Super wobbly USB type B slot

I know this is an FM3 thread but when I saw “wobbly USB port” I had to jump in as I’ve had a recent similar problem but on my AX8 which I bought brand new only last summer.
My friends and band mates often accuse me of being “overly careful” with my equipment... which I am, lol, but a couple of weeks ago - after tweaking some presets on AX Edit - as I eased the USB cable from the back of the machine I noticed it had also ‘pulled the guts” from the USB port with it!!! This means I can no longer connect USB to use AX Edit... very, very frustrating!
I’m assuming there’s no ‘quick fix’ for this problem? I live in London and bought the unit (brand new) from G66 last August.
Would this be covered by warranty? My apologies, as that’s probably a question best answered by Sussi at G66.
I was bang up for getting an FM3 - as I was really enjoying getting to grips with the AX8 - but if this wobbly USB port sitch is a recurring issue I may save my ££££s.
Thanks for your time folks.
 
Lee Servis said:
I know this is an FM3 thread but when I saw “wobbly USB port” I had to jump in as I’ve had a recent similar problem but on my AX8 which I bought brand new only last summer.
My friends and band mates often accuse me of being “overly careful” with my equipment... which I am, lol, but a couple of weeks ago - after tweaking some presets on AX Edit - as I eased the USB cable from the back of the machine I noticed it had also ‘pulled the guts” from the USB port with it!!! This means I can no longer connect USB to use AX Edit... very, very frustrating!
I’m assuming there’s no ‘quick fix’ for this problem? I live in London and bought the unit (brand new) from G66 last August.
Would this be covered by warranty? My apologies, as that’s probably a question best answered by Sussi at G66.
I was bang up for getting an FM3 - as I was really enjoying getting to grips with the AX8 - but if this wobbly USB port sitch is a recurring issue I may save my ££££s.
Thanks for your time folks.
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I would like to encourage you to contact G66. They are known for their excellent support even beyond guarantee issues.
 
Cheers Morotz... I think you’re probably right. I’ve bought an FX8, AX8 and several EV1s from them and they’ve always been a pleasure to deal with.
This USB prob only happened a few days and what with the whole virus thing going on, I figured now probably wasn’t the best time to try and sort out a “dodgy USB” issue. Will drop Sussi a line.
Cheers again Moritz.
 
Lee Servis said:
(...) live in London and bought the unit (brand new) from G66 last August.
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How did you manage to do that ? At the beginning of last April (2019), G66 was already out of stock of AX8s - and wouldn't be resupplied, since at the end of that same month, everybody on the AX8 waitlist was automatically moved to the front of the new FM3-list...
 
Are any ports tight?????

My new unit is not tight but not super wobbly either, def moves a bit when plugged in.
 
USMC_Trev said:
My first encounter with usb c came with my 2016 MacBook Pro. It’s loose. The power cable backs out of that port leaving the battery to drain to zilch. Pure hate from the word go.

The magnetic power cable was so much better.
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Same here.
 
Mine is wobbly. Seems to be the connector within the port and not the port itself. So far it seems to work OK though. I'll be keeping an eye on it.
 
I think Type B ports are just wobbly in general, on any device. I have a Canon printer here on which I have never used the port as I connect to it WiFi but I just tried connecting a brand new cable and it's wobbly. I think it's just the design of the type B port, cables are not a tight fit to it. I don't think it's anything to worry about.
 

If this is how wobbly it is, it's fine.
I guess all USB ports are like that. Had the Axe FX 2 for years and it was never a problem.
I guess it has more to do with the cable, the metal part being too long, so it's not snug.
 
TenorKeith said:
Just ordered one of these little gadgets from eBay. I'll plug this in and leave it there. Then when I go to update the firmware or use the editor, I don't need to mess with that port at all.
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I did the same thing a few weeks back but it was for a different reason. I wanted a panel mount for the board I made but wound up just leaving it in the compartment in the back.
 
A wobbly USB port is not a problem as far as it doesn't cause any connectivity issues and so far no matter the device (fractal audio or any other) or the USB port type, I have never dealt with a case like that (pure luck I guess).

On the contrary, a few years ago I bought a couple (same manufacturer and model, different batches) of expensive USB3 hubs. These are being connected to the PCs via USB3 Micro-B cables. These are as tight as they can be, we are talking about a tight fit here. Well, a few months after some moderate use (permanently connected to my PCs, set it and forget it) and without any reason at all I started dealing (and I am still dealing) with disconnections that had to do with their ports. That was (is, actually) a faulty design.

Also, I would be more comfortable with a wobbly USB port as far as it doesn't cause any issues in terms of functionality (connection) than with a super tight one especially when we are talking about a device you are gonna connect/disconnect probably a few times per day for months or even years (with the FM3 being portable and all that, for instance my AxeFx2 never leaves the house so it's "permamently" connected to my PC). You buy 10 different cables and each of them "feels" kinda different in terms of how it fits, but if it's too tight for some reason it could probably cause damage to the USB port itself (has happened to me a few times with USB2 and USB3 micro-B on external HDDs).

Anyway, personally, as long as nobody reports disconnections due to the wobbly port, I am not worried.
 
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USB B ports are not tight fitting ports in general. They don't squeeze in on the plug body the way USB A ports do. More times than not, they are loose. What matters is the center post pin connections. Those spring outward against the inside top and bottom of the B plug body.

If that center post gets broken, do not keep using the port. It's really easy to bend and short the pin connectors if that center post is broken. USB ports carry 5V power to devices and you don't want that power rail shorting to ground or the data pins. It can cause some weird issues or in some cases even damage the main board or power supply.
 
rossipedia said:
USB-C is smaller, and an empirically more durable port. Unfortunately, the audio industry as a whole tends to take its sweet time adopting new connection standards (both a good and bad thing fwiw). We're starting to see a lot more audio interfaces with USB-C, hopefully more instrument / peripheral / outboard manufacturers follow suit.
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This, emphatically. I was really hoping the final iteration of the FM3 would sport USB C rather than the kludgy , so-easily-broken printer-oriented USB -B jack, but alas, no, .....thankfully our excellent FAS support replaced mine in a reasonable time period consdering it happened in the midst of pandemic shutdown..
 
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