How To Fix A Broken Charging Cable
Repairing a Lightning cable can be done with household tools like scissors and black tape, or shrink tubing if you have it. If you want to fix a broken Apple power adapter, it will require a lot of know-how and skill, and it's typically best left alone.
We all know that feeling of plugging in your phone and not hearing the characteristic chime to indicate that it's charging. I've experienced it on more occasions than I'd like to admit, and the culprit was usually the cable. Fortunately, I've been able to fix the issue, and I'd love to share my success stories with you.
If you're looking for ways to fix the iPhone charger, you've come to the right place. Let's walk right into the steps on how to get started.
How Can I Make My Charger Work Again?
If you are trying to fix a broken iPhone charger and you're not willing to buy a replacement, it's possible to get it functioning again. Note that in some instances, your iPhone charger is best left alone or discarded if the damage is extensive, especially if your Apple power adapter is the problem.
Here are some ways that you can fix a broken iPhone charger.
Using Electrical Tape
The most common issue that people deal with when it comes to their Lightning cable is that it frays at the end after some time. This, of course, can stop it from working.
By wrapping the frayed end of the cable with this tape, you will be able to stabilize the wires within it and make the frayed portion less prone to bending, which will make it last longer.
You can do this by wrapping the tape over the affected portion several times, to improve the rigidity.
Using Heat Shrink Tubing
If you prefer a cleaner-looking solution for a broken USB cable, you can make use of heat shrink tubing to repair it.
You can get heat shrink tubing from Amazon. You will need a heat gun as well, though you can improvise with a capable hairdryer too.
Follow the steps below to fix a broken iPhone charger with heat shrink tubing. Alternatively, you can take a look at this video to understand it better.
- Unplug your charging cable from the phone and the iPhone charger.
- Using a tube that is large enough to slide over the Lightning plug on the cable, place it so that on both ends, it extends past the fray or damage.
- With the tubing placed as required, plug in and turn on your heat gun and direct the heat towards the tubing. You should see as it shrinks in place.
- If you are using a hairdryer, it may take a while for the tubing to shrink as required because it cannot produce as much heat as a dedicated heat gun.
- Once it has fully shrunken, it will give some stability and rigidity to that part of the cable to prevent it from flexing and breaking.
Splicing and Reconnecting
If your cable disconnects when it is not in a specific position, then you may have to cut it open to get it back to life.
The cables inside would have broken and can make contact only when bent in a specific way. You can join these cables back together to extend the lifespan of your iPhone charger.
You will need a few things: a blade, electrical tape, solder, and a soldering iron.
Before starting, be prepared to face the risk of accidentally destroying the cable in the process.
- Locate the problematic area on the length of the cable. This is usually near the Lightning port end. You can also detect it if flexing in that area tends to get it functional.
- You can choose to remove an entire segment of the cable and join the two ends together afterward. If you do this, you need absolute faith in your skills as it involves destroying the cable to an extent. Otherwise, you can just open it up and check for the issue.
- Using a blade, peel away a segment of the rubber casing.
- You will also need to peel away the braiding beneath the rubber.
- Once you do this, you will see three colored wires and one that has no rubber casing, which is the ground wire.
- You may be able to see which cable is broken, so you can choose to repair that one alone. If you can't, you may be better off removing the whole segment.
- Peel a bit of the colored rubber off.
- Push the exposed ends into each other and twist slightly to keep them in place.
- With a soldering iron, apply solder to the part where the two wires are joined to seal them together.
- Use the tape to individually wrap them and prevent them from touching one another. That could cause a short circuit if it happens.
- Once they have been individually wrapped, use heat shrink tubing to cover the exposed section. If you do not have it, you can also use more tape.
You're done! Your iPhone should charge fine. Who needs the Genius Bar?
If you have any difficulty following these steps, take a look at this video tutorial to see it in action.
What Can I Do If The Power Adapter Is Broken?
If the power adapter is the problem, it's best to leave it. There are many intricate parts inside and it requires expertise to fix.
It is best to purchase a new one or make use of a computer to charge in the meantime.
How Can I Troubleshoot The Causes Of Broken iPhone Chargers?
It is important to make sure that you're really dealing with a broken iPhone charger. After all, there are other factors that can make it seem like it's not functional.
Try A Different Power Source
Plug your iPhone charger into a different socket at home. A wall socket that has given up the ghost can make it seem like you have a broken iPhone charger when it actually works fine.
You can also plug the cable into a computer or anything else that has a USB port.
Try A Different iPhone
If you have another iPhone, simply plug your charger into its Lightning port. This will help rule out any issue with the charging port on your iOS device.
Try A Different Power Adapter
If you have many iPhone chargers at home, try another power adapter. These aren't usually the first part to stop working, but components can burn out in some cases, and cause them to malfunction.
Try a Different USB Cable
iPhone cords are the likely culprit when you're dealing with a broken charger. If you have a spare cable lying around, plug that in to pinpoint whether the cable is the problem.
Sale
Dirty Lightning Port
Debris in your Lightning port is a common cause for a phone that won't charge. It prevents the cord from making good contact.
You can carefully clean the port to clear the debris. Make sure not to use anything metal. A toothpick or plastic tool is typically fine.
Check out more smartphones
What Can Cause A Broken iPhone Charger?
Power Adapter Burnout
Electronics are sensitive, despite how much abuse we put them through. With several components inside, the failure of just one can cause the entire device to stop functioning. This is the case with an iPhone charger.
If your wall plug has to deal with unstable electricity or its components are aged, it can burn out. It is best to discard this broken iPhone charger and get a new one.
Frayed USB Cable
For many users, the end of the cord will start to fray even after a few months of use. It's understandable, as the plastic coating wears from all the flexing and bending it goes through.
Once the cable frays, it becomes less resilient at that point. This can result in the wire underneath breaking and losing contact, resulting in a broken iPhone charger.
Fortunately, Apple knows this, though they would never say it straight up. A patent application from Apple shows a commitment to changing the state of their cables.
Poor Contact With Lightning Port
The gold contacts at the end of iPhone cords are meant to align with the contacts in the Lightning port of any iOS device. Anything that prevents proper contact like corrosion or debris can make it seem like you have a broken charger.
Related Reading
- [SOLVED] Why Is My iPhone Not Vibrating? 11 Easy Solutions
Final Words
It can seem like a headache having to go to Apple Store to fork out money on a new cable or charger for your iPhone.
You can fix a broken cord by using heat shrink tubing, tape, or going surgical and manually connecting any broken cables. Issues with the adapter itself are best left to professionals as it can be very technical.
If this helped get your iPhone charger back to normal, how about taking a look at some of our related articles as well?
Author
Darrel Bryant
There's no two ways about it – I am a huge nerd and I love it! When I'm not testing out new gadgets, I'm pulling apart the ones that I do have at home to find out what makes them tick. Not a lot of them get put back together, but I have become a pro at telling the good gadgets from the bad!
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How To Fix A Broken Charging Cable
Source: https://convergeddevices.net/how-to-fix-iphone-charger/
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