Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

PinkyMacGodess

Suspended
Original poster
Mar 7, 2007
10,271
6,227
Midwest America.
I saw a comment from someone on a riding forum thread about headphones/ear buds for riding indoors.

Someone ripped the Powerbeats Pro's for charging issues. One guy said that he had 'the solution'. It's kinda gross, but so far is working well: Lick the contacts on the buds, dry them off, wipe the prongs, and drop them in the case.

I am surprised how salty they get, so can only wonder that the sweat drying on those contacts is causing some, if not most of the charging issues. It might work for people having charging issues. It's just salty... YUCK, but...
 

MrGimper

macrumors G3
Sep 22, 2012
8,827
12,651
Andover, UK
The problem is that the contacts don't align properly.... you have to have the precision of a safe cracker to seat them properly, and then when you close the lid it touches the ear-hoops and knocks the alighment out. If you get past that, any kind of case movement dislodges them.
 
  • Love
Reactions: ZebraDude

PinkyMacGodess

Suspended
Original poster
Mar 7, 2007
10,271
6,227
Midwest America.
The problem is that the contacts don't align properly.... you have to have the precision of a safe cracker to seat them properly, and then when you close the lid it touches the ear-hoops and knocks the alighment out. If you get past that, any kind of case movement dislodges them.

I used to think they were really finicky like that, but so far the licking the contacts (and drying them off) seems to be actually working. (For now! Some of the 'fixes' in the past have only worked for a few days/weeks, and then it's back to dead ears again) I'm hoping this is the charmed fix. It certainly makes sense given how salty the contacts have been. And it's not one ear over the other too. Sometimes it is one, sometimes the other, sometimes both, sometimes neither. Weird...
 

NastyMatt

macrumors 6502a
Jul 7, 2020
518
727
I wonder if licking them does not remove anything but rather makes them more conductive so do not have to be so precise when seated.
 

PinkyMacGodess

Suspended
Original poster
Mar 7, 2007
10,271
6,227
Midwest America.
I wonder if licking them does not remove anything but rather makes them more conductive so do not have to be so precise when seated.

Well, all I can say is that some licks are REALLY salty. Is it possible that salt crystals are impeding the power connection? I'm stepping out on a limb and saying yes. It's been flawless, so far, but this 'flawless state' has happened before too. I went weeks (4 to 5) with perfect charging only to have it all come crashing down (again) and having a miserable time getting back to wanting to use them. Fingers crossed...

EDIT: I did (supposedly) talk to an 'engineer' about redesigning the case. I suggested removing the bumps in the lid, and either making the contacts longer, or more pointed. He thought about my suggestions and ended the call. I haven't seen the 'new version' at all so I don't know if anything changed.

It is IS salt buildup, it would answer the question on why it gets worse over time and tends to stay bad. It's also possible that the salt buildup is lessened by more sweaty use, essentially washing away the buildup occasionally.

Have I found THE solution? Way too early to tell, but we're traveling down that familiar road where they are working 'perfectly', and I'm going to keep using them for as long as it takes for them to fail again. (Just keep the lid closed, as they connected to almost anything when they were in the case with it open. I had read that when they were in the case, they weren't supposed to connect to anything. So much for that idea, but if they connect inside the case with lid open, it helps shorten the subsequent sync/pair time)
 
Last edited:

Unholyimage67

macrumors newbie
Mar 7, 2022
1
0
I saw a comment from someone on a riding forum thread about headphones/ear buds for riding indoors.

Someone ripped the Powerbeats Pro's for charging issues. One guy said that he had 'the solution'. It's kinda gross, but so far is working well: Lick the contacts on the buds, dry them off, wipe the prongs, and drop them in the case.

I am surprised how salty they get, so can only wonder that the sweat drying on those contacts is causing some, if not most of the charging issues. It might work for people having charging issues. It's just salty... YUCK, but...
Hi guys.

Definitely, licking on the earbud is a good quick fix to improve contact and get a charge started asap when you've discovered your earbud is at zero.

I've discovered however, that the secondary (and very real) issue is that earbuds often do not keep contact with the charging electrods while the lid is closed, resulting in bud activation and loss of usually all of charge.

To resolve this, a very primitive but effective work around is to use two small rubber bands as follows to stabilize the buds inside and keep the lid good and tight:
1. Strap one small rubber band of appropriate size and tension (thinner is better) so that it loops just over the section of the earbuds that connects to the charger, and around the bottom of the charge case to anchor the buds firmly in place.
This does a really good job of maintaining the contact while the lid is closed and no matter what position the charge case is in. The problem is, no matter how thin a rubber band you use here, it will cause the lid to be slightly open, maybe just a couple of millimeters. Obviously, that's not good, so the solution to this is to

2. Use a second, similarly sized rubber band to hold the case firmly shut.

I've tested this configuration by inverting the charge case, placing it on its side, lightly tossing it onto a bed or a table, and tossing it from hand to hand. I then further tested by attemping to get a bluetooth connection with the case closed to see if the buds had lost their contact from the movement. Every time I tested, I was unable to establish Bluetooth connection while the case was closed.

If you want to check to see your battery level just remove the rubber band on the outside and open the case with the red rubber band in place.

Naturally (and unfortunately), the part where you have to wiggle them around to get a good charge contact is just as tedious, but the bands keep you from losing that. If you're not at the gym and in an emergency situation you can always use an alcohol solution to wipe off the contacts instead of licking. This is probably better for you and the earbuds.

Give it a try if you want, good luck!

ps.
I've been using this config for about a week on one single case charge and I haven't lost a significant amount of charge. Both earbuds are at 100% every time I open the case and I believe the case itself is now at 91%. So, it actually looks like the case is performing per my original expectations.
 

Attachments

  • 20220308_132059.jpg
    20220308_132059.jpg
    170.8 KB · Views: 167
  • 20220308_132128.jpg
    20220308_132128.jpg
    119.4 KB · Views: 138
Last edited:

PinkyMacGodess

Suspended
Original poster
Mar 7, 2007
10,271
6,227
Midwest America.
Hi guys.
I think that licking on the earbud is a good quick fix that will actually work when you've discovered your left earbud is at zero.

However, for me I've discovered that the real issue is that the left earbud does not stay in contact with the charger while the lid is closed, resulting in it's activation and loss of usually all of its charge.

A very primitive but effective work around to this that I've dreampt is to use two small rubber bands as follows:
1. Strap one small rubber band of appropriate size and tension (thinner is better) so that it loops just over the portion of the earbuds that connects to the charger, and around the bottom of the charge case to anchor the buds firmly in place.
This does a really good job of maintaining the contact while the lid is closed and no matter what position the charge case is in. The problem is, no matter how thin a rubber band you use here, it will cause the lid to be slightly open, maybe just a couple of millimeters. Obviously, that's not good, so the solution to this is to use the second similarly sized rubber band to hold the case firmly shut.

I've tested this configuration by inverting the charge case putting it sideways, lightly tossing it onto a bed or a table, and tossing it from hand to hand.
Any attempts to connect the earbuds to the phone by bluetooth was unsuccessful, so I'm pretty sure that they are not losing their charge. Taking the outer rubber band off and opening the case with the inner band still affixed will allow tou to connect and check on how or if charging is proceeding.

Naturally, the part at the beginning where you have to wiggle them around to get a good charge contact is just as tedious, but the bands keep you from losing that.

Give it a try if you want, good luck!

Hmm. Along those lines, I used to hang my case off the desk I use for my bike trainer. It was plugged in to the lightning cable so it didn't fall off (much) but it seemed to work, as the electrons drained down the wire. I almost thought I had a fix there... Between the licking, and the hanging, and the leaving the case plugged in 24x7, it's working. So far. I've been down this road before enough times to not think I have THE solution. I came to think that the ramped 'nubs' in the case top are contributing to the problem. If the magnet is to hold the puds in the proper orientation, why have the nubs possibly upset that alignment? Taking them out would be a heck of a job, but maybe for people with 'charge gate issues', it might be their THE solution? If the loops hit those nubs, I can see them nudging the buds off kilter, possibly enough to rock them off the prongs. It's dumb enough to work for some...
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.