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The problem is that every time my Macbook charger (I'm on my third in seven years, soon to get number 4 as this one is dying) has failed, it's not been the char

by joshvm 11y ago

The problem is that every time my Macbook charger (I'm on my third in seven years, soon to get number 4 as this one is dying) has failed, it's not been the charger itself, it's crappy strain relief and thin cables. I'm happy to pay $65 for a new charger block, but when it's just the cable that's failed, I'm not getting value for money. I bought a counterfeit charger once (on purpose) and gave up using it after it sparked while I was in bed. Having that protection circuitry is really useful when your whole laptop case is grounded. I mentioned in another post, but this is why I'm excited for USB-C power delivery. Finally companies can deliver the AC mains cable, the power brick and the charging cable as separate replaceable components.

ChrisDutrow 11y ago
I've seen the USB-C cables for sale and heard they are great, but don't know of any devices that use them yet. Do you know any devices that are using them yet?
- f_allwein 11y ago
  The MacBook is: http://www.apple.com/macbook/specs/ http://www.apple.com/macbook/specs/
- joshvm 11y ago
  Alongside the 12" Macbook, there are a few ultrabooks that use it, notably the Google Chromebook Pixel and the Dell XPS 13.
- soylentcola 11y ago
  Nexus 5X and 6P for starters.
krrrh 11y ago
It helps a lot to make a practice of wrapping the cable in a way that reduces stress. Apologies if you already do this, but maybe it will help someone else. Image here[1]. [1] http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/de/95/72/de9572cfef6ea5a62b7586ef972f2e8b.jpg http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/de/95/72/de9572cfef6e...
- raihansaputra 11y ago
  i've been wrapping my cables in a strain-free way (similar to the way they ship it in the box) for the entire time i have used my charger and somehow the shielding near the charger still breaks. they definitely need better cables.
jackhack 11y ago
>>it's crappy strain relief and thin cables. Same experience here; the chargers are electronically long-lived, but cables fail for me within 2-3 years. Most recently, the rubber insulation disintegrated, and it wasn't due to strain. It just crumbled away. I bought a replacement cable from Amazon for around $7 delivered and soldered it in place -- a 15 minute job. Only difficult part was cracking open the charger case. Search (online retailer) for "magsafe 1|2 cable". Here's a link to the one I bought: http://www.amazon.com/ElementDigital-Lovely-Adapter-Connector-MacBook/dp/B00I1AS9XQ http://www.amazon.com/ElementDigital-Lovely-Adapter-Connecto... tl;dr If you can solder, replace the cable yourself. Heck, you could buy a solder station AND a replacement cable and still be ahead by a few dollars.

by joshvm 11y ago

ChrisDutrow 11y ago

I've seen the USB-C cables for sale and heard they are great, but don't know of any devices that use them yet. Do you know any devices that are using them yet?

f_allwein 11y ago
The MacBook is: http://www.apple.com/macbook/specs/ http://www.apple.com/macbook/specs/
joshvm 11y ago
Alongside the 12" Macbook, there are a few ultrabooks that use it, notably the Google Chromebook Pixel and the Dell XPS 13.
soylentcola 11y ago
Nexus 5X and 6P for starters.

krrrh 11y ago

It helps a lot to make a practice of wrapping the cable in a way that reduces stress. Apologies if you already do this, but maybe it will help someone else. Image here[1]. [1] http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/de/95/72/de9572cfef6ea5a62b7586ef972f2e8b.jpg http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/de/95/72/de9572cfef6e...

raihansaputra 11y ago
i've been wrapping my cables in a strain-free way (similar to the way they ship it in the box) for the entire time i have used my charger and somehow the shielding near the charger still breaks. they definitely need better cables.

jackhack 11y ago

>>it's crappy strain relief and thin cables. Same experience here; the chargers are electronically long-lived, but cables fail for me within 2-3 years. Most recently, the rubber insulation disintegrated, and it wasn't due to strain. It just crumbled away. I bought a replacement cable from Amazon for around $7 delivered and soldered it in place -- a 15 minute job. Only difficult part was cracking open the charger case. Search (online retailer) for "magsafe 1|2 cable". Here's a link to the one I bought: http://www.amazon.com/ElementDigital-Lovely-Adapter-Connector-MacBook/dp/B00I1AS9XQ http://www.amazon.com/ElementDigital-Lovely-Adapter-Connecto... tl;dr If you can solder, replace the cable yourself. Heck, you could buy a solder station AND a replacement cable and still be ahead by a few dollars.