Repair USB C Cable (with USB A host)

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: medium
Time required: approx. 30 min

What you need

tools needed to repair a USB C cable, such as soldering iron and cutter knife
  • Side cutters
  • Combination pliers
  • Soldering iron
  • Solder
  • Cutter knife
  • Lighter
  • heat shrink tube
    (We use a shrinkage ratio of 3:1 with an initial diameter of 9.5 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 Repair USB Cable (Type C) with USB A Host, How to Remove heat shrink tube , 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 Repair USB Cable (Type C) with USB A Host, How to Bend Strain Relief, Closeup
  • Use the cutter-knife to bend open both clips of the strain relief.

Step 3

Step 3 Repair USB cable (Type C) with USB A host, How to bend case open & remove, close up view.
  • Carefully bend the metal housing open with your fingers - not too far, otherwise the metal hinge will break.
  • Use the cutter to prise open the latches in the middle of the casing. You can also use a needle for this.
  • Take off the casing.

Step 4

Step 4 Repair USB cable (Type C) with USB A host, How to expose stranded wires by soldering, Close up
  • Heat a soldering contact with the soldering iron until the solder melts.
  • Move the connector so that the stranded wire comes off the solder pad.
  • Repeat the process for all connections. A "third hand" can make your work easier.

Step 5

Step 5 Repair USB Cable (Type C) with USB A Host, How to Remove Damage, Expose Cable and Fuse braided sleeve , Close Up
  • Cleanly cut off the damaged part of the cable with the side cutter.
  • Free the cable with the pincers to approx. 1.5 cm from the braided sleeve.
  • 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 Repair USB cable (Type C) with USB A host, How to expose stranded wires with shortening, 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.

Step 7

Step 7 Repair USB cable (Type C) with USB A host, How to expose strands, strip all 4 strands, close up
  • Scribe the insulation of the stranded wire 3 mm behind the end.
  • Pull off the insulation with your fingers.
  • Repeat this step for all four strands.

Step 8

Step 8 Repair USB cable (Type C) with USB A host, How to impregnate stranded wires with solder, solder USB cable, solder USB-C plug, close up
  • Soak the stranded wire with solder by heating it with the soldering iron and adding the solder. Clean your soldering tip in between, e.g. with a wet piece of kitchen roll.
  • Repeat the step for all four strands.

Step 9

Step 9 Repair USB cable (Type C) with USB A host, How to sort stranded wires & solder cable together, Close up
  • Sort the strands by colour in the following order:
    red (power supply)
    white (data-)
    green (data+)
    black (GND)
  • Join the stranded wire and the matching solder pad. Fuse the two together with the soldering iron.
  • Repeat the step for all four strands. If tin is missing on the solder pad, proceed as in step 8.

Step 10

Step 10 Repair USB cable (Type C) with USB A host, How to attach case, close up photo.
  • Press the latches in the middle of the casing back with the cutter.
  • Place the housing over the USB-C connector.
  • Smooth out the braided sleeve on the cable, all the way into the strain relief.

Step 11

Step 11 Repair USB Cable (Type C) with USB A Host, How to Fix Connector Housing with Pliers, Closeup
  • Place the stranded wire of the shielding in the strain relief.
  • Press the casing shut with your fingers.
  • Press the clamps of the strain relief firmly with the Combination pliers .

Step 12

Step 12 Repair USB cable (Type C) with USB A host, How to shrink heat shrink tube with lighter, done! Close up cable repair
  • Slip the heat shrink tube over the USB-C 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, how to correct waste separation, yellow garbage can, residual waste, hoses, e-waste, etc., graphic

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