Cheap micro-USB cables?

[agent0014]

So I had several micro-USB sitting around from monoprice (I ordered the wrong cables a year ago, and they happened to be micro... at $1 a pop I wasn't so concerned with sending them back) and after shaving the tops down a bit with a dremel (so I could still slide the kb open) I tried them out. I can charge with a wall-to-USB charging base or with the cable plugged into my PC, but I can't use them for any sort of data sync apparently. I'm really wondering if I'm just suffering from badly made cheap cables, or if there's something actually different between these and the cable that came with the phone. Anyone have any idea? Has anyone been using micro USB cables that they found for a good deal online?

 

[dkjones96]

I purchased 5 from the guy I'm linking below a few weeks ago and they work great, data and everything. They looked like they wouldn't clear the screen when opening the phone but they clear just fine. I think they lightly rub when opening but nothing I'm worried about.

His price has gone up 80 cents since I ordered them... too bad.http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5.../eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120477890345

 

[agent0014]

damn... listing has been removed. Someone must have bought him out!!

 

[dkjones96]

Nope, forum keeps making the & in my link to & and messing it up.

Do a search for item number 120477890345 in ebay and it should come up.

 

[agent0014]

That worked, cool. How long are they? the posting doesn't give a length anywhere that I could find.

 

[dkjones96]

Mine measure about 3.5 feet.

 

[agent0014]

I'll probably go ahead and grab a few of those.

Still wondering though if anyone has any insight as to why some of the cables work for data and others don't, if they all work for charging. I think the likelihood that I have three bad cables is pretty low, so I'm wondering if there are different standards and configurations for USB cables, maybe mini USB in particular? Does anyone have any insight on this?

 

[BenHoltz]

I'll probably go ahead and grab a few of those.

Still wondering though if anyone has any insight as to why some of the cables work for data and others don't, if they all work for charging. I think the likelihood that I have three bad cables is pretty low, so I'm wondering if there are different standards and configurations for USB cables, maybe mini USB in particular? Does anyone have any insight on this?

From what I understand there are two types of Micro-usb plugs. Micro-A plug or a Micro-B plug. The micro A plugs supply only power and Micro-B plugs supply data and power...

Hope this helps.

 

[LincKraker]

i ordered 3 cables w/ the free shipping

 

[numus]

try monoprice? 6 ft cable $1.40 + s/h a piece

 

[agent0014]

From what I understand there are two types of Micro-usb plugs. Micro-A plug or a Micro-B plug. The micro A plugs supply only power and Micro-B plugs supply data and power...

Hope this helps.

Hmm... monoprice doesn't say whether their cables are A or B... that's odd. I'll have to do some digging to find out what the real difference is, and if I can tell just by looking at them. I read the wikipedia article on USB, but it only mentioned that they both exist.

 

[dth4310]

2 thoughts:

-I've acquired longer "mini" USB cables in the past somehow (came with various devices but ended up in my wire drawer) that were ONLY good for power transfer. Anything i've ever bought specifically online has worked for data (assumedly all micro-b), even during that weird period of USB 1.0 vs. 2.0 equipment variety. Upon reflection, i think the devices that came with the cables were a bluetooth GPS, a wireless guitar hero guitar, and a bluetooth headset...all devices that would only need the cable for power (micro-a).

- meritline.com is my go-to for cheap crap i don't need to acquire at best buy/microcenter immediately. It's cheap, and I can find everything i need with free shipping. Just got a 10ft & 6ft micro cable and 2 x Car Charger/usb port thingies for 11$ total. (both of these work for data)

----
and a minirant: I wish usb mini would stay the preferred connector forever...over time i've acquired so many of them that have recently been relegated to the wire box to be thrown away / recycled in a few years. stupid standards change. at one point i had a mini usb plug at any place in my house/office that i would be stationary for more than 10 minutes just through incremental acquisition...good times.

 

[dkjones96]

I know what you mean dth4310, I wish they'd stick with a standard connector. We can't complain too much though, Samsung was one of those manufacturers I avoided for a while because of proprietary connectors and they didn't do it this time.

I do have more MiniUSB chargers and cables than I know what to do with but pretty much everything I own uses them except my camera and bluetooth stuff.

 

[numus]

Hmm... monoprice doesn't say whether their cables are A or B... that's odd. I'll have to do some digging to find out what the real difference is, and if I can tell just by looking at them. I read the wikipedia article on USB, but it only mentioned that they both exist.

Read the description instead of just the title
USB 2.0 A Male to Micro 5pin Male 28/24AWG Cable w/ Ferrite Core - (Gold Plated) - 15ft

The USB Micro B has started to be adopted as the new universal standard connector used by many cell phone and small electronic device manufacturers. It can be found on many of the newest phones by Motorola, RIM (Blackberry), Palm and Kyocera among others.
This cable is a premium version and is designed and manufactured to meet USB specifications to ensure it delivers its excellent performance
Features:

• Guarantees 100% compliance with current USB specifications
• Gold Plated Connectors for corrosion resistence ensuring consistant and reliable conductivity
• Ferrite Core to filter out signal noise and reduce transmission errors
• Molded-strain relief construction for flexible movement, durability, and fit
• Reduces cross talk and interference with aluminum undermold contacts
• Fully shielded to protect against external signal interferance.

 

[agent0014]

Read the description instead of just the title
USB 2.0 A Male to Micro 5pin Male 28/24AWG Cable w/ Ferrite Core - (Gold Plated) - 15ft

The USB Micro B has started to be adopted as the new universal standard connector used by many cell phone and small electronic device manufacturers. It can be found on many of the newest phones by Motorola, RIM (Blackberry), Palm and Kyocera among others.
This cable is a premium version and is designed and manufactured to meet USB specifications to ensure it delivers its excellent performance
Features:

• Guarantees 100% compliance with current USB specifications
• Gold Plated Connectors for corrosion resistence ensuring consistant and reliable conductivity
• Ferrite Core to filter out signal noise and reduce transmission errors
• Molded-strain relief construction for flexible movement, durability, and fit
• Reduces cross talk and interference with aluminum undermold contacts
• Fully shielded to protect against external signal interferance.

I did read the entire thing... my confusion was regarding a cable type of A or B vs. a tip type of A or B when I posted that. After doing more reading (I usually make it a point to do my homework) I determined that the cables themselves are standard, I'm not sure where I got the notion that there were differing versions of the cable itself.

Of course having said that, I'm even more confused as to why my monoprice cables don't seem to work for data at all, as they're apparently the right type of cable. I suppose it could be my work laptop (although my phone connects with the provided cable just fine... so who knows), so my next stop is to test the cables with my mac mini when I get a chance. It's been a rough week at work... so I might have to wait until the weekend.

 

[numus]

I did read the entire thing... my confusion was regarding a cable type of A or B vs. a tip type of A or B when I posted that. After doing more reading (I usually make it a point to do my homework) I determined that the cables themselves are standard, I'm not sure where I got the notion that there were differing versions of the cable itself.

Of course having said that, I'm even more confused as to why my monoprice cables don't seem to work for data at all, as they're apparently the right type of cable. I suppose it could be my work laptop (although my phone connects with the provided cable just fine... so who knows), so my next stop is to test the cables with my mac mini when I get a chance. It's been a rough week at work... so I might have to wait until the weekend.

No idea.. Monoprice cables are usually higher quality then the brand new cables (monster being one of them)... never had a problem with monoprice cables in the past...

 

[nyall]

I bought 10 micro usb cables from amazon for a penny each. However they get you in shipping: it was $30 in shipping to buy 1 or to buy 10. So I got 10 and have sold a few to coworkers.

 

[kjspylite]

Only cause it hasn't been said, are you going into your notifications and mounting the phone? I have some really cheap cables and they work fine. If you don't mount the phone and just plug it in, it will charge but you can't transfer files.

 

[agent0014]

Only cause it hasn't been said, are you going into your notifications and mounting the phone? I have some really cheap cables and they work fine. If you don't mount the phone and just plug it in, it will charge but you can't transfer files.

Aye, I am. I connect just fine with the cable that came with the phone, so I'm familiar with how it should work all of the time lol. I just wanted to have several extra planted in different locations (work, bedroom, office area, living room, laptop bag) so I'd always have one where I need it.

Of course yesterday after my last post I plugged one of my monoprice cables into the rear USB port (instead of the side one, which I usually use) on my dell laptop just to charge it, and lo-and-behold, it saw the phone as a mass-storage device and I was able to mount my SD card. So it could be a quirky port on my laptop... even though the stock cable works with said port. I didn't have time to really fool around with it, but I'm going to this weekend, and I'll report back.

 

[LincKraker]

I ordered three of the micro usb cables from ebay. I just got them in and tested to make sure they worked for data. They do.

Here is a comparison picture to show the length from the stock cable to the cable from ebay.