Hacker News Reader

Comment by deathanatos | Hacker News Reader

The connector on every phone I have ceases to work eventually not because the connector is broken, but because the socket has (sufficiently) filled with pocket lint such that the plug isn't able to reliably connect anymore. One just needs to remove the lint from the port. (And note that you won't see the lint by gazing into the port, either; it has usually been compacted into the bottom of the socket by the plug squishing it down.)

I've fixed ~4 phones by doing that.

This was a problem with USB micro, too.

View on HN

I just dig out my lightning port with a toothpick every time I wake up to find my phone didn’t charge. I have no idea how safe that would be with a USB-C port, which is literally the only reason I dread the otherwise obviously-good transition of iPhones to a standard port.

> no idea how safe that would be with a USB-C port

I've cleaned mine with a needle several times without any issues. Being a little careful seems to suffice.

It should be safer with a USB-C port, since the springs (the most fragile part) are in the cable, not in the port; with lightning, the springs are in the port instead of the cable.

Magnetic cables are a good solution to this and other problems. The magnetic tip stays inserted at all times, preventing lint infiltration.

Then you need some extra connector or cable after few years and realize none of them are in production anymore...

And this is why I buy a case of junk ....

Still have some working iPad 1 chargers (fat lightning).

I've only seen two designs of magnetic USB cables. The most popular is round, and I've confirmed different manufacturers' tips/cables are fully interchangeable.

The other style is oval shaped, and those would obviously be incompatible.

And what's the worst that happens? I might eventually have to switch to normal, horrible cables, like you use every single day? Enjoy wearing out your cables and devices...

I have three incompatible round tips: 20W, 4 connectors, 60W, 5 connectors (x2).

Aliexpress brands respectively uslion (x2) and elough.

From my understanding, this violate the spec potentially connecting all the pins at the same time which causes some sort of spike in power which is bad?

> This was a problem with USB micro, too.

It's also a problem with Apple's Lightning. Every once in a while I preventively take a toothpick to my iphone in order to delint it.

You can delint a lightning port with a toothpick, though. I use special (tiny) plastic tweezers to clean my USB-C ports.

Any suggestions for how to clear the socket out?

Plastic sharp object to pick. Maybe toothpick and loads of lighting.

the wooden ones require a knife to shave them down thinner.

I would just go by feel. Even when there's a lot of lint in there, it can be really hard to see it, so just probe around until nothing else comes out.

I know the sibling suggested a toothpick, but everything besides a needle has been too large and too week in my experience. There's nothing important at the bottom of the port so just jam it in there and scrape around until you can get a bunch of lint out. You will be surprised what you find.

I use a safety pin. The amount of lint I get out is unbelievable. And I have to scrape hard to get it all out, it's extremely compacted. Don't stop until you hear the sound of metal on plastic.

Whittle the toothpick a smidgen with a razor blade or similar.

Metal scraping flimsy metal contacts that are nigh-unrepairable is a hard lesson. Unfortunately it is also one that I seem to need to re-learn on a consistent basis.

I think going gently with a metal needle might be safer? The metal contacts are springy and need a certain amount of force to bend.

I have had luck with those disposable floss picks. They are entirely plastic and the pick stick end is suitably narrow to fit into the port. Plus they are incredibly cheap.

There are dozens of tools marketed specifically for this (search “phone port cleaner” on Amazon) but I’ve had the best luck with a pushpin.

I use a sewing needle.

I do like the suggestions of plastic or wood; that's probably a better idea as the material is softer. My spudger doesn't fit a USB port, sadly. IDK if a toothpick would, I'd never thought of that.

I try to be mindful of the actual connector's pads when I clean, so as to not scrape them.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com