Another Charging Cable Question

forums.garmin.com/.../1401241

Look at the funny picture ;-) Anyway, it helps to use something to depress the pins (when the cable is not connected to USB) and someone suggested WD40 as a cleaning fluid, use a cotton tip perhaps. Also using a toothbrush seems to be suggested by Garmin on the watch and the connector. I always get it to charge, just USB connection is a bit unreliable sometimes, so I apply these type of tricks once in a while.

Thanks. Just what I needed.

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/watch-fit-and-care/

They say:

How do I clean the body of the watch?

• Use water to rinse off, or use a dampened lint-free cloth for cleaning.
• Use a soft-bristled toothbrush to clean debris away from charging contact points on the device.
  • IMPORTANT: Do not use the toothbrush to clean cavities or holes on the watch, especially on devices that have cavities for speakers and microphones.
  • Do not use sharp objects to clean the device, and never poke or prod any openings on the unit.

Can I use a disinfectant on my watch?

• You can use a 70% isopropyl alcohol wipe to gently wipe the exterior of your watch module, silicone and/or metal band.
• You can also use a disinfecting wipe, but we recommend that you rinse the watch under water to remove any chemical residue left behind by the wipe to avoid possible skin irritation.
• Do not use disinfectants on fabric or leather bands.
• Do not clean the watch or bands with bleach, and do not submerge your watch or bands in any cleaning agents.
• Avoid getting disinfectant in any openings on the watch body.

I cleaned the contacts with WD40 and a toothbrush. I haven't charged my watch since Thursday morning so I don't know if this helped at all.

However, yesterday, my watch crashed in the middle of my activity. I lost the activity, a few thousand steps, and all my CIQ apps and data fields. I'm sure my fiddling with it was probably the cause. I'll likely have to charge my watch late this afternoon so I'll know if it was worth the trouble.

Well, charging my VA3 was much easier late yesterday afternoon but Express didn't see it so it didn't sync. I could have unplugged and tried again but I'm sure the constant plugging and unplugging I did the day before led to my VA3 crashing. 

I'll see what happens the next time in a day or so.

For me the sync is always a problem, so typically I open windows explorer and go to the /GARMIN directory. It seems it has some issues with the USB drive recognition sometimes and reversing the adapter and seeing if I can reach the directory helps.

Yeah, but in my case, it didn't get past the charging stage.

This time, the drive wasn't recognized.

Had it shown up, sync would not have been a problem for me.

My desktop PC started freezing up yesterday.

I doubt it's because of the USB connection issues with my VA3 but it may have contributed.

All that is to say is I decided to try to see how syncing would work with my laptop. It went very well. Worked perfectly.

Nice, good that it works without buying a new cable.

Of course, 1 success does not make a trend but it's a start.