I am not placing the blame solely on the laptops. I am going with this with an very open mind.
Good to hear.
You are deadset that it is the TND fault.
I cannot see the link between a few certain Laptops versus the laptops that work.
Yes, for a lot of reasons which seem to be clear to others. IT can be a great product but it is an OTS unit like a number of others.
I can see the problem, it is a power issue and it isn't about the USB port.
If it was an TND issue the result would be a more wider range of laptops. In fact a major concern.
It is just curious that certain newer laptops have this issue.
Not really, there is a standard and those laptops may not meet the standard but on the other hand if the product was functioning properly, it would not have any issue. Read the standard, you will understand what we are both saying.
It is the brand - nope. could be related to models. Do not know at this point in time.
You may not be aware how the laptop scene works. It is surprising.
I have posted many times that Rand is not leaving users to hang out to dry.
Actually they have by shoving the product into the retail channels (the shelves) too soon without proper testing. I won't get into it because I learned a lot today about the unit and will end up revealing who I talked to.
Their are two folders that are 20mb compressed that can be send to any user to update their TND. I do this all the time to update units here or if a user is on a Mac.
BUT the unit shouldn't have to have workarounds, just as if it should not have to be a windows only unit, too many assumptions and cheap engineering going on.
The issue you saw was not the issue at hand. It was flash corruption.
Actually it wasn't. I found out what caused them to die and it was pretty interesting.
The TND was build to USB standards. (let's not go there either)
It may be 'built' to the standards but not 'designed' to the standards.
I felt you two have attacked me from all fronts, and have a closed deadset mind that the TND is a flawed device. Not once have you really listened to what I have said. Instead you have taken what I said and attacked it more.
First it isn't personal, and second because you are not listening to what either of us are saying, you are forming your opinion around your experience at your level only and taking the word of those who are not looking at all the possibilities. From what you initially said, they are looking at hubs and laptops and so on but no mention of measuring current draw or looking at how the thing switches power internally (HINT).
To me it is like there is a consultant who is being paid T&M (good money) to produce a product for a market with vague standards of what the end user expects. They have a flaw that they found after they produce the product but doesn't want to admit to the customer that they have made a mistake, and seem to blame everyone else but themselves for the problems. This is what it looks like on the outside. You don't have a choice, you follow their lead and can't do much other than what you are told to do.
By the way, the end user standards have come to accept things that don't work and in todays world, it is these standards that allow cheap and crap gadgets on the market. If something costs $400, it should be more than just feature rich, it should be dependable.
Instead of attacking me, give me good ideas since you two seem to know so much on how one can narrow this down. But, remember you have almost no access to a users computer, just the model number. I cannot look at chipsets nor take the users computer apart. It is like a black box. You take the inputs and outputs and determine what is in the black box if you have taken electronics.
Ah but we did, a lot of times. You may be right about the power at the USB port but you are wrong that it is the laptops.
So here is a more detailed solution.
1- RM can change out the USB/power cable. It should cost them $3 per unit to do this. The cable is called a USB power cable with two male USB jacks that plug into the laptop and one into the unit. These can be made will all different connectors on them, A/B/mini.
2 - RM can have the unit redesigned to take power from the charger (separate port) and not the USB side. Doing it right will cause the unit not to take parasitic power off the USB port for any reason but shift it to the battery when disconnected from the charger where it should have been in the first place. If you notice one of the complaints is even if the battery was fully charged, it still would not work - HINT.
The second one is the best but the first one should work.
NO powered hubs, no new laptops, no users calling up and asking for updates but rather a good dependable product.
If RM can't get a grip on the issues and stand up to admit there is an issue with their product, that is their fault,
not yours.
