ControlThink Forums

I just saw this ThinkStick review over at smallnetbuilder.com...

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/content/view/30402/239/

The author is a regular participant in many online forums including ours.  A big "thanks" to him for taking the time to review the product; I'm really glad that our customers are liking it...

Chris

Chris, thank you for posting this here. I am glad you liked my article.

One powerful feature is Network Optimization, which is run after all of your devices have been included and your ThinkStick is installed in its final location.

The final location of the ThinkStink shouldn't matter, as it does not include itself in the optimized route calculation. 

garylm:

One powerful feature is Network Optimization, which is run after all of your devices have been included and your ThinkStick is installed in its final location.

The final location of the ThinkStink shouldn't matter, as it does not include itself in the optimized route calculation. 

Garylm--quite true.  At least with its default firmware, the ThinkStick is set up as a portable device.  Portable devices are excluded from the network topology map so they're not included during rediscovery.

One side note: the ThinkStick can also be reflashed as a static controller (via the firmware over in the Z-Wave PC SDK forum).  This allows it to receive SceneActivated and LevelChanged events from in-wall and portable controllers when it's left in a stationary location.  When reflashed with this firmware, being in its final location allows it to get an accurate topology map and increases speed and reliability routing from the ThinkStick across the network to other devices.

Chris

A suggestion for the next version of ThinkStick:  make the traces to the USB D+ and D- pins heavier.  I must have tweaked mine, and now I've got an open circuit.  I'll be doing some micro surgery to beef up the connection on mine.  A trade-in would have me chewing my nails for two weeks, and the new one would probably develop the same problem.  So I'll just see what I can do with this one.  I can't live without it.

garylm,

Could you send me a photo of the USB traces?  Is this from inserting/removing or from transportation, etc.?  We've been quite abusive and haven't seen the issue, but I try to be a "no defects" kind of manager so I'm interested in seeing what's going on for you...

Chris

At first I thought the trace was cracked or the pad had separated from the trace, but I didn't find a problem when I scraped away the coating on the trace.  It turned out to be a cold solder joint (note the dull appearance of the solder).

All I had to do was re-heat the solder.  It works fine now.

The damage occured when I packed the ThinkStick in my suitcase with the extension cable attached on a recent trip.