Magnetic cables

[EskeRahn 5,471]

52 minutes ago, david said:

Thanks.  Any noticeable benefits of this over any others you have tried?

Nope on the contrary. The least bad I have encountered yet is this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143305414094?var=442219881482

With an ever so slightly less protrusion, and with a better ability to snap the magnet when closing than the Raxfly.

Often the Raxfly needs a slight push to get it right, it often snaps like this:

[Jordi 72]

I bought a magnetic connector and this one also is protruding a lot, this seems a constant of all these devices. Not very convenient but it's easier to remove.

Nevertheless, I will try to reduce the length of my connector by several tenth of mm.

[Rob. S. 1,664]

Just for the record, for some time now I'm quite satisfied with the NetDot Gen10 (available through Amazon and ebay) type of magnetic connector cables.

They look similar (if not identical) to what both Hook and Craig found.

These cables are not cheap, but they work well mechanically and electronically, across USB-C and Micro-USB (and Apple would be an option, too) sockets for charging and data – although only USB 2, but that still seems to go for all of them as far as I can see. These do support quick charge – for which I couldn't care less. But I guess it's worth mentioning that they even supported my Motorola phone's "Turbo Power" quick charge, which hardly any of the conventional cables I have lying around managed to do...

Also, NetDot clearly labels their different generations of connectors and says which are compatible to which, what I think to be a service that stands out among all those sellers of magnetic connector cables.

(On a side note, the "MaxFly" cables I tried earlier didn't just fail to quick-charge my Motorola phone, they short-circuited it every time I connected it, forcing a cold boot.)

Edited May 15, 2021 by Rob. S.
Typo

[Rob. S. 1,664]

I thought I should add here what I already mentioned somewhere else; those NetDot magnetic connectors/connector cables didn't prevent my Pro1's USB socket from failing. (Happened some time ago, even before I got my Pro1X; I replaced it successfully with a spare USB board from Fxtec, but I broke other things in the progress, like fingerprint reader, one of the volume buttons and the orientation sensor/switch.) 

My suspicion is that any cable or adapter that doesn't sit tightly and still has some play when inserted will, at some point, break the socket. As most of my other USB C devices never had any problems with their USB socket durability (except one cheap Chuwi tablet/convertible that doesn't transfer data anymore over USB C but still charges, so it's still in use), I'm quite sure it's the design of the socket that allows such play that will break it at some point.

That said, I've now started to replace the NetDot adapters/cables with new ones that support USB 3 data connections. They go by names like HanCenDa or PonJel (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMZZQVTS, https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0BQL5TR47), and they only come as adapter pairs; you have to add an existing USB C cable. (When I also looked for cables, I was surprised how difficult it is these days to even just find a simple USB-C or USB-C to A cable that both charges and transfers data at USB 3 speed.) One disadvantage compared to the NetDot adapters is that they only support USB C, not Micro USB or Lightning.

At first I thought this new adapter would sit tighter in the socket of the Pro1X, but trying them again right now I'm not so sure anymore. Also, they have stronger magnets, which will make unintentional disconnects less likely, but, on the other hand, allow more force to be exerted on the socket before they separate. So, all in all, I'm not sure that they will prevent USB socket wear on Fxtec phones any better than the NetDot stuff.

Nevertheless I'll show them here, because, for what they are, I think they're very good. 

Edited April 24 by Rob. S.

[claude0001 1,352]

11 hours ago, Rob. S. said:

Nevertheless I'll show them here, because, for what they are, I think they're very good. 

Can one flash the phone through such adapters? I.e. can one do things like "fastboot flash" or "adb sideload" safely without removing the adapter?

I was considering something like this, but since I sometimes flash my Prawns several times per week, it'd likely loose the adavantage of reduced wear of the USB socket if I had to remove and re-plug the adapter each time.

[Hook 3,043]

5 hours ago, claude0001 said:

Can one flash the phone through such adapters? I.e. can one do things like "fastboot flash" or "adb sideload" safely without removing the adapter?

I was considering something like this, but since I sometimes flash my Prawns several times per week, it'd likely loose the adavantage of reduced wear of the USB socket if I had to remove and re-plug the adapter each time.

Yes, I do this all the time with magnetic cables. 

My cables are all USB 2.0-- for my uses I've never thought it worth bothering trying t upgrade.  The magnetic adapter goes in when I first receive any phone and never comes out.  I've never felt any play with any adapter I've used.