RESOLVED! My USB chargers quit!

melpeter · June 2019

Turned out I had a bad charging cord! A relatively new one and not cheap. Embarrassed.

After a few days happily parked in a NC RV park my USB chargers front and back have stopped working. I brought spare fuses but have no clue which fuse might be the usb chargers. All other electrical systems working fine. Any thoughts? I’ll have to drive around in my car to charge my phone!

dragonsdofly · June 2019

@melpeter, USB port failure is common, both in the rv and in a home (wall plug installation). As they say, "a dime a dozen", meaning they aren't terribly pricey, and are relatively easy to change out. Check out some of the threads already posted about changing them. I think even @Verna, our forum admin detailed what she did. I find it best to always be prepared with USB charger, 12v car charger (also usable in the t@b) and 110/120 a/c charger, in case shore power is available. Good luck.

Sharon_is_SAM · June 2019

Fuses won’t help. Get a good 12 v plug with a USB outlet.

BrianZ · June 2019

@melpeter,
As a quick fix for charging your phone, just take your car cigarette lighter socket charger & plug it into you T@B socket next to the dead USB sockets. Then later you can replace (rewire) your dead USB socket(s) with another cig lighter 12V socket & get a new higher amperage/wattage USB adapter to plug into it (one made to be compatible for charging your phone model). Then you should have charger USB ports that won't blow while charging a modern phone that demands more power than a standard USB can provide.
Same thing happened to me recently. And here's what I did..
http://tabforum.nucamprv.com/#/discussion/comment/116969

melpeter · June 2019

dragonsdofly said:

@melpeter, USB port failure is common, both in the rv and in a home (wall plug installation). As they say, "a dime a dozen", meaning they aren't terribly pricey, and are relatively easy to change out. Check out some of the threads already posted about changing them. I think even @Verna, our forum admin detailed what she did. I find it best to always be prepared with USB charger, 12v car charger (also usable in the t@b) and 110/120 a/c charger, in case shore power is available. Good luck.

Thanks so much! Can you guys show me what devices you mean? I’m so clueless I don’t know what they are. Maybe links to Amazon? I’ll order if I know what to get.

melpeter · June 2019

BrianZ said:

@melpeter,
As a quick fix for charging your phone, just take your car cigarette lighter socket charger & plug it into you T@B socket next to the dead USB sockets. Then later you can replace (rewire) your dead USB socket(s) with another cig lighter 12V socket & get a new higher amperage/wattage USB adapter to plug into it (one made to be compatible for charging your phone model). Then you should have charger USB ports that won't blow while charging a modern phone that demands more power than a standard USB can provide.
Same thing happened to me recently. And here's what I did..
http://tabforum.nucamprv.com/#/discussion/comment/116969

I brought my cigarette lighter socket charger and that didn’t work either. Apparently both the USBs and the socket charger are dead.
It works in the car so I know it’s the Tab socket. 😢I’ll go outside and idle my car to charge phone for tonight. I’ll do a search for what @verna did. Again, I’d buy what I need if I knew what to buy.

VictoriaP · June 2019

@melpeter If you are or will be in a place where Amazon can deliver, something like this is extremely useful:

https://smile.amazon.com/Anker-PowerCore-Ultra-Portable-VoltageBoost-Technology/dp/B00Z9QVE4Q/

It’s a rechargeable battery pack that can charge your devices. Anker is a very high quality brand, with outstanding customer service. These come in several sizes, one like this is good for multiple full charges of your phone.

It won’t fix your outlets, but you wouldn’t have to idle the car for hours just to charge your phone. Best Buy, or Target, or Walmart, or any similar store will have products like this as well, Anker is just the best one out there as far as price and quality. I carry a small one everywhere, ad larger ones for travel.

N7SHG_Ham · June 2019

I doubt front and rear would fail simultaneously unless powered from same fused circuit. I would definitely see if there is a common failure mode before randomly replacing or looking at other options.

melpeter · June 2019

N7SHG_Ham said:

I doubt front and rear would fail simultaneously unless powered from same fused circuit. I would definitely see if there is a common failure mode before randomly replacing or looking at other options.

I’ll look at fuses in the fuse box tomorrow. Being clueless how to tell which fuse does what I’ll remove and look at all of them. Maybe one of them will be blown and I’ll replace it.

dsfdogs · June 2019

@VictoriaP, I bought this one from EasyAcc after comparing to the Anker. I love it. I've used it at home too. Keep it in the car in case something happens and my phone battery runs low, or while hiking. It charges so fast. I can use it to charge my phone and run my USB fan at night while camping.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078S6LH8L/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Luckyj · June 2019

melpeter said:

N7SHG_Ham said:

I doubt front and rear would fail simultaneously unless powered from same fused circuit. I would definitely see if there is a common failure mode before randomly replacing or looking at other options.

I’ll look at fuses in the fuse box tomorrow. Being clueless how to tell which fuse does what I’ll remove and look at all of them. Maybe one of them will be blown and I’ll replace it.

If you have power to the trailer, from dc or shore power, a little red light should be on beside a blown fuse.

but if they are all off, I would still look at them.

Sharon_is_SAM · June 2019

@melpeter, are you on shorepower? Are you using a surge protector?

melpeter · June 2019

Sharon_is_SAM said:

@melpeter, are you on shorepower? Are you using a surge protector?

Yes. Both. I looked inside my converter box and the interior lights are on the same fuse as the USB and 12v. The interior lights are working fine. So you were right about it not being a fuse. However, both front and back usb/12v ports are dead. More troubleshooting needed.
BTW I am using the $120 Progressive surge protector that lacks low voltage protection.

N7SHG_Ham · June 2019

Did both outlets die at same time, or just happen to discover at same time? These things do fail as noted, but seems odd they both died at once in a fail mode. It seems more likely they may have common wires feeding them and a wire came loose, etc. That assumes it isn't a fuse which sounds like it isn't? Of course if one was dead and then the other died, then it could be that they both just failed. Sequence when troubleshooting is important. Also a good way to troubleshoot is see if you have correct inputs and outputs, if so, it is some other issue, this holds true for a lot of systems, often if you don't know what should be the input and output, you can spend a lot of time chasing dead ends that have zero to do with the problem.

An example is the Alde, I often hear check the 110v plug (good idea) but if you are off grid Boondocking on propane, that plug has zero to do currently with why Alde isn't working. Just one example of a cord being unplugged that actual doesn't factor at all into the Alde off grid. Another, trailer taillights not working and worrying about the trailer battery being charged, irrelevant as the two are independent. Just a couple examples of why it is important to understand how systems work, what is the input, what is the output and what could affect both.

davel4wa · June 2019

If one fused output is feeding lights and also both 12V/USB outlets and you have lights, it's very likely you have a wire disconnected. I'm not sure what the actual wiring path is but if you remove that fuse in your converter you can see which lights are involved. From that you can make a guess as to the wiring path. Can you tell if there are multiple wires on the converter fuse output side? Perhaps others here can tell you if there are multiple wires on that position, assuming the same model and year. The wire may have come loose at the converter. If only one wire the 12V power points must be looped from the lighting circuit and you would have to guess which lights are involved and remove the light for inspection. Since the two power points seem to be at opposite ends of the trailer it's hard to imagine what the wiring path is.
By the way I doubt very seriously that a surge protector would have made a difference here. The output from the battery is not subject to surging and the converter is a switch mode power supply which is not likely to pass any over voltage to its output.

BrianZ · June 2019

As I recall, when checking into our failed rear USB ports on circuit #3, ..

.. I found that the main blue circuit #3 cable split behind the converter into two - one going towards the front and the other going towards the rear. On the rear of the 12V cig socket there was a blade style connector clip where the main power line connected with matching blade, and a much smaller gauge wire from the USB socket pair was bundled with main wire into the same blade connector..

The wires continue upwards to the small wall-mounted light fixture in the back corner.
If the blade connector came loose from the 12V socket, then the 12V cig socket would not be working, but the lamp & USB pair should still work, unless the USBs had already failed (which happens frequently it seems).

davel4wa · June 2019

You said initially that both the 12V power point (cigarette lighter) lacked power in addition to the USB charge points not working. Given the wiring you show does the light mentioned work or not? If the light works then clearly there is a bad connection where the wires are crimped together at the 1/4" blade connectors. If the light does not work then the problem is upstream of this area perhaps at another lamp between this area and the converter fuse panel. I am intrigued that the other set of 12V power point/USB charge points has also failed. If you have a volt meter (VOM) or know someone that does, check the voltage at the blade connectors. If it is a bad connection here you may or may not get a 12V reading here. Try moving the wiring around while the meter probes are connected and see if the voltage comes and goes. If it does you will need to replace the blade connector(s). It's a bit of a stretch to think this problem exists at both locations however. Not impossible if the same person made both connections. Sometimes, especially with different gauge wires in one of these crimp type connectors, the crimp is positioned incorrectly on the wire insulation and may work initially as the conductors may touch each other but fail eventually with vibration. Test the lamp to begin with, this will determine the next step.

melpeter · June 2019

Dear @davel4wa, @BrianZ, @N7SHG_Ham,
somehow my very shamefaced post is missing. I’m not sure where it went but I apologized profusely for learning the problem was my BAD CHARGING CORD. I thanked everyone for such amazing troubleshooting advice and for teaching me so much about my T@B wiring. I’m thanking all of you again for sticking with me in spite of my foolishness. You’re such good T@B friends!

BrianZ · June 2019

@melpeter, I thought that sounded familiar (that you had resolved it), and sure enough, I found your message with pictures etc & about troubleshooting over the phone with your engineer brother. See the link in my previous message above - you posted it under my similar topic about my failed USB ports.
You may want to edit your title & add "Resolved".

tybladesmith · June 2019

A somewhat related story to "Bad Charging cord"
I thought my USB connections in my 320S were bad, only to discover after much online research that my iPhone lightning socket had filled with pocket lint. It took 15 minutes of persistent digging with a wooden tooth pick to remove all the lint. Now "all" my USB ports work just fine -house, tab, etc. Who would have thought. Long story short, I was ready to send the phone in for repair at over $100. YMMV

davel4wa · June 2019

I honestly haven't looked for them in a while but there have been little dust covers available for USB ports. The ones in the bedroom I can see as being particularly prone to 'bellybutton lint.'

tybladesmith · June 2019

@davel4wa, just to be clear the lint buildup was in my iPhone socket, not the T@B USB port and I can't keep my phone in my bellybutton! LOL Too funny!

SueBC · July 2019

I bought the new Goal Zero Sherpa 100AC on sale about a month ago. Pretty sweet for charging phone, small lights, small fan etc. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&O=&Q=&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3uboBRDCARIsAO2XcYAbUAy9CLOxxpv6rjPTu4sEqt3iCKIYNlL6nabiKk2v-GvHUHjpZdwaAlcwEALw_wcB&is=REG&lsft=BI:514&pcur=CAD&sku=1453531

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RESOLVED! My USB chargers quit!

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