Replacing the Housing on Your Flash Drive? 87
TheFarmerInTheDell asks: "I managed to wash my USB flash drive this past weekend (note to self: check your pockets better before doing laundry) and to my surprise, it still works. The problem is that the clothes dryer managed to beat up the plastic housing, and it no longer holds the innards in place as it should. Trying to plug the drive into a USB port is a difficult proposition since the whole mechanism slides into the plastic housing, instead of sliding into the USB port. Rather than using a super glue or an epoxy solution to hold the electronics in place, I was thinking that a custom body would be a cool way to go. I can cast it in resin and have whatever shape I want for the drive, but I am not sure that it will be a good thing to do. Has anyone done anything like this, and if so were there any problems? Are there any issues about not having an air space to help dissipate the heat that the chip generates? Aside from the obvious concerns about allowing the drive to fit into the USB port of a computer, is there any reason that the drive cannot be housed in any shape that I want?"
Warning (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Warning (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Warning (Score:1)
Shouldn't make a difference (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Shouldn't make a difference (Score:3, Informative)
1. Set a sheet of wax paper on a table.
2. Spray the wax paper with some PAM (cooking spray, not authentication).
3. Squirt epoxy gel (preferably clear) onto the wax paper into a rough thumbdrive shape.
4. Lightly press thumbdrive into liquid epoxy EXCEPT FOR THE USB PORT!!! KEEP USB PORT FREE OF EPOXY!!!
5. Squirt a little epoxy over the thumbdrive EXCEPT FOR THE USB PORT!!!
6. Let it all set. Make SURE y
Re:Shouldn't make a difference (Score:4, Insightful)
Some epoxy formulations shrink and/or expand as they cure, others are conductive to various levels.
double check what you are using to be sure.
-nB
Re:Shouldn't make a difference (Score:3, Interesting)
I'd suggest heat-shrink tubing, personally. It's pretty durable, and easily replaced if you don't like it. Not the most waterproof, but you could shellac the board first if you want that.
If you go the epoxy route, don't use JB-weld or anything else conductive. Look up "potting compound" for details. Try some
Re:Shouldn't make a difference (Score:2)
Or is it just conductive enough to cause problems?
Re:Shouldn't make a difference (Score:2)
As far as conductive epoxy goes, I saw a half-ounce set at MicroCenter for ~$20 the other day.
Re:Shouldn't make a difference (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Shouldn't make a difference (Score:1)
MMM Epoxy! (Score:2, Interesting)
use a new one for a custom job (Score:3, Insightful)
Is there any reason? (Score:4, Funny)
Soviet Russia (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Soviet Russia (Score:2)
Re:Soviet Russia (Score:2)
I recommend that we take this off-line. Send me an email at spam@buiten.com and I'll reply to this thread.
Re:Soviet Russia (Score:2)
They're pretty tough (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:They're pretty tough (Score:5, Funny)
Re:They're pretty tough (Score:2)
Re:They're pretty tough (Score:2)
Mod parent sideways (Score:2)
duct tape (Score:1, Funny)
1. Duct
2. Tape
Re:duct tape (Score:1, Funny)
ONE DUCT TWO TAPE
I'm just sayin'....
What's wrong with a naked drive? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:What's wrong with a naked drive? (Score:1)
I was not aware that they made USB flash memory drives with a large enough capacity for that.
Go naked... (Score:4, Insightful)
Oh, and -- don't trust the washed USB drive with critical data, there may be corrosion that takes a while to manifest itself.
Re:Go naked... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re: Go naked... (Score:1)
Meh -- not worth the struggle (Score:2, Redundant)
Re:Meh -- not worth the struggle (Score:1, Insightful)
Nevermind that the energy used to make it is lost forever and the refined materials are lost forever into a landfill.
Thanks for doing your part to make efficient use of the things in your life. You're a real asset to the world.
Re:Meh -- not worth the struggle (Score:5, Funny)
correct answer is skip work for a few days, spend a ton of time working on some really cool device mod that will make most people say "that guy has waaaay too much free time," post pictures and a step by step of how you did it, let us slash the hell out of your server for a few hours
Re:Meh -- not worth the struggle (Score:3, Funny)
3. Spread the article over the course of six pages requiring people to click Next in order to read the next paragraph.
4. Attach Google ads to your article (all six pages).
5. Profit!
How can you profit?? (Score:2)
clear epoxy (Score:4, Informative)
You can also put a lanyard hole in a dead space on the board or epoxy something in there and hang it on your keychange. It's working quite well for me.
Be careful washing you hands !!!! (Score:3, Funny)
So Remember, wash BEFORE, and after, using the restroom.
Re:Be careful washing you hands !!!! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Be careful washing you hands !!!! (Score:2)
Doesn't it have to fit in those places for him to begin his lucrative career as a film star?
Drilling Holes in Board = BAD (Score:2)
You can also put a lanyard hole in a dead space on the board or epoxy something in there and hang it on your keychange.
DO NOT drill holes through even apparently empty areas of PC boards. Often times, the boards are multilayer and there could be anything from interconnects to inductors and capacitors etched into a buried layer of copper.
Using a bright light may help you see how many layers there are, but usually one of the layers is a ground plane which will obscure your view of all others.
Electrical Tape Worked (Score:2)
Alex.
Hmm (Score:2)
howdoyaknow? (Score:2)
Re:howdoyaknow? (Score:2)
Liquid latex (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Liquid latex (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Liquid latex (Score:2)
Re:Liquid latex (Score:2)
You know (Score:1)
A few issues... (Score:3, Insightful)
Look up "electronics potting problems" in Google and you'll get all the fun info.
The short and sweet of it is that there are two basic issues: During casting/potting, the epoxy generates a LOT of heat. It can be surprising, and damaging. Check the type of epoxy/resin/casting compound you are using. For such a small amount it probably won't be a problem.
The second issue is the composition of the epoxy and suitability to its purpose. If it has a low resistivity or creates significant capacitance between conductors, then it'll cause problems. If it's not suitable for electronics (ie, degrades over time into other components, is corrosive, etc) then it will cause problems over time.
In short, chances are good you'll be fine for this particular application with hobby grade casting compound. But be prepared for possible data loss if you don't fully understand the subject and act accordingly.
-Adam
Epoxy (Score:1, Interesting)
Huzzah for Araldite (Score:2, Interesting)
lego my lego! (Score:4, Insightful)
Lego USB flash drive [blogspot.com]... that will give you near-infinite geek points (which can now be exchanged for frequent flier miles!)
Re:lego my lego! (Score:2)
Lego (Score:1)
(crappy) picture [boldra.com]
clear heatshrink (Score:2)
mask off the plug. (Score:3, Informative)
Just mask off the plug itself with masking tape, then wrap that in putty. If you don't like the idea of getting putty on the end of the epoxy, then get a piece of stiff plastic and cut a hole the size of the plug, and slide that up the plug, then continue as above. When you're done, you can usually just peel the plastic off the epoxy. If in doubt, add a thin layer of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) to the plastic.
Machined aluminum (Score:2)
-sirket
Re: (Score:2)
hot glue (Score:2)
and if you can, get a new one soon
Electronics are resilient (Score:2)
I wonder if the right amount of coating o
Update (Score:2, Informative)
I love all of the ideas and suggestions - especially the lego and hardwood solutions. If I could get my wife to understand what a flash drive is, maybe SHE could do something with it...or maybe I should just find a girlfriend who can do it for me!
I did get a new drive the day after I found the old one in the dryer, and after a week or so the old one is still working so I guess that the corrosion is not happening very fast (if at all). I will post before / during / after pics as I get the old one rehouse
Of course you could get a FREE one from Micro$oft. (Score:1)
Shapelock (Score:2)
http://www.shapelock.com/ [shapelock.com]
Barbie flash drives make great christmas gifts (Score:1)
3D printing service (Score:1)
Don't make it too heavy (Score:1)
Soapy fresh (Score:1)
wood stick (Score:2)
http://www.inhabitat.com/entry_1132.php [inhabitat.com]
http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/wood/index.php [gizmodo.com]