Question Concerning a Frayed USB Cable

Factual Questions
1

Hi there :slight_smile:

So, I’ve had this trusty Wacom Graphire 3 for the past 8 or so years, and earlier this year, the insulation around the wires at the point where they enter the protective plastic mold, just before it goes into the tablet itself, began to fray. For a while, it was fine… I covered the area with electrical tape, and everyone was happy.

About a month ago, I was taking a break from painting for a few minutes, and when I tried to resume… there was no power to my tablet. I checked the USB connection to the computer, tried restarting my computer, and even reapplied the tape… to no avail.

As with most of my other electronic devices that die unexpectedly, I held onto it and kept trying to plug it in, to see if it would magically decide to work. Of course, after fumbling, playing, opening, closing, and readjusting the tablet and cable in question, I was able to get it working for a solid three and a half hours yesterday – only to have it quit on me again today. Being in the middle of a painting, I’m anxious to find a more reliable fix, especially because I can’t sit and paint for more than three hours at a time.

I have yet to attempt to retape it, but while it was working I had it taped with packing tape (the electrical tape left a horrible residue, and after a while refused to stick at all). I’m wondering if the lack of response is merely because the insulation is damaged? In which case, I merely have to somehow create the illusion that the insulation is not damaged? Or will I need to look into possibly replacing the entire cable? I have the tools to do so, buuut I’ve never soldered anything in my life.

I’m currently saving for a new tablet, but to keep this one working until I can afford the new one would be amazing. Any input or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Here is a low-quality photo (on tumblr, sorry…) of the cable in question. I’m soooo sorry… I had to take it with my webcam…
http://www.tumblr.com/photo/1280/silverheart243/17286893984/1/tumblr_lz3la8FvXj1qhnhv8

2

it’s not just the insulation, but the shielding (that silver foil lining.) what’s probably happening is that once the shield and insulation broke, it allowed the actual USB wires inside to be overstressed and break or short. if you know someone with basic soldering skills, they should be able to wire in a new cable for you.

3

Ahhh and it’s finding someone with said skills that is proving to be difficult. :confused: Would the entire cable have to be replaced from the interior of the device? Or can a new cable be patched onto the existing one?

I’m so clueless. I’m sorry…

4

You have flexed this cable beyond repair. It might have been repaired if you had acted on it when the fraying started and before actual wires were damaged. Now you stand the risk of damaging your equipment with electricity going from power to a data channel.

5

If it were me fixing it, I’d use the existing cable and just shorten it a bit. The break or breaks in the wire are virtually certainly right at the tablet end. This has the advantage that you don’t have to figure out if a different cable has the same colour wires corresponding to the same pins.

6

All right, let me see if I understand correctly. I can cut and strip the insulation and shielding from the wires to solder an existing, undamaged portion of wire together with the portion connected to the guts of the tablet? I imagine if I do this, I’ll need to wrap the cable as a whole securely to keep from stressing the soldered wires… And I saw mentioned in another post that each wire (of the red, white, green, and black) should be wrapped at the soldered point as well?

This is assuming I’ll have the courage to do it myself. I may just search for someone who can do this for me and see how much it will cost to have it done.

7

the wires themselves are small-gauge and rather fiddly, good luck splicing them together and insulating them properly. The best thing to do is open the tablet and replace the entire cable.

8

Yes, that’s about it. I’d think that good strain relief of the whole cable at the exit point would be sufficient. Say, multiple layers of heat shrink to bring the diameter up to being snug in the exit hole, and then a little zip tie around the heat shrink just inside the case (not pulled very tight, just snug) to prevent tugs on the cable from stressing the solder joints.

Keep in mind I’m saying all this without seeing the actual attachment point. It’s at least possible that it’s all so tiny as to be infeasible to actually repair. It’s also probably not an ideal job for first-timer. Novices generally take more time on each joint, increasing the danger of damaging things from overheating. It takes practice to get the knack of only needing to get the joint hot enough for just an instant.

9

A frayed knot.

10

Wire and cable man here. You have an outer jacket, singles, and maybe a shield. the only disassembled device I have on hand is a mouse with no shield. as long as nothing but the jacket was damaged, it would work fine. The damaged jacket would stress the singles. When one of them breaks, you are done for, although the broken ends may make contact part of the time…

The tricky part is opening up the tablet. Many devices are not designed to be opened up repaired and reassembled. Current snapped together techniques work better than to older stalked ones. Once opened, just cut things apart, a little off the cable end, and resolder. Your heat shrink idea may be the way to go.

11

No promises that they’ll be built the same, but a Wacom Intuos 3 is screwed together, so that’s at least a little encouragement.

Worst case scenario: new Wacom Bamboo tablets start at about $70. (The Graphire line was discontinued in 2005.)

12

I have an Intuos 2 which I suspect is made in much the same manner. Screwed on metal backplate. Ordinary philips head screws. I just took the back off it, and the USB cable simply goes through the strain relief, and about 2cm of lead then runs to the printed circuit board. So, this is easily repaired. I would have no hesitation fixing mine if it suffered the same fate. However if you have never soldered electronic gear before don’t even think about it. A soldering iron and other bits of sufficient quality to do the repair would cost more than the value of the tablet anyway. But any repair place that does domestic electronics will be able to fix it in less than 15 minutes. It only needs someone who is familiar with soldering to reasonably fine printed circuit boards, so any TV repair place. Take it in and get a quote. However some places are rip-offs, and will tell you one hour minimum charge. Just say no.