1. ChrisMay's Avatar
    If I want to get a replacement USB cable, is there anything special about the BlackBerry one? I read something about it needing to be a Data-Transfer cable, and not a Charging cable. I thought a USB cable was a USB cable (obviously it needs the right connectors on the ends). Can anyone enlighten me??

    EDIT: Special thanks to Bribert and RMPB for their explanations. I now understand the difference, and know what to look for.

    Thanks, Chris.
    Last edited by ChrisMay; 01-29-13 at 03:39 AM.
    01-28-13 04:34 PM
  2. AWB70's Avatar
    Something I was wondering as well. Sorry can't be much help. As far as I know I haven't came across a usb cable that charges only! I use the cable that came with my BlackBerry phone which exchanges data so I'm assuming that it should work with the PlayBook. The issue I had was i got an error that said the PlayBook couldn't charge when it was connected to the laptop and even though it said the pb was connected on the pb in desktop manager it said make sure the pb was connected. Maybe someone can help us both out, I'm starting with checking the cable then moving on from there.
    01-28-13 05:35 PM
  3. johnierw's Avatar
    I wish I could be of more help! But I have two USB cables one charges fine and the other does not, although "the other" USB cable will communicate with the desktop?? It just won't charge?
    If I want to get a replacement USB cable, is there anything special about the BlackBerry one? I read something about it needing to be a Data-Transfer cable, and not a Charging cable. I thought a USB cable was a USB cable (obviously it needs the right connectors on the ends). Can anyone enlighten me??

    Thanks, Chris.
    01-28-13 05:50 PM
  4. bribert's Avatar
    Yes, there is a difference. A "general" cable, like the one that come with the devices can both transfer data and charge. The problem, as I found out, was current draw was limited with the provided cables when both my PlayBook and 9810 both had charging issues with many chargers (car, AC, and PC). The problem was there even with the BlackBerry branded cables. I learned that "charge only" cables short the two data pins making them draw (or allow more draw, not sure which) more current for charging. The chargers which would not charge my devices now work fine when using these charge only cables. The obvious downside, no data transfer one one type, so two cables, but hey, now all chargers work.

    I've made one and also bought one at Staples (charge cable that is).

    I Hope I made sense and was helpful.

    Brian
    ChrisMay and AWB70 like this.
    01-28-13 06:13 PM
  5. rmpb's Avatar
    Any USB data cable with the correct ends should work. You DON'T want a charging cable for what you're looking for. The charging USB cable will typically be a fair bit cheaper than the regular ones and will be marked as a charging cable (otherwise it looks identical). The charging cable has a couple of the wires shorted so it can provide more power, but can't carry data because of this modification.
    ChrisMay and AWB70 like this.
    01-28-13 06:14 PM
  6. ChrisMay's Avatar
    Something I was wondering as well. Sorry can't be much help. As far as I know I haven't came across a usb cable that charges only! I use the cable that came with my BlackBerry phone which exchanges data so I'm assuming that it should work with the PlayBook. The issue I had was i got an error that said the PlayBook couldn't charge when it was connected to the laptop and even though it said the pb was connected on the pb in desktop manager it said make sure the pb was connected. Maybe someone can help us both out, I'm starting with checking the cable then moving on from there.
    Your 'Connects but won't charge' problem may be to do with the USB outlet on your laptop not having enough 'juice' to charge the playbook. You may find if you try a different USB outlet on the laptop that it could work better (some laptops have some USB outlets with a higher current supply and some with lower - by design). Or it may just be that the Laptop just doesn't supply enough current to charge.
    Having said that, I have the same situation - when the Playbook is USB connected to the laptop, the Playbook says that it cannot charge from the current connection (or something like that) but it does still seem to slowly charge up if I'm not using it... It's worth experimenting a bit.

    Cheers,

    Chris.
    AWB70 likes this.
    01-29-13 03:32 AM
  7. Chaddface's Avatar
    Having said that, I have the same situation - when the Playbook is USB connected to the laptop, the Playbook says that it cannot charge from the current connection (or something like that) but it does still seem to slowly charge up if I'm not using it... It's worth experimenting a bit.
    You can disregard that message. As you have found out, the PB will charge connected to the USB port of a computer. Just very slowly and only in standby.
    That message is new since the last update or maybe the update before.
    01-29-13 06:37 AM
  8. AWB70's Avatar
    Thanks all. Charging the playbook using the usb is not so much a worry to me albeit slowly. Can anyone confirm that if I can exchange data using the same cable between my laptop and 9800 then this is the right cable to use with the Playbook. If I know for sure then that eliminates it from the equation. I have been browsing posts related to the playbook not connecting to the laptop or any PC to that matter and see there are some issues. If it's not the cable for sure it's time to dig deeper. Not looking forward to it I have to say, a lot of the solutions seem to work for some and not others! There also seems to be an issue with DM 7.1 so tracking the problem could be a nightmare. Just fancied trying sideloading apps but my computer won't communicate with the playbook. Says it's connected but can't access it. I did come across quite a long winded solution that enabled me to treat the PB as a Z drive and copy paste files etc just none of the DM features. After disconnecting the PB for a few days then connecting again even this has stopped working.

    Edit* probably answered my own question there, if I could transfer data when it was acting like a storage drive then probably is right cable but you never know
    01-29-13 12:16 PM

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