pcHDTV 5500 card - Connector comes loose?

Ben Scott dragonhawk at gmail.com
Mon Mar 5 08:14:35 EST 2007


On 3/3/07, Ben Scott <dragonhawk at gmail.com> wrote:
> When I went to connect it to the CATV line, the F connector popped
> right off the card.

  I found that the manufacturer's own product photos show the slide-on
barrel connector extender I mentioned, so this is apparently "by
design":

http://www.pchdtv.com/images/image006.jpg

  It occurs to me that I can probably fix it by replacing the slide-on
connector they used with a screw-on type.  That will at least keep the
connector-extender from sliding off the tuner module's connector lug.
I might have to file down the points of the screw-on connector to get
it to clear the hole in the mounting bracket, but that shouldn't be
too hard.

  That should additionally let me put a couple of nuts on either side
of the mounting bracket, for strain relief.  Right now, any cable
movement is transmitted right to the solder joints of the tuner
module, which is Not Good(TM).  Nuts on either side of the bracket,
tightened down to the bracket, should move that stress to the bracket,
where it belongs.

  Why the manufacturer didn't do something like this themselves, I have no idea.

  I got this card because their Linux support is supposed to be
outstanding, but I'm obviously unhappy it has such a stupid design
flaw.  This hearkens back to a question I posed a few weeks ago: Which
is worse, crappy hardware that's well supported, or good hardware
that's poorly supported?

  Why does everything have to suck so much?

-- Ben


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