I have owned my 5+ for about 1.5 months now and initially the charging cable/watch connection was rock solid. However, over time it has started to become flaky, such I need to search for the right way to lay the watch to maintain the charging connection (and not touch/disturb it). Based on forum searches, it seems like this plagued the original 5 series a year or so back, but the reported instances dropped off. Does anyone else suffer from this issue? If so, it is usually a cable issue, watch issue or something with the watch connection points that need to be cleaned? I'll follow up with Garmin support on Monday, but thought I would check with the forum in the meantime.
I read through a majority of the posts, and in general the complaints are mostly around the connection to the PC rather than strictly charging, but the summary is:
Fenix 5 changed from silver to gold pins at some point of their production. This seemed to fix a majority of the connection complaints. Fenix 5 Plus already seems to have the gold pins.
Some folks feel that the EBay/Amazon off-brand cables give a tighter connection and less issues. I would tend to think that the metal receptacle on the cable loosening up over time is the cause of the issues we are seeing, but RodC pointed out that he still has the issue even with brand new cables (others report the same).
Some folks recommend cleaning the pins on the watch to ensure a good connection using Blu-Tack or rubbing alcohol to get any dirt/corrosion off. I guess the sweat from your wrist could potentially be reacting with the charging pins and causing some corrosion leading to a less than perfect connection. Garmin provided instructions here. They do sell little covers for the port, but I have seen reviews/comments that indicate it doesn't help much.
Finally as the worst case, the folks who send the watch back to Garmin for a warranty replacement seem to all report success. Unclear if the issues pop up again later though. The watch side of the connection seems pretty robust to me, so it would be surprising to me that this would be the issue.
I am going to try a different cable and give the pins a good cleaning, and I'll report back if any of it helps. I guess I was just mostly concerned about how quick the issue showed by after owning it for less than two months (esp for the $$$ paid). Seems like it may just unfortunately be something that has to be lived with.
I have had a 5S Plus since they came out, and have only recently had a couple of instances in which when I attached it to the charging cable, it was not discovered by Garmin Express. Unplugging it on both sides and plugging it back in has fixed the problem. I think that cleaning the contacts on the watch sounds like the best advice.
I read through a majority of the posts, and in general the complaints are mostly around the connection to the PC rather than strictly charging, but the summary is:
Fenix 5 changed from silver to gold pins at some point of their production. This seemed to fix a majority of the connection complaints. Fenix 5 Plus already seems to have the gold pins.
Some folks feel that the EBay/Amazon off-brand cables give a tighter connection and less issues. I would tend to think that the metal receptacle on the cable loosening up over time is the cause of the issues we are seeing, but RodC pointed out that he still has the issue even with brand new cables (others report the same).
Some folks recommend cleaning the pins on the watch to ensure a good connection using Blu-Tack or rubbing alcohol to get any dirt/corrosion off. I guess the sweat from your wrist could potentially be reacting with the charging pins and causing some corrosion leading to a less than perfect connection. Garmin provided instructions here. They do sell little covers for the port, but I have seen reviews/comments that indicate it doesn't help much.
Finally as the worst case, the folks who send the watch back to Garmin for a warranty replacement seem to all report success. Unclear if the issues pop up again later though. The watch side of the connection seems pretty robust to me, so it would be surprising to me that this would be the issue.
I am going to try a different cable and give the pins a good cleaning, and I'll report back if any of it helps. I guess I was just mostly concerned about how quick the issue showed by after owning it for less than two months (esp for the $$$ paid). Seems like it may just unfortunately be something that has to be lived with.
Thanks for the nice post. Just to clarify, it is definitely a watch-side connection at times that goes bad (i.e., not a computer side connection) - as described in the OP, and my experiences support that as well. As a matter of fact, to fix it I have never had to mess with the computer side of the cable, just tilt the watch at a just-so angle and don't breathe on it.
With my Fenix 5+ Sapphire I found the original cable was too short so I have tried several longer 3rd party models that after only a couple of uses become so loose on the watch that they fall out by simply moving the watch.
I had the same problem from day one and it turned out that it was a cable issue. I had the problematic cable replaced by garmin support and since then (2 months later) the connection is solid. If you want to avoid garmin support hassle, you can fix it yourself by applying a gentle force with pliers on the cable adapter in order to make the fit more tight.
With my Fenix 5+ Sapphire I found the original cable was too short so I have tried several longer 3rd party models that after only a couple of uses become so loose on the watch that they fall out by simply moving the watch.
I'll second this recommendation - I bought an Apple Watch charge stand with an integrated magnet ( https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Original-...72.m2749.l2649 ) to go with it and it's a great way to charge/connect to the computer as the dock connector is a solid fit - so impressed I just bought a second..
For UK peeps - this supplier seems to be UK based as it arrived within 2 days!
Start off by using a new cable and see if that makes a difference. It's possible that the plug on the cable is worn out. If a new cable doesn't help, you may have to replace the charging port. Take a look at the teardown and see if that is something you are comfortable with. you will have to solder a new connector to the board. The port is available at places like this. Hope this helps, good luck.
