Ever come across a broken iPhone charging cable? You’re certainly not alone, but we have a few tips that will help you avoid a broken iPhone Lightning cable in the future.
We’ve all experienced a broken charging cable. They get worn out after a while and the cable starts tear open at the base of the connector. The cable might still work (sometimes not), but exposed internal wires are considered a safety hazard, and unless you want wrap it up with electrical tape, you’ll simply have to throw it out and get a new cable.
However, iPhone cables can last practically forever if you want them to. All it takes is a bit of care and general maintenance on your part and you’ll never have to replace a cable ever again (unless, ya know, if Apple ever changes the connector standards like they did with the new Lightning port).
There are multiple ways that you can preserve your collection of iPhone cables. There are simple methods such as wrapping them carefully every time you’re done with them, and even ways to reinforce the cables with various materials so that they won’t break in the first place. Here are some tips that you may prove useful to you if you’re sick of your iPhone cables constantly breaking.
Wrap Them Correctly
Most incidents of iPhone cables breaking are because the user doesn’t properly take care of the cables in the first place, and it usually has to do with how they wraps the cable.
More likely than not, you probably wind your cable harshly around your hand and then toss it into your bag. It turns out that wrapping your iPhone cable around something can cause a lot of kinks in the cable, which can slowly degrade the wires on the inside. Technically, the way charging cables come wrapped in packaging before you even open it up isn’t the best way to wrap cables, so don’t do it like the manufacturers.
Ideally, the best way to wrap an iPhone cable for storage is to loop it around several times and have it create a circle when it’s all done. This is called “coil wrapping” and it’s the best possible way to wrap a cable, as it won’t create kinks or sharp bends in the cable. The above video does a great job of demonstrating the coil wrap.
Don’t Create Sharp Bends
This sort of goes along with the previous section, but it not only applies when wrapping your iPhone cables, but also when you’re just simply using them.
Don’t make sharp bends in your iPhone cables, because that’s how you can ruin the wires on the inside. Especially don’t create sharp bends near where the connector is. That area where the connector ends and the cable starts is extremely fragile, and with enough action, it can eventually kink and split open, exposing the wires within. Usually the cable won’t work after that, but even if it did work, it would be a huge safety hazard anyway.
So the next time you go to plug in your iPhone charger into the wall behind a couch or other piece of furniture, be aware that making a sharp bend in the cable is never a good idea.
Buy Reinforced Cables
If you don’t want to go out of your way taking care of your iPhone cables using the simple tricks above, then perhaps buying reinforced iPhone cables is the way to go. These are cables that essentially come with some sort of reinforced wrapping over the cable that prevents it from kinking up and eventually breaking open.
Belkin just released some reinforced iPhone cables of their own, called Mixit Lightning cables. They come in either 4-foot or 6-inch lengths, as well as space grey, silver, and gold colors to match the iPhone 5s’s own color options . The cables come with a strong fabric weave that adds a bit of toughness to the cable, and the connectors themselves are made out of aluminum.
However, they are a bit on the pricey side, with just a 6-inch jumper cable costing $24.99, while the 4-foot variant is a more reasonable $29.99.
Reinforce iPhone Cables Yourself
If these reinforced cables aren’t your at your price point, perhaps you could reinforce your current cables yourself? There are many DIY tricks you can use in order to reinforce your iPhone cables, and there are different materials you can choose from.
A popular option is using small springs from writing pens and wrapping them onto the ends of your cables. This prevents them from making sharp bends in the first place.
You can also use shrink tubing on the ends as well. You probably don’t have shrink tubing just lying around, so this probably isn’t the most convenient option, but you can choose from all sorts of colors to make your cables more festive. You can even double up with pen springs and shrink tubing for a even more reinforced iPhone cable.
source:- http://www.gottabemobile.com/2014/06/28/how-to-free-up-space-on-mac/
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