Not all USB cables are the same.

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Some time ago I made a post about USB cables as the possible cause for a failure to connect. I stated that not all USB cables are the same. Other than length that is. I tried to fly my Pro today but could not get it to connect to my Samsung Tab A. It had always connected instantly before, but today it was a no go. Then I remembered that the only change I had made to the equipment was a new much shorter USB cable that I had picked up from somewhere. It was white in color and only about 10 inches long. It looked brand new. Try as I may, I could not get the tablet to connect. So I went to my car and retrieved a different USB cable that I was using to charge my cellphone. When I plugged it into the RC and Tablet, and then rebooted the Tablet, it connected instantly. I then flew for 15 minutes without an issue.

When I got home, I used a magnifying glass to look at the connector part of the cable that goes into the phone. The small connector! The only difference I could see was that the cable that didn't work had one more wire connector in it than the cable that did work. I also tried to connect my phone to the computer using that same cable, but that would not connect either. I then plugged that cable into the wall charger for my phone, and it began charging my phone normally.

I also stated in an earlier post that some cables carry power and Data, and others just carry power. I think I just proved that point. I hope this helps anyone out there who is fighting a connection issue.
 
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Thanks for the heads up Grandpa...
 
Yes you are right.... We have data cables and charging cables. Not sure if you can just tell the difference by looking at it, but I'm sure the price point can tell you!
 
Length of cable WILL also make a difference. The longer the length the greater resistance. Regarding the point that G.Don makes: check eBay. You will see many USB cables that charge only, and others that carry data also. All you really need for charging is a 5v positive wire and a ground.


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots
 
Some time ago I made a post about USB cables as the possible cause for a failure to connect. I stated that not all USB cables are the same. Other than length that is. I tried to fly my Pro today but could not get it to connect to my Samsung Tab A. It had always connected instantly before, but today it was a no go. Then I remembered that the only change I had made to the equipment was a new much shorter USB cable that I had picked up from somewhere. It was white in color and only about 10 inches long. It looked brand new. Try as I may, I could not get the tablet to connect. So I went to my car and retrieved a different USB cable that I was using to charge my cellphone. When I plugged it into the RC and Tablet, and then rebooted the Tablet, it connected instantly. I then flew for 15 minutes without an issue.

When I got home, I used a magnifying glass to look at the connector part of the cable that goes into the phone. The small connector! The only difference I could see was that the cable that didn't work had one more wire connector in it than the cable that did work. I also tried to connect my phone to the computer using that same cable, but that would not connect either. I then plugged that cable into the wall charger for my phone, and it began charging my phone normally.

I also stated in an earlier post that some cables carry power and Data, and others just carry power. I think I just proved that point. I hope this helps anyone out there who is fighting a connection issue.
I have a connection issue with my tab A also. It's really been driving me crazy to figure out . It works fine on my Phantom 3 Standard but not on my Pro.
 
Length of cable WILL also make a difference. The longer the length the greater resistance. Regarding the point that G.Don makes: check eBay. You will see many USB cables that charge only, and others that carry data also. All you really need for charging is a 5v positive wire and a ground.


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots

Google it if you want details of course. Of course there are cheaper charger only cables that do not include the differential data lines. Easy to tell: plug in your dji or camera and if it does not talk, you have a charger only cable.

And no, there is no length limit effecting power for charging. All properly made USB cables regardless of length will be able to provide their rated charge current. Example specs if you want to dig into it more for example:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiNwevuxNXQAhXD44MKHQd_C7MQFggdMAA&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB&usg=AFQjCNFF23-pqbQaYT_subu-6zBjQjogOQ&sig2=P27RHEMS7s3i1XWVfLn1uA

There IS a max length spec for USB 2.0 of 5 meter - but nothing to do with resistance or charge current capability - it is a limit due to DATA RATE without corruption. USB 3.0 actually never put a length limit on its higher data rate IIRC but folks generally still stick with 5 m max as rule of thumb.
 
Length of cable WILL also make a difference. The longer the length the greater resistance. Regarding the point that G.Don makes: check eBay. You will see many USB cables that charge only, and others that carry data also. All you really need for charging is a 5v positive wire and a ground.


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots
Yes, longer wire means more resistance. However, the wire that didn't work for me was only 10 inches long, and the wire that did work was 36 inches long. I think it's possible that a lot of the posts here dealing with a failure to connect issue may be related to the cable. I work in the network and copier industry, so I have dozens of spare cables scattered around the office. Most are from Samsung cellphone chargers. It seems that they all work fine. But I've had two shorter white cables that I got from somewhere, I don't remember where, that didn't work. What I'm saying is, just beware of incomparable cables. Maybe even several in a row.
 
I have a connection issue with my tab A also. It's really been driving me crazy to figure out . It works fine on my Phantom 3 Standard but not on my Pro.
Just a thought. Early on I had an issue trying to use my TAB A with both my Standard and my Pro. It didn't work. I ended up deleting the App from the tab and reinstalling it for use on the Pro only. I now use my Smart phone for the Standard, and the TAB for the Pro. Problem solved (except when I had a wrong cable as described in my original post here.)
 
Yes, longer wire means more resistance. However, the wire that didn't work for me was only 10 inches long...

To be clear, I did not suggest wire does not have resistance. I just stated resistance has nothing to do with why some cables cannot connect to the dji or camera. If we want to discuss charging currents and voltage drop, that is another discussion, and it has no bearing on what cable will or will not connect to our AC. Although resistance is futile sometimes, it has nothing to do with this dicsussion. For this discussion and topic, either the data pair wires are in the cable or not. That's all I was addressing.
 
I thought I read somewhere that one cannot connect the tablet to the drone via able .... I recall reading that the usb port on the drone is just for firmware updates ... and that the only way for the tablet to talk to the drone was via WIFI ... what am I missing?
Given that both the tablet and the drone use micro-USB connectors, one needs to use two cables, one a regular USB, the other a counterpart such as those used for USB OTG.
 
I thought I read somewhere that one cannot connect the tablet to the drone via able .... I recall reading that the usb port on the drone is just for firmware updates ... and that the only way for the tablet to talk to the drone was via WIFI ... what am I missing?
Given that both the tablet and the drone use micro-USB connectors, one needs to use two cables, one a regular USB, the other a counterpart such as those used for USB OTG.
The P3 Standard does not use a cable to connect. It uses WiFi. But the Pro and Advance do connect via a Cable.
 
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To be clear, I did not suggest wire does not have resistance. I just stated resistance has nothing to do with why some cables cannot connect to the dji or camera. If we want to discuss charging currents and voltage drop, that is another discussion, and it has no bearing on what cable will or will not connect to our AC. Although resistance is futile sometimes, it has nothing to do with this dicsussion. For this discussion and topic, either the data pair wires are in the cable or not. That's all I was addressing.
No problem...I understood. Thanks for your input.
 
The P3 Standard does not use a cable to connect. It uses WiFi. But the Pro and Advance do connect via a Cable.
+1

Does anyone have an idea of why we get so many P3S related posts lately in the P3A/P3P forum?
 
+1

Does anyone have an idea of why we get so many P3S related posts lately in the P3A/P3P forum?

Is this post specifically related to the advanced versions of the drone? ... I thought it was merely about USB cables

My Apologies to the P3A/P3P users who do not want to be 'bothered' by other common mortals. :)
 
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The P3 Standard does not use a cable to connect. It uses WiFi. But the Pro and Advance do connect via a Cable.

Thank You ... obviously I have a lot more reading to do before I can 'catch' the subtle/obvious differences between the various drone versions.
 
I guess some things comes to mind while reading the current post, and we just respond. You would lose your train of thought if you had to search through all posts to find the right spot. And the Phantom 3 series are so similar that a post in Pro would also apply to the Standard. If English is not your primary language, you might get lost or confused trying to translate. It would be nice to keep them separated, but it doesn't bother me.
 
Some time ago I made a post about USB cables as the possible cause for a failure to connect. I stated that not all USB cables are the same. Other than length that is. I tried to fly my Pro today but could not get it to connect to my Samsung Tab A. It had always connected instantly before, but today it was a no go. Then I remembered that the only change I had made to the equipment was a new much shorter USB cable that I had picked up from somewhere. It was white in color and only about 10 inches long. It looked brand new. Try as I may, I could not get the tablet to connect. So I went to my car and retrieved a different USB cable that I was using to charge my cellphone. When I plugged it into the RC and Tablet, and then rebooted the Tablet, it connected instantly. I then flew for 15 minutes without an issue.

When I got home, I used a magnifying glass to look at the connector part of the cable that goes into the phone. The small connector! The only difference I could see was that the cable that didn't work had one more wire connector in it than the cable that did work. I also tried to connect my phone to the computer using that same cable, but that would not connect either. I then plugged that cable into the wall charger for my phone, and it began charging my phone normally.

I also stated in an earlier post that some cables carry power and Data, and others just carry power. I think I just proved that point. I hope this helps anyone out there who is fighting a connection issue.
Related to this, you said when you got home you used a magnifying glass to look at your cable end. If your in the field, your phone camera zoomed is a great magnifier. I hadn't thought of it until I was trying to see a number on a lock. Works perfect.

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