The Universal Phone Charger Connection

[yorksrob]

Just a quick discussion about the Universal Phone Charger plug. When I heard it was going to be introduced, I thought yipee, about time too. Yet my faith in the society seems to have been crushed yet again.

Has anyone seen these connections?

The flimsiest, weakest most poorly designed piece of crap I've ever had the misfortune to come across.

Yet clowns are paid large sums to design this crap, and some joker in the EU has though it would be a good design to adopt across the continent. How have we ended up with such a crap design as standard, and how can we trust business, or the powers that be to come up with anything remotely of use?

 

[crehld]

To be fair that joker in the EU simply said there should be a universal standard. The use of micro USB as that universal standard was decided by smartphone industry representatives. I suspect the fact that it's a cheap and flimsy solution is a deliberate decision on their part.

 

[Domh245]

To be fair that joker in the EU simply said there should be a universal standard. The use of micro USB as that universal standard was decided by smartphone industry representatives. I suspect the fact that it's a cheap and flimsy solution is a deliberate decision on their part.

I think that Micro USB is a pretty good decision if you think about it. Almost everybody with a computer has got a USB port, so data transfer is simple once you've downloaded the drivers and/or software. It can provide power at a sensible rate (Jonmorris might have a more insightful opinion on this) and you have to really abuse it to break it, in my experience. It is a lot more sensible than having to come up with some alternative solution for something that already exists - why reinvent the wheel?

 

[yorksrob]

To be fair that joker in the EU simply said there should be a universal standard. The use of micro USB as that universal standard was decided by smartphone industry representatives. I suspect the fact that it's a cheap and flimsy solution is a deliberate decision on their part.

Well, I guess that's what happens if you leave things up to the private sector.

If you're not going to bother regulating something properly, why bother at all?
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I think that Micro USB is a pretty good decision if you think about it. Almost everybody with a computer has got a USB port, so data transfer is simple once you've downloaded the drivers and/or software. It can provide power at a sensible rate (Jonmorris might have a more insightful opinion on this) and you have to really abuse it to break it, in my experience. It is a lot more sensible than having to come up with some alternative solution for something that already exists - why reinvent the wheel?

A flimsy little slither of metal? I had to resurrect it with a staple last time I had to get mine working again . They could have chosen any number of more robust designs.

 

[yorkie]

Cheap cables are flimsy.

You want to get yourself a decent cable. PermitToTravel may be able to provide a recommendation...

 

[90019]

A flimsy little slither of metal? I had to resurrect it with a staple last time I had to get mine working again . They could have chosen any number of more robust designs.

I've been using phones which use micro USB to charge for the past three years, and I've never broken or damaged a charger...

 

[AM9]

The micro USB interface is well designed as a universal connector set for devices up to 2A or so. The key to the endurance of the connector is the sacrificial nature of the plug. If anything wears out or is stressed, it is far better that the plug dies so that the socket lives on. Imagine you £400 phone requiring a new USB socket. Better to get a new charger or even just the cable.

 

[PermitToTravel]

Cheap cables are flimsy.

You want to get yourself a decent cable. PermitToTravel may be able to provide a recommendation...

I use one of these. To be fair I don't think it's very much less flimsy they usually are - the charger end is noticeably bent and I've only had it for 5 months. The phone end however still has its springiness and snaps into the phone with a nice tactile click, and most importantly, it's thick enough that I can charge at 1.8A (the maximum my phone will handle) - I can completely fill the phone up in well under two hours. I'd heartily recommend it (although if buying from elsewhere you should ensure that it's not a Chinese fake)

There's a new version here available in various sizes although I haven't used one and don't know much about it
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On the topic of your thread, I very much prefer micro-USB to the preceding mini-USB and think that where it counts, it's a good design: almost all other charging connectors (including past iterations of USB, and the modern iPhone charger) have the spring in the device, whereas micro-USB has the spring in the plug. It's inevitable that the spring will wear out and become loose, and it's nice to be able to have crisp insertions again after only replacing a cable (or at most a charger, if yours has an integral cable) rather than the whole phone.

 

[yorksrob]

It's not the charger that's the problem so much (mine's coming apart, although as mentioned it's replaceable). The problem as i see it is relying on a tiny strip of metal in the phone socket itself that seems easy to bend out of place. Surely they could have come up with something more robust than that.

 

[christopher]

Thanks for the recommendations PermitToTravel, Just brought that new version so will see how it goes!

 

[cb a1]

I was expecting to see a link to xkcd on this one!

 

[TheNewNo2]

I was expecting to see a link to xkcd on this one!

If you hadn't, I would have. Image by Randall Munroe / xkcd, licensed under CC-BY-NC-2.5 https://xkcd.com/927/

I've been using phones which use micro USB to charge for the past three years, and I've never broken or damaged a charger...

My phone uses MicroUSB, as have the computer mice I've been using the past six years or so. No problems with it at all.

 

[krus_aragon]

The micro USB interface is well designed as a universal connector set for devices up to 2A or so. The key to the endurance of the connector is the sacrificial nature of the plug. If anything wears out or is stressed, it is far better that the plug dies so that the socket lives on. Imagine you £400 phone requiring a new USB socket. Better to get a new charger or even just the cable.

Although sometimes design faults can lead to premature socket failures in a product. My Nokia N900 is a sad victim of this.

 

[jon0844]

There have been some devices with weak sockets, often through bad design, but most people don't have problems with microUSB connectors, or Apple lightning (and soon USB-C). The lead itself is designed to break before the socket as has been stated.

You can get some unofficial magnetic connectors that mean you could safely disconnect on a train (or plane, or desk) if you or someone else gets tangled.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It's not the charger that's the problem so much (mine's coming apart, although as mentioned it's replaceable). The problem as i see it is relying on a tiny strip of metal in the phone socket itself that seems easy to bend out of place. Surely they could have come up with something more robust than that.

The difficulty is robust *and* small. Though I'll admit I think the new type Apple connector is better than micro USB.

 

[yorksrob]

The difficulty is robust *and* small. Though I'll admit I think the new type Apple connector is better than micro USB.

Ah, I'm afraid I'm not familiar with apple products (apart from a couple of Beatles lp's) but if they have come up with something more robust then well done.

That said, they should have considered this before deciding on a standard (and surely if Apple have come up with something different it's not a standard anyway!)

 

[krus_aragon]

Ah, I'm afraid I'm not familiar with apple products (apart from a couple of Beatles lp's) but if they have come up with something more robust then well done.

That said, they should have considered this before deciding on a standard (and surely if Apple have come up with something different it's not a standard anyway!)

Recent Apple connectors (power and data) have been designed with reversibility in mind. That is to say: it doesn't matter if you plug your cable in up-side down, as there's a second set of contacts on the other side to make a connection. Their "magsafe" power connectors are held in with a rare-earth magnet, such that if tugged or tripped over, the cable will fly out, without dragging the device crashing on to the floor.

Sadly, Apple have a tendency to keep their good ideas to themselves. I know they've refused to license their magsafe patents to other manufacturers. The new USB-C socket design is reversible, but I've yet to see one in the wild.

 

[jon0844]

Apple will likely switch to the new standard, which is also reversible. My phone has it and this year almost every new phone released will. Probably every tablet and then every digital camera, notebook and so on.

You can buy adapters or new leads (USB A at the other end) and keep the same PSU as the vast majority of power adapters have a USB port. Hence why you don't necessarily need to carry that with you, just take the USB lead.

Apple is part of the same consortium that standardised the micro USB cable, but just never used it itself, because it prefers the proprietary route. Their cables have a chip that means third party cables often won't work, or will restrict the speed and give pop up warnings.

Apple would say it's to maintain quality, but others would argue it's to sell its own expensive cables.

 

[maniacmartin]

Many manufacturors' MicroUSB ports are too fragile and all are not obvious which way up the connector should go. I had to bin an LG Nexus whose MicroUSB connector wore out. Bring back miniUSB!!

Apple's connectors are better, but as mentioned above they hold all the patents and don't want to share then.

 

[krus_aragon]

Many manufacturors' MicroUSB ports are too fragile and all are not obvious which way up the connector should go. I had to bin an LG Nexus whose MicroUSB connector wore out. Bring back miniUSB!!

It's ironic given that micro-USB was designed to withstand twice as many insertion/removal cycles than mini-USB (10,000 vs 5,000), and put the retaining mechanism (that is expected to wear out first) on the cable instead of the socket. Yet, like you, I've had a device's micro-USB socket give up the ghost, and never had a similar mishap with my mini-USB devices.

 

[jon0844]

In my work I've spoken to many companies (and people) that repair phones, and charging socket issues are usually isolated to specific models (or even specific builds within that model) and it isn't a massive problem, especially given the literally billions of devices that use it. Mini USB wasn't ever as popular, and a lot of phones used proprietary connectors or mini-DC style connectors.

Now USB-C will take over and there appears to be little way for that to damage connectors, although I am sure there will still be some issues.

By far the biggest problem today is cracked screens, and maybe in the near future, phones that bend because they've been made too thin to offer sufficient structural strength around weak points (e.g. volume keys or power buttons).

 

[DarloRich]

can i check what a "micro USB" is? Is it what i refer to as a Blackberry charger?

 

[telstarbox]

I think Blackberry used mini USB, and micro USB is the current Android standard.

http://visual.ly/micro-usb-vs-mini-usb

 

[DarloRich]

I think Blackberry used mini USB, and micro USB is the current Android standard.

http://visual.ly/micro-usb-vs-mini-usb

yes it is the micro one i use for blackberry/android/tablet/camera. thanks for the link.

 

[jon0844]

Besides the price (maybe because it's aimed at Apple users), this adapter sounds like exactly the thing for anyone with a USB-C device. Similar ones are available I think for microUSB.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/4/10...-magnetic-usb-c-adapter-magsafe-apple-macbook

$40 is crazy though. I'll wait for cheaper variants on Amazon.

 

[Flying Snail]

Besides the price (maybe because it's aimed at Apple users), this adapter sounds like exactly the thing for anyone with a USB-C device. Similar ones are available I think for microUSB.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/4/10...-magnetic-usb-c-adapter-magsafe-apple-macbook

$40 is crazy though. I'll wait for cheaper variants on Amazon.

Already available for about £2.50 and small enough to have permanently attached to a smartphone not that massive lump.

http://www.tinydeal.com/magnetic-1m...harge-cable-for-samsung-px2nzp9-p-156704.html

Can't vouch for that website but as long as you can put up with the long delivery times these Chinese sites are usually OK for cheap stuff.

 

[Clip]

Im alrught with the micro usb I think a lot of peoples problem is that they try and ram it in and yank it out after theyre done. Being gentle seems a foreign concept to them from what ive seen.

 

[AM9]

Im alrught with the micro usb I think a lot of peoples problem is that they try and ram it in and yank it out after theyre done. Being gentle seems a foreign concept to them from what ive seen.

I don't have any real problems with the micro USB connectors even when using them with MHL cables. I do wish that there was a clearly visible standard mark to indicate one side from the other, like the 'A' connectors.

 

[jon0844]

Already available for about £2.50 and small enough to have permanently attached to a smartphone not that massive lump.

http://www.tinydeal.com/magnetic-1m...harge-cable-for-samsung-px2nzp9-p-156704.html

Can't vouch for that website but as long as you can put up with the long delivery times these Chinese sites are usually OK for cheap stuff.

Having had to wait almost four months for a screen protector, and another item that never arrived (fortunately, I was refunded without hassle) I have gone off ordering from China. And if I pay the extra for faster shipping, I may as well buy from Amazon etc.

Now I usually wait until something is on Amazon and Prime (so I know I won't still be ordering something that will come two months later) even if it's more expensive.

I'd pay £5-10 for such an adapter. £30-35 is madness, but then Apple sell a lot of cables in their stores from what I've seen and they're mad prices too. I've always opted for the clones, which also come in the same OTT Apple-esque packaging.

Seriously, nobody cares about packaging for a cable or adapter!!! (By that I include the carefully wrapped plastic and port covers that are more wastes of plastic).

 

[Clip]

I don't have any real problems with the micro USB connectors even when using them with MHL cables. I do wish that there was a clearly visible standard mark to indicate one side from the other, like the 'A' connectors.

There is - the top of them are rounded as is the port on the phone/device.