How to tighten a loose USB connection

Symptoms of a loose USB jack

One day I was trying to configure my new USB-MIDI adapter, and I noticed that intermittently the adapter's power-indicating LED would turn off and my computer would complain of a dropped connection. At first I thought it was a bad connection inside the adapter, maybe a loose wire,, so I opened the adapter and inspected all the soldered connections—everything looked fine. Then I noticed that when I wiggled the USB plug, the connection was intermittent. The plug, on close inspection, looked just like other USB plugs I have, and clean.

Tightening the jack

Two USB jacks. The pairs of tabs on the bottom are for grasping a USB plug. Note the second tab from the left hasn't yet been pried up.

A quick search online, "macbook pro usb poor physical connection" pointed me to https://serato.com/forum/discussion/1099009 , where comments provided me with enough courage to try improving the hold of the USB jacks inside my computer. I bent two metal tabs in the jack that press the plug so that the gold-plated tongues on the plug press against the gold-plated tongues on the jack. While working on the jack, I also cleaned it.

Tools

1. Work-light
2. Tiny flat screwdriver
3. Rubbing alcohol
4. Cotton swabs
5. Needle-nose pliers

Procedure

Prying a metal tab in a USB jack.

With the tiny screwdriver, gently pry the beveled tabs further into the cavity, but no more than a millimeter. The ends of the tabs should still be in the recess, so that they don't catch the edge of the plug. Do not be tempted to pry the gold-plated connectors themselves, since they can easily be pulled out of the fold that keeps them in.

Flattening a cotton swab with pliers

To clean the jack, flatten a cotton swab, wet with a drop of alcohol, and swab the insides of the jack.

Results

When I first followed the above procedure, I found the jacks to be tighter, that they held a USB plug more firmly, but it was still possible to wiggle the plug and drop the connection temporarily.

Tightening the plug

Squeeze the USB plug slightly for a tighter fit. Caution—A malformed plug may damage the jack in the computer.

I gave the plug itself a squeeze with the pliers, so that the gap inside the plug was slightly smaller. Just squeezing with fingers is adequate; if the plug is too misshapen, it might not fit well, or even damage the jack. Now the connection was very firm, and dropouts were impossible to induce.