Fenix 5 Won't Charge

Perhaps a repetitive question? Looking for confirmation. 

My Fenix 5 has stopped charging. I'm suspecting the cable, connectors look fine on the watch; however on the cable I've noticed there a 4 small pins; one of them has either got stuck/recessed or broken off? Are there 3 or 4 pins on those cables? 

  • OK. Resolved. There are, indeed, supposed to be 4 pins on the charging cable. Some rubbing alcohol and stiff brushing later and the 4th pin popped back up. Fenix operational again! Yay! I have also ordered a new cable from B+H as I suspect today was a warning sign the cable pins are on their way out. 

    1. Thank you for the tips. It's happened to me as well. 1 pin popped back up after i clean w alcohol cotton buds & pins. I almost getting a new cable or probably there's an issue with my Fenix 5S. Your sharing is really beneficial. Stay safe! Blush
  • I know this has been over a year, but I can help others that may land here googling this issue. The contacts in your cord appear to be so-called 'pogo pins'. These are very common in communications. Some alcohol (the less water in it, the better, everclear is a pretty good choice, 91% isopropyl isn't too bad) carefully massaged into the pin with a 'Q-tip' style applicator will usually free the culprit.

    Also, your skin and skin oils can make conductivity an issue. simply wiping the watch contacts down before applying voltage to them can increase their life.

    Lastly, if your contacts look dull, this may void the warranty, but if you need it, you can take a pencil eraser and LIGHTLY rub the cleaned connections. This removes the inevitable oxidation layer from the contacts and may make a buggy connection more stable, or provide a patent one where there was none.

    I'm very surprised these didn't come with a port cover from the factory. I bought a bag of aftermarket ones for mine.