Why is the micro USB so fragile compared to mini USB cable e

[Avraham Bernholz]

Why is the micro USB so fragile compared to mini USB cable ends?

I bought a bunch of micro-USB cables recently from Frys, and
almost half of them have had the two little nubs on the top
of the male micro-USB connector disappear.

I don't know if they fall off, or if they get pressed down,
or if they bend, or what, but the cables just fall out of
the various devices I use them in (earbuds, smart phones,
speakerphones, etc.).

Is it that micro_USB is inherently more fragile than mini_USB?
Or is it just bad cables from Frys?

 

[Avraham Bernholz]

Andy Burns wrote, on Wed, 20 Aug 2014 07:34:46 +0100:

because
the cable can be more easily replaced, they're also rated for more like
10,000 insertions.

These cables are probably a month or two old, so, the number
of insertions was probably about a hundred to three hundred
before they failed.

 

[Andy Burns]

Avraham Bernholz wrote:

Why is the micro USB so fragile compared to mini USB cable ends?

I bought a bunch of micro-USB cables recently from Frys, and
almost half of them have had the two little nubs on the top
of the male micro-USB connector disappear.

It's deliberate ... with USB and miniUSB the contacts and retaining
springs are in the socket and wear out after 1,000 to 2,000 insertions;
with microUSB the wear is intended to happen within the plug, because
the cable can be more easily replaced, they're also rated for more like
10,000 insertions.

I have sometimes managed to persuade the "nibs" back into life with the
end of pin, but cables are cheap.

 

[Avraham Bernholz]

Chris Uppal wrote, on Wed, 20 Aug 2014 11:07:55 +0100:

> Sounds like you got some of a bad batch of cables.

I wonder if there is a way to tell if a cable is good
*before* you buy it?

 

[Chris Uppal]

Avraham Bernholz wrote:

because
the cable can be more easily replaced, they're also rated for more like
10,000 insertions.

These cables are probably a month or two old, so, the number
of insertions was probably about a hundred to three hundred
before they failed.

Sounds like you got some of a bad batch of cables. Or else you are
inordinately clumsy with micro-USB connectors. Or else one of your devices has
an out-of-spec micro-USB socket that is breaking your, otherwise perfectly
sound, USB plugs...

FWIW: I have /never/ experienced this problem myself.

-- chris

 

[Avraham Bernholz]

Chris Uppal wrote, on Wed, 20 Aug 2014 13:47:03 +0100:

> Price ? Brand ?

I don't have the original shrinkwrap, but it was generic
Frys stuff. I will have to go back and look at the brand,
but, how does *that* help?

Let's say the brand is "made in China" stuff?
Is that necessarily better or worse than "made in anywhere else"
stuff?

I'm sure if the brand were "Belken", it would be good, but,
I think this was just generic stuff. Why should something as
simple as a cable need to be name brand anyway?

And, what is a name brand (other than Belken) anyway, for
cables?

 

[David L. Martel]

Avi,

I wonder if there is a way to tell if a cable is good
*before* you buy it?

Not likely. Your protection is usually a 30 day warranty.
You have my sympathies. In my experience USB, Mini USB, and Micro USB do
not seem to hold up well under lots of insertions. These designs just do not
work well. And they are currently ubiquitous.

Dave M.

 

[Chris Uppal]

Avraham Bernholz wrote:

Sounds like you got some of a bad batch of cables.

I wonder if there is a way to tell if a cable is good
*before* you buy it?

Price ? Brand ? If the cable comes from a supplier with enough of a name to
care about quality control (and therefore test the stuff they get from the
/actual/ supplier) then that's probably the best you can do. In particular if
it comes from a brand that you have had good quality (not necessarily premium
priced) stuff from before.

Perhaps also a visual inspection of the overall build quality will tell you
something about the quality control, but it's difficult to see how to apply
that effectively to something as simple as USB cables.

-- chris

 

[Ralph Mowery]

"Avraham Bernholz" <Avraham.Bernholz@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:lt1gmb$mf$1@news.albasani.net...

Andy Burns wrote, on Wed, 20 Aug 2014 07:34:46 +0100:

because
the cable can be more easily replaced, they're also rated for more like
10,000 insertions.

These cables are probably a month or two old, so, the number
of insertions was probably about a hundred to three hundred
before they failed.

Sounds like you are using the cables a lot . That would be plugging the
cables in betwen 3 and 10 times each day.

 

[William Sommerwerck]

My cell phone uses a charger with a micro-USB plug. If these were of such poor
quality that they went bad after a few hundred insertions, you can imagine the
reactions of the manufacturer and owner.

 

[Dave Liquorice]

On Wed, 20 Aug 2014 07:08:24 -0700, William Sommerwerck wrote:

> My cell phone uses a charger with a micro-USB plug.

'cause the phone makers got together and decided on a "universal"
connector for charging. Under pressure from the consumer about the
being fleeced for chargers with only difference being the propritary
connector.

If these were of such poor quality that they went bad after a few
hundred insertions, you can imagine the reactions of the manufacturer
and owner.

Do people keep a phone that long? People here seem to upgrade every
tweleve months or when ever they can twist their provider in to it.

Personally I don't like micro USB. It's too small, doesn't self guide
on insertion, the orientation is non-obvious and with the lack of
self guidance is the thing not going together because it's miss
aligned or the wrong way up? Mini USB doesn't suffer those problems.

--
Cheers
Dave.

 

[Avraham Bernholz]

Michael A. Terrell wrote, on Wed, 20 Aug 2014 14:02:13 -0400:

> Replace the connectors, they are cheap enough.

I didn't know you *could* (easily) replace the connectors!
And, at 5 cents each, no less.

How can they possibly make money selling those micro usb connectors
for 5 cents each, with shipping from Szechuan China being 80 cents?

BTW, are they crimp on? Glue on? Solder on? What?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/121338466227

 

[Avraham Bernholz]

Avraham Bernholz wrote, on Wed, 20 Aug 2014 14:35:12 +0000:

I don't have the original shrinkwrap, but it was generic
Frys stuff. I will have to go back and look at the brand,
but, how does *that* help?

Here is a picture of a few of the bad microUSB cables:
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=wvu1e8&s=8

This 6 foot long Belken cable no longer has any nubs:
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=n4fhj9&s=8

So the Belken (on the right) didn't have any more nub than
the no-name brand on the left (in this picture below):
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=16kw2s2&s=8

I'm confused how I'm supposed to buy a good micro USB
cable when even the Belken brand loses its nubs.

 

[Avraham Bernholz]

Ralph Mowery wrote, on Wed, 20 Aug 2014 09:15:02 -0400:

Sounds like you are using the cables a lot . That would be plugging the
cables in betwen 3 and 10 times each day.

I don't think I'm using it any more than anyone else.
I was just guessing at the number of insertions.
It's only a couple times a day that it's used, on average.

Anyway, they failed in far fewer than 10,000 cycles, so, I'm
assuming the micro USB standard is seriously flawed, or, I'm
just getting bad cables from Frys.

Here is what Frys had today for USB cables in the components area:
http://oi61.tinypic.com/2dl23dc.jpg

So, I bought a 3 foot and 6 foot replacement:
http://oi61.tinypic.com/30ljkt1.jpg

We'll see how they fare, but, most seem to lose their nubs in
a few months like these two cables did:
http://oi60.tinypic.com/16kw2s2.jpg

The one at left is no name, the one at right has Belkin molded
on it. Maybe it's a fake? But I bought it at Frys, for sure.

 

[Avraham Bernholz]

Michael A. Terrell wrote, on Wed, 20 Aug 2014 14:02:13 -0400:

> Replace the connectors, they are cheap enough.

I also have to replace the Duracell USB wall charger I bought
from Frys, as it just fell apart in my hands today!

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2vjpnv8&s=8

That could have been dangerous because it left that missing pin
in hot port of the wall socket!

 

[Avraham Bernholz]

Dave Liquorice wrote, on Wed, 20 Aug 2014 20:13:06 +0100:

Personally I don't like micro USB. It's too small, doesn't self guide
on insertion, the orientation is non-obvious and with the lack of
self guidance is the thing not going together because it's miss
aligned or the wrong way up? Mini USB doesn't suffer those problems.

I agree with you that miniUSB was easier than microUSB, and I'm
all for standards, but for the newer micro USB plugs to last far
fewer insertions is crazy.

At least they should have come up with a standard where the number
of insertions goes *up*, not down, as they improve the connector!

BTW, you'll notice the pink nail polish? I saw that trick on a
forum here. It let's me know right away which way to insert the
plug as there's a matching dot on the device also!

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2vjpnv8&s=8

 

[Avraham Bernholz]

Andy Burns wrote, on Wed, 20 Aug 2014 20:31:19 +0100:

Physically, I will admit the apple lightning connector is nicer, it's
still small, is reversible and it inserts smoothly, but I wouldn't want
a proprietary connector.

Funny you should mention the lightning as I have iPads which
I also want to extend, so, I bought these extension cables today:
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=30iamj5&s=8

I haven't opened them, because, when I got home, I realized that
I *maybe* should have gotten USB 3.0 extensions, instead of USB 2.0
extensions?

Assuming the big end is plugged into something of high enough power,
does it matter if the USB extension cable is USB 2.0 or 3.0?

I mean, I understand that 3.0 is more power, but that is for the port,
right? Is it also the cable?

That is, would I lose some power simply by connecting the iPad to the
lightning to the USB 2.0 cable to the 2.1 Amp wall charger ?

 

[Rich Webb]

On Wed, 20 Aug 2014 14:35:12 +0000 (UTC), Avraham Bernholz
<Avraham.Bernholz@gmail.com> wrote:

Chris Uppal wrote, on Wed, 20 Aug 2014 13:47:03 +0100:

Price ? Brand ?

I don't have the original shrinkwrap, but it was generic
Frys stuff. I will have to go back and look at the brand,
but, how does *that* help?

Let's say the brand is "made in China" stuff?
Is that necessarily better or worse than "made in anywhere else"
stuff?

I'm sure if the brand were "Belken", it would be good, but,
I think this was just generic stuff. Why should something as
simple as a cable need to be name brand anyway?

And, what is a name brand (other than Belken) anyway, for
cables?

L-com http://www.l-com.com/usb-cable-assemblies

Their prices are good and the quality is excellent. Plus, you can get
right angle cables ... and left, up, or down as well.

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Avraham Bernholz wrote:

Why is the micro USB so fragile compared to mini USB cable ends?

I bought a bunch of micro-USB cables recently from Frys, and
almost half of them have had the two little nubs on the top
of the male micro-USB connector disappear.

I don't know if they fall off, or if they get pressed down,
or if they bend, or what, but the cables just fall out of
the various devices I use them in (earbuds, smart phones,
speakerphones, etc.).

Is it that micro_USB is inherently more fragile than mini_USB?
Or is it just bad cables from Frys?

Replace the connectors, they are cheap enough.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/121338466227
--
Anyone wanting to run for any political office in the US should have to
have a DD214, and a honorable discharge.

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Avraham Bernholz wrote:

Chris Uppal wrote, on Wed, 20 Aug 2014 13:47:03 +0100:

Price ? Brand ?

I don't have the original shrinkwrap, but it was generic
Frys stuff. I will have to go back and look at the brand,
but, how does *that* help?

Let's say the brand is "made in China" stuff?
Is that necessarily better or worse than "made in anywhere else"
stuff?

I'm sure if the brand were "Belken", it would be good, but,
I think this was just generic stuff. Why should something as
simple as a cable need to be name brand anyway?

And, what is a name brand (other than Belken) anyway, for
cables?

I just bought some from Dollar Tree for $1 each. They are bright
green, so they'll be easy to spot, when I need one.


--
Anyone wanting to run for any political office in the US should have to
have a DD214, and a honorable discharge.