[Q] Does using a longer usb cable effect charging?

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james_lpool

Senior Member
Apr 25, 2012
515
23
Liverpool
I now have the new z2 tablet which seems great up to now, i have some touch issues at first, but since installing and using apex it seems to have gone.

anyway, im a bit annoyed with sony for moving the charging port to the top as i thought it was much better on the bottom, i could just sit with it and have it still charging, now being on the top it feels a bit strange being on charge and a little in the way, plus where i usually sit with it, the cable now feels too short.

so i was wondering if i got a 2m cable, would it actually effect the charge at all, or would it be exactly the same?

on ebay i have found a 2m cable which is only £2.95 it says its a charge cable, although one thing puzzled me, was that it says in the desc that its ideal for charging using a compatible 2000 mah adapter, but as far as i know, sony have stupidly left their charger as 1500 haven't they?

i can't understand why sony keep opting for this speed when all others seem to do 2000 or alightly more, it just leads to the tablet not always charging properly when you are also using it.

anyway, does anyone know if i will be lowering my charging power / speed if i get a 2m cable?

thanks

James
 

hermovv

Member
Dec 29, 2013
37
7
It is not the capacity (mAh) but the charging current (mA) that counts.
This tablet has a (very?) long charging time and thus a low charging current.
A cable with a little bit extra resistance won't make a big difference then.
I bought a cheap magnetic cable (1m) and am perfectly happy with it.
 

bbarou

Senior Member
Jul 27, 2010
79
22
I'm in the process of testing the various cables and chargers I got at home (about a dozen of chargers and twice as many cables).

The first noticeable things: they are definitely not all equal and the provided ones are NOT the best.

So far there's only one charger that provides more than 1A CONSISTENTLY and it only works with the shorter cables (I got between 1.1 and 1.2 A with a 1m cable vs <>0.8A with a 2m one).

I started testing because I think the biggest bug with this tablet is NOT the touch problem ( i only updated yesterday and did not use it very much since but it seems resolved with the last update) but it can't charge when using power hungry apps. I've been playing XCOM a lot lately and NONE of my chargers/cable can keep up with the power consumption while playing.

But yes cable length does matter.
 

xunus

Senior Member
Feb 22, 2010
325
79
Through my testing, i would say that shorter cable gives me lower resistance=better charging rate. Tested with 3 different length, 21.5CM, 1M, 2M. 21.5CM cable gives me the best result
 

Felborn

Senior Member
Jul 19, 2013
105
9
20cm or 2m, realistic the difference is not gonna be noticeable at all. The difference in resistance is negligible.

Sent fra min SGP511 via Tapatalk
 

jismail

Senior Member
May 8, 2008
65
1
my 512 charges faster if I plug in the cable into the port then it does if I use the magnetic adapter and the same cable using the bottom, and also charges faster in the dock then it does using the magnetic adapter. Go figure.....
 

se1000

Senior Member
Feb 14, 2011
1,038
395
With low quality cables, longer distances can absolutely affect charging rates.
 

bbarou

Senior Member
Jul 27, 2010
79
22
20cm or 2m, realistic the difference is not gonna be noticeable at all. The difference in resistance is negligible.

Sent fra min SGP511 via Tapatalk

If I had not measured the current myself I'd tend to agree but the differences I observed are real.


With low quality cables, longer distances can absolutely affect charging rates.

That was my thoughts too. I got I few long cables laying around , I'll check if I get the same results with them all
 

se1000

Senior Member
Feb 14, 2011
1,038
395
If I had not measured the current myself I'd tend to agree but the differences I observed are real.




That was my thoughts too. I got I few long cables laying around , I'll check if I get the same results with them all

One great way to tell is some cables have the gauge of the wires printed on the outside of the cable. I believe 28/28 is minimum for USB 2.0 but that is for 500ma charging. Look for 28/24 or better (lower numbers are better), especially for longer cables.
 
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bbarou

Senior Member
Jul 27, 2010
79
22
One great way to tell is some cables have the gauge of the wires printed on the outside of the cable. I believe 28/28 is minimum for USB 2.0 but that is for 500ma charging. Look for 28/24 or better (lower numbers are better), especially for longer cables.

Thanks, I did not know about wire gauges.

Unfortunatly, it does not seem like it easy to know which gauges a cable use, I've got 7 different cables on my desk right know and none of the have the information printed on. I'll check the rest when I get home.
 

ChodTheWacko

Senior Member
Feb 8, 2011
1,521
468
There is absolutely no question that cables make a difference.
There is absolutely no question, as well, that chargers make a difference. Many of them are mislabeled.

I bought this:
http://www.dx.com/p/usb-av-usb-power-current-voltage-tester-translucent-blue-silver-235090

And used it to measure how much power I'm getting out different charger/cable combos when charging.
It was especially useful for the car, since my phone needs a LOT of power when it's in full 'navigation/streaming music' mode.

Whether longer is better than shorter depends on a lot of factors, but I will say my best charging cable is my 6 inch cable.
(which is just fine for the car)

- Frank
 

Chefproll

Senior Member
Apr 27, 2014
313
186
There is no real rule-of-thumb regarding just the cable length.
You just cannot tell that some (!) shorter cable is better than some (!) longer cable.
Just because there are more factors involved - like core diameter, insulation, core material, and the like.

In general: If you use exactly the same cable type, the shorter variant will show better results.
If you use mixed cable qualities, you have to include more factors into your calculation.

Best way: Give it a check. You don't need adapters (although this is the better and faster way), you just need to recharge your device up from the same power level to any other given level, e. g. from 10 % to 90 %. Do not charge up to 100 %; on the "last mile", there are some more factors involved which may affect the results.
Take the time charging from e. g. 10 % to 90 % needs, discharge the battery by using the tablet with full brightness setting, repeat the same with another cable.
You'll soon find out which cable enables faster charging.

Suggestion for recharging the Z2 using the DK39 charging station: Samsung's white 2 Ah power supply, standard accessory provided with the S4 and other smartphones. Real fast using DK39, slower via USB.
 

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    If I had not measured the current myself I'd tend to agree but the differences I observed are real.




    That was my thoughts too. I got I few long cables laying around , I'll check if I get the same results with them all

    One great way to tell is some cables have the gauge of the wires printed on the outside of the cable. I believe 28/28 is minimum for USB 2.0 but that is for 500ma charging. Look for 28/24 or better (lower numbers are better), especially for longer cables.