USB mini-b charge/power/programming port disintegrated

[W5JCK]

Anyone else had the USB mini-b port disintegrate on their BCD325P2? Mine did. The plastic portion inside that held the pins totally disintegrated rendering the scanner no longer capable of being connected to a USB mini-b cable which of course means no power via AC, no internal charging, and no computer programming. This really pisses me off. The scanners from Uniden used to be rock solid, but this is the third model I've had that had issues including the 436 and 536 which I got rid of. I really like this scanner, but I don’t want to feed the darn thing batteries, even rechargeable ones. I like running it on AC then using it with batteries when I go portable on occasion. I would just get another port and solder it in but my eyesight isn’t good enough any more, not that my soldering skills were ever that good anyway. I hate to send it in and get a huge bill to have it fixed. It is way out of warrantee as it is 2 years old. Otherwise it is still a good scanner.

Jack, W5JCK

 

[eaf1956]

Anyone else had the USB mini-b port disintegrate on their BCD325P2? Mine did. The plastic portion inside that held the pins totally disintegrated rendering the scanner no longer capable of being connected to a USB mini-b cable which of course means no power via AC, no internal charging, and no computer programming. This really pisses me off. The scanners from Uniden used to be rock solid, but this is the third model I've had that had issues including the 436 and 536 which I got rid of. I really like this scanner, but I don’t want to feed the darn thing batteries, even rechargeable ones. I like running it on AC then using it with batteries when I go portable on occasion. I would just get another port and solder it in but my eyesight isn’t good enough any more, not that my soldering skills were ever that good anyway. I hate to send it in and get a huge bill to have it fixed. It is way out of warrantee as it is 2 years old. Otherwise it is still a good scanner.

Jack, W5JCK

Uniden will fix it for a flat fee. Usually about $60 but that may have changed. And they will return it factory fresh.

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[W5JCK]

I know they will, but they have already gotten too much of my money over the years and I have not received the high quality they were once known for. I’ll likely pay a friend to solder the replacement part.

 

[buddrousa]

Could it be how it is used I have had a 436 for almost 6 years day in day out use no problems.

 

[mule1075]

Uniden will fix it for a flat fee. Usually about $60 but that may have changed. And they will return it factory fresh.

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$79.99 plus $10 shipping.

 

[eaf1956]

$79.99 plus $10 shipping.

So it did change. Been some time since I sent one in.

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[eaf1956]

I know they will, but they have already gotten too much of my money over the years and I have not received the high quality they were once known for. I’ll likely pay a friend to solder the replacement part.

I don't even want to think about all the money over all the years. Recently about $2100

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[manlius]

I’m having a similar problem with the ports on my SDS100. I primarily use it mobile and connect it to my Uniden gps. Lately, if I push the plug in all the way, it doesn’t feed full voltage ( which results in the annoying low buss voltage alarm) and also doesn’t feed the gps coordinates properly resulting in the full database to not scan properly. In order for it to work properly, I have to put the connector in just so far, feeling for the resistance to be at maximum as it’s inserted. If I hit a good enough bump in the road, the connector either pops in a little farther or it completely falls out. This is with the scanner and the cable both secured to prevent any jarring. I’m resigned to the fact that I’ll have to send it in , but dreading the thought of being without it for any period of time.


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[kruser]

I’m having a similar problem with the ports on my SDS100.

Have you tried the obvious, a new cable?

I have an Icom R30 that seemed like its usb port had broken. The plug fit horribly bad one day. I was ready to send it in when I tried another cable, it fit nice and snug! Before I threw out the suspect cable, I plugged it into a 536HP and another usb device. It fit just as poorly in those devices ports.
I could not see what changed about it even when looking at it under decent magnification.

 

[manlius]

Have you tried the obvious, a new cable?

I have an Icom R30 that seemed like its usb port had broken. The plug fit horribly bad one day. I was ready to send it in when I tried another cable, it fit nice and snug! Before I threw out the suspect cable, I plugged it into a 536HP and another usb device. It fit just as poorly in those devices ports.
I could not see what changed about it even when looking at it under decent magnification.

I’ll look into that. Thanks


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[DJ11DLN]

Have you tried the obvious, a new cable?

I have an Icom R30 that seemed like its usb port had broken. The plug fit horribly bad one day. I was ready to send it in when I tried another cable, it fit nice and snug! Before I threw out the suspect cable, I plugged it into a 536HP and another usb device. It fit just as poorly in those devices ports.
I could not see what changed about it even when looking at it under decent magnification.

It apparently doesn't take much, I had to toss a Mini-B cable awhile back and I really have no idea why it worked fine and then after simply spending a few weeks in the desk drawer it would not even plug into any of my devices. At least not without a lot more force than I was willing to exert.

 

[kruser]

It apparently doesn't take much, I had to toss a Mini-B cable awhile back and I really have no idea why it worked fine and then after simply spending a few weeks in the desk drawer it would not even plug into any of my devices. At least not without a lot more force than I was willing to exert.

Yep, that's pretty much what happened with the Micro USB cable that I used with my Icom R30. It was fine and the next time, it fit loose as a goose. The Mini USB cable I used with the Uniden's suffered the same fate suddenly. I've always been very cautious with my mini or micro usb cables by always grabbing then with the connector body (not the cord!) when I unplug or plug them. I also make sure they are square with the device port so there's not unnecessary stress on the plug or port.
I think my failures were from really cheap cables honestly. I also never really liked the change to these small formats knowing they will never hold up as long as the larger variants for USB. With the push to make everything smaller though, there's no room for the older larger style on most devices.

Oh well, they are cheap if one needs to purchase more.

 

[W5JCK]

Could it be how it is used I have had a 436 for almost 6 years day in day out use no problems.

Absolutely not. I also have the BC125AT with the same USB mini-b port. I've also had dozens of other electronic devices over the years with the same style of port, including quite a few of the older Uniden scanners. Not one of those other devices ever suffered from an internal disintegration. Pobably a bad part. Stuff happens.

 

[W5JCK]

$79.99 plus $10 shipping.

Wow, basically $90 to replace a $4 part that can be fairly easily replaced by someone skilled in soldering and using a heat gun. No thanks!

 

[mule1075]

Wow, basically $90 to replace a $4 part that can be fairly easily replaced by someone skilled in soldering and using a heat gun. No thanks!

Problem with that is not everyone has someone like that around. Also no matter how skilled a person is they could very well mess something else up and it would need sent in anyway. I would rather have a tech that works for the company do it but that is just my preference.

 

[W5JCK]

Have you tried the obvious, a new cable?

I have an Icom R30 that seemed like its usb port had broken. The plug fit horribly bad one day. I was ready to send it in when I tried another cable, it fit nice and snug! Before I threw out the suspect cable, I plugged it into a 536HP and another usb device. It fit just as poorly in those devices ports.
I could not see what changed about it even when looking at it under decent magnification.

Thanks. It is the plastic part inside the port that encases the 5 pins that broke. It crumbled and broke, exposing the pins and causing then to be flattened against the back of the port. So the port definitely got messed up. I did try a couple of other Uniden cables, but eventually was able to see the damage inside the port by taking a photo and enlarging it. This particular port had always been really tight to get the cable connected and disconnected, so the plastic part might have been deformed during manufacturing of the port.

 

[kruser]

Thanks. It is the plastic part inside the port that encases the 5 pins that broke. It crumbled and broke, exposing the pins and causing then to be flattened against the back of the port. So the port definitely got messed up. I did try a couple of other Uniden cables, but eventually was able to see the damage inside the port by taking a photo and enlarging it. This particular port had always been really tight to get the cable connected and disconnected, so the plastic part might have been deformed during manufacturing of the port.

My reply was actually for another user with a similar problem that snuck into your thread.
I did not think a new cable would work in your case going from your original description of the problem.

It does suck to need to shell out that much cash if you can't find someone to do it. And that's assuming the jack is not some oddball proprietary part.
If you can find the jack, anyone with the right tools and experience should be able to do the swap. I could have but like you, my eyesight is failing to the point that working on this small stuff would be hard even though I do have the needed tools. I'd surely screw something else up if I tried with my bad eyesight!
I've replaced these jacks in cell phones before with no problems but my eyesight was still near perfect.

I had a PCI eSata card that gave me two more external ports. Cables would not insert into one of the ports for anything.
I stared at the two ports for hours with a magnifier but still could not see the difference! I finally spied it, one of the rails that the wings on the mating plug slid into still had a hunk of plastic attached. I was able to chisel it away with a tiny hobbyist's razor knife.
Both eSata ports still work fine to this day.

 

[W5JCK]

Yep, that's pretty much what happened with the Micro USB cable that I used with my Icom R30. It was fine and the next time, it fit loose as a goose. The Mini USB cable I used with the Uniden's suffered the same fate suddenly. I've always been very cautious with my mini or micro usb cables by always grabbing then with the connector body (not the cord!) when I unplug or plug them. I also make sure they are square with the device port so there's not unnecessary stress on the plug or port.
I think my failures were from really cheap cables honestly. I also never really liked the change to these small formats knowing they will never hold up as long as the larger variants for USB. With the push to make everything smaller though, there's no room for the older larger style on most devices.

Oh well, they are cheap if one needs to purchase more.

I have to admit that as a amateur radio operator I was frustrated with using non-standard cables on their HTs and often using cradles for charging. I was upset because they charged $30 to $50 for their proprietary cables and often $100 or more for a charging cradle! Ouch! So I was happy when more companies began using standard USB micro and mini ports instead. But now I miss those charging cradles, especially since the cheaper Chineses HTs tend to include them and the radio for less than a typical Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood, etc. radio by itself. I got spoiled by those cradles, although they are not really useful much for mobile use, but most radios that have a cradle option still have a plug-in port option for charging as well. Cradles don't wear out ports like cables do. But they do cost more, and with digital scanners now topping the $400 range, and often a lot more than that, I'm not sure I would want to pay an extra $100 for one. I used to buy the newest scanners when they came out, but now that I'm retired I cannot do that anymore, so the ones I have have to last me a long time.

 

[W5JCK]

My reply was actually for another user with a similar problem that snuck into your thread.
I did not think a new cable would work in your case going from your original description of the problem.

It does suck to need to shell out that much cash if you can't find someone to do it. And that's assuming the jack is not some oddball proprietary part.
If you can find the jack, anyone with the right tools and experience should be able to do the swap. I could have but like you, my eyesight is failing to the point that working on this small stuff would be hard even though I do have the needed tools. I'd surely screw something else up if I tried with my bad eyesight!
I've replaced these jacks in cell phones before with no problems but my eyesight was still near perfect.

My eyesight up close is terrible now, especially since my cataracts are getting worse, yet not bad enough to spend a king's ransom to get them taken care of. I have to take macro photos of things like electronics then zoom in on the photo to see what is going on. My new iPhone XR has a new magnification feature that does that for me. Finally Apple added a feature that old farts like me can appreciate!

 

[kruser]

and often using cradles for charging.

I also miss charging cradles.
I do wish more manufacturers would at least add the contacts for them onto their battery packs and then offer the actual cradle as an option.
That would surely help keep the cost down for those that don't want the cradle.
I have an Icom R30 portable. It has micro USB for charging and programming plus it comes with a nice charging cradle. The only odd thing about it is the radio does not know that it is sitting in the cradle so the backlight always on when charging function does not work. That can be set to always on regardless of power supply or you can also plug in a powered USB cable but that kind of defeats the purpose of the cradle.