Power surge on USB port error.....

[datsunboy]

Hi guys,
I havent used my NIStune for ages, and got it out the other day to tune a friends car......and as soon as I plug in the USB cable (with the car IGN on or off), it comes up with an error instantly saying that there was a power surge on the USB port.

What does this mean? how can I fix it?
I have tried it in all 3 USB plugs on my laptop.....and all the same error, and other USB devices (such as my Zeitronix wideband via Serial-USB converter) dont have the error.

And then, If you ignore the error.....it installs the NIStune as a "unknown device", and if I go to manually try to install the drivers, it still wont recognise it
Running Windows XP - SP2
I have had NIStune running on this laptop before (but have since re-installed windows hence no drivers installed yet).

I then setup a kind of dummy setup, with a battery, and a spare loom that I had, so that I could try it on the USB ports of my desktop PC.......It didnt come up with the power surge error.....but it still wont recognise NIStune or allow me to install the correct drivers....

Help??? is my NIStune dead?

[datsunboy]

Oh yeah....last time I tried to use it, it wouldnt work either for other reasons, and I sent it back to Matt, where he found out that the board had just wiggled loose from the EPROM socket (feel kinda stupid lol), and he put it back in, and glued it up so it didnt happen again.
This is the first time Ive tried it since then

[Matt]

Check for shorts with your USB cable. Something looks bad. Windows has detected short between data lines or power to the cable. Unless the FTDI chip got fried on it for some reason?

[datsunboy]

but is it not wierd that it doesnt bring up the power surge error on my home PC? only the laptop?
but neither PC can recognise it enough to install the drivers for it

[Matt]

Sounds like a FTDI chip issue then. Email me and I'll swap the board and cable over with you and see which is causing the problem afterwards

Different USB chipsets on the PC will detect problems differently most likely to windows

[bachig24u]

but is it not wierd that it doesnt bring up the power surge error on my home PC? only the laptop?
but neither PC can recognise it enough to install the drivers for it

May have something to do with the PC having more available power to USB than a laptop.

Some laptops don't supply 1amp to the usb ports which is a standard on PC's these days. The PC may happily cook your Nistune board without a flinching, but the laptop may not be able to supply the current and shows up an error as it's being overloaded.

[datsunboy]

yeah, but I've had it running on this laptop perfectly fine before....

Matt, I'll send you an email