"Unknown USB device" Fellowes Micro Trac Trackball

smkau18 · 06-01-2005, 08:13 AM

I have a Fellowes Micro Trac Trackball (USB connection), when I plugged it into my CarPc (Running Windows XP, SP2) it worked fine (it doesn't come with any drivers). Then I plugged it into a 5 metre USB extension cable and the CarPc tells me that there is an "unknown device," connected and the trackball doesn't work. I have tried uninstalling all of the USB devices in the 'Device Manager,' and then restarting the computer and plugging the exstension cable back in...same problem. I have tried all of the USB ports on the computer...same problem. I have uninstalled SP2...same problem.
I have tried the trackball with the 5M exstension on another computer before using the trackball without the exstension on that computer and it worked fine! Maybe because I used the trackball by itself on my CarPc before the USB exstension the CarPc is getting confused.

If anyone has some advice it would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

evandude · 06-01-2005, 08:32 AM

sounds like your extension isn't very good. that could cause it to work on some computers, and not others, depending on how good their USB ports were.

You could try an "active" USB extension (those have amplifiers to maintain signal strength on an extension)

Personally I'm running my fellowes trackball off a USB hub, which runs through a 15-foot extension to another USB hub, to the USB port. Both hubs are bus-powered (just cheap $4 things) Perhaps you could get a cheap hub and put it on the end of your extension and run the trackball through that. The hub would condition the signals, and might be enough to get them through the extension.

smkau18 · 06-01-2005, 08:45 AM

Thanks for the tip 'evandude' I will see if I can get hold of a USB hub or "active" USB exstension.

Cheers

smkau18 · 06-01-2005, 08:56 PM

Just bought the active USB exstension and the trackball is working again. Thanks for the advice!

Curiosity · 06-01-2005, 10:50 PM

You also could have shortened the cable. If it's 5M and the trackball has a 1M cable, that's a bit over spec, so cutting the 5M down to 4 would probably have worked.

smkau18 · 06-02-2005, 07:25 AM

Oh well to late, a bit to much fiddling to cut the cable, I got a refund on it anyway.
Thanks