Sense won't charge anymore

[TheDJ85]

Hi! I have a fitbit sense and it's been struggling to charge. Now it won't charge at all and my fitbit is dead. Taking a look at my charger, one of the pins is recessed. I have gone a whole day now without my fitbit because it won't charge. I have now had it past the warranty. Anyone have any luck getting a pin to come out of the shell? 

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[Guy_]

Hi @Sysop408 - thanks for your interesting observation you may be on to something.

Generally if you are receiving a Slow charging message there is already a charging fault, which if left unresolved may cause longer term damage. And you are right the vibration may aggravate the fault, for instance if it is sparking it may make it worse and turning it off may reduce the impact and also avoid fiddling with the watch while charging to clear the message.

The charging of Lithium batteries is very precisely controlled in terms of voltage and current so presumably there is a poor connection [possibly due to dirt or grime, or poor contact alignment] or a bad power source if the message appears.

A Sense requires at least a continuous 300 ma current at low battery [with a max of about 340 ma when it connects to Bluetooth at 50% charge which can cause the Slow charge message] and if there is a combination of contact problems and power supply this will be an issue, combined with tapping the watch when the message appears can be too much for the cable.

It is possible that on some watches the contact placement is outside tolerance making it difficult for a good contact but this is unlikely if there is enough travel on the pins of the charge cable. What is more likely is that over time the surface of the metal contacts on the watch have degraded from poor charging/sparking, through lack of cleaning.

My original charge cable is still working after 28 months but cleaning with rubbing alcohol is a necessity before each charge. This might help too.

Tips when using the Sense or Versa 3 charging cable

[bjmantis]

I hope the people at Fitbit are taking note of this! I finally gave up (I've started using Garmin Venu 2). I'm still using the Fitbit pretty much as a pedometer because I'm coming up on a 2-year step streak. 

It is awkward to have to turn off your Sense every time you charge it. This charger is a terrible piece of engineering that has been around a long time without any attempt to improve it. The least they could do is spread the word to all Sense users that they need to turn off their devices while charging unless they want to pay for blown chargers every couple of weeks or months.

[Sysop408]

Yeah, Fitbit charging really grinds my gears, but I found that turning off my Sense before charging to be not as much of an annoyance as I expected. I only charge it twice a week most weeks so it's not a constant hassle. Having to clean it everytime I charge it would be a bigger hassle to me. I'm still not going to do that even though it's recommended, but I'll try to clean it at least once every few weeks now.

[r5698]

I have had the same problem twice.  Purchased additional charger via amazon.  Cheap product. They need to imporve the charging appraratus.

[SgtBrillo]

I have gone thru 5 or 6 chargers, all the same problem, one pin goes goes bad and stays recessed in the charger. Fitbit won't do anything about a known defect in their chargers. Maybe Google will have an answer. Horrible support for a great product. 

[Sysop408]

Hey see my post a few posts back about turning off your Sense when it's charging. I've been doing this for the past 6 months and it seems to have finally ended my streak of neverending charger replacements. 

[ClaraBWA]

After doing some research, I just put in an order for an Amazfit GTR 4 to replace my Sense. I loved the Sense while it lasted, but I refuse to buy any more charging cords. I see that there have been some workarounds posted (such as turning off the Sense while it's charging), but I'm seriously annoyed that I've already spent well over $100 replacing my charging cords over the past 15 months. The fact that they seem to be ignoring this issue and forcing their customers to figure out ways to work around defective products is not a good precedent for issues that may crop up in the future. 

[jdgRunner]

There is no need to spend much money for replacement cords, you can get two
for less than $10 on Amazon and other places. That plus being a little
careful not to knock them against solid things (I just have mine hanging a
little bit) makes them last longer. Also I keep one by my bed and one at
my desk. Also, having two gives me an immediate backup in case one fails. I
am actually doing an Amazon order for a bunch of things and will probably
get another two-pack.

jdgrunner

[Sysop408]

@jdgRunner please read the thread. We're not treating our chargers rough. I've already gone through about 10 chargers. Some have only lasted a couple of weeks. I've bought the cheap ones, the expensive FitBit branded ones, and some generic ones that looked a bit more rugged. It doesn't matter. They're actually not that fragile physically. The damage is happening from the inside during charging.

My best guess is that the damage is happening if you have a poor connection causing the slow charging warning to come on, which vibrates the watch. That must damage the magnetized pin because if I turn off my watch while it's charging to prevent it from vibrating, I stop killing chargers. I haven't had to buy another charger ever since I started charging with my watch off. I've been on the same charger for 8 months now.

This isn't a hard workaround to implement, but it does suggest that this was a very flawed design.

I don't think everyone has the problem or have it as badly, but for those of us who are in the severe category, my experience is typical. 

[ClaraBWA]

jdgRunner, while you may be okay with getting another two-pack (and I realize they cost less than the Fitbit-brand charge cords), I am not okay with spending another cent on a problem that shouldn't be happening in the first place... and one that Fitbit refuses to fix. I am not rough with my cord, and the fact that so many people here are having issues with the same prong indicates this is a structural defect. I truly do appreciate the posts in here that talk about ways to work around the issue, but I am frustrated that Fitbit won't just FIX IT. So I'm done. 

[Kaymia]

Same here and I am DISGUSTED.

[Clinton1234]

For me...three chargers in a year with the pin problem...nice job Fitbit.  Clearly a design flaw.  As a workaround (while my new charger is enroute), I roll up a tiny piece of aluminum foil and place it on the watch contact before carefully placing the charger on the watch.  The foil completes the electrical contact and allows the watch to charge.  Mine is charging this way right now, as I'm about to order yet another charger.

[Dmc22165]

I just placed an order for yet another charger… luckily I have a backup
this time but will keep this in mind. Thank you

[AuntBamm]

EXACTLY 

[jdgRunner]

• You have to be careful but if you can hit the whole head going at good speed, say at the edges, then the pin can move out. Maybe use superglue to keep the head from going in again

[Rich_Laue]

Go to Amazon, buy a 3rd party charger, the pins actually float and you can get 2 chargers for $10-12

[Clinton1234]

I have a short-term McGyver to keep your Sense charged while waiting for a new charger to arrive.  I roll a tiny piece of aluminum foil into a ball and press it into the hole on the watch corresponding to the recessed pin on the charger.  If the ball is the right size and pressed in firmly, it will stay in place when you carefully connect the charger.  I have found that the foil stays in place even after disconnecting the watch from the charger, and I've been able to charge several times.  I'm ordering a new charger today, but I've been limping along with this workaround for about a month.

[Sysop408]

Hey @Clinton1234, check out my post  on page 4:

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Sense/Sense-charging-pin-stuck/m-p/5314962/highlight/true#M62532

When you get this new charger, try turning off your Sense when charging. My average charger life was less than 3 months before I started doing this and I've been on the same one for almost a year now. 

[willjoe]

If your battery stopped charging, try the solutions below. The pins on the device or charging cable are dirty. Dust and debris can accumulate over time. Clean the charging contacts on the back of your device and the pins on your charging cable using the instructions in How do I clean my Fitbit device

Regards,

Diana

[njetherington]

I’ve tried using vinegar (as I didn’t have rubbing alcohol) and dropped the charger in hot water (form a kettle) hoping that it would expand the plastic enough to release the pin. No luck.  This is just a crap design and I’m going to have to do what others have recommended: buy another charger.  This will be my last Fitbit after having three other devices (Charge 2, Ionic, Sense 1) all crap out. I’m going to Apple. Sorry Fitbit, three strikes and your OUT!

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Will give this a go.  Glad you have put some thought into this for others benefit. If there is a spring, and it is broken then this is clearly a temporary measure. I just hope Fitbit is paying attention to these threads, cuz this will be my last one.  😐

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Lucky you.  I’m not expecting such favour….although it would be in their interest to do so.