.Just wondering if this has happened to anyone else?Both autos didnt use but once or twice before these things started happening.Manual doing great had it about amonth now.

 

[Sheryl]

The PT's have been touchy lately, hopefully Leaford can figure something out while in China. (I definitely have to have 1 at all times)

 

[georgehower]

The first thing I do when I receive a new passthrough is tape the cord to the PT base. I give it a little "loop" at the bottom and use packaging tape to keep it firmly in place.

I do this as a preventative measure, based on Wormwood's video about using twist-ties. I used twist-ties for a while, then decided I'd use packaging tape.

So far all three passthroughs I have work fantastic. I have some issues with the Auto PT in my car, but that has more to do with the temperature outside, in relation to the unit heating up, then it does to the actual PT itself.

So I recommend taping the cord to the PT.

I can post pictures if anyone wants to see how I've done it.

 

[JLeigh]

Well, now I am completely without a PT. The new one just permanently kicked the bucket. Great. Just great.

 

[zdaddyl]

The first thing I do when I receive a new passthrough is tape the cord to the PT base. I give it a little "loop" at the bottom and use packaging tape to keep it firmly in place.

I do this as a preventative measure, based on Wormwood's video about using twist-ties. I used twist-ties for a while, then decided I'd use packaging tape.

So far all three passthroughs I have work fantastic. I have some issues with the Auto PT in my car, but that has more to do with the temperature outside, in relation to the unit heating up, then it does to the actual PT itself.

So I recommend taping the cord to the PT.

I can post pictures if anyone wants to see how I've done it.

Is that for fear of pulling the cord out ,or to remedy something else?

 

[zdaddyl]

I have that issue with my auto, but found that if i blow a little burst of air into it before drawing, it "wakes up" again.... Maybe a passthru thing, it doesn't happen on the regular batteries? But my passthru does get quite a workout!

Haven't had an issue with my manual pt, but an auto shorty I have flickers on and off while hitting it, unless I suck really hard. kind of frustrating.

 

[Taryn]

The glued end of my manual PT seems to be keeping it in great working order, although I admit I'm enjoying my XL batteries so much that I'm forgetting to even bother with my PT.

 

[lady9ball]

The PT's have been touchy lately, hopefully Leaford can figure something out while in China. (I definitely have to have 1 at all times)

That's what I've been thinking, too. We got a new PT a few weeks ago and it died after 2.5 weeks of use. Fortunately our next order arrived the day after it's untimely death and contained a freebie auto PT, so problem solved.

However, there does seem to be a serious design flaw in the PTs lately, so hopefully my manual (which came the same day as hubby's dead manual but with the cord securely taped) will last until the problem is resolved.

 

[TJPatt72]

Got my manual PT in back on Oct 16th and it's going strong. Was thinking about getting a spare since it works better than the 510 PT's, but guess I'll wait until they don't die so quickly.
Usually run it off a AC adapter and not the computer or a battery pack. Car adapter it bogs down not getting enough power when the lights or heater is on.

 

[Thyestean]

Usually run it off a AC adapter and not the computer or a battery pack. Car adapter it bogs down not getting enough power when the lights or heater is on.

I keep coming across conflicting posts about what ways the PTs should or shouldn't be used.

I've seen it said that they can't be used with the AC adapter and now that they have been.

Obviously the advertised convenience of them is that they can be used with your pc but I've also seen a post or two saying it's a bad idea and may fry your usb port or even motherboard.

Maybe if Mark is reading this thread he can give us the recommended proper and improper usage of the PTs.

Myself I've had my manual PT for just under a week. I use it mainly from the usb port on my desktop. I have yet to try it from the 4 port usb hub I have here. I also haven't bought a car adapter for it yet but I do have a stereo in my truck with a usb port in it. I was skeptical about using it in that for fear of blowing a fuse, but I just couldn't resist, and last night I used it on that usb port on 2 different 20 minute drives with no issues at all.

 

[SMILIN]

I keep coming across conflicting posts about what ways the PTs should or shouldn't be used.

I've seen it said that they can't be used with the AC adapter and now that they have been.

Obviously the advertised convenience of them is that they can be used with your pc but I've also seen a post or two saying it's a bad idea and may fry your usb port or even motherboard.

Maybe if Mark is reading this thread he can give us the recommended proper and improper usage of the PTs.

Myself I've had my manual PT for just under a week. I use it mainly from the usb port on my desktop. I have yet to try it from the 4 port usb hub I have here. I also haven't bought a car adapter for it yet but I do have a stereo in my truck with a usb port in it. I was skeptical about using it in that for fear of blowing a fuse, but I just couldn't resist, and last night I used it on that usb port on 2 different 20 minute drives with no issues at all.

Leaf will be in China next week, and after making the batteries, the best, we will attack ALL issue on the PT's, so, keep all the suggestions coming please

Steve

 

[Pawpaw]

It is possible that, if it shorted out, the PT might damage your PC. I think most newer computers with USB 2.0 ports have circuitry to monitor the power consumption on that port and will shut it down if it's too much.

The minimum any USB port or adapter needs to power the PT is 1000ma (1A). Any less won't do the job. If you buy one of the car adapters from V4L, the label may say it is only 200ma. Some of them were mis-marked with the old label. If its in a little clear bag when you got it, it's one of the newer ones (all they have on the site now) and will work just fine with the PT. Just ignore that label.

My car stereo has a USB port too, but I'm not gonna try it. I already have a dual USB adapter in my truck and it works fine. Besides, I use my stereo USB port to listen to audio books while I drive.

 

[JLeigh]

All my bad luck has been with the auto PT's, so today I ordered a manual. It seems like the manuals are lasting longer? Or have I been getting the wrong impression? Anyway, I have my fingers crossed that this one will work for awhile!

 

[Robertogee]

Haven't had any problems with manual PT in three weeks. Plugged into desktop USB. Use it all the time. Love it!