# I have a dumb question about electronics...



## Jace (Mar 10, 2022)

Not being  a "techi"...need to find out..

Do chargers " go bad"?

Seems the charger (electrical connection) for my tablet is not charging.

Are ya'all laughing?


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## ohioboy (Mar 10, 2022)

They can go bad yes, just like any electrical piece.


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## dseag2 (Mar 10, 2022)

I'm not laughing because I would probably have had the same question.


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## RFW (Mar 10, 2022)

No, it is a legit question. I think they do but not very often. Much less if it's just a USB wall charger.


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## Jules (Mar 10, 2022)

It might be the cord.  I’m presuming the cord plugs into the tablet at one end and the charger at the other.  This happened to mine.


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## win231 (Mar 10, 2022)

It's more likely the battery.  After a certain number of charges, they stop holding a charge; at least that's what I experience in my high-power flashlights.


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## Lavinia (Mar 10, 2022)

win231 said:


> It's more likely the battery.  After a certain number of charges, they stop holding a charge; at least that's what I experience in my high-power flashlights.


Yes, that seems to be true. All batteries only have a certain life. After a while, they simply give up the ghost.


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## Murrmurr (Mar 10, 2022)

Lavinia said:


> Yes, that seems to be true. All batteries only have a certain life. After a while, they simply give up the ghost.


I saw a video recently that said the battery in some newer phones is "built-in" so that you can't remove it. You have to buy a whole new phone when the battery ages out. Unfortunately, I forget what brands it mentioned.  

That's a scammy move.


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## Chris21E (Mar 11, 2022)

Mine stop charging and overheating, so I just replaced it and works fine

Check cord first, with a new one


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## Jace (Mar 11, 2022)

T Y, all for your " valued points"!

I don't know if it can be testerd, but I'm gonna ask my S-I-L who's an engineer
to..check it out.

Thanks, again!


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## JustinCase (Mar 11, 2022)

Murrmurr said:


> I saw a video recently that said the battery in some newer phones is "built-in" so that you can't remove it. You have to buy a whole new phone when the battery ages out. Unfortunately, I forget what brands it mentioned.
> 
> That's a scammy move.


It was done to prevent theft & removing/changing your sim card if the phone has been stolen.  In fact trying to remove the battery will result in a flash and burn up.  There is a small pin hole that releases the battery if it goes bad and needs replacement, if this happens your store where purchased can open it properly.  Don't try to remove it yourself.


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## JustinCase (Mar 11, 2022)

FYI - A laptop will work without a battery if needed.  I went 5 months in AZ one winter because I didn't want to mess with finding a battery.  If you plug the laptop into a grounded wall plug or power strip with the correct power cord it will complete the circuit and work.  You must remove the battery first.

Unless you move it around which I didn't.   Unplug it you lose whatever you've been working on.


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## Nathan (Mar 11, 2022)

Murrmurr said:


> I saw a video recently that said the battery in some newer phones is "built-in" so that you can't remove it. You have to buy a whole new phone when the battery ages out. Unfortunately, I forget what brands it mentioned.
> 
> That's a scammy move.


Built-in Smartphone batteries (soldered to the circuit board) have been the norm for some time.  I love to learn of a smartphone that still had a replaceable battery.   I should _Google _that...
Edit:
_Googled it_, there are still some smartphones  that have a replaceable battery ...https://www.androidcentral.com/best-android-phone-removable-battery

They are lower end / older products, but for me...the deal breaker is that they come with older versions of Android, which will lesson it's longevity for app functionality, and potentially be less secure.   It's too bad about Android phones, the manufacturer apparently has control over software updates / upgrades that their products receive.  Their 'flagship' phones get updates in a timely manner, the lessor expensive models have to wait, and most often never get upgraded to the current Android version.


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## Macfan (Mar 11, 2022)

It could be your tablet, do you have another device you can try the charger on? To answer your question, yes, chargers are not immune from going bad but in this case I have a hunch it's the tablet but, it could be the charger. We're lucky in that we have multiple chargers and devices so troubleshooting is pretty easy here. Don...


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## Kika (Mar 11, 2022)

If you carry your tablet/phone in a pocket or bag, the charging port could collect lint or dust.
Try gently cleaning it with a wooden toothpick (use nothing metal) a plastic toothpick might be ok.
If it is an Apple Lightening charger cable, look at the tip of it.  If you don't see a distinct white background with copper "lines" the cable has worn out.


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## David777 (Mar 11, 2022)

Jace said:


> Not being  a "techi"...need to find out..
> Do chargers " go bad"?
> Seems the charger (electrical connection) for my tablet is not charging.



Chargers can go bad, however it is most likely due to worn out or contaminated electrical contacts.  Wet a cue tip into isopropyl alcohol then swab contacts at both ends.  The next most likely issue would be the charger went bad since they are cheap devices having to endure torquing forces upon insertion/deinsertion.   Third could be a damaged input circuit on your tablet due to being zapped by static upon insertion or some component failure inside.  

Find the exact model name on the tablet and then web search "[model name] AND charger".  That could point you on where to proceed.  Also doing same on amazon may bring up the product where comments could be enlightening.  Otherwise phone up and speak to a local computer repair shop that if you are lucky might be able to help or at least check if the charger actually is supplying a rated charging voltage at load.  If that fails you would just need to order a new charger that could be a commodity item able to charge many other appliances at a standard voltage/current.


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## Kaila (Mar 11, 2022)

As a first step, I would check the plugs on both ends, to be sure they are connecting well and fitting as tightly as they should.
(I have had many similar, become loose and not fit well)

As you can tell, I am *not* an expert, either!     
Some excellent posts, above!


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## HoneyNut (Mar 11, 2022)

Jace said:


> Seems the charger (electrical connection) for my tablet is not charging.


With my old Kindle I had so many problems with the charger not plugging in securely and it would frustrate me so much that it would go 'ding' indicating connected successfully followed immediately by 'dong' indicating lost the power connection, and it would just keep repeating that sequence until it about drove me mad.

When the old Kindle's battery gave out it was a very slow process of the charge lasting less and less time until finally it wouldn't charge at all.  I miss my old Kindle, it was the best.


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## Michael Z (Mar 11, 2022)

I have an iPad and yes, chargers for this go bad. The designated “iPad” chargers last longer than the generic chargers but even the more expensive chargers go bad. To check, get a new charger - if it charges your tablet ok, then it is your current charger. If not, then it is probably your battery.


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## Jace (Mar 11, 2022)

Macfan said:


> It could be your tablet, do you have another device you can try the charger on? To answer your question, yes, chargers are not immune from going bad but in this case I have a hunch it's the tablet but, it could be the charger. We're lucky in that we have multiple chargers and devices so troubleshooting is pretty easy here. Don...


YEs,I have another charger, that i plugged into the tablet overnight and the tablet
did charge back to 100%.

I took @David777 's idea and wiped both end connections with alcohol, to see if
that might help what seems to be a bad charger.

Thanks again, All..for the very helpful posts!!.


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## Chris21E (Mar 11, 2022)

*I would not give up on changing the battery if needed, I looked around for a battery that would go with the model of the device.  

Do not forget to back up your data to a USB drive or Cloud. Good luck.*


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## Jace (Mar 11, 2022)

Update: I plugged in the questionable charger into the tablet...after having wiped both electronic ends with alcohol as suggested by @David777 ... plugged in 2 hrs.  And the tablet is fully charged.
I don't know if it's a "floock"...hope not too soon to really tell.
Maybe that was the trick..that maybe it had oil from my fingers on it 
that it wasn't making a good connection.
I'm keeping my fingers  that..that is the solution.


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## Chris21E (Mar 11, 2022)

*If you can get a new cord and blow dust out as well with an air canister. *


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## Chris21E (Mar 11, 2022)

HoneyNut said:


> my old Kindle I had so many problems with the charger not plugging in securely and it would frustrate me so much that it would go 'ding' indicating connected successfully followed immediately by 'dong' indicating lost the power connection, and it would just keep repeating that sequence until it about drove me mad.
> 
> When the old Kindle's battery gave out it was a very slow process of the charge lasting less and less time until finally it wouldn't charge at all.  I miss my old Kindle, it was the best.


*Check with Amazon or Best Buy  with 
Your kindle, year and model number for a cord replacement .*


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## Murrmurr (Mar 11, 2022)

Nathan said:


> Built-in Smartphone batteries (soldered to the circuit board) have been the norm for some time.  I love to learn of a smartphone that still had a replaceable battery.   I should _Google _that...
> Edit:
> _Googled it_, there are still some smartphones  that have a replaceable battery ...https://www.androidcentral.com/best-android-phone-removable-battery
> 
> They are lower end / older products, but for me...the deal breaker is that they come with older versions of Android, which will lesson it's longevity for app functionality, and potentially be less secure.   It's too bad about Android phones, the manufacturer apparently has control over software updates / upgrades that their products receive.  Their 'flagship' phones get updates in a timely manner, the lessor expensive models have to wait, and most often never get upgraded to the current Android version.


Ok, you reminded me - there are smart-phones and then there are androids, right? Yeah, that video was about Smart-phones. Two types, I think he said.

My phone is only about a year old and came with a replacement battery. I bought it at a Verizon store to replace my old cell-phone after Verizon said they were gonna be cutting off service to older cell-phones.


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## Jules (Mar 11, 2022)

Lots of good advice here.


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## Murrmurr (Mar 11, 2022)

JustinCase said:


> It was done to prevent theft & removing/changing your sim card if the phone has been stolen.  In fact trying to remove the battery will result in a flash and burn up.  There is a small pin hole that releases the battery if it goes bad and needs replacement, if this happens your store where purchased can open it properly.  Don't try to remove it yourself.


Then they should ...ok, wait: Then do they offer two models? One with sim card protection and one without?

If not, then it's scammy.


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## RFW (Mar 11, 2022)

Murrmurr said:


> Ok, you reminded me - there are smart-phones and then there are androids, right? Yeah, that video was about Smart-phones. Two types, I think he said.
> 
> My phone is only about a year old and came with a replacement battery. I bought it at a Verizon store to replace my old cell-phone after Verizon said they were gonna be cutting off service to older cell-phones.


Smartphone is an umbrella term. I think whether the battery is replaceable or not depends heavily on the manufacturers. Apple is one of those which have always been against the right to repair.


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## Murrmurr (Mar 11, 2022)

RFW said:


> Smartphone is an umbrella term. I think whether the battery is replaceable for not depends heavily on the manufacturers. Apple is one of those which have always been against the right to repair.


The guy in the video talked about right to repair, too.

Obviously I don't remember much about the vid (guess I'm watching too many lately), but it reminded me of when my clothes-dryer quit working (years ago) so I opened the back to fix it and found that a sheet of metal had been tap-welded onto the chassis to prevent home-repairs. Really pissed me off.


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## Nathan (Mar 11, 2022)

Murrmurr said:


> Ok, you reminded me - there are smart-phones and then there are androids, right? Yeah, that video was about Smart-phones. Two types, I think he said.
> 
> My phone is only about a year old and came with a replacement battery. I bought it at a Verizon store to replace my old cell-phone after Verizon said they were gonna be cutting off service to older cell-phones.


Well smartphones are either Android or Apple's iPhone.  I believe there are some "non-smart" phones(feature phones) that run some sort of Android software.  
About your year old Verizon phone: what is the Make / model of that, if you don't mind?    I have a love~hate relationship with smartphones, they are very handy but such a security hole, every app demands access to your data in order for it to function properly...sick-of-it!


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## RFW (Mar 11, 2022)

Murrmurr said:


> The guy in the video talked about right to repair, too.
> 
> Obviously I don't remember much about the vid (guess I'm watching too many lately), but it reminded me of when my clothes-dryer quit working (years ago) so I opened the back to fix it and found that a sheet of metal had been tap-welded on to prevent home-repairs. Really pissed me off.


Yes. What's worse is it not only applies to us consumers, but also non-affiliated repair shops as well.


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## Murrmurr (Mar 11, 2022)

Nathan said:


> Well smartphones are either Android or Apple's iPhone.  I believe there are some "non-smart" phones(feature phones) that run some sort of Android software.
> About your year old Verizon phone: what is the Make / model of that, if you don't mind?    I have a love~hate relationship with smartphones, they are very handy but such a security hole, every app demands access to your data in order for it to function properly...sick-of-it!


Samsung. Search engine is Google and it's got Google Play Store. I don't use it as a computer at all. 

I turned off the app notifications; I'm not going to download anything. I also haven't ever given it "location permission" or whatever.

For me it's just an expensive phone with a dodgy camera. And an alarm clock, occasionally.


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## Murrmurr (Mar 11, 2022)

RFW said:


> Yes. What's worse is it not only applies to us consumers, but also non-affiliated repair shops as well.


I live off a main street and thoroughfare that had 3 very popular repair shops back in the day, a "sew and vac" (sewing machines and vacuum cleaners), an appliance repair shop that also sold used appliances at a discount, and an electronics repair shop, mainly for home computer repairs, that was also a battery store. All types of batteries except vehicle ones. I used to buy watch batteries there.

All those shops were family owned, and all the owners planned to leave the business to their kids. They're just run-down old buildings now. The parking lot of two of them is now a campsite for homeless people.


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## Mike (Mar 12, 2022)

When unplugging or plugging chargers, to phones. tablets,
laptops, in fact anything that needs the small chargers, never
pull them off by the cable, always grip the plug.

I am an electrician and I found out, the hard way that the small
charger cables are very weak, sometimes the wire inside breaks.

Mike.


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## Pappy (Mar 12, 2022)

I’ll just add…yes, it’s happened to me. I purchased a couple of inexpensive chargers and they did not last very long. Got real hot too. Now I stick with Apple chargers for all my Apple products.


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## Kaila (Mar 12, 2022)

Mike said:


> I am an electrician and I found out, the hard way that the small
> charger cables are very weak, sometimes the wire inside breaks.


I hadn't heard it worded that specific way in the past, and your wording makes it more clear and definite, for me.  Thank you, Mike.


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## Jace (Mar 13, 2022)

Further update, the questionable charger is still charging.
Is a mystery.. y it was...what it was...before?!?!


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## Murrmurr (Mar 13, 2022)

Mike said:


> When unplugging or plugging chargers, to phones. tablets,
> laptops, in fact anything that needs the small chargers, never
> pull them off by the cable, always grip the plug.
> 
> ...


They're reparable, though. It's simple to just strip the wires and twist them back together and then tape over the repair.

I found these neat little clips for repairing wires. You cut the cord at the break, strip each end and flatten out the internal wire a bit, then you insert the flattened ends into each end of the clip where they'll lay on a thin conductor plate, and then just snap the thing shut. You don't need screw-on wire connectors or tape, they're completely safe.


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