Where to buy Data/Charging Cable? - Clip Zip

[Gerbilkit]

After I lost my second Fuze this year I went and got myself a clip zip deciding if I am someone who keeps losing electronics I might as well get the cheaper one. It's actually been pretty good. But I was never a fan of the really short charging cable, although it worked out well enough when I had it. But now my cable is lost and I haven't been able to find a new one. I bought a cable on amazon that was supposed to fit, but when it arrived it didn't fit. I love just about everything with sansa, but if there's one thing I hate it's their d**n propietary cables. I literally have no idea right now where I can get a new cable for my player. Suggestions anyone?

[CrowdAds]

[FreeZ5]

The Clip ZIP does NOT require a proprietary cable. For example, it uses the exact same cable as my wife's Sony eReader, and apparently many cell phones.

You require a MICRO USB cable, you probably bought a mini USB cable.

Available at many many places, and in various lengths. I like the short one that comes with the player for charging in the car.
For example,
http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...t=1#largeimage
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Micro-USB-PC...item3f18364319

Steve

[Tapeworm]

And if you want the "official" cable, you can buy it directly from theSanDisk store:

http://shop.sandisk.com/store/sdisku...ctID.243719300

[FreeZ5]

Originally Posted by Tapeworm

And if you want the "official" cable, you can buy it directly from theSanDisk store:

That's probably the short one that Gerbilkit said he didn't like.

Steve

[Mikerman]

And a bunch (with different cable lengths) at Meritline.com, at inexpensive pricing.

http://www.meritline.com/newsearch.a...icro+usb+cable

Meritline not infrequently has them on sale at around US$1 shipped.

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by FreeZ5

The Clip ZIP does NOT require a proprietary cable. For example, it uses the exact same cable as my wife's Sony eReader, and apparently many cell phones.

You require a MICRO USB cable, you probably bought a mini USB cable.

Available at many many places, and in various lengths. I like the short one that comes with the player for charging in the car.

Steve

I have several devices now that use the micro-USB connection, so I've consigned the Clip Zip shorty cable to a spot in my laptop bag....and use the other, longer cables I have around the house.

[Mikerman]

And I keep the SanDisk shorty cable in my small IEM headphone case--it's always available wherever I might be and using my headphones that way, and small enough that it's totally nonobtrusive; it also lets the Clip serve as a quick flash drive that way, when I didn't think to bring one with me (such as at the library, if I am surfing the net there and want to download something). Love the shorty cable.

[mamamia88]

you lost 2 fuzes and you bought the easiest mp3 player in the world to lose? anyway you can use any micro usb cable. you can get them dirt cheap on the website monoprice.com. might want to bundle a bunch of other stuff so you get it in once package and don't pay shipping twice

[Mikerman]

Originally Posted by mamamia88

might want to bundle a bunch of other stuff so you get it in once package and don't pay shipping twice

The nice thing about Meritline.com: shipping often is free.

[Tapeworm]

Originally Posted by Mikerman

The nice thing about Meritline.com: shipping often is free.

A bargain at twice the price!

[hierogrammate]

Originally Posted by FreeZ5

The Clip ZIP does NOT require a proprietary cable.

That's yet another one of the reasons I bought the Clip Zip: it uses a standard micro USB cable.

I tend to shy away from any brands that use non-standard power or audio cables... I've always felt that's a sleazy way of forcing me to buy only their overpriced cables. :-P

About the shortish cable that comes with the Clip... I'm ambivalent about it. On the one hand, it's compact size makes it ideal to carry it with me at all times. On the other hand, since I normally use tower desktops to charge the Clip (and enclosures tend to have their USB ports on top or half-way up), I hate the idea of leaving it dangling in mid-air while it charges... which is why I purchased a 6' micro USB cable.

Also, I don't have my PC on all day. I always want to have the option to charge my gadgets from a wall socket. Besides, it seems that charging gadgets from an AC socket takes less time than a USB port. Seeing that I had a few mini-usb wall chargers from my old Razr cellphone, I decided to also purchase this mini-to-micro converter:


http://tinyurl.com/bmba4fl

Which is why I love having non-proprietary cables. So many inexpensive choices available to me...

[dave61430]

I've used them quite a bit. I don't know how they do the free shipping, I just got an FM transmitter for less than $8 - free shipping.
I'm waiting for a couple of mini usb to the ebook etc. type connector, less than $2 with free ship. The downside is the shipping time can be in excess of 4 weeks.

[Mikerman]

Meritline indeed is a great find. For the longest time, Meritline was selling inexpensive items (such as a plastic DAP easel, a USB cable, a soft camera case) each for a few hours throughout the day, with special sale pricing oftentimes as low as around 39 cents, with free shipping; it still has lower-priced items on sale throughout the day from its main webpage, as well as in its weekly sales publicized via email, again with free ship. I've never understood the economics of it, given the international shipping costs (and even just the packaging and handling costs)--perhaps to develop a customer list?

Shipping indeed is longer, products typically coming from Hong Kong (but not always--some electronics have come to me from California). Hong Kong items typically get to me in the U.S. in 1-1/2 to 2 weeks, a few times a bit longer (2-1/2 to 3). Customer service always has been good, altho some product descriptions can be a bit sketchy--customer reviews sometimes help with that.

[mamamia88]

Originally Posted by hierogrammate

That's yet another one of the reasons I bought the Clip Zip: it uses a standard micro USB cable.

I tend to shy away from any brands that use non-standard power or audio cables... I've always felt that's a sleazy way of forcing me to buy only their overpriced cables. :-P

About the shortish cable that comes with the Clip... I'm ambivalent about it. On the one hand, it's compact size makes it ideal to carry it with me at all times. On the other hand, since I normally use tower desktops to charge the Clip (and enclosures tend to have their USB ports on top or half-way up), I hate the idea of leaving it dangling in mid-air while it charges... which is why I purchased a 6' micro USB cable.

Also, I don't have my PC on all day. I always want to have the option to charge my gadgets from a wall socket. Besides, it seems that charging gadgets from an AC socket takes less time than a USB port. Seeing that I had a few mini-usb wall chargers from my old Razr cellphone, I decided to also purchase this mini-to-micro converter:


http://tinyurl.com/bmba4fl

Which is why I love having non-proprietary cables. So many inexpensive choices available to me...

Does anyone know of one that is opposite of that? aka micro to mini

[bikertrash]

Walmart, RadioShack, BestBuy and more have your cable. Or you could steal one from your wicked stepsister when she's busy making plans to enslave the earth.

[hierogrammate]

Originally Posted by mamamia88

Does anyone know of one that is opposite of that? aka micro to mini

Check this page on NewEgg.

[Mikerman]

Or here and similar via eBay, at U.S. 99 cents shipped . . . .

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-MINI-USB...#ht_2185wt_858

[Gerbilkit]

Thanks so much everyone. There's a reason I come here for my questions. I feel really dumb now not noticing that. Of course that's probably what I like the most about Sansa is that they listen to their customers and implement feature changes we want. A standard cable is very much appreciated. Turns out due to my excessive saving of old USB cables from my phones I had one already and so problem was solved.

[hierogrammate]

Originally Posted by Mikerman

Or here and similar via eBay, at U.S. 99 cents shipped . . . .

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-MINI-USB...#ht_2185wt_858

Oooh, this is a nice find. Dunno why I didn't check eBay first. Duh.

Thanks for the link

[Mikerman]

Love eBay for these inexpensive Hong Kong accessories; can eliminate the "shipping penalty" where the shipping cost is many times the cost of the item.