So, if the USB lead is rotated downwards then if the connector shell is not strongly soldered to the PCB the connections at the back can be torn off the PCB even by an impact with carpet from a small height?
What are you trying to say Brian?
I don't remember anything in the RB spec about it being guaranteed to be indestructible if dropped :-0
Excuse my post, but you do always seem to be trying to find fault ............
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You misunderstand me, I'm an engineer (which makes me naturally suspicious) that builds products for the consumer market and I know what they are expected to stand up to, but perhaps an incident like this with a mini-USB lead plugged in is more severe than I thought.
I'm not trying to find fault (and what else have I tried to find fault with except government actions?), but I think I'm justified in determining whether the risk of damage is high for a simple mistake. The force applied is unusual in that a vertical force would cause the connector to be driven against the case end, reducing the force applied to the connector/PCB whereas a rotational force has no such benefit so the force is applied directly to the connector mount points.
So this is probably how it happened to Bill5 and hence we should be aware that it can happen and take more care with our RBs.
There is of course the possibility that the soldering was inadequate in this case, but I can't diagnose that (especially from this distance) and it will be up to W&S (I presume) to determine whether an incident like this is classed as reasonable handling or not. The box is quite light and hence a lot easier to knock flying than if it were heavier.