USB 3.0 Extension Cable

slipd · 29 Jun 2013 at 11:10

Hi guys,

I've been using an extension cable to use my transcend usb 3.0 stick for the past 9 months without problem. It is plugged into the back of my tower directly into a usb 3.0 port. I've moved all sorts with it; small, big, multiple files etc and its performed really well

Anyway, last night I finally got around to trying out my samsung m3 portable drive and although the cable allowed the drive to connect I couldn't do much else; I couldn't copy big files (50mb+) or even format the drive! I know its the cable because I've just used the drive for about the last hour, had it plugged directly into my mobo and its been great.

I bought the cable (said it was certified etc) from eBay and I've just bought another from a different seller but I'm suspicious now that the drive still might not work? I really need to use an extension because of the location of my tower - any thoughts on this scenario, have I just been unlucky with an iffy cable or is this a common occurrence?

Thanks.

BuToNz · 29 Jun 2013 at 13:30

So you are saying that the cable (Longer I assume?) you purchased on ebay doesn't work but the original cable does?

slipd · 29 Jun 2013 at 13:38

BuToNz said:
So you are saying that the cable (Longer I assume?) you purchased on ebay doesn't work but the original cable does?

The samsung supplied interface cable plugged straight into the usb port works 100% but the extension cable I use to give me usb 3.0 connectivity at the front of my case appears to throw up problems. Only with the hard drive though, my usb stick is fine? I was thinking that the extension cable might not be carrying enough power or something?

slipd · 2 Jul 2013 at 21:25

I bought another extension lead today and the problem's still there... The drive actually seems to disconnect/reconnect after any intensive work. And speeds were noticeably slower as well, compared to what I would normally get when plugged directly into a port.

Could it be my motherboard - a bios update perhaps?

I just transferred a 50gb backup file no problem, plugged straight into a port so I know its not the drive

kaku · 2 Jul 2013 at 22:45

Power issue possibly?

cypto · 3 Jul 2013 at 00:09

Hard to understand exactly the problem but this is what I understand.

You've got a USB 3.0 memory stick and a USB 3.0 portable hard drive which due to where your pc is placed you can't reach the USB 3 ports easily. So you bought a USB 3 extension cable it works with your USB stick but not 100% with your portable harddrive.

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Sometimes a wired USB connector cable from the socket to the device can cause enough of a voltage drop to cause devices which are already at the limits of the USB power specification (such as USB powered HDDs) to operate unreliably or not at all. So adding the extension cable + the normal cable for the USB hard drive the voltage must be dropping ever so slightly causing it to be temperamental.

That's the only thing I can think of if there is nothing wrong with the hard drive when not using the extension cable.

Out of interest how long is this extension cable you are trying to use?

slipd · 4 Jul 2013 at 07:58

cypto said:
Hard to understand exactly the problem but this is what I understand.

You've got a USB 3.0 memory stick and a USB 3.0 portable hard drive which due to where your pc is placed you can't reach the USB 3 ports easily. So you bought a USB 3 extension cable it works with your USB stick but not 100% with your portable harddrive.

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Sometimes a wired USB connector cable from the socket to the device can cause enough of a voltage drop to cause devices which are already at the limits of the USB power specification (such as USB powered HDDs) to operate unreliably or not at all. So adding the extension cable + the normal cable for the USB hard drive the voltage must be dropping ever so slightly causing it to be temperamental.

That's the only thing I can think of if there is nothing wrong with the hard drive when not using the extension cable.

Out of interest how long is this extension cable you are trying to use?

Your summary is spot on mate

Both cables have been 1.5m. I'm suspecting it might be power related; I guess its time I bought a case with front of case usb 3.0!

The-Plethora · 4 Jul 2013 at 09:18

Almost certainly power related. I think USB3 carries a bit more voltage than USB2 but still not massive amounts.
I bought a couple of USB extensions, 1 3 meter and 1 5 meter. High power devices like USB hard drives and webcams would not work with 5m but were ok with 3 meter. Things like USB receivers are generally fine on a 5M cable.