USB Cables burning out?

So after printing successfully for about a month with my first RepRap Kossel, I found one day I could not get it to connect. My first troubleshooting instinct was to do the simple first; and that was the USB cable. Swapping out the cable that came with the kit fixed the problem and I was successfully printing again. I thought it odd that the cable burned out; it's the first time I've ever seen a USB cable fail like that in the history of USB. However I figured it could be a manufacturing defect.

After leaving the printer going overnight, I came back to a 25% print, and my printer could not connect again, with the new cable. Now neither cable will connect it and I'm beginning to sense a pattern. Could my printer be overloading these cables? Is this a common problem, and if so, how can it be fixed?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/2015 10:13AM by Rett Mikhal.

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"Pfft. Third dimension... what dimension do we even live in?" - Charlie Kelly

The USB socket in your computer has probably gone bad. USB is great for your MP3 player, thumb drives, ect.. but when it comes to operating a piece of machinery that moves and vibrates and needs constant contact with the host, it is not robust enough.

Be sure to try rebooting your computer.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/2015 11:53AM by Easy.

I would suspect the USB socket only as a last option. It is fairly common for USB connectivity to drop out between the computer and your PC. The printer is a fairly"noisy" environment from an electromagnetic point of view, and this can - and does - interfere with USB communications.

Only use top quality USB cables, try to keep your cable runs as short as possible, and try adding a ferrite choke to your cable (or buy a cable that already has one). Also, try to keep your USB cables away from the motors, and avoid nearby fluorescent lights.

I stopped plugging anything that uses USB for power directly into my computer a couple years ago after a very cheap (promo) thumb drive killed the socket. I have since been using powered USB hubs that supply all power to peripherals and pass data to the computer...

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Doing a complete reboot fixed it, including the original wire that I thought was burnt out. I had not considered the machine's lack of EMI shielding. I will have to rectify that in the future. Thanks, gentlemen.

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"Pfft. Third dimension... what dimension do we even live in?" - Charlie Kelly