Repair USB A cable

Crap. Your recable has a broken cable? Sure, that's annoying at first - but it's not a big problem! Because recable is a repairable charging cable. With a few simple steps (and a few simple tools) you can easily repair it yourself.

Why is this a good idea? By repairing your charging cable, you are doing something good for the planet. Because you avoid electrical waste and conserve resources. You also don't need to buy a new cable and save money. A win-win situation for you and the environment!

Ready? - Then let's get started!

Difficulty: easy
Time required: 20 - 30 min

What you need

USB cable repair tools (Type A), such as cutter knife, pliers & lighter.
  • Side cutters
  • Combination pliers
  • Cutter knife
  • Lighter
  • heat shrink tube
    (We use a shrinkage ratio of 3:1 with an initial diameter of 12.7 mm. Can be found here ).

Tip: If you are missing one of the tools, you don't have to buy a new one. Instead, borrow it from neighbours, friends or your family. Maybe there is a repair café near you that can help you.

Let's go!

Step 1

Step 1 recable USB A cable repair, instruction heat shrink tube cut with cutter knife and remove, close up
  • Unplug recable from the power supply, disconnect the power supply.
  • Carefully cut the heat shrink tube lengthwise with the cutter-knife.
  • Peel the heat shrink tube from the connector housing with your fingers.

Step 2

Step 2 recable USB A cable repair, instructions bend up & open strain relief with cutter knife, closeup
  • Use the cutter-knife to bend open both clips of the strain relief.
  • Carefully bend the metal housing open with your fingers - not too far, otherwise the metal hinge will break.
    In an earlier version of recable, the stranded wire of the shielding is still soldered to the housing. You then have to desolder it.

Step 3

Step 3 recable USB A cable repair, instructions bend open housing & open cutting clamp, close up
  • Take the casing off towards the front.
  • Open the cutting clamp with the cutter by levering the inner part (turquoise) over the catch points. Be careful, the plastic breaks quickly!

Step 4

Step 4 recable USB A cable repair, instructions pull out strands & clip cable, close up
  • Pull the strands out of the insulation displacement termination.
  • Cut the cable cleanly with the side cutter.

Step 5

Step 5 recable USB A cable repair, instructions uncover cable and fuse braided sleeve , closeup
  • Expose the cable with the side cutter to approx. 1.5 cm.
  • Fuse the ends of the braided hose together with the lighter.
    • For the natural fibre braided sleeves, you may need to use a strip of Washitape to secure the braided sleeve against unravelling.

Step 6

Step 6 recable USB A cable repair, instructions cut open jacket, expose strands and sort, close up
  • Expose the strands over a length of 8 mm.
  • Carefully cut the sheath of the cable all around with the cutter (not too deep!) and pull it off with your fingers.
  • Sort the strands by colour in the following order:
    red (power supply)
    white (data-)
    green (data+)
    black (GND)

Step 7

Step 7 recable USB A cable repair, instruction insert stranded wires & fix with pliers, closeup
  • Push the strands into the insulation displacement termination.
    The holes are marked r(red), w(white), g (green) and b (black).
  • Press the insulation displacement termination together with the Combination pliers . Make sure that the cutting clamp sits flush.

Step 8

Step 8 recable USB A cable repair, instructions fasten USB A metal case, close up
  • Place the case over the USB-A connector.
  • Smooth out the braided sleeve on the cable until it reaches the connector.
  • Place the stranded wire of the shielding in the strain relief.
  • Press the casing shut with your fingers.

Step 9

Step 9 recable USB A cable repair, instruction squeeze clamp, close up
  • Press the clamps of the strain relief firmly with the Combination pliers .

Step 10

Step 10 recable USB A cable repair, instruction heat shrink tube shrink on with lighter, done! Close up cable repair
  • Now slip the heat shrink tube over the USB-A plug and shrink it with the lighter.
    Do not get too close with the flame. The heat shrink tube will otherwise become sooty. To avoid this, you can also use a heat gun instead of the lighter.

You did it!

By repairing your recable, you have made a small but important contribution to environmental protection. That's great!

Where to put the rubbish

after cable repair, correct waste separation, yellow bin, residual waste, hoses, electrical waste, etc., Graphic

If you should have broken something during the repair, you will find here Spare parts.