Problems charging with 3rd party MicroUSB cables

[YAYTech]

Actually just got a couple of these to use charging the nexus 7. Unless I'm having an issue with my cables (they work if i plug into the PC) I'm not getting the nexus 7 to charge off of this. It works with other devices. Very odd. I will check further into it tonight after I get home from work and update. But, has anyone else had any issues with this wall charger?

A couple of these... what? Aftermarket cables?

It's faulty logic to say "aftermarket cables are bad", because not all aftermarket cables are made the same. Some will work just as well as OEM, some won't work at all, some will work at a reduced rate. If you want to be absolutely sure a cable will work like it should, get an OEM cable, but considering the savings potential of aftermarket cables, I would go with one known to work as well as OEM. Let others do the trial & error, then get what's confirmed to work properly for less money than OEM. For example, I've noticed no difference in using the cable that originally came with my Droid Razr. (The charger that came with the Razr is another story, since it has a lower amperage.)

 

[ChromeJob]

I've measured the millliamps (as indicated in Battery Monitor Widget Pro) using a sturdy AmazonBasics cable (4') and the supplied one, both with the Asus charger, and the supplied one gives more current. I couldn't tell you why, my electronics training tells me that there shouldnt be that much a difference in the conductivity of a cable.

The supplied Asus cable is a sync & charge cable, not charge-only. It's less thick/sturdy than the AmazonBasics cable.

I've found the same with my HTC U250 charger and the T500 cable. The T500 uses the ExtMicroUSB connector that HTC put on a few devices, but only has the 5 conventional pins, not 12 like the HDMI out adapter. The HTC cable just seems to provide more current.

At this point, until someone tells me something about wires and conductors that I don't know, I chalk it up to magic pixie dust.

 

[velomichael]

Most all the theories offered in this thread are wrong. The internal connections of USB charging cables differs even among cables with the exact same connectors. Likewise there are more differences between chargers than just current output.

The reason some companies deviate from the standard USB spec is to allow the device to detect a >500ma power source for faster charging. Apple, Samsung, Blackberry, and others, also use nonstandard USB for faster charging. The Nexus 7 is in good company.

Without the special pin out, jumpers, charger configuration, etc. the device falls back to 500ma charging as that's the max most PC's allow.

I am sure there will be cheap USB third party cables that work if there are not some already.

 

[ChromeJob]

8It's not the cables, usually, it's the chargers. If the D+ and D- lines are shorted, the device recognizes the USB port as charging only, and will draw a higher current. Many cheap chargers don't have those shorted, so a device, when plugged in, will see it as a USB port, which is capped at 500mA, and only draw that much. Amazon is awash with reviewers scratching their heads and wondering why their "5VDC 1A" charger doesn't charge any faster than plugging the device into their computer -- that's why.

Apple, of course is special. They have reference voltages on D+ and D- (2.0V and 2.8V I think), which their devices look for. If you boot an iPod into the diagnostic menu, you can see it measuring these. Hence, some chargers now offer "Apple and non-Apple" ports. I've got one coming tomorrow from Amazon....

There are a few cables which have the data lines shorted out, I received one with a Duracell home/car combo charger. But it didn't support very much current no matter what I plugged it into, and it sits in a drawer at work.

My point is that on a charger that is pinned out to identify itself as an AC charger (D+ and D- shorted), with two cables that are pinned out the same (for data sync and charging), the device will draw more on one cable than another. Same charger, same type of cable. Again, I spent several years working in military avionics (analog and digital equipment), and the best that I can figure is that, perhaps, some cables have way more braided wire in them, allowing a slightly higher current flow. In a 3' or 4' cable, though, that really surprises me. Perhaps the charging circuits of these devices recognize that. I've seen this repeated many times with my HTC Amaze with the oem charger and cable, a smooth bell curve as the charging circuit tapers off the current as the battery nears full. The initial high voltage, and even sometimes the gradual tapering off, aren't repeated with some third party chargers and cables. For this reason, I bought two more HTC T500 cables and chargers (oh, HTC will send you "replacements" as a courtesy if you call them and ask nicely) so I could get a faster charge in various locations.

EDIT : By the way, the blue line on the second image indicates the HTC Amaze thought it was plugged into an USB port, not an AC charger. And it drew power accordingly.

 

[lmvine]

This one works and seems to charge at same rate as short Asus cable
Amazon.com: GTMax 6ft. USB 2.0 A to Micro-USB Cable for T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S 4G: Cell Phones & Accessories

 

[disaster999]

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I recently noticed some weird charging patterns on my HTC one with 3rd party cables.

I bought a charge doctor which monitor amps and voltage from a USB port and noticed that some 3rd party cheapo usb wire only charge to a max of .3amps. I shorted out the D+ and D- in the usb cable and that didnt have any effect on the charge rate. Even the stock charger on my HTC one with the stock cable, and an usb extention is only charing at max .2amps

Curious, I took the usb extention off and plug the stock htc cable into the charger, the charge rate went up. i plugged an usb cable from my logitech mouse and used that to charge my phone, bam, 0.7amps....

conclusion. All usb cables are not created equal.

 

[Mark Coffman1]

This is my second ASUS AT100T Transformer laptop.
Problem of slow charging with standard replacement
USB to micro USB power cable.

I use my laptop *every* day and I found the ASUS supplied
OEM 1' Micro USB power cable connecter started going out
rapidly after six month of careful useage. I also noticed
that the OEM power supply was not always able to charge
the computer when the laptop was in use. After I put the
replacement cables on order my OEM power supply died
too.

I found the following works really well with my AT1000T;

(1) Mail ordered from Amazon;
Easy Access Micro USB 2.0 Cable 5 Pack Charging Cables
Shorted Data Pins - has no data transfer capabilities.

(2) Purchased at CVS Pharmacy Store;
Power XCEL Dual USB 2.1Amp Rapid Charger with dual
outputs and blue indicator led. Use with a standard
lamp type extension cord set.

Now my computer stays at 99% charge when the charger
is plugged in and the laptop is in use. It also charges
surprisingly rapidly when the laptop is not in use.

---

Also a standard Samsung cell phone .7A charger that has
a hard wired micro usb connector will work much like the
original ASUS OEM charger, which can be used in a pinch.