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Charging with 3rd party cables

Chanticrow

Lurker
Nov 8, 2009
3
0
I purchased some additional microUSB cables for use with my Droid at work and home so I'm not carrying one around all the time. I've found that the third party cables will not charge the Droid when plugged into the AC plug. The cable supplied by Motorola works fine, so I know it's not the AC plug.

The cables do work as data connections when plugged into my laptop.

Did I just buy crappy cables, or is there something special about the Moto cable?
 
Stopped by Best Buy. Sales associate said that the Rocketfish cable only does charging and will not do data connections. Based on packaging I have no reason to disbelieve him. Ended up at Target later, and purchased one of their universal mobile kits. It does indeed charge the phone when hooked up to the PC or the AC plug, but does not do data connections.

I've checked most major retailers in the area, and they all have either a charging cable that doesn't do data, or a data cable that may or may not charge the Droid.

I'm not sure what the difference between the Droid's included cable and 3rd party cables is, but it would be nice if all the manufacturers would get on the same page and provide a single standard.

I guess I'll see about purchasing a few OEM Moto cables from an online retailer. I sure don't want to pay $20 each direct from Motorola.
 
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I had this problem with my iphone.

I bought a really cheap usb cable (like 3 dollars) And the site said it will only charge via the computer and will not work in the apple charger?

It did both data and charge on the computer so it was good second charger to keep at work. I wonder if i can find one for the droid
 
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It's not a droid problem.

Some of the cheap cables do NOT have the power pinout, and it's what makes them "cheaper".

Not all micro usb cables are the same. Just keep that in mind.... just like mini-usb cables, not ALL will provide the power pinouts.

So how can you tell if they do? I just ordered some cables from Monoprice and there is nothing in the description about pinout.

For only $1.12 each when QTY 50+ purchased - USB 2.0 A Male to Micro 5pin Male 28/24AWG Cable w/ Ferrite Core - (Gold Plated) - 10ft | USB 2.0 Cable - Micro-B Type
 
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So how can you tell if they do? I just ordered some cables from Monoprice and there is nothing in the description about pinout.

For only $1.12 each when QTY 50+ purchased - USB 2.0 A Male to Micro 5pin Male 28/24AWG Cable w/ Ferrite Core - (Gold Plated) - 10ft | USB 2.0 Cable - Micro-B Type


Let us know how those work for you. If they work then I will order a bunch. (one for work, one for home, one for travel...) That way I don't have to worry about moving one cord around each time I go.
 
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Let us know how those work for you. If they work then I will order a bunch. (one for work, one for home, one for travel...) That way I don't have to worry about moving one cord around each time I go.

I'm using a 1.5ft cable with a usb extension cable at home and 3ft in the car. Both are from monoprice and both work really well.

I order all of my cables from there and have never had a problem. They also have excellent customer service.
 
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I'm using a 1.5ft cable with a usb extension cable at home and 3ft in the car. Both are from monoprice and both work really well.

I order all of my cables from there and have never had a problem. They also have excellent customer service.

Monoprice is the best. I recommend them to anyone and everyone I meet.
For only $0.81 each when QTY 50+ purchased - USB 2.0 A Male to Micro 5pin Male 28/24AWG Cable w/ Ferrite Core - (Gold Plated) - 3ft | USB 2.0 Cable - Micro-B Type
I haven't tested this cable yet but when I get it I'll review it specifically for Droid compatibility.
J.
 
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I also have a 3rd party 110 volt Wall plug to USB adapter. I plugged the USB cable from the Droid into that and it seemed to charge it up to about 80% but wouldn't go any higher than that. I thought that was a bit odd as well. It's by Griffin or something.

Anyone else tried any of those? I keep that at work as I use it to charge my iPod and used it for the Blackberry as well. Hoping it'll work with the Droid as well.
 
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