AUKEY (CB-H5) USB 3.0 Hub Repair
I have an AUKEY (CB-H5) USB 3.0 hub that recently stated playing up after a few years.
This is a rather attractive hub as it has a heavy extruded aluminum case anodized in space grey, so I was rather reluctant to abandon it even though it has a tendency to cause radio interference around 2.4 GHz (a problem with many USB 3 hubs). The original connecting cable was thin, so I got a thicker cable that might have better radio shielding, but the problem persisted (it caused disturbance with my Wife’s wireless headphones).
My first thought as to why it was no longer working was that the issue might be with cold solder joints from the use of lead-free solder, so I opened it up (the screws are hidden below the side stickers) and found that the board itself was further glued into the internal slides of the aluminum extruded case and it took some care to remove the glue and free the board without damage.
The USB connectors on the bottom seemed to be suffering cold solder joints, which were hard enough to see with a strong magnifying glass and don’t show on the photo, and even then, I couldn’t be sure.
I was reluctant to add any new solder as that would have probably resulted in cross-connections, so instead I applied a generous amount of flux (Kester 186) to the connectors and reflowed each USB connection with a soldering iron. Although the flux was no-clean, I elected to clean the board with 91% isopropyl alcohol, being fortunate enough to have a small ultrasonic cleaner, although an old toothbrush would have been sufficient.
I didn’t feel the need to glue the board back in, so left that part out so I could later disassemble it more easily should that prove necessary. Fortunately, the original cold-joint conjecture turned out to be true, and the hub is once again dependable and hopefully will remain so for many a year to come as I believe the problem originated in manufacturing.
I actually have a second such hub (one for home, one for work) on which I preemptively performed the same procedure, anticipating the same issue not too far in the future. There is always the risk of doing damage when working on electronics, but I threw caution to the wind and was lucky enough that the second work went just as smoothly as the first.
This article was written by Anwar (Andy) Shiekh originally from London, England; he repairs things to help make an income go further and presently teaches Physics in Colorado, U.S.A.
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Note: You can check his previous repair article on Computer Mouse Repair (switch replacement)
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Tayo
March 18, 2022 at 2:01 pm
This article brings back hurtful memories for me!
I had a Aluminum Alloy 13 Port USB 3.0 HUB which I loved dearly.
I developed a malfunction somehow and I was never able to repair it though I toiled over it for many days off and on. This was a few years back when I first started tinkering with PCBs. I am glad you were able to save your HUB though... Well done!
Albert van Bemmelen
March 18, 2022 at 2:07 pm
Recently I had a PCI-E 4 x USB3.0 expansion slot card in my desktop computer that often started to fail working. Couldn't find anything wrong with it so I also resoldered all contacts which sadly didn't help to solve the issue. So replaced it with a new 5 x USB3.0 + 2 x USB-C slotcard that to my surprise didn't even needed to be connected to any internal molex 5V and 12V supply like my previous card needed. As it only was powered through the PCI-E mainboard slotconnector. The new Amazon bought replacement card works fine but still causes issues not recognizing all USB 3.0 ports simultaneous so I left 2 ports unused which solved that problem.
Anwar Shiekh
March 18, 2022 at 8:02 pm
Which card? I have one that needs extra power, but would like one like yours.
Parasuraman S
March 18, 2022 at 2:57 pm
Well done! Many times, dry solder patch itself will solve problems!
Yogesh Panchal
March 19, 2022 at 8:43 pm
Good Repair!,Anwar
Waleed Rishmawi
March 22, 2022 at 1:58 pm
dry solder is causing a lot of issues in the electronic devices and sad to say alot companies that make such devices use lead free soldering and one year or two device will fail and has to be fixed again. they are made to last maybe a year or so sad to say. thanks for sharing and have a blessed day