From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage
Ant <
ant@zimage.comANT> wrote:
I have 2 SanDisk GB flash drives (256 GB with USB-A & USB-C ends, and
512 GB with old USB-A). They both get burning hot quickly both a 2020
Intel MacBook Pro and 64-bit W10 Pro. PC. :(
No mention if you are doing long write sessions, just reading from the
drive, or it's hot sitting idle (no reads or writes). If hot when idle
(and allowing a cool-down after a long write session) then the device is defective, so start a return with Sandisk.
Many have plastic cases which feel less hot, but are just as hot. Has
to do with density of the shell as to how fast is the thermal transfer.
A metal shell will dissipate heat faster, so a plastic shell transfers
slower which can eventually fry the device. That's why plastic
heatsinks are not used on CPUs or GPUs.
The efficiency, write speed, the duration of writes, and case materials
affect the heat of a USB flash drive. During a long write session when
the device is constantly drawing more power, even a constantly blinking
LED adds some heat. Some users, for example, of the Sandisk Ultra Fit
3.0 USB flash drive note it gets very hot, but often never mention how
long was the write session or how many bits were transferred. Although
it is a flush-fit USB drive (just the short head is outside the USB
connector), its shell is plastic over metal (one version just has
metal), but the plastic is very thin (okay for semi-permanent use, but
too flimsy for repeated insertions), so it can feel hot on the fingers
when extracting. Sandisk's response is to wait 30 seconds after a long
write session to let the drive cool down -- which is admission their
flash drive gets really hot.
We don't know for sure what USB flash drive you have, just that it's
Sandisk. Could be it is a fast device (high write speed), and you're
doing long write sessions. A slower driver would generate less heat,
but who wants slower? Well, a lot of users just base their buying
decision on capacity, and never read the specs, if available, on the
write speed of the drive. However, some users want fast USB drives, so
they get those with the fastest write speeds. Usually takes one huge
copy operation where the user keeps perturbed at how long it takes to
realize they need to get a fast drive instead of a cheapy slow one.
We don't know what type of USB drive you have (USB 1.1, 2.0, 3.x). The
higher the USB spec support, the higher the maximum current draw. The
higher the current load, the more heat gets generated.
Remember that hot to your fingers is not hot to a connector. USB
temperatures may range from -20C to 80C. Well, 80C (176F) is damn hot
on your fingers. 5-minute exposure to 120F water causes 3rd degree
burns. If you use a monitor program, you'll probably see your CPU might
run up to 50C (122F) or up to 80C (176F) when gaming, and that would be painfully uncomfortable and even damaging to hold in your palm.
Just how hot is "burning hot"? Do you smell burning plastic? Does
paper ignite when you press it against the hot USB drive? Did you
measure with an IR thermometer to know just how hot is hot?
To get opinions or experiences from other Sandisk consumers, you might
want to ask in their forums (
https://forums.sandisk.com/). Include the
model, and just HOW you are using the drive when it gets hot.
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