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I've noticed that the connection using the micro usb cable is not snug, if I apply slight leverage to it the charge/connection is lost.
Im a bit dissapointed because I have certainly not pulled on the lead/dropped the device while attached or anything else that might have buggered the plug.
Is there any way I can make the connection snug again, or is this typical for all other devices too.
If this does turn into someting more problematic what are my steps to get it fixed, I brought this phone as an orange locked unwanted upgrade from ebay. fully boxed and sealed. (i.e. new)
Im a bit annoyed because the micro-usb plug is supposed to be more robust than the mini-usb. but to my eyes that not the case, and has proven to be not true either.
I have this issue too. Interested to see if it's a common flaw.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
Same problem here. Just got it yesterday. The loose connection is very annoying in that you cannot be sure you left in a charging state unless you unlock it and check the screen. I wonder if it supposed to be that way?
After having posted this, I realize that the thread is not for my phone, a Samsung Captivate. I trusted Google search a little too much I guess. Interesting that the problem is the same.
Same here.
Xperia X10 with a loose connection that got much worse with time. I don't expect a fix for a hardware issue, but I am taking it back to the store for a replacement. The problem is that it has gotten so bad that I can't maintain a connection long enough to get my data!! Not pleased
Jamescousins said:
I have this issue too. Interested to see if it's a common flaw.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
me 3. another thread here t=689367 and here t=692242 (wont let me post full url as noob)
May have to return to T-mobile as its really annoying
I have the Captivate, and I had to exchange mine for one that did not do this.
Yep I started getting this problem a few days ago. Pissing me right off.
can someone tell me if the Samsung captivate and Xperia X10 both have micro-B USB ports also ?
Micro USB Sucks
I have the HTC Incredible and whenever its plugged into my PC you can tell by the audibles (and by HTC Sync failing 1/2 the time) that it keeps disconnecting and reconnecting - especially if you lift the phone or move the cable. So I was just as surprised to hear the MicroUSB was supposed to fix some of the wear and tear issues of MiniUSB - which is just untrue!!!
My HD2 has a loose connection
http://app1.appserver.dk:8080/RepairPictures/servlet/getPic?id=51371
<-- This is the chip. And HTC wont repair it. They say it's my own fault? :S
I've got this problem too with my desire and realised it's the cable. I got my desire on the release date (had it preordered) and the plug on the cable is smooth on all sides so it slips in and outu the phone easily. However, my girlfriend got a desire 2 weeks ago, and the micro-USB plug on her cable has two little spring loaded bumps on it, which gives it a positive "click" when it's plugged into the phone and it takes a lot more force to remove it.
Hence I stole her cable
My cappy too
This problem is happening, albeit not as seriously as some of yours, to my cappy now. I have had it for just under a year now. Looking back I could have been a little gentler with it...
Running Teamhacksung's ICS Build 9.
I've got the same issue - turns out that it's the cable more than anything, as when I plug the in-car charger one (a different cable) in, everything worked perfectly.
terrible design
Every device I or my wife has that is micro USB has charging issues. The design in a laboratory is supposed to get 10,000 cycles. But our experience is that a device after 6 months starts to have issues. Finally after a year about every device must be replace as the charging port is so loose that not even the highest quality cables will stay seated well enough to guarantee a charge or data connectivity. Very disappointed that EVERY phone uses this. Well other than Apple, which I may just have to go to since I cannot afford new phones constantly. The wireless companies KNOW it is a flaw in the design of the port also. Not a one of them will warranty the phone if the issue is the charging port. I am talking clean ports here also. No lint or anything.
Down with micro USB
lukester01 said:
Every device I or my wife has that is micro USB has charging issues. The design in a laboratory is supposed to get 10,000 cycles. But our experience is that a device after 6 months starts to have issues. Finally after a year about every device must be replace as the charging port is so loose that not even the highest quality cables will stay seated well enough to guarantee a charge or data connectivity. Very disappointed that EVERY phone uses this. Well other than Apple, which I may just have to go to since I cannot afford new phones constantly. The wireless companies KNOW it is a flaw in the design of the port also. Not a one of them will warranty the phone if the issue is the charging port. I am talking clean ports here also. No lint or anything.
Down with micro USB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, micro USB is horribly unreliable across all brands. Too bad I absolutely loathe iOS, because I would consider getting an iPhone if I could run Android on it. Hopefully USB Type-C will be better.
5 data points and a question
First, additioanal data points:
I've had 2 different devices with micro usb connectors and both failed within 3 days of beginning to use them. I can't swear it was the female socket that was damaged but that was my impression. The prongs on the male connector were NOT flattened. I looked for that.
I had another device, a Nook Color I believe it was called, that had a usb charging/data connector that was their own slightly modified design of one of the usb standards. I can't swear whether it was a modified mini or a modified micro but I think it was a modified micro. Anyway the socket was a little deeper than the standard. The idea was that if you plugged in a standard male connector it worked the same way as a standard socket but if you plugged in the longer Nook male connector it went in deeper (I'm straining to refrain from low humor here), additional contacts came into play and it would charge faster. In the Nook case it was definitely the male connector that would break. I replaced the charger twice before the Nook failed for other reasons (I suspect a cat baptised it). If you search the net you'll find a lot of people had the same problem.
So in my case micro-usb is either 2 for 0 if you don't count the Nook, 3 for 0 if you count the Nook once, or maybe 5 for 1 if you count the Nook replacement chargers and charitably assume the last one would have worked for a while if the cat hadn't scented it.
I've NEVER had a problem with large, plain, standard, type A rectangular connectors. I think the idea that the mini is too big is one only Madison Avenue types could come up with. Even the standard type A isn't really too big. After all, how big is a thumb drive? I suspect it has more to do with making it a wee bit cheaper than making it smaller.
So yeah, micro-usb just plain sucks. Assuming Frank's posts in this thread at stack exchange:
electronics.stackexchange dotcom /questions/18552/why-was-mini-usb-deprecated-in-favor-of-micro-usb
aren't fraudulent, Nokia pressured the USB Implementers Forum to accept the micro standard, implicitly against the better judgement of some people involved. I'm therefore inclined to never buy a Nokia anything.
So much for the problem. I'm thinking about workarounds because there is a tablet I'd really like to use that charges through a female micro usb port. If I can't charge the battery it's useless. So I'd appreciate comments regarding the feasbility of these alternatives:
WORKAROUND # 1:
Carefully insert a male-micro-usb-X-female-standard-type-A adaptor into the device and glue them both to a piece of waterproofed luon (very light plywood) and then connect with a cable that has male standard full size rectangular type A connectors at BOTH ends. I've never had any problem with the standard full sized type A and they are easy to replace if I do. Though both adaptors and cables as described, are readily available, it is said that the maleXmale cables can damage equipment in some cases and I'm don't know enough to be sure this is not one of those cases.
WORKAROUND #2:
Alternately I could just glue the micro end of the kind of cable that comes with such devices to the luon and leave the rest of the cable dangling. Downside: Messy dangling cable. Upside: I KNOW it is safe.
Any thoughts on these workarounds would be appreciated.
My charger doesnt fit well and i just came to terms with this but it has got worse the last two weeks. It plugs in and the led lights up but it doesnt charge sometimes, it says it is charging but an hour later and the battery goes down 5% ish. Also it only connects when the phone sits face up and the cord hangs down as in it must sit on the edge of the table for it to charge. I tried my friends Droid cord and it was a snug fit. do i have an insurance claim on my hands?
You can try getting the cable swapped, but honestly I think the amount of hassle you would go through would just not be worth it. If the problem was with your phone then I would 100% definitely get the phone replaced, but if the problem is only with the cable, I'd take the path of least resistance and just buy a new cable out of pocket. They really aren't expensive if you know the right place to get them.
I use this cable here with my Aria and it works great: http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10303&cs_id=1030307&p_id=5458&seq=1&format=2
It is only $3.13 shipped (to my address), and it's 2 feet longer than the original cable which I like because I thought the original one was too short. Never had a problem with it charging my Aria. I know it seems too good to be true, but the quality really is just as good as a $20+ cable you'd find at a local store.
I ran into the same problem with an Aria I bought off of Craigslist. It would kind of charge at first, then it gave up altogether. I found that the end that plugged into the phone had been slightly squished by the previous owner. I just went to Staples and bought a Staples branded MicroUSB cable, it's six feet long and works fine. Granted, it wasn't ebay-cheap but I got the problem handled same day, no screwing around. The nice thing about this cable is it's just as flexible as the original, unlike the MicroUSB charge/sync cables that come with Blackberry phones and the extra length makes it a little more versatile.
Don't mean to resurrect an old thread, but I didn't want to start a new one.
My connection is getting worse every day. It is very aggravating. I'll plug in at night time and wake up to find my phone didn't charge at all. I have to put the cable in at a slight angle to get it to connect.
Using adb and just any file transfer on the computer is almost impossible.
I use the original cable, and sometimes my brother's Captivate cable--both are just as bad.
And the AT&T car charger is a joke. So I think it is the phone, not the cables.
i find that the motorola(backflip) usb doesnt fit snug(still charges & transfers fine, a little slower)
May be just a bit too rough with this little phone
Finally had enough of the cable problem, so I decided to figure out whats wrong. Turns out, I ended up pulling out about a cubic centimeter of dust and lint from in the port (way down in there, a quick glance and it didn't look as bad as it really was.)
Works like a charm, now!
Brivette, glad to see you fixed your issue!
For future reference,
The MicroUSB cable that has become the new standard contains 2 prongs on the end of it. This prong is responsible for ensuring it stays locked into the connector.
The newer MicroB connector is rated at a higher use cycle than the old MiniB type, which is why current devices are moving to it as a standard. It is also designed so that the cheaper cable will bear the wear and damage, rather than the device. The usual culprit is the two latch pins at the top of the male connector which tend to wear and bend eventually causing the cord to become "flaky" or fickle (for a lack of a better term). This is usually the cause of most people's woes. However often times the connections from inside the cable may wear and short out, causing the cord to become dysfunctional. Before sending your phone in for a replacement, I highly recommend trying a second cable.
If changing the cord doesn't work, the problem most likely lies with the phone. While it is possible that the PCB mount has come disconnected from the board, it is more often than not likely that the port has become clogged with debris. So before sending your phone in for service, check the port and ensure that the port is clear and clean of obstruction.
This also goes for charging or data transfer. Sometimes issues with data transfer can arise out of a bad cable. This often happens when people wrap their cord too tightly or kink it, which causes signal interference. It also occurs with frequent use and wear and tear, which is normal.
Take good care of your cord, and it'll be there to last you a long time.
Wife's phone usb port is broke. It got mangled by a tough cord pull. It can't be straightened out. plastic is broken and contacts are mangled. After I did some research, I can see this issue happens on quite a few phones with micro usb such as the evo, but i have not seen too many people mention it about the g2.
Anyways, no warranty since I got the hardware from craigsist. Even if there was a warranty htc has not been covering this sort of damage on the evo.
From what i can tell there are a couple of possible fixes and a workaound.
fix one - new motherboard. too expensive
fix two - have a new replacement port soldered onto the existing board. i am not sure if this is worth it. i don't have much soldering experience, so i would probably have to send it somewhere. Does anyone have any idea of what that sort of thing would cost? is it pretty risky in terms of further damage to the board?
workaround - Get an external charger and possibly a second battery to reduce downtime while charging. This is probably what we will do for a while. Does anyone have a solid suggestion for an external charger for the g2? Is the battery the same format as other HTC phones such as the evo?
thanks!
Ah that sucks. From what i think if you know how to open the g2 then you wouldnt have a problem with fix 2 only thing i say is dont F..k up the motherboard lol... yoll have a fully broken phone. Dont know about fix 1.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
soreyes said:
Wife's phone usb port is broke. It got mangled by a tough cord pull. It can't be straightened out. plastic is broken and contacts are mangled. After I did some research, I can see this issue happens on quite a few phones with micro usb such as the evo, but i have not seen too many people mention it about the g2.
Anyways, no warranty since I got the hardware from craigsist. Even if there was a warranty htc has not been covering this sort of damage on the evo.
From what i can tell there are a couple of possible fixes and a workaound.
fix one - new motherboard. too expensive
fix two - have a new replacement port soldered onto the existing board. i am not sure if this is worth it. i don't have much soldering experience, so i would probably have to send it somewhere. Does anyone have any idea of what that sort of thing would cost? is it pretty risky in terms of further damage to the board?
workaround - Get an external charger and possibly a second battery to reduce downtime while charging. This is probably what we will do for a while. Does anyone have a solid suggestion for an external charger for the g2? Is the battery the same format as other HTC phones such as the evo?
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't need a working micro USB port for connecting to your computer, just pick up one of those power mats that charge your devices by just placing them on the mat.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
OriginalGabriel said:
If you don't need a working micro USB port for connecting to your computer, just pick up one of those power mats that charge your devices by just placing them on the mat.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I looked into the powermat product last night. As far as I could tell, it seemed like they didn't have one for the G2. In that case, they provide a workaround, but it sounds like it also requites a working port of some sort.
"If your specific device is not listed in Step 1, we currently do not have a receiver for your model. By choosing "other" your solution will include a wireless Powercube universal receiver with 7 tips to allow your device to charge on a Powermat mat."
"The Powercube Universal Receiver Allows you to Charge Hundreds of Devices Wirelessly
The perfect accessory to your mat. Seven Interchangeable tips (micro USB, mini USB, Samsung, LG, Apple, Nintendo DSi, Sony PSP) allow you to wirelessly charge hundreds of mobile devices using just one receiver. Works with all Powermat mats."
After reading that, it stops sounding wireless at all. The universal powercube is wireless to the powermat, but it needs to attach to the handset with a cord. Pretty silly for $100. maybe there are other companies besides powermat?
I found a great thread about sanding chintech batteries. I ordered the two pack plus charger and will peel and sand them. So for now, I will use the external charging workaround.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=945090
In the meantime, if anyone else has a broken usb microport issue, post up your experience here. The issue seems rampant in the evo's, but maybe not so much on the G2. It is a heck of a small plastic tab in there holding the contacts.
Or get one of those 2 batteries + 1 charger deals on ebay and charge one while you're out and when you run out of battery just swap it. That's what I do and I think it's a hell of a lot more convenient.
Just chiming in
I have the same problem, except my micro usb connector still functions very testily. I have to plug and unplug it several times, and the slightest of jostles will disconnect it. Charging is more reliable than tethering, and I definitely use tethering, as I don't have a wired broadband connection at home. I'd love to get this repaired, if it's not too costly or difficult, so I'm going to watch this thread. Thanks for the suggestions on getting an external charger and extra batteries. If my connector continues to deteriorate, it makes me feel very relieved to know I'll have a backup. Thank heavens this phone has an sdcard slot!
Tethering and file transfer can be accomplished over wifi with some apps. Look for wireless tether and the samba or ftp apps
This is planned obsolescence at its worst. The switch from mini-USB to micro-USB doesn't save any space and makes the plug VERY VERY delicate.
Personally, I would take it apart, unsolder the micro-USB socket from the board, solder in a new MINI-USB socket, and reassemble. It is relatively low risk, as long as you are careful while soldering (use proper desoldering wick to disassemble). Be sure that you don't use too strong a soldering iron -- about 15 watt, and be sure to use one that is GROUNDED (three prong plug).
Thats some good advice. I was not aware you could swap out the interface in that way.
It's actually not quite that simple to change interface. You would first need to find a mini-USB connector having the same alignment pegs (to help with strain relief) and pad spacing as the current micro-USB connector. You will also need to hack the chassis of the phone some as well (and even then, a mini-USB connector will still probably stick out slightly).
Despite what was stated earlier, although both mini-USB and micro-USB have about the same width, mini-USB connectors are significantly thicker (or taller) and slightly longer (as far as depth). Micro-USB actually does give a pretty nice space savings for a hardware designer and can be more robust in design depending on the actual connector used.
Probably easier to just try and find the same connector HTC used if you are going to go through the trouble of replacing it.
I like to know all the great advise I was also worried about this when I just had the EVO. But to transfer files you could use a sdcard slot adapter for your pc or one of those usb sdcard readers I had used that when rooting my g1 along time ago LOL. Thanks for the backup ideas
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
soreyes said:
Tethering and file transfer can be accomplished over wifi with some apps. Look for wireless tether and the samba or ftp apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, soreyes I already use the wifi tethering now and then, but it really drains the battery and makes the phone very hot. In fact, I accidentally left my wifi tethering on overnight the other night and woke up to a dead battery and a radio that wouldn't work for half the day. I was actually worried I had fried my phone and turned it into an expensive PDA. After turning it off for about 8 hours, it worked fine again, thank goodness.
I definitely hadn't thought of FTP or samba for file transfer, but thanks for the suggestion. I hate taking out the battery to get to the sdcard, just to transfer a file or two.
Having this problem with a G2 as well
I started having charging issues a few months ago, before my warranty ended, but now, I'm screwed and the phone will not charge at all. I know it is not the battery.
I have a G2 from T-Mobile. I took it apart and it looks like the job to get the port off and replace it would not be simple.
Has someone actually completed that task?
Does anyone have the part number on the port? I see several very similar ones on ebay. (search for microUSB and android)
Or, has someone sent theirs off to be fixed out of warranty? I've seen a place called Mission Repair mentioned here and there on the web...
Thanks!
-g
I had always thought (if mine usb port broke) about trying these guys ( www.cellulardr.com ), i mean if your phone is not really working you could check them out to see if the price is right.
I know I sent my itouch off for screen repair and it was worth it.
gelainest said:
I started having charging issues a few months ago, before my warranty ended, but now, I'm screwed and the phone will not charge at all. I know it is not the battery.
I have a G2 from T-Mobile. I took it apart and it looks like the job to get the port off and replace it would not be simple.
Has someone actually completed that task?
Does anyone have the part number on the port? I see several very similar ones on ebay. (search for microUSB and android)
Or, has someone sent theirs off to be fixed out of warranty? I've seen a place called Mission Repair mentioned here and there on the web...
Thanks!
-g
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might consider buying one of those G2's on eBay with the broken screen, and swapping out the motherboard, then along with that you'd get all kinds of other spare parts, including battery etc.
I've never taken apart the phone, so can't attest to the difficulty, but I've seen a few guides around.
Update on repair options
So I called a local shop and they said that it was too complex of a procedure for them and referred me to Mission Repair in KS.
Called Mission and they said they get several calls a day from folks with G2's/Evos/and Desires with this exact problem. The guy said that in 80% of the cases it is not fixable without replacing the logic board because the issue is often that the logic board connectors break. This is a known issue with these similar HTC phones.
On the other side of things, I called HTC and it turns out these phones have a warranty from 15 months of manufacture, which T-Mobile did NOT inform us about. They said they will take the phone and fix it for free if i hadn't voided the warranty.
Now if only I hadn't open the phone up after the T-mobile rep told me there was no hope. *arg*
Yesterday, I went to a car audio shop primarily to get an alarm installed and they said they would install a hardwire micro USB cable (that I purchased online and brought with me) for free while they were at it. It was to go to my N1 car dock. The install took all the way until closing time so the owner of the shop went over it with me and then everyone went home. It was late on a Friday and I didn't think to test the hardwire install. Probably wouldn't have mattered much then anyway.
This morning, I docked my phone and nothing happened. I originally thought it was a software error so I reflashed everything, still no luck. Then I swapped cables to the lighter socket and the phone docked/charged correctly - I should note that the dock worked fine before using the lighter socket cable. I plugged my phone into the hardwire USB and it started charging. I put the hardwire cable back into the dock and tried docking again multiple times. Nothing happened until right when I was about to go inside, I docked and saw the charging light come on and Car Home popped up.
I drove around for a bit and didn't lose docking once. This was all well until I had to come home to unload groceries and then go back out. After shutting off and restarting my car, I docked and nothing happened.
What I wanted to convey in this lengthy story is what is known right now. The dock paired with the lighter socket cable works fine. The hardwire cable charges my phone fine. The dock paired with the hardwire cable doesn't work 99% of the time.
To all the EE and circuit-savvy people, do you have any ideas as to what could be wrong? I called the shop owner's personal line today and he thinks it might be a loose connection somewhere. This was before I drove around, and after the normal bumps and things of driving and not losing dock, I don't think that's it. I tried jiggling the cable and making sure the USB connector fit properly; no dock. I don't think it's a faulty cable either because any time I plug it into my phone, it charges. Then again, I'm no expert on anything electrical-related so I could be missing something.
The shop offers a lifetime guarantee on install work so I'll be back Monday to have them check it out. The only bad thing is that since it's a hardwire install, the installer will have to pull dash panels to check things out and then I'll be stuck at the shop for however long it takes, which I'd like to avoid, so any troubleshooting brainstorm ideas I can pass along that might help will definitely be appreciated.
The cable I have is part # MFX5V-B-MICRO from mountguys (I can't post links yet) and if you need any more info from me to troubleshoot, I'll be happy to provide it.
I would actually venture to think its a voltage/ampage problem, which could be due to a loose connection, but is probably just because a line has been spliced too many times. Ie enough juice to charge a phone but not enough to power a dock.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
Thanks for the input. Hopefully things will sort themselves out tomorrow.
I'll come back with an update after everything is solved in case anyone here is also curious as to what went wrong.
Wasn't a EE problem at all. One of the two protruding prongs on the male end was loose. Got a new cable for free and now all is well.
Hello all, and thanks in advanced for anyone who can help me out,
I have a launch day Galaxy S3 that will not properly connect to the official Samsung MHL Adapter. (PN: EPL-3FHUBE)
The problem is that the longer MHL plug will not fit all the way into the phone and kind of falls out. Its not going deep enough for the micro usb pins to catch inside the phone and take hold.
If i hold it tightly by hand it will display a picture on my TV, no problems at all. As soon as i let go, it disconnects.
I'm thinking this may be a defect on first gen GS3's as my brother also has a launch day GS3 and has the same issue.
Ive tested on 4 more GS3's (The entire family is on them) that were purchased 6 months after the initial release and the MHL plug fits all the way in. They all display a flawless picture and the connection feels very sturdy.
Looking at the two launch GS3's, inside the Micro USB port on the bottom of the phone it looks as if there is a plastic block above the pins keeping the adapter from going all the way in. The later models dont have it...
I'd really like to get this working. Ive planned to use the Pioneer App radio 2 with it and its been a long road. almost there but this seems like a make or break road block....
Does it sound like I need a phone replacement? Would this feature loss warrant a claim on my phones insurance?