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I've received a number of these units for repair, and all of them have had the same problem to varying degrees.  The PWR jack, which is a mini-USB connection, had broken loose from the PCB.  I've managed to fix all that have come in, but a couple needed some jumpers on the PCB to the connector pins as the connector coming loose ripped traces off the board.

I decided that since I was installing my virgin WIU on my new layout power panel, maybe I should look at mine to see what it's condition was.  So I opened it up and here's what I saw.  Note all he indicated points are devoid of any solder, they're completely bare.  While there is a spot of solder on the bottom of the two outboard pins, it seems obvious from all the failures that it's not sufficient to hold the connector in place, my suspicion is that it barely touches the shell pins.  This explains why even minor strain on the power connector can result in the connector breaking free, and of course, the WIU doesn't work any longer!

MTH WIU Power Jack Fix N1MTH WIU Power Jack Fix N2

The fix really isn't that complicated, and it's a lot easier on a virgin unit that hasn't had the connector pulled off the PCB yet!  I just reinforce the mounting by soldering all the bare places on the connector shell.

This may not make the connector bulletproof, but it will sure go a long way toward keeping it from breaking free of the PCB and killing your WIU.  Here's what mine looks like, it's ready to go back into the case and hopefully provide years of reliable service.

MTH WIU Power Jack Fix N3MTH WIU Power Jack Fix N4

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  • MTH WIU Power Jack Fix N3
  • MTH WIU Power Jack Fix N4
Last edited by gunrunnerjohn
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Correct, it's actually tied to the PCB (kind of) on the bottom with those two little solder spots.  It's also tied on the one side near the rear of the connector.  However, the major points of strain relief are totally free of solder, which of course causes the weakness in the structural integrity of the connector.  The connector shell is actually ground from the looks of things, and that's the normal convention for USB connectors as well.

Thanks for sharing this! I happen to have mine so the cord hangs straight down. I unplug the other end all the time to swap TIUs. I haven't touched this end of the USB. SO I have been lucky!

I will go inside when I get thru with all these engines on my bench.

I was shocked when I opened up a brand new TIU, and found the post's nuts were loose. So I guess this doesn't shock me here?

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