Be aware ZWOASI662

[Maverik359]

I brought a new zwo asi622mc camera from the widescreen centre, last September. But the socket got damaged some how, so the seller recommended that I send it to zwo technical support desk. Which I obviously did so, they have had it since the 5th of july. I contacted the zwo technical desk today only to be told that it can't be repaired/replaced under warranty, but surely that can't be right?  I've also been told to ring them back in a months time, as it has to be sent back to zwo in China.  So just be aware if you have zwo equipment and it breaks you can't get it fixed in the uk. Pity as I liked my camera. 

[Vroobel]

That's sad, of course, but cables should be hung safely, they shouldn't pull the socket down, it's also easy to tear the socket in a case of tangling. I don't want to say that it's your case, but I have a lot of cams, all of them are from ZWO and nothing happens to the sockets thanks to proper cable management. 

Good luck anyway. 🤞

 

Edited July 20 by Vroobel

[Elp]

Think you'll find a lot of things (in fact most) aren't built in the UK, especially astro equipment so you'll encounter some issue getting a repair done locally for such niche items.

If it were damage covered under warranty the seller will have addressed it. With most things you buy, any damage not caused by original manufacturing spec (wear and tear for example) is not covered.

I've owned lots of zwo cameras, most bought used, never had an issue (yet), astro cameras in general are quite resilient compared to bodied cameras.

[Stuart1971]

11 hours ago, Maverik359 said:

I brought a new zwo asi622mc camera from the widescreen centre, last September. But the socket got damaged some how, so the seller recommended that I send it to zwo technical support desk. Which I obviously did so, they have had it since the 5th of july. I contacted the zwo technical desk today only to be told that it can't be repaired/replaced under warranty, but surely that can't be right?  I've also been told to ring them back in a months time, as it has to be sent back to zwo in China.  So just be aware if you have zwo equipment and it breaks you can't get it fixed in the uk. Pity as I liked my camera. 

An electrical engineer here in the UK could have fixed the USB socket for you, lots of people have used them over the years to replace USB ports on Astro cameras, just find one near you for future reference…👍🏻

[Carbon Brush]

USB connectors are great - until they break!
In the olden days of big USB type A & B connectors, they were quite robust and if damaged they could be swapped out with moderate skill and minimal tools.
As we progressed to micro USB, and now USB-C, things are often impossible for the DIY fix.

We the consumers all want a simple tiny connector on our shrinking technology items.
The equipment manufacturers all have to be seen to be meeting our desires.
Something has to give.

The general idea for connector manufacturers is that they make robust equipment connectors and (relatively speaking) flimsy cable connectors.
Tugged wires, misaligned connectors and the like should result in cable connector, rather than equipment damage
Cables are cheap to replace - equipment is expensive to repair.
But it doesn't always work out that way and sometimes manufacturers don't help by their design decisions.

Prevention is far better than cure. Here are two ideas.

Fit a sticky cable tie base adjacent to the connector and secure the lead.
If the lead gets an unintended tug, the low cost and easily replaced cable takes the strain. In a bad situation it takes the damage.
New cables are cheap.

Fit a sacrificial connector if the equipment is frequently unplugged.
For example if you add a 90deg adapter to the equipment, always unplug the cable side of the adapter.
After a year or two, the equipment connector has only been used once, but the cable side of the adapter has had hundreds of mating cycles.
Or it have been damaged due to a dodgy lead being plugged in. Either way, an easy fix.

HTH, David.

[Earl]

USB nice on paper, naff ports and even the C port need improvement imo for serious applications.

[Gfamily]

I once read a specification chart for USB sockets, and as I recall, the specified Lifetime Insertion count for micro usb was about 10x the insertion count for A or B.

 

Edited July 29 by Gfamily

[Vroobel]

It's not the USB, but I like an old-type Display Port plugs and sockets - you could hang your computer or display on them. Why it's not a rule today? Is it another conspiracy against consumers? Most often people buy new device... 🤔 😆

[Carbon Brush]

USB connectors construction, electrical performnce, and data transfer capability, bear no resemblance to the original idea of almost 30 years ago.
Take a look here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB

Apologies if the USB discussion is thought to be wandering off topic.

I don't think we can criticse ZWO for using USB connectors.
If they offered something different to the rest of the world, most buyers would wonder why - and maybe buy something else.
Then again, non standard connectors & protocols have worked for Messrs Apple & Sony for a long time and locked you into their products😁

Not having local repair facilities, ZWO are no different to a huge number of consumer/hobby electronics manufacturers.
We all look at prices & specification when buying. Few look at ongoing support.