Will the passthrough fry a motherboard?
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Not sure if it is possible. I have been using my passthrough on my laptop since yesterday when I got it no problems so far. Without your motherboard your computer will not work. Everything in your computer connects to your motherboard. Its basically the brain.
I read where something like that is "possible" under certain conditions....up in one of the other forums. Rather than research further, I just figured I would play it safe (computer is brand new) and bought a Kensington USB charger and run my PT from that.
I have no evidence or research it can happen....but I just wanted peace of mind.
I have no evidence or research it can happen....but I just wanted peace of mind.
We have over 40000 passthu's out there, and have NEVER heard of one frying a mother board
Steve
I have heard of old laptops not having enough power to give the extra juice needed though
Steve
I have heard of old laptops not having enough power to give the extra juice needed though
the motherboard is your computer brain - it's a flat squarish pancake where all the chips and resistors and micro circuitry stuff lives
excessive use (fast repetitive) of a passthru can burn out or shut down your USB port. If a passthru is going bad, or is defective and exceeding it's 5volt limit, it can also overload your USB port which is set for a 5v max current draw. If you have a newer computer, the computer will tell you there is a circuit overload and will shut off the port before any real damage is done - older computers may not give you a message.
Moral of the story: don't puff on your passthru like you're a steam locomotive. If you get more than one shutdown with the same passthru, toss the passthru - they're cheaper than repairing a USB port.
TTRP
excessive use (fast repetitive) of a passthru can burn out or shut down your USB port. If a passthru is going bad, or is defective and exceeding it's 5volt limit, it can also overload your USB port which is set for a 5v max current draw. If you have a newer computer, the computer will tell you there is a circuit overload and will shut off the port before any real damage is done - older computers may not give you a message.
Moral of the story: don't puff on your passthru like you're a steam locomotive. If you get more than one shutdown with the same passthru, toss the passthru - they're cheaper than repairing a USB port.
TTRP
I read where something like that is "possible" under certain conditions....up in one of the other forums. Rather than research further, I just figured I would play it safe (computer is brand new) and bought a Kensington USB charger and run my PT from that.
I have no evidence or research it can happen....but I just wanted peace of mind.
Ditto better safe than sorry.
Anything is possible when dealing with electronics in consumers homes. No 2 houses, set ups, computers or electrical are the same
I'll chime in here as well, as a pretty hardcore computer geek with LOTS of professional experience in both hardware and software. Modern computers have built in protection for current issues on the motherboard. If your computer is reasonably modern (let's just say for the sake of argument under 5 years old, which is FOREVER in hardware terms) and not otherwise damaged the likelihood of this happening is extremely low. The hardware itself has a polyfuse that will overheat and shut itself off temporarily if need be. Software also monitors current draw, and you might have seen posts by others where a popup message tells them something along the lines of 'Your USB accessory is drawing too much current and has been shut down'. As a geek who is overly protective of my equipment, I have no qualms with using them directly plugged in. Now having said that, anything is possible, but I'd wager a fair amount that if it's ever happened, it was the result of something else contributing to the issue.
As with everything though, if it concerns *you*, then by all means, use a wall adaptor, a power pack, or a powered USB hub. There are a lot of options out there, and peace of mind is important!
As with everything though, if it concerns *you*, then by all means, use a wall adaptor, a power pack, or a powered USB hub. There are a lot of options out there, and peace of mind is important!
As has been said, anything is possible, but I doubt that a PT could actually kill a motherboard. Certainly not a system less than 4 years old or so.
If you had a dead short it might shut the system down. If you pulled the USB plug from the port everything would be OK again. The big fear should be stepping on the connection if the computer is on the floor. That could break the port inside the system. If that grounds the 5v you might need to cut the wires inside to disable the port.
BUT, if you were made aware there was a problem, (prompts that something is not working on a USB port) and you left it there long enough, all bets are off.
If you had a dead short it might shut the system down. If you pulled the USB plug from the port everything would be OK again. The big fear should be stepping on the connection if the computer is on the floor. That could break the port inside the system. If that grounds the 5v you might need to cut the wires inside to disable the port.
BUT, if you were made aware there was a problem, (prompts that something is not working on a USB port) and you left it there long enough, all bets are off.
All I can add is that I have replaced USB ports on laptops and desktops. Who knows why they stopped working? But it does happen. Never had to replace a motherboard or cpu because a usb port stopped working.
I would suggest to all laptop owners to get a cooling fan just google laptop cooling fan or head to wally world or staples. 15-40 bucks depending on what extra features you want some have built in usb hubs. Anyway keeping your laptop cool will increase the longevity of the computer. Most all laptop cooling fans plug into a usb port on your laptop and most give you at least one usb port on the cooling fan to replace the one its plugging into. I would suggest plugging your PT into this port and not directly into the computer when possible.
Also a usb hub ac powered is a great asset in recharging etc. Again just check your local stores a 4 port ac powered usb hub should cost no more then 30 bucks.
some pics to give you an idea..
Cooling Fans (Laptops)
USB Hubs
Hope this helps..
I would suggest to all laptop owners to get a cooling fan just google laptop cooling fan or head to wally world or staples. 15-40 bucks depending on what extra features you want some have built in usb hubs. Anyway keeping your laptop cool will increase the longevity of the computer. Most all laptop cooling fans plug into a usb port on your laptop and most give you at least one usb port on the cooling fan to replace the one its plugging into. I would suggest plugging your PT into this port and not directly into the computer when possible.
Also a usb hub ac powered is a great asset in recharging etc. Again just check your local stores a 4 port ac powered usb hub should cost no more then 30 bucks.
some pics to give you an idea..
Cooling Fans (Laptops)
USB Hubs
Hope this helps..
Powered USB HUBS are always a good investment. They can solve lots of little problems that people don't even think could be the fault of the on-board ports.
Powered simply means it has an adapter that plugs into an AC socket.
Powered simply means it has an adapter that plugs into an AC socket.
there is usb hub's that plug into port on your comp.. if you can not get to a wall plug get one of them with a fuse in it..
there is no fuse in pass through so if there is a problem it will short in either the motherboard or the power supply with the hub it will short in that so you are out a few dollars instead of at least 100
there is no fuse in pass through so if there is a problem it will short in either the motherboard or the power supply with the hub it will short in that so you are out a few dollars instead of at least 100
This needs to be quoted. Then the important part quoted. And then quoted again.
Avoid _really_ old machines with USB 1.1. The standards were lower then.
I'll chime in here as well, as a pretty hardcore computer geek with LOTS of professional experience in both hardware and software. Modern computers have built in protection for current issues on the motherboard. If your computer is reasonably modern (let's just say for the sake of argument under 5 years old, which is FOREVER in hardware terms) and not otherwise damaged the likelihood of this happening is extremely low. The hardware itself has a polyfuse that will overheat and shut itself off temporarily if need be. Software also monitors current draw, and you might have seen posts by others where a popup message tells them something along the lines of 'Your USB accessory is drawing too much current and has been shut down'. As a geek who is overly protective of my equipment, I have no qualms with using them directly plugged in. Now having said that, anything is possible, but I'd wager a fair amount that if it's ever happened, it was the result of something else contributing to the issue.
As with everything though, if it concerns *you*, then by all means, use a wall adaptor, a power pack, or a powered USB hub. There are a lot of options out there, and peace of mind is important!
Avoid _really_ old machines with USB 1.1. The standards were lower then.
I'm a heavy user of the PT. I also have had some real POS laptops. Not once has the PT harmed my computer. I'd probably be cautious with old school ports, but I haven't experience any issues with the PT on any of the hunks of electronic waste that I've used for computers!
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With computers anything is possible. BUT, i would not say it's possible for a USB pass through device ITSELF to short circuit or "fry" your motherboard. The most common cause of motherboard failure is HEAT! The mother board is basically the equivalent of what a central nervous system is to us. It is the large flat board in your PC that your CPU(processor), RAM(memory), GPU(graphics, or video card) sits on, and connects to.
Making sure your computer, lap top or desktop has sufficient cooling is key! Enough air vents in your case, and properly working fans. It never hurts to crack your case, every month or so and use canned air to blow excess dust and buildup off of your components. Components being, ALL fans, especially the fan that cools your processor, and everything inside the case.
Lap tops are a much different story, as opening one is like opening a pop up book sometimes. So if you have little to no tech knowledge of laptops, DON'T open it!
A pass through itself isn't powered, meaning, the pass through device itself does not produce a current, it only draws one. Now, a variant could be that your power supply for your PC, not the wall outlet, but the power supply inside of your PC isn't strong enough to power all the components on your PC. So unless you've built your PC yourself, or upgraded your power supply, it is quite possible the power supply that came with it is inferior, and meant only to power what was in your PC when you purchased it, sometimes not even that! Say you've added a video card, or sound card, and kept your stock power supply, you may run into trouble, unless it is rated to handle what you've added. The more hardware you add, the more power will be drawn, the harder your power supply has to work, if you torture it, it WILL fail.
With that being said, it MIGHT be possible for the additional use of a USB pass through to send your power supply over the edge and fail, BUT HIGHLY unlikely! It has to be a perfect formula of a not so hot set up.
Computers are a crazy thing! There are so many variables possible. Main point being, your pass through itself, cannot kill your PC.
Making sure your computer, lap top or desktop has sufficient cooling is key! Enough air vents in your case, and properly working fans. It never hurts to crack your case, every month or so and use canned air to blow excess dust and buildup off of your components. Components being, ALL fans, especially the fan that cools your processor, and everything inside the case.
Lap tops are a much different story, as opening one is like opening a pop up book sometimes. So if you have little to no tech knowledge of laptops, DON'T open it!
A pass through itself isn't powered, meaning, the pass through device itself does not produce a current, it only draws one. Now, a variant could be that your power supply for your PC, not the wall outlet, but the power supply inside of your PC isn't strong enough to power all the components on your PC. So unless you've built your PC yourself, or upgraded your power supply, it is quite possible the power supply that came with it is inferior, and meant only to power what was in your PC when you purchased it, sometimes not even that! Say you've added a video card, or sound card, and kept your stock power supply, you may run into trouble, unless it is rated to handle what you've added. The more hardware you add, the more power will be drawn, the harder your power supply has to work, if you torture it, it WILL fail.
With that being said, it MIGHT be possible for the additional use of a USB pass through to send your power supply over the edge and fail, BUT HIGHLY unlikely! It has to be a perfect formula of a not so hot set up.
Computers are a crazy thing! There are so many variables possible. Main point being, your pass through itself, cannot kill your PC.
The question was: "will it fry a motherboard?"
The answer remains "no, not anything built this century."
The answer remains "no, not anything built this century."
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