The problem

This is the connector that broke on my mother in law’s tablet. This is a MicroUSB socket, with the metal shield folded back. The metal part is 7mm wide.  Do you see the piece of black plastic bent across the right-most metal finger? No? Look again; I’ll wait. This tiny sliver of plastic was insulating this one contact, preventing the charging cable from doing its job. Think about this next time you jam the charger into your smartphone for the night: be a little careful, make sure it’s lined up right. Or a 100-micrometer piece of plastic may mean you have a bad day tomorrow.