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| The LaCie iamakey USB device |
The customer stated that his girlfriend kept the device on her keychain and allowed it to dangle from the front of the computer when she used it. When the device began having problems, she wrapped it in tape and continued. Eventually the drive was no longer functioning and, according to the customer, it would get very hot when plugged in.
Our company doesn't care much for the pretty packaging your drive comes in. External drive enclosures can be replaced - your precious data can't. We operate under the K.I.S.S. principle, so we work directly with the drives themselves. Plus we like taking stuff apart.
Here is the device disassembled:
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| The unit disassembled into its component parts. |
As you can see, most of the weight or "strength" of the device is in the large square portion of the key. The portion containing the flash memory is not reinforced.
Also, when inserted into a USB port and left hanging with a weight attached, the weak point - the fulcrum of the lever, if you will - is just above the 4 contacts.
In the next photograph, we can see a hairline crack that runs diagonally through the medium:
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| One side of card - notice the cracked casing. |
Here is the reverse side of the card. The bend in the card causes it to reflect the camera's flash unevenly:
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| Opposite side of card with bend highlighted. |
Further examination of this card indicates that the crack runs all the way through the circuit board, severing multiple connections that were improperly mated when the card was "fixed," causing a short-circuit and overheating.
Lesson learned: When purchasing a USB device, consider all consequences if its form factor. Sure, a USB device that fits onto your key ring may seem practical. However, if we know anything about human nature, we can formulate a number of great ways to finish this sentence:
"I would normally remove it from the keychain to plug it in, but...."
