Charging using a different USB cable - harmful or not?

[suyash24seven]

Hi,
I own a Samsung Galaxy Note 2, and while it's charger is working fine, the cable developed some issue due to which the charging became painfully slow (took 4-5 hours to charge). I also own a Sony Xperia phone and a Kindle Paperwhite, both of which charge through a USB-microUSB cable.

So I started using the cables of the other two devices with my Note 2 charger, and the charging was fine and speedy. That is, I always used only the original Samsung Galaxy Note 2 charger, but I used Kindle or Sony USB cable with it instead of the Samsung cable.

But now it seems my battery has developed some serious issues! It discharged from 100% to 0% in 6 hours!!

I was under the impression that using a different cable won't cause any harm.

Was I wrong? Or may be there is some other reason for the battery drain?

Please help. Thanks a lot.

 

[ithehappy]

Damn, exact same thing happened with my Note 2! I was going crazy because of that. An overnight charge of 6 hours would charge the phone fully while at first it was completely charged within a couple of hours. Then bought a Nokia USB cable and everything was fine. It is definitely your Note 2's cable.

And no, there is no way you can harm your phone's battery by using another USB cable, that chance is just non-existent. Something else in the OS is sucking up your juice. Root, if you already haven't, install BetterBatteryStats and see what's the culprit.

PS : Found my good old thread, [SOLUTION] Slow Charging! | Samsung Galaxy Note II GT-N7100, N7105 | XDA Forums

 

[icebags]

some samsung and probably all iphone stuffs put certain voltage levels in their charging cable (at least in those usb charging cables) data lines. these levels instruct some specific levels of charge current fetch to the device, based on the capabilities of the charger.

normal cables don't have these kind of concepts, so they leave data pins floating, which normally denote slowest charging.

if going back to samsung charger solves ur issue, then its absolutely fine.

not that normal cables can not be hacked, but don't try it unless u have proper understanding about these stuff.

 

[insaneYLN]

@suyash24seven, if you are absolutely certain your OEM Samsung cable has failed, you could consider either purchasing a brand new OEM cable from an authorised Samsung service centre nearest to you, or, you could perhaps purchase an after market cable such as the Belkin MIXIT↑ Micro-USB to USB ChargeSync Cable, MIXIT↑ Micro-USB to USB ChargeSync Cable, from an online store.
I purchased an OEM Samsung cable for my Galaxy Note GT-N7000 from an authorised Samsung service centre in my area of residence, which cost 266 INR and carries 6 months period of manufacturer's warranty.

How old is your current battery, and are you using the OEM one, or an after market battery? Also, is your current battery the stock default one which came with your device, at the time of its purchase?