EDIT

[MilkyWay]

Every Micro USB cable i have ever owned has ended up buggered (not able to make a connection). Other than the connector being a crap design i don't know. The connection always goes slack and the male end starts to move around meaning it doesn't connect with the female end properly. I have constant constant build quality problems with cheaper cables so went for something that wasn't a cheap cable and still ended up with connection issues. Granted the better quality cables where more flexible and sturdy, better cloth type ones with moulded ends. I don't think the cables themselves are the problem i think its just the crap micro usb standard. I use this connector type with my xbone controller (which i use on my pc), my mobile and my rasberry pi. I'm not yanking or mishandling the cables.

IMO the micro standard is awful and its only good for its ubiquity.

My friend has experienced this with his PS4 controller and his mobile phone too.

Just wondered if anyone else had this problem?

I bought 2 cables in January for my needs.

A 3m Ugreen 10827, this cable was said to be extremely tight so not good for removing but i wanted one that wouldn't wiggle around. Worked well untill it started to wobble in the past month, wouldn't stay in the controller (device). Just there the wires popped out from the actual connector so the connectors sort of just connected by the rubber sheath. So much for this being a great quality cable. One example of bad construction quality.

Second cable is a (6 Ft/1.8m) Freiq, its well made just the actual tip that doesn't sit at peice. Became very loose like the above cable. When i mean LOOSE i mean the connection between male + female not the wire to tip solder joints.

What use is a cable that keeps disconnecting with the slightest movement? Charging isn't so bad because you can get it to sit on a surface without moving the device (charging stationary). Maybe the connector wasn't designed for this? So it would be manufacturers fault for choosing this on something like a controller.

 

[MrGenius]

You summed it up perfectly in that last sentence.

 

[unclewebb]

Micro USB is garbage. A crappy connector that is designed to fail. A perfect standard for phones that you are plugging and unplugging every day.

Monoprice has a wide selection of quality cables at a good price.

http://www.monoprice.com/Search/Index?keyword=micro+usb

They are dirt cheap so you can buy a handful of them. The one I am using now has held up well so far.

 

[newtekie1]

Been using the same MicroUSB cable to charge my phone for 4+ years now.

My mouse also uses a MicroUSB and it hasn't had any issues in over a year.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Yeah...buy better cables. All cables are not created equal. Where to get quality cables in Scotland? I can't help you there.

 

[micropage7]

Been using the same MicroUSB cable to charge my phone for 4+ years now.

My mouse also uses a MicroUSB and it hasn't had any issues in over a year.

yeah me too, stock cable from nokia the last time it failed coz the cable cracked and i guess its fine after 6+ years

maybe you should use better cable than generic cable, maybe you could consider phone stock cable

 

[Mussels]

this is the kind of thread that needed a poll.


since i buy/repair/resell lots of android phones i deal with dozens of these cables a month. I'm yet to have a single one of mine fail, its all about how you (mis)treat them.

 

[Jetster]

I've never had this issue

 

[Caring1]

Micro-usb, never a problem, Apple cables on the other hand, always fail and never last 12 months.

 

[HammerON]

I have had minor issues, but nothing that has caused me any headaches. The cables are readily available and are inexpensive.

 

[Mussels]

poll added. lemme know if the options need tweaking.

 

[BiggieShady]

I never had issues.
Also, I know more people who had issues with the port on the device.
That could also be effect of the fact that no one mentions when changing cables and always mentioning they had to send the device to the service.

 

[mroofie]

Every Micro USB cable i have ever owned has ended up buggered. Other than the connector being a crap design i don't know. The connector always goes slack and starts to move around meaning it doesn't connect. I have constantconstant build quality problems with cheaper cables so went for something that wasn't a cheap cable and still ended up with the connector being an issue. Granted the better quality cables where more flexible and sturdy, better cloth type ones with moulded ends. I don't think the cables themselves are the problem i think its just the crap micro usb standard. I use this connector type with my xbone controller (which i use on my pc), my mobile and my rasberry pi. I'm not yanking or mishandling the cables.

IMO the micro standard is awful and its only good for its ubiquity.

Just wondered if anyone else had this problem.

My friend has experienced this with his PS4 controller and his mobile phone too.

I bought 2 cables in January for my needs.

A 3m Ugreen 10827, this cable was said to be extremely tight so not good for removing but i wanted one that wouldnt wiggle around. Worked well untill it got started to wobble in the last month, wouldn't stay in the controller. Just there the wires popped out from the actual connector so the connectors sort of just connected by the rubber sheath.

Second cable is a (6 Ft/1.8m) Freiq, its well made just the actual tip that doesn't sit at peice. Became very loose like the above cable.

What use is a cable that keeps disconnecting with the slightest movement? Charging isn't so bad because you can get it to sit on a surface without moving while charging stationary. Maybe the connector wasn't designed for this? So it would be manufacturers fault for choosing this on something like a controller.

I don't have any issues regarding cable damage.
I do sometimes have a issue with charging though!
If the quality of the cable sucks then you're going to have a awesome charging + disconnection experience /s

You should have made another option for charging + disconnection (I doubt many will have a issue regarding cable damage)

 

[Mussels]

I don't have any issues regarding cable damage.

I do sometimes have a issue with charging though!
If the quality of the cable sucks then you're going to have a awesome charging experience /s

I doubt many will have a issue regarding cable damage (im careful with my stuff no mistreating here)

You should have made another option for charging

i've tested all my cables for charging rates (helps having a wall meter and a rare phone that can do 17W (note 4 via the quick charge at 9V) - almost every cable cheap or otherwise charges at the full rate, only really worn/abused ones give lower rates, often right before they die. That said, i've had maybe 5 bad cables out of a good hundred or more - and most of them were second hand and traded to me with the phones (people always give their worst one away)

 

[mroofie]

i've tested all my cables for charging rates (helps having a wall meter and a rare phone that can do 17W (note 4 via the quick charge at 9V) - almost every cable cheap or otherwise charges at the full rate, only really worn/abused ones give lower rates, often right before they die. That said, i've had maybe 5 bad cables out of a good hundred or more - and most of them were second hand and traded to me with the phones (people always give their worst one away)

Sorry Mussels I meant disconnection when charging (Will edit now)
But some cables do have lower charging rates from what I have seen

this is the kind of thread that needed a poll.
since i buy/repair/resell lots of android phones i deal with dozens of these cables a month. I'm yet to have a single one of mine fail, its all about how you (mis)treat them.

Agree !

more often than not when people complain of charging its a dirty port, the amount of pocket lint and small rocks/debris i've cleaned out of samsung phones has been insane.

 

[Mussels]

more often than not when people complain of charging its a dirty port, the amount of pocket lint and small rocks/debris i've cleaned out of samsung phones has been insane.

 

[MilkyWay]

I use a pin to clean the ports on my devices, this was one of the first things i did. When i still had problems i bought another better quality cable and it lasted longer before having problems. On better quality cables they use moulded ends so they don't come apart. I find the cloth ones don't tangle and are more flexible.

Main problem i personally have is that the micro usb male connector just doesn't sit tight in the female end of the USB, after a few weeks of being connected and disconnected they seem to become too slack that any slight movement causes them to disconnect. They sort of wobble only a mm or 2 and the connection breaks or become so loose they fall out. I thought id get a really tight one which i did and even that started to do the same after months until it broke.

One of the best cables i had was one included with a phone, length was short but it lasted a long time before the tip bent (YES in this case it was my fault). Length was no good for anything other than charging next to the socket.

I get it user problems yeah but i dunno i wrap up my cables and put them away in drawer next to the pc and i never yank them around when using them or anything like that. The Freiq cable i have is built well the actual cable part, it just never wants to stay in the controller or phone.

EDIT: Thanks for adding the poll btw!

 

[Bill_Bright]

The male and female connectors themselves certainly are not very rugged - but I think that a factor of their size, not quality of the construction. However, the manufacturing process to connect and solder the wires inside the cable to those connectors, and then the plastic molding process to cover and protect the solder connections is a function of cable quality. So while cheap cables certainly cannot take much abuse, even the highest quality cables are not very robust because of the size of the connectors, and they cannot take much physical abuse either.

If not abused (yanked, twisted, stepped on, forced, etc.), they should still last many years.

My personal experience is a bit mixed. 3 out 4 micro-USB cables I've had work great. The one that didn't was a spare my son gave me when I first got my new phone. I could charge my phone with it, but it would not pass data when connected to my PC. But since it was used when I got, I don't know how it was treated previously.

Based on my experience with these cables, if "Every Micro USB cable i have ever owned has ended up buggered", I would have to blame that on "user error" or very bad luck.

 

[MilkyWay]

I don't think I'm making myself clear here. I am not mishandling the cables or the devices connected. It isn't the cables themselves it's the tip. When I connect a cable they never seem to sit tight, it's like the connector male end is slightly too small or the female ends too large for the male tip, whatever holds them in place comes loose through regular useage. I find this a design fault not a user problem.

Edit: granted yes I broke one tip by bending it but I should not have loose cables every time on multiple devices. Like I said I've tried better quality cables and the ends are moulded so dont come apart and the wires stronger but always have that same problem of sitting loose. I'll find a video or something.

 

[MilkyWay]

Last 30 seconds, that wobble only slacker.

 

[bubbleawsome]

Oh, I do have that on some devices. I assumed it was just because how the connector was built and the female end had loose casing. I've never had anything break from it though.

 

[Caring1]

Even full sized USB has that looseness, For some reason they can't or don't make them a snug fit.

 

[ChevyOwner]

The only time I have had a cable fail is when I did not notice it fell under my computer chair, and smashed the end with the chair.

its all about how you (mis)treat them.

I agree.

 

[Frick]

Never had a problem with cables, but some devices are insanely sensitive to movement.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Last 30 seconds, that wobble only slacker.

I just checked over a dozen plugs - micro USB, USB, HDMI, headphone, 3-prong AC, 2-prong AC, eSATA, RJ-45 Ethernet, RJ-11 phone, two notebook power connectors, and several other DC power connectors and every single one wobbled a little - if I wiggled it. But not one device lost power or data connectivity when I wiggled them - so I don't see a problem.

The only connectors that had no wiggle where the DVI connectors - but of course, DVI connectors are secured tightly with thumb screws.

If you look at that video again, the fact he had to pull and push so hard to disconnect and connect indicates to me a good, solid, "mechanical" connection was made - the primary prerequisite for a good "electrical" connection.

But what I clearly noticed in the video was a guy abusing the cable! Wiggling the connector to see if loose is abusing the connector. That's like twisting on a CPU heatsink to see if loose. That will, and often does break the cured bond of the thermal paste!

Plus, the video guy made THEE cardinal error disconnecting any cable - he yanked on the cable! You should ALWAYS firmly grasp the molded plug and pull straight out. And you should always firmly grasp the plug, carefully align the plug, then insert straight into the connector.

Every day, I unplug and plug in my phone at least once. My current phone is only about 6 months old, so that is only a couple hundred times and may not be a fair example. But my last phone was 8 years old. That's ~3000 times and it still worked fine.

I will concede that micro USB connectors need extra care because they are more fragile due to their size. But I feel that is just the price of convenience as it allows our portable devices to be thinner and lighter - something users demand.

 

[silkstone]

The only ones that have broken on me are the cheaper ones where I see the same issues as you. My quality USB cables have lasted years of abuse.

 

[Ahhzz]

My fiance has a miserable time with hers: she's bought over a dozen at this point... I've not really had that many issues with mine, but maybe I just got lucky.... or maybe it's "user error"

 

[xorbe]

Yes, I bought like 10 cables online (monoprice I think), and one by one they went into the trash can