# usb gets really hot



## koOp

i connected up my usb ports, ones ontop of the case for easy access, and after 1min or mayb less the usb gets really hot. does anyone noe how i can fix this?


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## hstylez

Nothing is plugged in and the ports themselves are hot?


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## windowsvista

Is it a dell?


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## koOp

no it is not a dell, its a custom built computer. and yes it gets hot wen a usb stick is plugged in


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## windowsvista

custom builds can get hot try it in another computer.


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## Calibretto

Is it with anything you plug in? If not, it could just be the that certain stick.

I had a Netgear wireless adaptor that would get super hot after a while but anything else I plugged in was fine.


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## windowsvista

come on reply...


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## INTELCRAZY

Well, considering that electricity is constantly running through it, it might generate a bit of heat and since it is cased in plastic, it insulates it a bit...


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## windowsvista

yes power can do that.


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## porterjw

> Well, considering that electricity is constantly running through it, it might generate a bit of heat and since it is cased in plastic, it insulates it a bit...



Bingo.

USB devices are powered, meaning there is an electric current running through them from the second they are plugged in to the second they are removed, unlike PS/2 where there's just a signal transmission. Because of this, they tend to get warm, and some do get rather hot. It's hard to say when the heat becomes dangerous, but if the device (USB stick, USB Wireless stick) gets too hot to touch, you may want to pull it out and start troubleshooting from there. If it gets 'HSF warm' (like when a CPU is running 45*C), it's nothing to worry about.


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## massahwahl

windowsvista said:


> custom builds can get hot try it in another computer.



What exactly are you basing that on?


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## koOp

i tried plugging the usb stick into another computer, but it didnt detect it. but it works on my computer.


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## porterjw

ukulele_ninja said:


> What exactly are you basing that on?



Absolutely nothing - he's a troll.



> i tried plugging the usb stick into another computer, but it didnt detect it. but it works on my computer.



That sounds like a compatibility issue then. Do other USB devices work on that computer? Have you tried a different USB port on that computer - it could have been a faulty port.


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## koOp

the other usb port i tried, does work with other devices. jst not my usb, but my usb still works. i jst dont understand why my usb gets really hot on my computer


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## porterjw

> i jst dont understand why my usb gets really hot on my computer



See: "USB devices are powered, meaning there is an electric current running through them from the second they are plugged in to the second they are removed, unlike PS/2 where there's just a signal transmission. Because of this, they tend to get warm, and some do get rather hot."

Maybe the other MoBo runs more current to the USB, I don't know, but warm, even hot, USB devices are normal; different Boards = different manufacturing = different specs. If they ever get too hot to hold though, then you have either a faulty USB device or a faulty USB MoBo port. While it may be nothing, USB issues on a MoBo are a sign that the Board may be failing, though usually the ports will simply stop working.


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## StrangleHold

imsati said:


> See: "USB devices are powered, meaning there is an electric current running through them from the second they are plugged in to the second they are removed, unlike PS/2 where there's just a signal transmission. Because of this, they tend to get warm, and some do get rather hot."


 
Most USB ports are powered and can get slightly warm. But PS/2 ports are powered to with 5v. How do you think laser mouses work and your keyboard lights up. 

The pinouts for each connector are shown below: 
Male 





(Plug)Female 




(Socket)*5-pin DIN (AT/XT): *
1 - Clock 
2 - Data 
3 - Not Implemented 
4 - Ground 
5 - Vcc (+5V)
Male 




(Plug)Female 




(Socket)*6-pin Mini-DIN (PS/2):* 
1 - Data 
2 - Not Implemented 
3 - Ground 
4 - Vcc (+5V) 
5 - Clock 
6 - Not Implemented

Vcc/Ground provide power to the keyboard/mouse. The keyboard or mouse should not draw more than 275 mA from the host and care must be taken to avoid transient surges. Such surges can be caused by "hot-plugging" a keyboard/mouse (ie, connect/disconnect the device while the computer's power is on.) Older motherboards had a surface-mounted fuse protecting the keyboard and mouse ports. When this fuse blew, the motherboard was useless to the consumer, and non-fixable to the average technician. Most newer motherboards use auto-reset "Poly" fuses that go a long way to remedy this problem. However, this is not a standard and there's still plenty of older motherboards in use. Therefore, I recommend against hot-plugging a PS/2 mouse or keyboard.


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