Ultra Fit USB 3.0: Excessive Heat

Hi guys, recently purchased the 16GB version of the Ultra Fit.

The reason this device is overheating is due to power draw via the USB 3.0 interface. I ran CrystalDiskMark with this drive sitting on a USB 3.0 port, and then a 2.0 port (both connected to motherboard on laptop).

When hooked up to USB 3.0 the Ultra Fit got ridiculously hot, to the point at which it felt like the end of a hot glue gun. When connected to USB 2.0 it was STILL HOT but tolerable.

Scores for USB 3.0:

Sequential Read  125.685 MB/s
Sequential Write 34.706 MB/s
Random Read 4KiB  : 5.780 MB/s
Random Write 4KiB  : 1.553 MB/s

Scores for USB 2.0:

Sequential Read : 41.072 MB/s
Sequential Write  : 25.743 MB/s
Random Read 4KiB : 5.357 MB/s
Random Write 4KiB  : 1.712 MB/s

According to the scores it appears that on USB 2 the drive takes a massive hit on Reading, but Writing and 4K R/W is actually fairly similar. THIS IS DUE TO THE POWER DRAW. 

Therefore, I would use USB 2.0 if transferring large files- the transfer rate will be slower but heat will be tolerable. For small files transferring via USB 3.0 would be far quicker, though less safe.

Its a brutal shame that SanDisk markets a drive for USB 3 that can pretty much be only be safely used with USB 2.0. SanDisk needs to find a balance between the two.

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So SanDisk quietly updated the models with what appears to be a small incredmental upgrade, but no changes to the physical body. Any idea if this is to address the heat issue?

I have severl 128gb UltraFit models and I generally have to use them at USB 2 speeds. I’ve always been under the impression that SD cards can function just fine with extreme heat, but USB flash drives do not have nearly as much thermal resistance due to differences in the controller.

From a design perspective, SanDisk should have used aluminum…this would make a huge difference in regards to internal temperature.

@> ZapNZs wrote:

> So SanDisk quietly updated the models with what appears to be a small incredmental upgrade, but no changes to the

> physical body. Any idea if this is to address the heat issue?

 

Guess not - I just got in a 128GB 150MBPS one and it overheated and did the repeated disconnect/reconnect thing when I tried to copy a folder of several GB to it :frowning: . I moved it to a USB2.0 port and so far it’s only running stoopid hot but not flaking out. I only need it to hold some .wav files to play on my .wav only device and will rarely write to it so I can live with that. Definitly not usable on a USB3.0 port! I need the low profile so I can leave it inserted in my device - a “standard” sized one wouldn’t work for me. I also have a 32GB one I bought a couple months back - I didn’t notice any problem with that one.

@kjh wrote:

You guys have thousands of posts on a forum for flash drives and don’t actually work for Sandisk?  

Yeah–awesome, isn’t it?    :wink:

This is kinda bull**bleep**, sandisk seems to ignore this issue and seems ok with it.

I bought a 128GB thumb drive to be used in my “mini-nas” but that seemed like a no go.

Started transferring files from my old server to new server onto the sandisk thumb drive and after like 20-30sec, the copy process just stopped. First I thought it was some other issue but then I noticed how insanely hot the thumb drive was. Found by various forum threads that the drive kinda disconnects after copying large files but small files (and not too many) worked ok.

Saw some replies from sandisk representatives that the heat isnt an issue and I decided to proove them wrong.

Here´s my “ghetto modded” thumb drive

http://imgur.com/a/V9xd4

Now it works and I have no issues with the thumb drive disconnecting when reading or copying files.

Thought id share it if anyone have any use for the info.

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You’re going to simply have to use the drive with a USB 2 port. The USB power draw is limited when connected to the 2.0 interface, and thus does not get nearly as hot.

Of course, read and transfer performance takes a hit, but its the safest way to use the drive. Might as well return it.

@deebs: Your mod has proven that the overheat issue impacted the drive’s performance (which has been suspected by many of posters here). In one hand, this solves the overheat issue while in other hand, it might against the purpose of people buying this tiny USB stick.

@negusp: I had the same experience that the drive works well under USB 2.0… but this against the purpose of buying a USB 3.0 drive (speed concern).

I just received my Sandisk Ultra Fit USB 3.0 128GB Flash Drive with great excitement.

On package: SDCZ43-128G-Q46 and 80-56-14876-128G

On Flash Drive: BP160525497D and SDCZ43

I inserted my new Ultra Fit USB 3.0 128GB Flash Drive into my HP Pavilion Desk Top

and began copying my music and video files to it. I reached down to remove it

and it burnt my finger and left a blister. WTF ??? 

I’m 65 years old and have been in the computer industry for 35 years.

How can any company release such a flawed piece of technology.

This drive, in my opinion, should not be sold. They can cause USB port damage.

They should be recalled and replaced with safe units.

Sandisk, you burned my fingers and created blisters. There is no warning regarding

a burn hazard and handling instructions on your packaging.

I plugged your product into a 2.0 USB as instructed and I was burned.

Sandisk please contact me.

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I just received my Sandisk Ultra Fit USB 3.0 128GB Flash Drive with great excitement.
On package: SDCZ43-128G-Q46 and 80-56-14876-128G
On Flash Drive: BP160525497D and SDCZ43
I inserted my new Ultra Fit USB 3.0 128GB Flash Drive into my HP Pavilion Desk Top
and began copying my music and video files to it. I reached down to remove it
and it burnt my finger and left a blister. WTF ???
I’m 65 years old and have been in the computer industry for 35 years.
How can any company release such a flawed piece of technology.
This drive, in my opinion, should not be sold. They can cause USB port damage.
They should be recalled and replaced with safe units.
Sandisk, you burned my fingers and created blisters. There is no warning regarding
a burn hazard and handling instructions on your packaging.
I plugged your product into a 2.0 USB as instructed and I was burned.
Sandisk please contact me.

“I plugged your product into a 2.0 USB as instructed and I was burned.”

Are you sure it wasn’t a USB3.0 port? Mine’s been running reliably and less than blistering hot since I stopped using a USB 3.0 port for it.

…and this is a user’s forum, fat chance that Sandisk will reply here - especially on this product LOL.

It says USB 3.0 which I assume means designed to use in a USB 3.0 port. Backwards compatible with USB 2.0.

my computer has 2.0 on the front - even in a TV USB port or Andriod TV box this thing burns too hot for reality.

but thank you for your feedback

Well, if you think it gets hot in a USB2.0 port you’d freak at how hot it gets in a USB3.0 port LOL. It gets so hot that it shuts down after a couple minutes of being written to. I can’t beleive it didn’t burn up but it’ll start working again after cooling down.

I have just ordered a few of these (in total I have approx 8 of these USB3 32GB and 64 GB)

They were selling cheap.

I too noticed excess heat.

Does anyone have a link to an official Sandisk posting, saying that we do not have to worry about data loss ?

I can live with burnt fingers, as long as I do not risk losing data already stored on them

Potential loss of data could have me jumping off a cliff (as a Scot would be bereft if he thought he could lose data after all of those purchases)

Rob

PS If the answer is - Don’t worry Rob, you won’t lose any previous data on the drive

THEN

I have a suggestion for all of those concerned about the heat damaging the computer and/or the usb socket.

Purchase a USB 3 Extension cable (Male into your PC, and Female socket on the end of the cable).

If you plug the sandisk into that, there will be no risk of damaging your PC.

Rob

PPS If the answer to my first post is - Rob, you could lose data.

I will take my own suggestion, and have a wee fan blowing on to the end of the cable

(If everyone PayPals me $20 for that suggestion, it could keep me away from the cliffs)

I just use mine on a USB2.0 port - no prob.

I have the solution for you all.

I was using a usb3 extension cable and the sandisk 32GB was getting very hot.

(I previously had a sandisk OTG in there, and it too got frighteninly hot)

That cable had plastic shrouding over all of the female socket.

I looked through my previous ebay purchases, and found a 1M usb 3 cable with the female end bare metal (no plastic covering).

I tested the 32GB in it for 30 minutes, and just ejected it now, and it is slightly warm (NOT HOT)

I did not have any fan, and the room is 20C.

Another thing to be wary of, is ensuring you get a cable with a snug fit. For two reasons -

  • I have had total loss of data when wiggle occured at a crucial time (mind you that was an external pocket 2.5" drive)

  • A snug fit will help with heat transfer

The cable I previously purchased was most likely the same as this current ebay listing -

1M USB 3.0 Extension Data Cable SuperSpeed - A Male to A Female - AU STOCK

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1M-USB-3-0-Extension-Data-Cable-SuperSpeed-A-Male-to-A-Female-AU-STOCK-/252448044306

It was many months ago when I purchased mine.

I just rang the company, and they tell me that they have not changed supplier for 8 months, so there is a good chance that the current ebay listing (above link), is identical to mine.

Rob

PS I have just ordered some more, so I will report back to confirm whether they are the same. (should only takes days, as they and I, are both in Melbourne Vic Australia)

Just bought the UltraFit 64G, inserted it in the USB of my desktop and loaded some files onto it, about 40Gb and sure…the thing became hot as hell. Really hot, the thing that at first amazed me as a nice piece of engineering wasn’t, after all, that well engineered. Can’t be good for the internals to get that hot.

Upon inserting it in the USBport of my laptop, and using it in a more normal way, the temperature was much more acceptable, just hand warm, so I guess under  practical conditions, making a report, watching a movie, everything is acceptable.

But big data dumps seem to be a problem, and I really also hate to see it use that much battery power from the poor laptop’s battery.

I have a 32GB that seems to not overheat like my 128GB does. In any case the solution is simple - just use a USB2.0 port when writing large amounts data to it.

Sometimes i wish i had read reviews of products, even of A brands, before i bought them. 

So i bought the 128GB USB Thin of Sandisk to use for work related files so that i can quickly swap between my workstation and my travel laptop. After a few minutes in my travel laptop i also noticed the extreme heat of the USB stick, even though i wasnt using it at all. In the 3.0 USB ports of my workstation, same problem, although in my workstation it got so hot it actually hurt to touch the metal parts. In a 2.0 port it gets a bit warm, but nothing extreme. Unfortunately my travel laptop has no 2.0 ports…

Is there any solution for this?