I'm a fan of the magnetic USB cables that reduce the mechanical wear on a mobile devices USB port.
However, sometimes the magnet is *too* strong, and has a tendency to pull the USB insert out of the socket ... thus negating the benefit.
Does anyone have any ideas as to what I can do to make the insert tighter, without permanent damage to the socket ?
Given the current state of the mobile device market, I'm not expecting to have to replace any time soon (and this is a 2 year old phone).
sliver of blu-tack or similar?
That is going to look really trendy. Brian
By 'sliver' I meant sufficiently small that it wedges the adapter into place without being seen, or touching the contacts, it can eventually be plucked out by dabbing a larger lump of blu-tack into the hole after removing the adapter.
Going slightly off topic, the connector on my trusty Nexus 7 tablet has started going flakey. Luckily this will charge from one of the inductive "pucks" as it shows no signs of being obsolete yet. So inductive charging will be on the "wish list" for the next phone.
Assuming the magnetic adaptor doesn't need to be taken out for any reason, I might be tempted (well I have, on a tablet) to put a tiny drop of a contact adhesive (Evo-Stick / UHU) behind the 'wings' of the adaptor before I plugged it into the phone (/tablet) (after cleaning the socket out and wiping the phone near the connector with some meths etc) and then leaving it as long as possible before use.
I find that holds pretty firmly with a small amount of give but allows you to remove it later if required with some gentle levering with a plastic spudger. ;-)
Cheers, T i m
I assume you've checked for crud in the bottom of the socket (more common on phones, but...). Cocktail stick.
Mine is the original N7 and I have the dedicated charging cradle for it, unfortunately it runs out of puff due to slow flash.
I had that on the N4 and N5, so bought Qi chargers for home and car, then they went and removed it from the N5x, N6P and Pixel phones
That was my initial instinct. However, I've held off because I really don't want to be in a situation where I need access to the port directly, and can't get it.
The other thing which stopped me is the discovery that there are no standards (that I can find) for the magnetic coupling design. I ordered a few different ones last year, and none is compatible with each other. Which is a PITA, as it means we have to have one for Android, and one for iPad.
I think I'll investigate amplifying the interference fit by trying to slightly distort the insert, just enough to have a greater resistance than the pull required to disconnect the magnet.
In the case of my tablet the port was already broken but whilst it could still be used with care, it was likely to get damaged with further use and so a 'semi glued' the magnetic connector in.
Agreed. I bought a 'few' of the same uUSB connectors and mating cables for that reason.
As you say, a PITA.
That sounds like a plan, especially if the socket is still intact otherwise etc.
I wonder of you could get a tiny layer of solder on the outside of the plug and if that would be enough to increase the friction?
Or a sliver of Kapton tape?
Cheers, T i m
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