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Charger tip broke.

Hello everyone.
I seem to have a bit of a problem. The tip of my A500s charger, the end going to the tablet, seems to have broken in half....while inside the tablet. So now there is a bit of charger stuck in the port...and I cant conceive a way to safely extract it. It still charges if I plug the other half of the charger in so the situation isnt dire, but it is a bit touchy with how it must be positioned. Anyone have any idea how I can get that thing out of there...?
Sent from my Eclipse'd DROID X2!

Long nose tweezers:
http://www.aimdistributor.com/bnw/images/needlenose-overview.png
Good luck!

Zeravnos said:
Hello everyone.
I seem to have a bit of a problem. The tip of my A500s charger, the end going to the tablet, seems to have broken in half....while inside the tablet. So now there is a bit of charger stuck in the port...and I cant conceive a way to safely extract it. It still charges if I plug the other half of the charger in so the situation isnt dire, but it is a bit touchy with how it must be positioned. Anyone have any idea how I can get that thing out of there...?
Sent from my Eclipse'd DROID X2!
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Yeah, and when it eventually breaks a bit more then it won't charge at all :S I'd definitely try to get it out. As the other guy mentioned, you could try tweezers. Another thing you could try is use some long, slim object and attach a SMALL drop of superglue to it, stick it carefully to the stuck part and watch that you don't get glue anywhere else, and wait for it to dry. Then just pull it out. I've had to do that myself to a few devices and it usually works great, the problem is just finding something slim enough.

Zeravnos said:
Hello everyone.
I seem to have a bit of a problem. The tip of my A500s charger, the end going to the tablet, seems to have broken in half....while inside the tablet. So now there is a bit of charger stuck in the port...and I cant conceive a way to safely extract it. It still charges if I plug the other half of the charger in so the situation isnt dire, but it is a bit touchy with how it must be positioned. Anyone have any idea how I can get that thing out of there...?
Sent from my Eclipse'd DROID X2!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Early on mine broke, and the pin inside the tablet got stuck on my charger tip. Had to send it in for repair (covered under warranty). To be honest, I've yet to see a worse charger design than the A500. The Thrive has a laptop charger and port.

WereCatf said:
Yeah, and when it eventually breaks a bit more then it won't charge at all :S I'd definitely try to get it out. As the other guy mentioned, you could try tweezers. Another thing you could try is use some long, slim object and attach a SMALL drop of superglue to it, stick it carefully to the stuck part and watch that you don't get glue anywhere else, and wait for it to dry. Then just pull it out. I've had to do that myself to a few devices and it usually works great, the problem is just finding something slim enough.
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Click to collapse
Are you MacGyver?

Thanks for the replies everyone! That superglue idea is nothing short of genius!
Sent from my DROID X2 using XDA App

same thing happened to mine less than a month after owning the tablet. i just stuck the charger in and pressed it towards an edge as i pulled it out. it brought the little piece out with it. ended up having to buy another charger. from day 1, i knew the included charger wasn't good news...

this happened to mine also, and i pulled the pin out from the inside and the new charger doesn't fit, and i'm thinking that i was suppose to pull it out, anyone can tell me? or show a close up of the hole, my warranty ends this month and hope they cover it. thanks.

I've used the superglue trick to extract a dime from a seatbelt receiver in a car. Use the glue sparingly, let it set, and it can work. SPARINGLY. If you have to do it again, so be it. Better than too much and causing new problems.

The same thing happened to me. I was able to get it out with a tiny screwdriver and a little patience. I bought a replacement directly from Acer. Buy the one for the A100. The wire is longer than the stock one and I haven't had a problem with the new one.

[Q] loose charging port

I have seen a few post showing that people are noticing their power port on the phone is loose or wiggles, can those of you with an S4 check to see if this is the case or is the connecting good?

wallstreet123456 said:
I have seen a few post showing that people are noticing their power port on the phone is loose or wiggles, can those of you with an S4 check to see if this is the case or is the connecting good?
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Click to collapse
Mine wiggles. I even took it to the store and the demo ones all did it. Funny thing is, it only seems severe with the white cable the phone came with. I have a black micro and it seems very snug. I just might use that.
The white one, when plugged in wiggles back and fourth and up and down. The port itself is a tad loose but when 4 of the demo ones at the store wiggled I had a piece of mind.
It's normal. Some people won't even notice it and will say theirs is fine, when in reality it does wiggle. Charges perfectly fine.

also remember there are clips on the cable itself, those start to loose their 'tightness' as well and can be responsible for the loose feeling. I've recently purchased some monoprice cables and fit very sung, but in about a year or so, this port will loosen up, which is hands down one of the biggest adv over the one, we can replace this port when it does go.

datrumole said:
also remember there are clips on the cable itself, those start to loose their 'tightness' as well and can be responsible for the loose feeling. I've recently purchased some monoprice cables and fit very sung, but in about a year or so, this port will loosen up, which is hands down one of the biggest adv over the one, we can replace this port when it does go.
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Click to collapse
But this is a NEW device how can it already become loose.

my point was simply that it's not always the port, it often times can be the cables. if you have a brand new cable and port, i would expect it to be tight, but if the cable is not known/designed to be tight, it might not be the port. I'm using brand new monoprice cales, not the supplied white one, and i'm finding that while there is a little leeway in the base of the connection (which is a good thing) the cable is well secured in the port, meaning it's strength to pull it out/push it in, that should be your judge of port connection, not the wabble in the base. The wobble in the base is actually a good thing, it's not frequent your phone is on a flat surface while charging, and often times the cord is pulling off the side of a table or counter top, this creates pressure in the port. if you've taken physics you understand the concept of levels and mechanical advantage. by giving it a bit of leeway, it lowers the point of lever, and creating less stress on the internals of the port compared to one that has a very snug fit. the only time i would be concerned about the loose port is when it's becoming easier to pull it in/take it out (like throwing a hot dog down a bowling alley

Mine is very solid

Preventing stress on micro usb port...?

I swear for as smart.and.as great as this phone is, the easiest things to fix which pose the biggest.problems arent.fixed. Having the phone plugged.in.while using.it in landscape creates huge stress.on the port. So much that the cable gets looser as the pins are bent. Stupid samsung with their.idiotic location for.ports, but I.digress... has anyone found a longterm fix for this? . I thinking like a plastic moount that clips.to.
The bottom of the phone and.encases the beginning of the charger cable to prevent any stress in any direction? My temporary solution is I rubberband the beginning of the cable in a few loops as if I have it zip tied. This prevents any minor tugging from directly pulling the port.

First of all new USB 3 port cost about $14 and could be replaced by user in about 30 min even if you don't have 1 yr warranty. You can use any USB 2 wire to charge Note 3, some are much thinner and more flexible, than the factory cable. And with at least 6 hours screen time I can't imagine running out of power before night, when I put it on charger and go to sleep, but I do have full time job and little kids so actually never had a chance to use it for 6 hrs in 1 day anyhow. Maybe you need bigger battery and if you don't like Samsung design maybe another phone, I don't see anything wrong with it, otherwise would not buy it, heard Apple is a popular brand, but never actually used it.

pete4k said:
First of all new USB 3 port cost about $14 and could be replaced by user in about 30 min even if you don't have 1 yr warranty.
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I hate giving a reply that doesn't really help the OP, but I can somewhat sorta agree with this comment. Sorta.
Because I got the Note 3 now but haven't broken its port yet.
However I did have the Note 2 and the Galaxy S2 and there was that issue if you're careless. Sloppy plugging and stress, sometimes a few drops of water falling on the port too and shorting it, etc. Anyway, I'm very unskilled and clumsy regarding basic electronics repairs but still managed to replace the USB board on the S2 with Ebay parts. It was less than 20 USD, the board and a kit of screwdrivers. It really is very easy to replace that part if you damage the USB port (getting the infamous "charging / not charging intermittent warnings, even when the phones are not connected to anything).
I seriously doubt the N2 or N3 are much more complex. (I used repair videos on YouTube for the S2, I'm sure they will pop up for the N3 if relevant)
Not so with other components (Screen, for instance). So take some care with it and don't worry too much because even home-repair is fairly accessible and cheap in that case.

Okay let me paint you a picture..I play aot of poker. there is an outlet under the table so I have my phone plugged in sitting on the rail behind my chips as I either watch 24/7 movies or play games.but since my phone is horizontal, naturally gravity works its magic and puts pressure on the port. not only that, but the less slack I have the more pressure is applied.
so as you can see my circumstances are very specific to my regular usage of this device. hence I utilize rubber bands.sometimes.

If you guys are really concerned about the usb port on the phone being damaged, maybe something like the qi wireless charger can help.
Or maybe buying a spare battery.

Or buy a right angled usb cable
Sent from my IdeaTab S6000-F using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

[Q] Better Safe than Sorry

I got a good deal on a refurbished Tegra Note 7 so I quickly snagged it as I wanted a tablet for media consumption, some browsing + gaming! Now I've read all the reviews and came across the infamous ultra flimsy micro-usb port. I'm hoping that the tablet was refurbished because of a faulty port and they put in an awesome one! Anyway, do you guys have any suggestions for me so that I don't break the port like using a particular charger, any specific way to charge it(Wireless Charging without any soldering or other method that requires skills with tools?) or anything, really. Also, in case it does break, I'm guessing inevitably it will, has anyone found a convenient way except sending it to the respective manufacturers?

I just recently got a used one off eBay. The cord that came with it was a very tight fit and I could see how that would eventually break the port. Fortunately my samsung cord slips on the port very easily. And since it's white I marked the top of the cord with black magic marker so I never put it in wrong. So far it's working out great.

There's not much else to do but be extremely careful or go buy a Micro USB Type A cable. The whole problem with the port is that they used the wrong one.
http://www.yogaretnam.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/micro_usb_type_a_b.jpg
I never even knew there were two types of Micro USB connectors until I got this thing. I never bothered to get the right cable (and Nvidia didn't bother including the right one... did they even know there were two types?), and thanks to a minor fall while plugged in, I have to plug my cable in slightly crooked to get it to charge right. If I plug it straight in, it will show it's charging but actually drain the battery even if the stupid thing is off!

broken port tab

so I broke the tab in the usb port in my nexus 4. I bought an induction charger but it doesn't seem to be charging the thing very well. It will sometimes turn on and I can see the battery is at 0% and it shuts down. do you think there is a chance there is a short in the port itself making it so that the battery drains itself? I left it charging overnight with no luck. What to do next? remove the port entirely while I wait for the new usb daughter board to come in the mail?

mikkowus said:
so I broke the tab in the usb port in my nexus 4. I bought an induction charger but it doesn't seem to be charging the thing very well. It will sometimes turn on and I can see the battery is at 0% and it shuts down. do you think there is a chance there is a short in the port itself making it so that the battery drains itself? I left it charging overnight with no luck. What to do next? remove the port entirely while I wait for the new usb daughter board to come in the mail?
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I think it's more likely that the broken USB tab is causing either a short or has broken a connection the phone expects, which fools the circuitry into thinking the phone is plugged in to USB, which won't allow it to charge via Qi. You could try charging it with the daughterboard removed, but I'd be surprised if it works. Hopefully you have a back-up phone while you wait for the part, even if it's a RAZR V3 or Nokia 3310. SIM won't match, obviously, but you can probably pick up an adapter locally.

Planterz said:
I think it's more likely that the broken USB tab is causing either a short or has broken a connection the phone expects, which fools the circuitry into thinking the phone is plugged in to USB, which won't allow it to charge via Qi. You could try charging it with the daughterboard removed, but I'd be surprised if it works. Hopefully you have a back-up phone while you wait for the part, even if it's a RAZR V3 or Nokia 3310. SIM won't match, obviously, but you can probably pick up an adapter locally.
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That makes sense. I do have an old samsung tmobile phone that lasts about 4 hours on its battery. I guess I might be using that for a few days. I'ts at home though and I'm at work. It would be nice if this thing would just work. I need to find a t5 torx wrench and scew it up more......

mikkowus said:
That makes sense. I do have an old samsung tmobile phone that lasts about 4 hours on its battery. I guess I might be using that for a few days. I'ts at home though and I'm at work. It would be nice if this thing would just work. I need to find a t5 torx wrench and scew it up more......
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Click to collapse
Some advice for someone who hasn't taken this phone apart yet:
First, go to ifixit and familiarize yourself with the teardown guide. There are also some youtube videos that are helpful (if you can't find them immediately, look for screen replacement guides.
Second, you'll need something thin and flat, and hopefully not with sharp edges. They make tools for this, but I doubt you'll be willing to order them and wait. Myself, I used the nail file from a keychain Swiss Army Knife. It's possible, even likely you'll cosmetically damage the plastic up a bit. If you have a hair drier (or even a heat gun), this can aid in softening up the adhesive. In any case, go slowly.
Do the disassembly over a fluffy towel. There are many tiny screws, and a fluffy towel will trap them rather than having them bounce away and disappear.
As I write this, another thought occurs to me. If you can, wait a few more days, but order yourself a new battery off eBay. Many sellers include the needed disassembly tools (including a T5 TORX, small Philips, and the plastic separating tools). Your Nexus 4 is probably 1.5-2.5 years old by now, which means your battery has had well over 500 cycles. At this point, you've lost upwards of 20% your battery's original capacity. Or don't wait, but order a new battery anyway and reopen the phone when you get it. The degradation of a battery is slow and one really doesn't notice it until that day you think to yourself "it seems like it used to last longer". Indeed, you may open up your phone to discover a puffed-out battery in desperate need of replacement anyway.

Planterz said:
Some advice for someone who hasn't taken this phone apart yet:
First, go to ifixit and familiarize yourself with the teardown guide. There are also some youtube videos that are helpful (if you can't find them immediately, look for screen replacement guides.
Second, you'll need something thin and flat, and hopefully not with sharp edges. They make tools for this, but I doubt you'll be willing to order them and wait. Myself, I used the nail file from a keychain Swiss Army Knife. It's possible, even likely you'll cosmetically damage the plastic up a bit. If you have a hair drier (or even a heat gun), this can aid in softening up the adhesive. In any case, go slowly.
Do the disassembly over a fluffy towel. There are many tiny screws, and a fluffy towel will trap them rather than having them bounce away and disappear.
As I write this, another thought occurs to me. If you can, wait a few more days, but order yourself a new battery off eBay. Many sellers include the needed disassembly tools (including a T5 TORX, small Philips, and the plastic separating tools). Your Nexus 4 is probably 1.5-2.5 years old by now, which means your battery has had well over 500 cycles. At this point, you've lost upwards of 20% your battery's original capacity. Or don't wait, but order a new battery anyway and reopen the phone when you get it. The degradation of a battery is slow and one really doesn't notice it until that day you think to yourself "it seems like it used to last longer". Indeed, you may open up your phone to discover a puffed-out battery in desperate need of replacement anyway.
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Click to collapse
Cool. I did end up ordering a new battery because of just that thought. It will be coming Friday though so I might not want to wait. I'll probably end up opening it up twice.. I also happened to open the phone about a 3 weeks after I bought it as somehow the screen cracked. I also have a heatgun. The phone is pretty old. I got it on release.