Prongs on the EB40 different lengths?

[PradaVN]

I recently got a used EB40 and noticed that the second prong?(is this what it's called?) is shorter than the other 3. Is this normal or are all 4 prongs supposed to be equal length? If it is supposed to be shorter, then why is it there at all since it probably doesn't reach the UX?

[cktlcmd]

Yes, that is normal. I bought two brand new ones from different web sites. Had the same question when I got the first one. But I have no idea why the second prong from the left is shorter than the rest.

[geps]

I had this doubt since the first day I got my EB40, now I feel much better :D

[exNewt]

They are all spring loaded, but sometimes one will stick.
1) CAREFULLY grasp the shorter pin with tweezers or needlenosed pliers
2) pull it out gently so it is the same length as the others
3) apply a bit of WD-40 with a Q-tip
4) push the pin in a few times
(it should pop up on its own, if not repeat 1-2)

Note even stuck down they will still usually contact the UX-40/50 and power it.

[exNewt]

Forgot to add, but from the above post you can infer I meant to add "no it's NOT normal for the pins to be uneven length".

[cktlcmd]

As long as it works fine. I suggest, don't touch it. If it is not broken, don't fix it. As I mentioned from above, I bought two brand new ones last April. I got and opened them that way which made me conclude that the second prong from the left is supposed to be shorter than the rest. As both of them are, coincidence? I don't think so. But the decision is yours if it really annoys you that they are uneven. You can follow exNewt's advice, as I assume he got his with all even lenght prongs.

[Wireless]

My EB40 is 2 -3 days old and the PIN is lower. I would venture to say its a norm. Two many people have it to not be. Could easily be something simple like it was made that way so it would be easy to install it in the proper direction? I think I would rather have one lower, then up after seeing the percentages. Anyway, The Dont Fix If It Ain't Broke" is the motto to be employing here. Cause I guarantee a broken PIN will be customer abuse and they wont be covering that under warranty. And since they dont have any in stock, cant replace, especially with "Like or similar item" What else could be "similar"? LOL

[Hari Seldon]

The second pin on my EB40 is shorter as well. Whether it's supposed to be this way or not, it doesn't affect its usage. When the UX50 is connected, all the pins depress furthur than that second pin is.

[PradaVN]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm not worried about it now.

[Cyker]

As I don't have a UX I can't say for certain that this is the reason, but the different pin lengths might be for the same reason as in modern 'Hot-Pluggable' connectors like USB and Serial-ATA dard drives, which also have some of the 'pins' shorter than others.

In those cases, the longer pins are the grounding wires, with the shorter ones being the live/data ones. It's supposed to reduce the risk of getting nasty voltage spikes when you plug stuff in, since the ground wires being longer should give both bits of hardware a chance to establish a common 0-volt level before the live/data pins contact.