# Charging cables for cell phones and tablets



## Camper6 (Nov 9, 2019)

All of a sudden the charging cables seem to fail and don't charge phones and tablets anymore.

So what do you think the cause is.  You go out and buy a new cable and it works.

My theory.  The contacts wear out from plugging them in and out of the phone and no longer make contact.

The lightning cables from Apple are expensive if you want to get a certified cable.  I priced them at $34.00.

They may be worth getting for an I phone.

For android anything at Dollarama works for awhile.


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## fmdog44 (Nov 9, 2019)

My Consumer Cellular charging cable never worked since the day I got it with my replacement phone that also did not work. CC has become a junk dealer. I called them on their warranty on the cable and they said it was 30 days!


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## Aunt Bea (Nov 9, 2019)

I've always assumed that it's a break in the fine wire somewhere inside of the plastic coating.

I've only had one that stopped working but I was able to find a replacement in the cable jumble box at the local charity thrift shop for a dollar.

I've been wondering if my disposable flip phone would be able to charge on one of those cordless charging stations.


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## Camper6 (Nov 9, 2019)

Aunt Bea said:


> I've always assumed that it's a break in the fine wire somewhere inside of the plastic coating.
> 
> I've only had one that stopped working but I was able to find a replacement in the cable jumble box at the local charity thrift shop for a dollar.
> 
> I've been wondering if my disposable flip phone would be able to charge on one of those cordless charging stations.


Not likely. I was reading up on that and the wireless feature has to be on the phone. It is on the newer models. Check an ad for a wireless charging station.
How does disposable work. Do you pay a set fee? If the battery dies are you out of luck?


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## hollydolly (Nov 9, 2019)

I don't mess around with cable any more , I use the charging pad instead, so much easier to just plonk the phone down on the pad and it starts  charging immediately ..

https://www.amazon.co.uk/CHOETECH-W...hone+charging+pad&qid=1573316291&sr=8-14&th=1


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## Aunt Bea (Nov 9, 2019)

Camper6 said:


> Not likely. I was reading up on that and the wireless feature has to be on the phone. It is on the newer models. Check an ad for a wireless charging station.
> How does disposable work. Do you pay a set fee? If the battery dies are you out of luck?


I call my phone a disposable or burner phone because it is a basic $20.00 pay as you go flip phone from the drugstore.


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## Citygirl (Nov 9, 2019)

*We have 3 Flip phones but only 2 are activated. The 3rd was bought just for charging. I bought I don't know how many chargers before I got smart & decided it must be the phone. Bought a 3rd. phone and the problem is solved.*


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## Camper6 (Nov 9, 2019)

There are so many options now I can't keep up with them and flip phones are one of them.


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## Mike (Nov 9, 2019)

This is why Amazon have loads of stocks of chargers and cables.

As for that thingy that you have Hollydolly, I can't afford the phone
that it charges without a cable, I am cheap and only have a Samsung!

Mike.


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## Butterfly (Nov 9, 2019)

My last phone stopped reacting to the charging cable (i.e., it wouldn't charge) and I took both up to the T-Mobile store and it turned out that there was debris or dust or come such inside the little place where you plug the charger in to the phone.  The debris or whatever was interfering with the charger end making good contact with the phone itself.  The guy at the store blew the crud out of the phone with some kind of little blower gadget and it worked just fine again.


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## Ken N Tx (Nov 10, 2019)

Mike said:


> This is why Amazon have loads of stocks of chargers and cables.


We have had 6 phones in the past 3 years,that = 6 chargers!! Use one and have 5 in the kitchen junk drawer!!


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## Ruthanne (Nov 10, 2019)

I have had 2 cables stop working, luckily I have a bunch more of them from other things that plug into the computer.


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## Packerjohn (Nov 10, 2019)

Guess I'm the odd ball here for sure.  We have a land line & we have absolutely no problem.  It's a Panasonic with a great call blocker for those stupid calls from Asia.  It was an answering machine for people who want to leave a message.  It's always on so we never have to charge it.  We do have a little flip phone for emergencies while we are away from home.  We have a very basic cellular plan for this.  Life is way too short to be sitting & staring into an iphone.  Ya, I know it does wonders for the masses but maybe I don't need all those wonders.  Too busy with so much to do.  I have a pile of 11 books from the library sitting on the table waiting for me & a small pile of 7 CDs from the library that also needs my time.  At my age, I believe in the KISS principal:  KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID.


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## TravelinMan (Nov 10, 2019)

The quality of charging cables varies. Get one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Diymore-Char...t=&hvlocphy=9023178&hvtargid=pla-569138005859
Then you will be able to see if your phone is receiving the amperage to get fully charged in a reasonable time.


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## Pappy (Nov 10, 2019)

Two iPhones in the family and over the years have had one cable failure. I get my cables from Amazon. Good quality cables. I have noticed that some chargers are faster than others.


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## hollydolly (Nov 10, 2019)

Packerjohn said:


> Guess I'm the odd ball here for sure.  We have a land line & we have absolutely no problem.  It's a Panasonic with a great call blocker for those stupid calls from Asia.  It was an answering machine for people who want to leave a message.  It's always on so we never have to charge it.  We do have a little flip phone for emergencies while we are away from home.  We have a very basic cellular plan for this.  Life is way too short to be sitting & staring into an iphone.  Ya, I know it does wonders for the masses but maybe I don't need all those wonders.  Too busy with so much to do.  I have a pile of 11 books from the library sitting on the table waiting for me & a small pile of 7 CDs from the library that also needs my time.  At my age, I believe in the KISS principal:  KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID.


  we still have our cordless panasonic Dect landlines.. 3 units throughout the house.. but we also have our Iphones too....


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## Camper6 (Nov 10, 2019)

TravelinMan said:


> The quality of charging cables varies. Get one of these:
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Diymore-Char...t=&hvlocphy=9023178&hvtargid=pla-569138005859
> Then you will be able to see if your phone is receiving the amperage to get fully charged in a reasonable time.


Being able to detect if it's being charged at all is the problem.  The length of time? Overnight. Plenty of time.


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## Camper6 (Nov 10, 2019)

Packerjohn said:


> Guess I'm the odd ball here for sure.  We have a land line & we have absolutely no problem.  It's a Panasonic with a great call blocker for those stupid calls from Asia.  It was an answering machine for people who want to leave a message.  It's always on so we never have to charge it.  We do have a little flip phone for emergencies while we are away from home.  We have a very basic cellular plan for this.  Life is way too short to be sitting & staring into an iphone.  Ya, I know it does wonders for the masses but maybe I don't need all those wonders.  Too busy with so much to do.  I have a pile of 11 books from the library sitting on the table waiting for me & a small pile of 7 CDs from the library that also needs my time.  At my age, I believe in the KISS principal:  KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID.


For me the cost for the cell phone is the same as the land line.  If you are single why not take the cell phone option?  It's not just a phone.  There are all kinds of other benefits like a built in camera.
Mine has an app that tells me the time the next bus will arrive so I don't have to stand out in the cold. If you have more than one person in the house, the land line is a good option because you would need two cell phones. You like to read?  Well you can also get books online and some are free.


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## Camper6 (Nov 10, 2019)

TravelinMan said:


> The quality of charging cables varies. Get one of these:
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Diymore-Char...t=&hvlocphy=9023178&hvtargid=pla-569138005859
> Then you will be able to see if your phone is receiving the amperage to get fully charged in a reasonable time.


That's a good price for that unit. 
But from looking at it, it doesn't test the charging cable.  It checks the output of the small transformer that comes with the phone that the cable plugs into.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, they are all the same from what I can see.
I have a voltmeter.  Today I' m going to test a new cable against  some of the old ones to see if I can detect the faulty ones.  It's the Apple ones that are the problem.  They want you to buy their product and you even get a message when you plug in the cheapo that it might not work.
Their cables have a special pin and that's how they detect it.


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## Camper6 (Nov 11, 2019)

I tested all my cables and connections.

I have a magnifier on my cell phone that magnifies 10X.  It's easy to see why the cables don't charge anymore because the pins are deteriorated compared to a new cable and I suppose are not making contact anymore.

But if you have a charger transformer and a cable that works, keep it intact.  Dont switch cables into it.  Have a separate charger for every application.


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## JB in SC (Nov 14, 2019)

We are still using the lightning cables that came with our iPhones and iPads. They do have multiple proprietary TI chips in them that off brands do not have.

The 30 pin connectors were problematic.

The Anker IQ chargers are as fast as any, iPads too.


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## OneEyedDiva (Dec 30, 2019)

I just read an article that indicated charging cables are not all created equal (sic) .  I've only used charging cables that came with my devices.


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