Glo Advice please: broken USB Port?

[Liesse]

Hi all,

Last night, I was happily reading my Glo in bed. Just as I do every night, and have every night since I got my Glo, at Christmas two years ago. I was about to turn it off and go to sleep, when I noticed it had 40% charge. Its on 3.8.0, by the way.

I thought that was a bit odd, as I normally charge at about 60%. I didn't think I'd read enough to drop it that much since its last charge. I have a spare phone charger by my bed I usually use to charge the unit. I plugged it in, but the battery icon didn't change to the charging indicator. Hmm. I fiddled around with the cord a bit, tugging it slightly to one direction or another (I had a Kindle charger that needed a bit of a tug to the right to charge any device before I replaced it) but couldn't get the unit to charge.

Grr.

This morning, I tried again. I can get the unit to charge IF I pull the cord up and over the Kobo, and press on the black plastic just above the port, just below where the Kobo logo is. Get the pressure wrong, and it won't show the charging icon.
I managed the dexterous feat of holding the Kobo in my left hand in a position to let it get 30% charge (with repeated corrections), whilst lying in bed watching the last episode of Peaky Blinders on the tablet held in my other hand. Thank goodness it is a Saturday. It was a bit uncomfortable. This is not a situation that's going to be workable long term.

So, I found my Kobo Glo Box, which still had its unopened original USB cable inside. The cable end is a bit slimmer than the cables I normally use. Plugged it into the Glo, stuck it in the charger, no go. Grr. Tried the cable in my computer, no difference. To get the unit recognised by the computer, I need to perform the same cable-in-the-correct-position-and-pressure-on-the-plastic feat. This is going to be difficult to get new books on my device by Calibre, which is the way I load my books. Grr. I have also tried an old Kindle charger, and the one that came with my Nexus 4. No difference in any.

I've had a good look at the charging port. I can see a bit of silver around the plastic, so it is conceivable that the contacts may have moved. I cant seem to change the position with gentle pressure.

I am coming to the very sad conclusion, that my unit is broken and needs replacement.

This may not be the end of the world -- the H2O is out and I want one. However, my mother always complains she never knows what to buy me for Christmas. And when I say complain, this is the way mothers always complain; like sly comments to other relatives, bringing the subject up in March and in the middle of other unrelated conversations, and getting my sister to generally moan at me about it. This year, I thought I had a plan. So when I got asked last month what I wanted for Christmas I thought I could shut her up when I proudly said "The new Kobo. Argos sell it, so you can even use the vouchers Dad gets from work to buy it." That worked (sort of: her actual response was "Right, what else?" I clearly can't win here), but I now seem to have a problem.

Readers of the Mobileread Kobo Forum, I need your help. Do I:

- Try to stumble on til Christmas.

Negatives: I may develop RSI from holding the thing in the right position. Getting books on it is going to be seriously annoying when the connection keeps dropping. Serious frustration. The lingering worry that the unit has some other problem that means it may give up the ghost altogether and at any point (we all know how terrifying the prospect of being without an e-reader is, right?)

Positives: It will help with the mother situation, meaning she gets to buy the H2O for Christmas. It means no guilt for me. It also means no expense for me.

- Go and get myself a H2O

Negatives: £ expense for me. (However, I did just get £25 in vouchers from work). The parental problem. Giving up my beloved Glo.

Positives: NEW SHINY KOBO! BIGGER SCREEN! BETTER! SHINY! NEW! NOW!
The knowledge that the thing doesn't have a lingering problem that is going to leave me half way through the book I am reading with no conceivable way to continue reading it now (shudder).

- Guilt trip my boyfriend into buying the H2O

Negatives: Guilt. The parental Christmas problem.

Positives: No £ for me. I suspect he's the one who broke it. Just back from holiday, where I was using his charger. He's also heavy handed. Guilt is somewhat mollified by the fact that he doesn't read (how?), but I have no proof after all.....

Does anyone have any other ideas?

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Liesse

This morning, I tried again. I can get the unit to charge IF I pull the cord up and over the Kobo, and press on the black plastic just above the port, just below where the Kobo logo is.

Are you sure it's not the USB cable? I had a similar issue and it turned out the cable -- right next to the connector -- was broken. Twisting it, as you've described, would get it to work.

[filmo]

Your post points to USB port problem and that is probably true. Most common failure point is broken wire in cord right next to connector or at other end of card. This is true for computer mouse with cords, power cords, earphones cords, headphones cords..... I would also try your boyfriend's charger. Then you can say the charger that broke my Kobo charging port will now not charge my Kobo.

Your Kobo USB/charging port maybe could be replaced by someone that replaces Iphone screens but it would cost more than it is worth. Maybe someone will buy your reader for battery or screen replacement parts.

[cybmole]

Id sell it on ebay for parts, i.e. declare the fault, & put the money towards a new one, or a newer but used ebay one. there is usually some ebay optimist who will take it off of your hands

[Dr. Drib]

Guilt trip them both to contribute for an H2O and a case.

Cry onto your boyfriend's shoulder about needing to open your package now. (Allow lower lip to tremble.)

Repeat the same action to your mother. (However, do ONLY the crying with your mother.)

Promise them both that you will gladly take out the garbage (from both residences) for one full year. DO NOT VOLUNTEER FOR A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME! THIS IS IMPORTANT.

Here's the final, crucial part: Tell them both that on Christmas Eve, you will wrap up the unit and the case, and not open them until Christmas morning.

NOTE: If this works, pretending complete surprise on Christmas Day may be helpful.

[meeera]

Charging is likely to be your biggest problem while you're pushing through - you can use the Calibre Content Server to get your books on there wirelessly.

[Liesse]

Thanks for the thoughts everyone.

I'm starting to suspect some other problem too. It looses about 30% charge after half an hour of reading. Something is wrong somewhere.
I really need to try to muddle along til Christmas if possible -- that H2O cash is going to come in handy.

My current attempt to get it charging involves my boyfriend's Belkin cable, held in the correct place by use of a long nail file under the case to prop the cable up. Seems to be working so far...

Will have to monitor the situation and see how annoying it gets!