Pin on Sense charging cable is pushed in

[sueloe]

Ever since my Sense did the update it no longer will charge.  I have cleaned the sensors, uninstalled and reinstalled my sense and everything else I could.  My Fitbit is only 7 months old and really does not hold a charge for more than 24-36hours.  

It looks like one of my prongs on the charger is pushed in a little bit.  Not sure how that even happened 

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[Clove6060]

@eezeepee 

I think Barb is just speaking to whomever will listen.
She’s not happy. 

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Sense/Second-Fitbit-Sense-A-PIECE-OF-CRAP/m-p/5109864#M47329

[eezeepee]

@Clove6060 It just seems like replies to specific posts to me but okay. 

[Kyla1]

I had one of those failed too my watch works fine. It's only the chargers that keep dying. I'm going out of my way to be super super super super careful when charging it doing it is gently as possible for the to meet up. It doesn't make a difference.

[eezeepee]

@Kyla1 You can only be so gentle because the magnetic snap them together anyway. I've been letting it snap on just fine. Maybe it's the way it's getting taken off that's a problem? Like pulling it sideways instead of lifting up.

[BarbBinOhio]

I take off and on straight up and down. Trying hard to be gentle, but that magnet pull is super tough.

[almoore8]

I'm on my second cable, same problem.

[Goresh]

VERY common problem.

The Bluetooth on my Sense died about 3 days after it arrived, the replacement has worked fine.

The week after it arrived though it stopped charging. Turned out to be the recessed pin syndrome.

Google research revealed it is a very common problem. It is always the same earth pin.

Opinion appears to be that the projecting charge pins short out on the metal body of the watch when you connect it and sometimes blow the spring, which seems to act as a fuse. 3 power pins, one earth pin, makes no sense (pun intended).

I went and bought another cable.

My solution has been to always connect the cable to the watch BEFORE plugging the USB into the charger.

I haven't had a repeat of the problem in the weeks since.

[almoore8]

Goresh,

That makes sense.  I’m an EE and disassembled the original device.  I found no sign of a spring on the ground pin.  It very well could have vaporized.

[LastLeg]

Same pin issue here.  I bought my Sense at the end of October 2021. Pin was stuck on charger and new one sent to me at the end of February 2022. That replacement now has a pin stuck, and a new charger is being sent today, May 24 2022. So my chargers are lasting 3-4 months. Currently still under warranty, but once that is gone I guess I better buy them in bulk. LOL

[Guy_]

The procedure I use

• Clean the watch contacts, and charge cable contacts with rubbing alcohol on an ear bud and allow to dry
• Place the charge cable on a flat surface [preferably metal, as it holds it in place]
• Hover the watch over the charger pins till it snaps to the watch in the right location.
• Only then plug it in to the power source.

When charging is complete

• Disconnect if from the power source
• Carefully separate the charge cable from the watch.
• That way there is no risk of a short and pin melting, before or after charging.

Also restarting the watch using Shutdown from the watch settings menu beforehand reduces the "Slow charging" and gives you a fresh copy of the OS ready for use when it is charged.

[Clove6060]

@Guy_ 
I get the slow charging message but I just reseat it a few times and it goes away.

I’ll have to try the restarting the watch using Shutdown from the watch settings menu beforehand“ suggestion. That’s interesting. 

[jontym]

Now on my fourth charger in three months with a broken pin the problem in each case. I am connecting my Fitbit Sense very carefully to the charger but the magnet is so strong that it clicks into place very quickly/firmly. Over a few weeks it goes from charging normally, to charging slowly, to not charging at all. Not a good design.

[almoore8]

Well, I just got my second replacement charge cable.  For some reason, I don't expect it to work.  I explicitly told them that the pin on the charge cable was pushed in and would not come back out far enough to charge the device.  I'm done, this will be my last Fitbit. Unbelievable.

[JeanRichard]

I agree with ride525 the charger on the Sense has a TERRIBLE design. This is the second time this happen that one pin on the charger stays push in to the point I seriously consdetring changing the activuty watch. I have been a real fan of fit bit since 2015 with the Charger, Charger 2, Ionic and now Sense.

[BarbBinOhio]

Check Amazon for off brand chargers that work with Sense. I bought a set of
2, with better pins, still lasting. Been a few months.

[Kyla1]

Sense chargers keep getting loose pin? It may be a short due to sequence of setting up for a charge session.

Some engineers on the thread a few months back said it's not the pin breaking it's that the charger is shorting out.

The fix is- do not keep your charger plugged in when not in use. When you need to charge your watch, put the charger carefully onto the watch first with all four pins in place, then connect it to electricity/plug it in.

So far this is seeming to work.

My experience with Fitbit giving replacement chargers is if your watch was over a year old they will not give you free chargers. Maybe they change something?

Anyway, try not attaching watch to  charger when charger plugged in. Instead plug in charger after watch is attached to charger. So far it appears to work.

Definitely a poor design. So far this seems to work. I will write back if something changes.

[AlMid]

Interesting. Mine is out of warranty by 6 months and they refuse to send me a replacement because they claim they have to "strictly follow policy". It would cost them next to nothing to replace but they won't do it. I really believe they design their products to fail soon after the warranty is up, because I've had issues with a lot of their products in the past. I'll never buy another fitbit product.

[almoore8]

It looks like too much charge current can degrade the spring in the ground pin.  I started using a higher power charger after I got a "slow charging" notice on my sense and shortly after that is when I had my first pin problem. Fitbit replaced the cable and it happened again after a few months.

It doesn't seem to occur on lower power chargers.  I bought a couple of low cost charge cables on Amazon.  The one on my higher power charger lost functionality after a few months even when consistently using the method of connecting to the device first and then the charger, to prevent the pins from shorting to the metal case while powered. The one on a lower power charger still works fine.

[Kyla1]

Do you consider 2.1 output low power? How low an output do you consider as low?

Thanks,

[Guy_]

Hi @Kyla1 - the watch only requires a good quality 5v supply. 

The watch controls very precisely the amount of current to charge based on battery level and is generally around 300ma max, 340ma if WiFi is in operation. This declines to around 10 ma once the watch is around 99% charged.

If you attach the watch first before plugging it in to the power source and remove it from the power source before removing from the cable you avoid the risk of a short circuit.

However if the contacts are not clean there is a risk of sparking which can overheat the pin causing damage perhaps.

The charge cable is pretty delicate and can be physically damaged by frequent charging (daily for instance) as there is a higher risk than doing it once every 5 days.

Wiggling the charge cable while charging can be another issue and is not advisable.