Well, that?s the symptom that drives my search for the cause. Suddenly no charge indicator. Then I move the cable, ?beep-boop? the indicator shows charging. Is this a case of chicken or egg?
Never go for those thin ones. Always fat (5mm?) ones.
On Tue, 5 Jul 2016 14:55:16 -0700 (PDT), Lasse Langwadt Christensen Gave us:
It IS an issue. I have examined it over and over again, and have had far longer service from my cables and the connectors they plug into from applying power AFTER making the connection. It is an undeniable fact.
That is how points "wear out". That is how relay contacts "wear out".
First, do YOU know what the level of gold electroplating is on a cheap chinese USB cable?
Do you know what it is on the AMP or whatever brand of connector incorporated into the device?
I doubt you do. I doubt you even know the typical plating level one finds in the industry at all.
Which further emphasizes my point.
Do NOT plug your USB cables in to your device for charging purposes while the cable is under power.
It is real simple and has been a standard for power cords, and especially the DC variety for decades, and this very reason.
Omelette perhaps? When you wiggle the cable, I can't tell from here whether you have a broken wire inside the molded connector, or you have a contact connection problem. Hold the phone and connector in one hand so that the connector doesn't move. Then, wiggle the cable and see if it's still intermittent. That should separate the potential causes.
Also, if it's that bad, I would tear apart the phone and visually inspect the connector. Same with using a magnifier to inspect the contacts from outside the phone. Might as well run a stiff non-conductive brush through the receptacle while you're at it. Pocket lint tends to be the same dark color as the connector insulation and is difficult to see. I've seen phones that I swear looked clean when I looked inside with a magnifier, yet had an accumulation of lint at the bottom of the connector which was preventing the connector from seating properly.
So much for that idea. I've seen a few cables that are mostly insulation with very little copper. Maybe tear apart one of the cables that had previously failed.
--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
The highest quality cables I've found are the Fujitsu cables. Unfortunately they are quite expensive, $1.80 each if you buy a lot of
10, once you pay shipping.
These are pretty large diameter cables because they use AWG 22 wire. The sub-$1 cables use either all AWG 28, or use AWG 28 for D+ and D-, and AWG 26 for power and ground.
The pins on the cheap cables lose their springiness and no longer contact the contacts in the female socket in the phone. It's a good design since replacement cables are pretty cheap, but changing the socket on the phone is expensive.
are significantly poorer quality than the $1.80 22 AWG cables that I bought. Plus if you're charging a high current Micro USB device, using a high-current charger, you need the better cables, though the 26/24 are also fine.
Here's a YouTube video showing the pocket lint in the connector problem and cleaning procedure:
--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
Dollar Tree stores have recently started selling the flat cables for $1 plus sales tax, and in a half dozen colors. There are a half dozen of their stores in my area. :)
ElectronDepot website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.