I have been repairing Kindle USB ports for a few weeks and have some suggestions about the chargers being used:
Kindle Battery:
Most of the inside of your Kindle is a huge battery. It requires a ‘hefty’ charger to charge it and keep it healthy.
Chargers:
While the Kindle Fire calls out for a 1.8 amp charger, I would recommend a 2.0 amp charger for the Kindle. iPad 2 chargers, 2.0 or 2.1 amp rating, with USB ports can be used with appropriate USB micro charging cables to work really well.
Many chargers are over rated and many have cheap thin wire that cannot deliver enough amperage to the kindle port and it will not "shift" into charge mode.
A Kindle will pull about 700mA from a charger, and the charger rating printing is mostly marketing and most of them do not deliver that wattage on a constant sustained level.
Charger/USB charger cable thickness:
If using USB to USB micro data cable make sure it is a thick wire cable that can push out the current from charger to kindle. Thin charger cables are conduits of squished electron flow and will not “shift into gear” the Kindle into charging mode.
Helpful hint:
If charger is not working, power down kindle and try:
Unplug charger.
Power off kindle
Plug in charger
Kindle should wake up in "charge mode"
Having fixed many Kindles lately, I am seeing charger issues, and plugging and replugging the USB cable in cause 50% of broken USB port problems.
Hope these hints will help.
A. Zubair, EE
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== Update ==
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I have some good videos on youtube for this repair, a delicate and tough soldering job.
I have been repairing Kindle USB ports for a few weeks and have some suggestions about the chargers being used:
Kindle Battery:
Most of the inside of your Kindle is a huge battery. It requires a ‘hefty’ charger to charge it and keep it healthy.
Chargers:
While the Kindle Fire calls out for a 1.8 amp charger, I would recommend a 2.0 amp charger for the Kindle. iPad 2 chargers, 2.0 or 2.1 amp rating, with USB ports can be used with appropriate USB micro charging cables to work really well.
Many chargers are over rated and many have cheap thin wire that cannot deliver enough amperage to the kindle port and it will not "shift" into charge mode.
A Kindle will pull about 700mA from a charger, and the charger rating printing is mostly marketing and most of them do not deliver that wattage on a constant sustained level.
Charger/USB charger cable thickness:
If using USB to USB micro data cable make sure it is a thick wire cable that can push out the current from charger to kindle. Thin charger cables are conduits of squished electron flow and will not “shift into gear” the Kindle into charging mode.
Helpful hint:
If charger is not working, power down kindle and try:
Unplug charger.
Power off kindle
Plug in charger
Kindle should wake up in "charge mode"
Having fixed many Kindles lately, I am seeing charger issues, and plugging and replugging the USB cable in cause 50% of broken USB port problems.
Of chargers and Kindles:
I have been repairing Kindle USB ports for a few weeks and have some suggestions about the chargers being used:
Kindle Battery:
Most of the inside of your Kindle is a huge battery. It requires a ‘hefty’ charger to charge it and keep it healthy.
Chargers:
While the Kindle Fire calls out for a 1.8 amp charger, I would recommend a 2.0 amp charger for the Kindle. iPad 2 chargers, 2.0 or 2.1 amp rating, with USB ports can be used with appropriate USB micro charging cables to work really well.
Many chargers are over rated and many have cheap thin wire that cannot deliver enough amperage to the kindle port and it will not "shift" into charge mode.
A Kindle will pull about 700mA from a charger, and the charger rating printing is mostly marketing and most of them do not deliver that wattage on a constant sustained level.
Charger/USB charger cable thickness:
If using USB to USB micro data cable make sure it is a thick wire cable that can push out the current from charger to kindle. Thin charger cables are conduits of squished electron flow and will not “shift into gear” the Kindle into charging mode.
Helpful hint:
If charger is not working, power down kindle and try:
Unplug charger.
Power off kindle
Plug in charger
Kindle should wake up in "charge mode"
Having fixed many Kindles lately, I am seeing charger issues, and plugging and replugging the USB cable in cause 50% of broken USB port problems.
Hope these hints will help.
A. Zubair, EE azubair123@gmail.com