Repairing my big USB hub.
Wednesday, May 27, 2026 at 07:15:23
This device sat in my rack for many years, both providing power and USB services for various things. It quit back in March, the power supply giving out like switchers do. You can find that post at the bottom of this one.
I was going to simply toss the device in the recycle bin, but…high current switchers are so cheap these days, there’s no reason not to fix it. So, let’s open it back up:
I wasn’t able to get an exact replacement for the supply, so I got a MeanWell equivalent unit. It won’t exactly fit inside, so we’ll make do.
For this task, I drilled a hole in the rear of the chassis and connected the new supply lines directly to the input of the hub using some good 16GA wire. I probably could have used a single strand here, as the internal wiring was somewhat lacking in size - but I used two, because just in case. They’re soldered together, and covered with two layers of shrink tubing.
The other ends were stripped, terminated with an aglet, and screwed into the supply, which now sits on top of the hub chassis. Open frame devices like this aren’t something that I’d put in a place where others could touch, but for me - it’s fine. The hub is back online and working.
There’s a youtube video for this device: Coming soon.
I’m happy that a piece of what could be e-waste is now back in service.
Previous part of this series: https://wereboar.com … t-quit-whats-inside/