Strong USB cables?

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zyo

513 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2339775 17-Oct-2019 14:18

MurrayM:

Dulouz:

I've recently switched to Anker (https://www.anker.com/products/110/202/micro-usb-cables) for my lightning cables. They are long and strong. Just how I like my men.

Do you order them from America or is there a local supplier?

USB Cable or long/strong men?

Jokes aside, UGreen has really good cables, you can find them on Aliexpress

https://www.ugreen.com.cn/collections/micro-usb-cable/products/2-4a-micro-usb-fast-charge-cable?variant=15398986252333

K8Toledo

1014 posts

Uber Geek

#2339861 17-Oct-2019 16:01

fe31nz:

MurrayM:

I've tried both normal PVC coated cables and braided cables, makes no difference. I've read that braided are meant to be better but I can't really see how the outer coating can protect the inner wires from flexing.

Braided cables should have braided copper inside the insulation. But all USB cables really have to be braided or they would break in just a few days of use. So I suspect that cables selling themselves as braided are just adding a buzz word to help their sales.

Braided copper isn't braided cable, it's braided shielding.

Braided cable refers to the sleeve, PVC is prone to splitting when repeatedly flexed.

Cables that experience repeated flexing usually use a spirally wrapped shield rather than a braid. Micro-USB cables fall into this category and I've never seen one with braided copper.

grimwulf

121 posts

Master Geek

#2339872 17-Oct-2019 16:27

Do the cables actually break/wear out or is it the connection that has a problem?

I've found that particularly micro-USB and even worse lightning cables - can exhibit intermittent problems related to the power port on phones rather than the cables themselves.

As an experiment get a sharp tooth-pick or other non metal small sharp object and just clear out your phones power port (where you plug the cable in). just stick it in carefully and clean it out around the edge.

You'll be surprised at how much lint and dust and crap you can get out - it literally just keeps on coming if you've had your phone a while and haven't cleaned it out.

After that my cables work a treat.

When I first realized this, I thought my phone was busted and was getting ready to just replace it. At first I had to wiggle the charge cable to get it to charge, then it would only charge in a specific position and woe betide anyone touch it whilst charging, then it just stopped charging at all.

Did the above with a toothpick and I kid you not the grey pocket lint just kept coming.

Of course, I do carry my phone around in my pocket... so not altogether surprising.

MurrayM

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#2340009 18-Oct-2019 09:04

grimwulf:

Do the cables actually break/wear out or is it the connection that has a problem?

Well for me when I have troubles with a cable I usually try a different cable and that fixes the problem. But I'll certainly try cleaning the port with a toothpick as I too carry my phone in my jeans pocket.

sbiddle

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#2340599 19-Oct-2019 14:02

What do do you do to your cables?? I think I've destroyed one cable in the last 5 years and that was an Anker in the micro USB days that the end simple broke after probably 2 years use.

Since my phone and laptop are now USB-C I only ever use USB-C to USB-C cables, and use JSAUX USB-C to USB-C cables that I got from Amazon that have had pretty extensive use, incl one in my travel bag that's coiled and uncoiled multiple times per week and I've never had a single issue.

For connectivity between my phone and powerbank I use short Veckle silicon cables.

KiwiSurfer

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#2340629 19-Oct-2019 15:40

grimwulf:

I've found that particularly micro-USB and even worse lightning cables - can exhibit intermittent problems related to the power port on phones rather than the cables themselves.

As an experiment get a sharp tooth-pick or other non metal small sharp object and just clear out your phones power port (where you plug the cable in). just stick it in carefully and clean it out around the edge.

You'll be surprised at how much lint and dust and crap you can get out - it literally just keeps on coming if you've had your phone a while and haven't cleaned it out.

After that my cables work a treat.

I can't agree with the above more strongly. I swapped cables and even bought a brand new Anker cable only to realise the issues I'd been having was simply too much lint in my iPhone's lightning port all along. I also did the toothpick trick and heaps of lint fell out. As a result, even the worst cable I own works just fine.

For lightning ports a good check is to attempt to plug in the cable. If you don't feel a slight click (and you can also visually see the outer part of the plug isn't snugly fitted to the edge of the device) then you probably have too much lint preventing the male part from going all the way in. This was the case with mine. Now I feel the click and all my cables (and the others I have access to at work) fit snugly, even the cheapo ones.

MurrayM

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#2341193 21-Oct-2019 09:33

KiwiSurfer:

grimwulf:

I've found that particularly micro-USB and even worse lightning cables - can exhibit intermittent problems related to the power port on phones rather than the cables themselves.

As an experiment get a sharp tooth-pick or other non metal small sharp object and just clear out your phones power port (where you plug the cable in). just stick it in carefully and clean it out around the edge.

You'll be surprised at how much lint and dust and crap you can get out - it literally just keeps on coming if you've had your phone a while and haven't cleaned it out.

After that my cables work a treat.

I can't agree with the above more strongly. I swapped cables and even bought a brand new Anker cable only to realise the issues I'd been having was simply too much lint in my iPhone's lightning port all along. I also did the toothpick trick and heaps of lint fell out. As a result, even the worst cable I own works just fine.

For lightning ports a good check is to attempt to plug in the cable. If you don't feel a slight click (and you can also visually see the outer part of the plug isn't snugly fitted to the edge of the device) then you probably have too much lint preventing the male part from going all the way in. This was the case with mine. Now I feel the click and all my cables (and the others I have access to at work) fit snugly, even the cheapo ones.

I tried cleaning out the power on my phone and couldn't get anything to come out other than a little dust. Maybe the lint problem is more of a problem with lightning ports than micro USB.

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Salami

237 posts

Master Geek

#2367728 3-Dec-2019 16:06

chevrolux:

What about those magnetic tip ones? You leave the tip in the socket permanently and then the cable just connects magnetically.

Less pulling to disconnect, etc.

Edit: Like this - https://voltacharger.com/

A bit risky as the ports without it being plugged is water resistant, plugging something in might cause an issue if you spill something over it

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