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2012 Nexus 7 Discussion Forums (1st Generation) => Nexus 7 General Discussion => Topic started by: chaikenj on November 14, 2012, 04:30:59 PM

Title: Charging cable died
Post by: chaikenj on November 14, 2012, 04:30:59 PM
My USB cable that plugs into the black adapter stopped working.  It can't be used by any device for charging or data transfer.  What a surprise... physically it looks fine and did not suffer any maltreatment.

Fortunately I found that a Kindle cable works for charging the N7 with the N7's own adapter.  But I have to borrow that cable from a Kindle user.

Other USB cables with micro-USB plugs (such as for cell phones) do not work for charging my N7, so I ordered some new N7 cables.

Title: Re: Charging cable died
Post by: bjs229 on November 14, 2012, 05:35:48 PM
Where did you order and how much were they? I need a cable myself. I have found that generic cables don't fit well and if they do don't charge. I can usually use them to transfer data.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Title: Re: Charging cable died
Post by: chaikenj on November 15, 2012, 11:11:14 AM
Where did you order and how much were they? I need a cable myself. I have found that generic cables don't fit well and if they do don't charge. I can usually use them to transfer data.

I ordered online from cellphoneshop.net.  $2.99 US dollars each cable, plus shipping unless you get above their free shipping threshold.
Title: Re: Charging cable died
Post by: loociddreemr on November 15, 2012, 11:55:20 AM
The cable for the N7 must meet USB 3.0 standards. Typical cables only meet the standards for USB 2.0.  Just something to keep in mind.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
Title: Re: Charging cable died
Post by: pipsisquam on November 20, 2012, 08:46:28 PM
Hi ! everyone  hope i dont get in trouble for adding my 2 cents with a site to get a 10 foot cable for charging the 7
it was either amazon ot Newegg.com  and got a mini to bigger standard usb plug 10 foot and it plugs wonderfully
into the "7" and the wall gizzmo,then data,or ? what ever you call it works,and i even charge my Galaxy S 3 just greatly
so ,i do have papers somewhere ,reciept, ?? but check them out, not chincy ,,,its a heavier cord than original,
and i paid about 7 or 9 usa dollars shipping and all,  ok now im gone,, Pipsisquam
Title: Re: Charging cable died
Post by: bjs229 on November 20, 2012, 10:24:20 PM
Wait . Do you have to feed it rats?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
Title: Re: Charging cable died
Post by: Bigtroutz on November 21, 2012, 09:30:31 PM
this cable works fine for charging and data transfer - nicer than the one that comes with the N7 and the price is right

http://www.amazon.com/USB-Micro-USB-Cable-6-Ft/dp/B002HMWQE2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=A1H9NMCPZH97BO&qid=1353554883&s=generic&sr=1-1 (http://www.amazon.com/USB-Micro-USB-Cable-6-Ft/dp/B002HMWQE2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=A1H9NMCPZH97BO&qid=1353554883&s=generic&sr=1-1)
Title: Re: Charging cable died
Post by: chaikenj on November 26, 2012, 08:13:42 PM
Where did you order and how much were they? I need a cable myself. I have found that generic cables don't fit well and if they do don't charge. I can usually use them to transfer data.

I ordered online from cellphoneshop.net.  $2.99 US dollars each cable, plus shipping unless you get above their free shipping threshold.

My cheap replacement cables arrived and work fine.
Title: Re: Charging cable died
Post by: chaikenj on November 26, 2012, 08:15:48 PM
Does anyone know if the N7 charger can be used on a Kindle? (They both use the same cable)
Title: Re: Charging cable died
Post by: loociddreemr on November 26, 2012, 08:32:57 PM
The kindle only requires 0.5A or 500mA. This is a quarter of what the Nexus charger supplies. The charger will work, but I would be afraid of overheating the circuits. The cord will be interchangeable, but the wall adapter is not.

Sent From my Razr Maxx (iKreaM.4.1.2.AOKP) via Tapatalk 2
Title: Re: Charging cable died
Post by: DennisClawson on December 12, 2012, 09:01:36 PM
The kindle only requires 0.5A or 500mA. This is a quarter of what the Nexus charger supplies. The charger will work, but I would be afraid of overheating the circuits. The cord will be interchangeable, but the wall adapter is not.

First a disclaimer - I don't have my N7 yet so I cannot confirm.

My understanding about current flow is that the Kindle will draw what it needs - as long as the power supply can provide it all is good.  The fact that the power supply is rated for a higher current load is immaterial - the Kindle will not be "force fed" too much current.  I'm hoping this is true anyway because I have a Kindle and intend to use it on the same cord as my N7.

Regards,
-Dennis
Title: Re: Charging cable died
Post by: chaikenj on December 31, 2012, 11:11:11 AM
I have a Kindle and intend to use it on the same cord as my N7.

Please post if you are successful
Title: Re: Re: Charging cable died
Post by: DennisClawson on January 03, 2013, 03:07:53 AM
Please post if you are successful

Just wanted to post that using my Nexus power supply I'm able to charge both my Kindle and Nexus 7.
No problems since Dec 25th.

Regards,
-Dennis


Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
Title: Re: Charging cable died
Post by: mdaniels4 on May 16, 2013, 09:50:42 AM
I simply use my USB cable from my HTC phone. No issue at all
Title: Re: Charging cable died
Post by: strollin on May 17, 2013, 09:21:09 AM
The kindle only requires 0.5A or 500mA. This is a quarter of what the Nexus charger supplies. The charger will work, but I would be afraid of overheating the circuits. The cord will be interchangeable, but the wall adapter is not.

First a disclaimer - I don't have my N7 yet so I cannot confirm.

My understanding about current flow is that the Kindle will draw what it needs - as long as the power supply can provide it all is good.  The fact that the power supply is rated for a higher current load is immaterial - the Kindle will not be "force fed" too much current.  I'm hoping this is true anyway because I have a Kindle and intend to use it on the same cord as my N7.

Regards,
-Dennis
Yes, as long as the wall adapter is rated to supply at least 500ma it will work as ANY device draws only as much current as it requires.  The Kindle's charger can't be used to charge the N7 due to insufficient current but having more current available is OK. 

The N7's charger will work fine.  It is the voltage that is critical but USB uses 5VDC so that is not an issue.

As far as the cable itself, I have used a cheap generic USB to micro USB cable and it charges fine, no need to buy a specific cable made specially for an N7.
Title: Re: Charging cable died
Post by: JayJ on May 19, 2013, 01:42:34 AM
I disagree, you may be lucky that the cable you are using has a high enough resistance but many have found generic USB cables do not supply the Amps needed to charge a device that requires 2Amps...

Sent from my Paranoid Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Title: Re: Charging cable died
Post by: matt on May 19, 2013, 06:10:18 AM
A typo? Low resistance is what you want, resistance causes a voltage drop. When the voltage is less than the battery you don't get full charge. A larger gauge wire should have less resistance and a higher ampacity. A lower amp supply will give a full charge but take longer to do so. Using a power supply that has a greater amp rating than required is not a problem, but a high resistance cable may overheat and fail.
Title: Re: Charging cable died
Post by: strollin on May 19, 2013, 07:12:22 AM
Unless we are dealing with very long cables, the wire gauge of the cable is probably not a significant factor in whether it charges or not.  If a particular cable cannot provide enough current for charging, my guess would be that it would be due to other factors such as poorly soldered connections and such which would have a greater impact than the size of the wire in a short cable.
Title: Re: Charging cable died
Post by: S.Prime on May 19, 2013, 07:13:37 AM
@ matt

Thanks for the clarification.

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Title: Re: Charging cable died
Post by: matt on May 19, 2013, 07:59:07 AM
Cold solder joints and oxidization of connections will increase resistance. When I was a heavy smoker, the tar that coated my electronics led me to a lot of potentiometer and connection cleaning. The gauge of wire only matters if a cord was only made for a too low ampacity, say 500 ma.

Fer instance, 18 gauge wire has an ampacity of 6. 12 volts or 120, it will carry 6 amps at any length without overheating the wire to failure. Ah but resistance is futile. And the voltage drop can become too great for operability.

Another problem with some cables is that because the bezel on the nexus 7 juts out past the jack, a longer plug or trimming the plastic  may help.