WD Live Hub - UK AC/DC power adaptor - poor contact design

[jeallen01]

Here's the story:

The unit is powered from an AC power strip which also supplies the local Netgear network switch and another (Sony!) media centre device because these units are physically remote from the cable modem and network router. The power strip has a local AC power switch because these elements are not always required in use.

When I switched on the power strip, the local network switch and the Sony media device powered up immediately - but the Live Hub rarely powered up to the extent the front display "WD" LED illuminated, and this was confirmed by the fact that PCs elsewhere on the network could not see it. Sometimes, after a very long time (minutes, hours possibly), the Live Hub did "wake up" and is accessible, but this was not often.

Several times, I did a full reset of the device via the recessed button on the bottom on the unit, but this  made no difference. The device has the Firmware updates autodetect set to ON, and did require an update just after it was installed (i.e. before Xmas) but there have been none detected since then.

Then I realised that, occasionally, removing and refitting the lead from the AC mains adaptor has caused it to "wake up" - but this is not at all common either.

For these reasons I believed that either the AC mains adaptor or the unit itself must be faulty. 

I submitted the above to WD Tech Support, and they did come back fairly quickly with an offer of a new AC/DC adaptor - but in the meantime I found the actual problem, because I replaced the AC-DC adaptor supplied with the unit with another that I already have around – and this appears to have completely cleared the problem!

I also think I have identified the source of the problem – it is the type of connector fitted to the Live Hub end of the DC cable from the adaptor.

Whilst most similar AC/DC adaptors use connectors with concentric “360o” contact tubes around the centre pin, the UK adaptor supplied with the Live Hub uses a “bent wire contact” which can only make contact in two places with the mating centre contact in the Live Hub 12VDC-in power socket. This means that if the connector fit is poor then this “bent wire” contact does not make a good connection to the Live Hub – and thus power cannot get through to it!

The UK adaptor supplied with the Live Hub is an Asian Power Devices Model WA-24E12FK.

My experience shows that this adaptor has an inherent poorly designed connector – and so the type, not just this particular adaptor, needs to be replaced in WD’s own warranty costs interest.

Therefore I have asked WD for another AC/DC adaptor to be supplied – but obviously not by another one of the original type – so that I can return my own adaptor to the use for which it was bought on another item of equipment!!!

Hope this helps somelse avoid a long and flustrating search for a very simple problem and fix! :-)

John
 

[Alucardx23]

Nice, thanks for sharing.

[jeallen01 · Accepted solution]

To cut a long story short, the replacement PSU from WD was exactly the same as the original, and thus had the same problem!

Therefore I bought a couple of the appropriately sized concentric contact tube connectors from Maplins and replaced the bent wire connectors on both PSUs  (it's a soldering iron job, but not difficult) - then one went with the Live Hub ( and the other one "in the drawer" for any other future needs).

Since then, the Live Hub has always started up immediately the power was applied to the PSU - problem solved!