I’ve been using magnetic USB cables and adapters on my devices for years. I occasionally need to clean their connection, but otherwise they work well. Found one I liked and purchased a bunch of them. Now the car, house, office, etc. all have one of the magnetic cables nearby.
They charge a little slower, but that’s better for my battery long-term anyway.
I used to use these, but I think they contributed to my charging port failing, so I just try to use wireless for everything. I’ve read of other people that had the same issue. I think the cause was electrical arcs when attaching and detaching. Or maybe ferreous shavings getting in the pins. Whatever it was, it damaged in the charging circuit.
I had no idea these existed and they look amazing!
Where do you buy these that isn’t under boycott?
I did this but the magnets started to lose their “magnet-ness?” They didn’t snap in right and would look plugged in but not charging.
Felt like I traded one quirky cord not going in, for another.
Do you have a preferred brand?
Fucking magnets. How could they stop working???
I hear that happens when they get wet.
And don’t even get me started on the sharks.
Word you’re looking for is magnetism or polarity.
I use the [N. NETDOT Gen 10 Magnetic Charging Cable] (https://a.co/d/ijM37pD). I have thrown away a few of the magnetic tips that physically broke from abuse, but for me that’s cheaper than a device repair.
When they stop connecting properly, I usually clean them with a toothpick (or other good suggestions from this thread).
you could get a magnetizer and run it through that a few times. even something cheap like this should do the trick: https://ebay.us/m/18o4zx
magnets just lose their strength over time and repeated use. the Samsung flip phones use magnets to detect when it’s open or closed, and a lot of the time they’ll lose strength and the phone won’t detect that’s it been opened or closed. I have pretty much that exact magnetizer and I run the magnets through that a time or two and everything starts working again lol. I assume the same concept should work for you.
I see seven things in that photo. Please explain what each one is and what they do.
The two butt plugs should be self explanatory
Instructions unclear. Phone is now stuck. Please advise.
The top two stick to the back of the phone and provide a rubber cover for the USB c port. Everything else either scrapes away debris or wipes the port clean with isopropyl alcohol. Bottom right appears to be fashioned from a zip tie and probably didn’t come in the kit.
My charging port died and I’m so pissed. 2 year old Google pixel. Never buying pixel again. I looked up how to desolder the charging port and it’s a pain in the ass. It has this like weird shield over it and I have no idea how to desolder this thing. Why can’t it be straight forward
You sure its dead? My 2 year old pixel was also having issues charging, but I simply used SIM tray tool to poke around the charging port and got A LOT of lint out of it and its as good as new
I tried that. It didn’t help. I even cleaned it when I had the phone apart with some 99% alcohol. No luck
Shouldn’t a Pixel that new support wireless charging? I’m surprised at how many people still rely on plugging their phones in to charge them these days. At the very least, it’s a workaround for a broken port.
It has wireless charging but I have a few on call situations and diabetes that I prefer a plugged in charge just in case I accidently knock the phone off the charger at night.
Android has had wireless charging for like 10 years. I can’t remember the last time I plugged in my phone (for charging)
Why the fuck would they solder the charging part to the main board? That’s just actively malicious.
It’s not just soldered there’s like a shield with anchor pins surrounding it that makes it hard to desolder
You could also set up wireless charging and put the phone down for a bit.
Or magnetic USB-C adapters. Keeps the gunk out of the charging port while still retaining functionality (including fast charging). There’s also charge-only adapters, which are handy for travel when you don’t trust the port the phone is connected to.
This is the answer.
I’ve used them for close to 10 years. Started because one phone had a touchy port. Glued the adapter in the right position and never had a problem.
I had a phone that I put the charging cable in backwards, and the port was completely broken. Bought a wireless charger and never had any problems.
(Whoever decided to standardize phone chargers on that connector should be put into prison.)
The last time I plugged my phone in to charge was … Well, never with this one.
It has a 3.5mm and a Qi charging and sharing rig. I wish I could have this phone forever.
For whoever isn’t aware, you can just add wireless charging to a device. It’s a paper thin cord and a pad that goes under whatever case you have. You won’t even notice it’s there under your case. They work well.
Heathen!!!
So you missed the part where I explained I need it for my constant glucose monitor which perpetually drains my phone battery creating the whole battle of the port?
Or you saying im not being a risky enough diabetic leaving my phone out of Bluetooth range for the 8 or more hours it takes to charge a zfold5 on a wireless charging pad? Cuz say the word and ill go hypo-g right the fuck meow, son. /s couldnt pass on good diabeeetus joke lol
You posted this as a “You Should Know” clean your port before getting a new phone. Just because you have a need for constant charging, does not mean that wireless charging is an invalid option for the audience you’re taking to.
I recently got a replacement battery and also the usb c circuitry. Got it replaced for $15 (everything included). Phone is effectively new now.
Can you share any instructional material you used to learn how to change the battery and charging port?
i paid a repair shop for the swapping. ($15 includes everything, battery itself is around $10 port is around $2). Whole swap took around 20 mins. though this is a third world country, so double or triple that.
but for my device, there was full repair guide available online (ifixit). the only reason I did not repair my self is because I am kinda scared doing anything battery (it was partially swollen, and i do not want lithium fire). Other major reason is I do not have screw driver bits for phone. I can do laptop repairs myself, but phone screws are even smaller, and use fancy heads, so I can not use a pointed knife’s edge to unscrew.
If your device has a ifixit guide, that would be the easiest way, they hand hold all the way through. If not, find replacement parts, see what it would cost, and maybe ask a repair shop for a price. if their quotation is within reason, then they can do a good job and you would not even need any other tools.
In fact, if I would have done it myself, I would have not repaired the port, as that required a bit more work than battery.
Also, replacing the battery is pretty cheap compared to buying a new phone.
No need to waste money on a “kit” for such a basic task.
The plugs homie. I bought the plugs. They came with the jankey cleaning kit that changed my life hahah
We seem to have very different lives.
Yeah, a toothpick or even a toothbrush will do the trick if you’re careful. And without creating unnecessary waste.
It needs to be a hard material though. Soft plastic or wood can sometimes bend and break before getting anywhere.
You can loosen up the dust with the bristles and then pull it out with the toothpick. I wouldn’t recommend using metal tools.
I feel like if you need more than a plastic toothpick to clean your charging port, you need to reevaluate how and when you’re using your phone and maybe should invest in paper towels to wipe your hands after eating.
When I cleaned mine out recently it was very clearly dust and skin cells in there, meaning just the crap the builds up on and around anything by existing
“I’m rich and people who touch dirt for work are poor low lives”
Literally exactly what I said, thank you for clarifying.
“And those poor low lives should stop being poor”
Soft is good because you want the cleaning tool to break before it can apply enough force to break or scratch the contact. Use a cleaning solution to soften the gunk instead. Doesn’t have to be a part of a kit, just make sure it’s safe for metals, like isopropyl alcohol.
a simple sewing needle does the job
I would not use metal simply because its hardness is going to be similar or higher than the hardness of the contacts themselves, which means there’s a chance it could scratch or break the contact entirely.
You generally won’t be touching the contacts much, since most gunk like lint can just be scooped out. Just be a bit gentle and you’ll be fine.
I use a toothpick as the metal could potentially short something
You really won’t short something, and wooden toothpicks are at risk of splintering and leaving more behind than getting out if you’re not careful.
The port should detect shorts and stop working, atleast on waterproof phones
Sure. But that’s intended to detect shorts caused by water, and water is a much worse electrical conductor than a piece of metal, and so less damaging in the time it takes to detect a short.
Even if phones have some level of protection, why risk damage when you could use something wooden or plastic and just not risk it at all?
why risk damage when you could use something wooden or plastic and just not risk it at all?
Because fuck it.
In all seriousness, my toothpicks didn’t fit the last time I tried so I just grabbed a needle and has worked fine for me, just be a bit careful
flat wood toothpicks are a thing.
Also, metal needles or equivalent can raise contacts and do their damage. I cut the toothpicks with a cutter so that they are wedge shaped.
That is probably the correct way. But I just collect the dust at the bottom with the needle. Only plastic there. Sure, the side of the needle may come in contact with the pins, but it’s round so not likeley to snag on a pin.
You’re not going to short anything.
The power pins (VCC) on your phone’s USB-C port aren’t “live” at all times, the standard requires communication over CC1 and CC2 to negotiate which side is receiving power and at what voltage. Otherwise, a specific value of resistor needs to be in place between those pins and GND to get “dumb” charging at the original 5V usb standard.
The ideal tool is going to be thin and rigid so that you can get to the base of the port and free up impacted dust/lint. Small enough plastics are going to be to flexible to be effective, anything too thick is going to increase the working time and risk putting pressure against the center tab, potentially damaging it.
I fix consumer electronics for a living, my tool of choice is a pair of ultrasharp tweezers I use for microsoldering. Far as household items are concerned, a real small sewing needle is definitely it. The eye can even be used to catch and pull out fluff.
I use a toothpick.
As an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure I recommend those tiny rubber stoppers you see in the photo. They have a peel and stick part that goes under your case which retains the plug on a strip of rubber. That strip might wear out in a few years and rip, but they cost almost nothing to replace (and in fact come in packs).
Phones used to have these things built in, then they stopped in the smartphone era because they didn’t look as sleek and futuristic I guess. Now, if you have a case, it once again makes hardly any difference to the appearance.
That was also when a single charge lasted for days or a week. Now we use our phones too much and multiple charges a day isn’t uncommon for people. I couldn’t imagine having to remove a little plug to charge my phone as often as I do.
A 1¢ toothpick works 99% of the time.
YSK that OP is now mad at wasting $9.99
For the missing 1% use isopropanol.
Who’s wasting money on 1 cent toothpicks?
LOL, that’s the value of them—not the price of them.
Hey thanks for all the tips in the comments, I’ve got these brand new stiff-ish cleaning brushes and this one worked really well to clean out my charging port and now there’s no more beach sand grinding noise when I shove my cable into the charging port.
You don’t want to be too rough on it. There’s electrical contacts that can get blocked by dust, lint, and crap, so cleaning helps, but the contacts themselves aren’t that thick, so you don’t want to wear them down too much while cleaning. A cleaning solution helps loosen up everything with less force and a softer brush/pad is less likely to knock bits of contact off.
So just be careful because that brush might be like blowing in nintendo cartridges (clearing dust but leaving saliva specs that would wear the contacts), where it helps in the short term but makes things worse in the long term (resulting in more blowing and an acceleration of the process).
A filed down toothpick is really good at cleaning that USB port.
I gave mine a good blow out like a Nintendo cartridge
I was scaping compacted sawdust off the bottom of the port with force using the Mcguyver’ed zip tie tool lol
Never mind those, where do I get those cool rear view mirrors for my phone?
Huh? Lol I dont get it. What you calling rear view mirrors for a phone? or are you joking about wishing you had hindsight? 😂
