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Kogan as part of its sale is selling micro usb cables (1m) for $1. I dont have any experience with their cables, but for $1 i think its worth a shot….or two!
Kogan - Micro USB to USB Cable (1m) for $1 + Free Shipping
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KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 15/08/2015 - 01:49 kogan.com (540 clicks)
Last edited 15/08/2015 - 14:48 by 1 other user
Last edited 15/08/2015 - 14:48 by 1 other user
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Just keep in mind that these won't work for fast charging. These cables will only do a max of ~500mA (sometimes up to ~800, sometimes down to ~300), while a modern fast-charging smartphone or tablet will go up to 2000mA (ignoring QC2).
If you want good fast-charging cables, you can grab the Anker ones on Amazon (if they still ship here?). There's also Monoprice and Tikbro cables, but they have reported issues with connectors wearing out quickly. Tronsmart ones on GeekBuying that look the same as the Anker ones, and their other products (chargers) seem to be well received, so they might be worth a shot - they also claim a nice high wire gauge - I'm still waiting for my order to arrive so I can't confirm those yet.
Edit: found an unopened one I had from my last order; just tested with my S4 and I get varying numbers: 360mA, 460mA, 680mA, 880mA. Seems a bit random which one I get. The 2m Anker cable I have here gets me 1900mA every time. All tests conducted by plugging in from screen off, since I get a lower value if done with screen on. Tests are for battery charging rate as reported by a battery app, and not actual power draw - so I'm guessing the actual power passing through the cable is anywhere from 500mA to 1000mA.
Hi elusive
How do you actually test the mA? You mentioned about "a battery app". Do you use iOS or Android? Which app you recommend? I have bought cables from various places. I would like to test them.
There's an app called Ampere.
You can also get a usb volt amp meter from icstation for a few bucks for a more accurate measure of how much current is being pulled, most cheap usb use 28awg or smaller you can get quality cables 20awg (thicker than 28) and I have even seen 18awg. I have a 6 foot anker as well and it's my go to cable for fast charging. I would love to get another but anker don't ship to oz anymore.
I've had trouble with those things where they somehow prevent my phone from detecting the charger as fast-charge capable. YMMV.
They also detect the current on the charger side, which might will include current lost in cable resistance with thin wires. I've been looking for a micro-usb one to attach on the phone side, with little success.
Just received the Tronsmart one. The 2m (6ft) one tested okay (1900mA), and the it really does look and feel absolutely identical to the Anker one (side-by-side comparison). They ship to Aus from Geekbuying, cheaper too. I still have a bunch of spare Anker cables, but when those eventually break I know what I'm going to be using next :)
How do you actually test the mA?
Search ebay for "Charger Doctor".
The cheap ones are great - I prefer the clear ones wither shape like a USB Stick. If you pay more than $2.50 delivered, you got ripped.
Android. There's quite a few apps that do it - GSAM Battery Monitor works, but I primarily use Battery. However, this will only work if your phone hardware supports these measurements, and it'll only measure as high as your phone draws (some phones don't fast-charge at all).
Tikbro are not as good as some make them out to be. Like you alluded to, they have wonky heads that fail quickly, sometimes less than a week. The rep here did not even address my concerns, acknowledge the issue reported by many nor offer to replace faulty cable.
Got a few of these (5) last time they were on sale, all stopped working after only a few weeks… Not even worth the $1.
Edit: unable to neg deal, defiantly not worth buying though. Invest in more expensive cables and save yourself the hassle.. I'd say look for decent quality cables around $3-5 ea and buy a few, you'll be set for years.
defiantly not worth buying though.
I need to defy my urges in order not to buy these.
definitely, my apologies.. I was slightly intoxicated while posting my above comment.
Set for years or Android moves onto USB type C…
That's a fair point, but if you're like me and only upgrade phones a year or two after any major advances (gotta wait for those bargains!) then that's still a few years off, you'll still get your fair use out of an investment in decent micro USB cables.
As people have said don't use cheap cables. They won't handle high currents and will break easily.
What you want is a nice thick cable - awg 24 or thicker (lower numbers are thicker, check wiki).
I use these. Still cheap, but solid build quality and handle 2.1A over 1.2m. (awg 28 is the data pair)
http://m.ebay.com.au/itm/1-2M-AWM-2725-USB-2-0-A-to-Micro-5p…
Some people use awg 20 but they're more expensive, thicker, and only really needed over longer (3m+) distances.
Hope it helps!
I never got my free iPhone cable. Bloody kogan is useless.
Rep just organised a different cable to fix the problem. Thanks
i used to use tikbro cables when i was using a samsung, it lasted quite a number of years and i would recommend those. It did develop a wonky head after about a year.
Results varied from batch to batch.
I bought a cheapie (probably 28 gauge) 3 metre micro USB cable (useful for hostels) and the phone would lose charge while simultaneously using and charging. Science 1, Hope 0.
What's the deal? It has been always at this price.