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iPad Weird Charging Dilemma

C

Coachcasa

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 23, 2021
23
6
Hi everyone. I have a weird charging problem that I need some help thinking through. I wasn't sure where to post this, but since it involves charging my iPad Pro 12.9" (6th generation), I figured I'd put it here. For the last few years I've been charging my iPad Pro with an older MacBook Pro brick. It was the brick from my 2015 MacBook Pro that I no longer have. The charger is an 87w brick with a USB-C to USB-C connector that I plug into my iPad. I then have the brick plugged into a surge protector power strip.

Recently I started to notice that my iPad wasn't charging when plugged into this. I figured that maybe the USB-C to USB-C cable was going bad. I tested plugging my iPad into another charger and it charged fine, so I was relieved that the iPad wasn't going bad. I bought a new Anker cable and plugged into the same brick and iPad and it was charging. Problem solved, or so I thought. A few days later I noticed that my iPad hadn't charged when I plugged it in. Meanwhile my wife said that the old cable worked just fine for her. Now I was starting to get confused. Maybe it was the brick going bad? I unplugged the brick from my surge protector and plugged it directly into a different wall outlet and it seemed to charge fine. Okay, so maybe it's my surge protector? This didn't make sense because I charge my MacBook Pro every day from a brick that's plugged into that same surge protector, along with some other devices. So I don't think it's the surge protector. I plugged the brick back in, but into a different outlet on the surge protector and it charged my iPad. I figured that maybe that outlet I'd been using was going bad. At this point I was back to using the original Apple USB-C cable with my brick and things were working fine. Advance a few days later and now my iPad only charges intermittently. I plug in and nothing happens. I unplug and plug back in and it will charge, but then will stop after a little bit. This morning I went and plugged my iPad into USB-C cable in a different room and it's charging just fine. I'm really confused. Is it the Apple USB-C cable? Is it the brick? Is it the surge protector? A combination? My iPad? None of this makes sense to because I can't isolate the problem. Thank you for your any insights and help you can give me.
 
Coachcasa said:
Hi everyone. I have a weird charging problem that I need some help thinking through. I wasn't sure where to post this, but since it involves charging my iPad Pro 12.9" (6th generation), I figured I'd put it here. For the last few years I've been charging my iPad Pro with an older MacBook Pro brick. It was the brick from my 2015 MacBook Pro that I no longer have. The charger is an 87w brick with a USB-C to USB-C connector that I plug into my iPad. I then have the brick plugged into a surge protector power strip.

Recently I started to notice that my iPad wasn't charging when plugged into this. I figured that maybe the USB-C to USB-C cable was going bad. I tested plugging my iPad into another charger and it charged fine, so I was relieved that the iPad wasn't going bad. I bought a new Anker cable and plugged into the same brick and iPad and it was charging. Problem solved, or so I thought. A few days later I noticed that my iPad hadn't charged when I plugged it in. Meanwhile my wife said that the old cable worked just fine for her. Now I was starting to get confused. Maybe it was the brick going bad? I unplugged the brick from my surge protector and plugged it directly into a different wall outlet and it seemed to charge fine. Okay, so maybe it's my surge protector? This didn't make sense because I charge my MacBook Pro every day from a brick that's plugged into that same surge protector, along with some other devices. So I don't think it's the surge protector. I plugged the brick back in, but into a different outlet on the surge protector and it charged my iPad. I figured that maybe that outlet I'd been using was going bad. At this point I was back to using the original Apple USB-C cable with my brick and things were working fine. Advance a few days later and now my iPad only charges intermittently. I plug in and nothing happens. I unplug and plug back in and it will charge, but then will stop after a little bit. This morning I went and plugged my iPad into USB-C cable in a different room and it's charging just fine. I'm really confused. Is it the Apple USB-C cable? Is it the brick? Is it the surge protector? A combination? My iPad? None of this makes sense to because I can't isolate the problem. Thank you for your any insights and help you can give me.
Click to expand...
Sounds like the iPad’s charging circuit is going bad to me. Not dead yet but getting flakey enough with certain power sources that it’s showing symptoms.

Interested in what others think.
 
I agree seems like an intermittent iPad-internal issue. Possibly the USB-C port connection, or some crud in the port... possibly a circuit issue like @QuarterSwede said.

The only t/s step I didn't se mentioned was fully powering the iPad off, leaving it off for a few minutes. Probably useless but in the "olden days" 🙄 that would let capacitors discharge and resolve some issues. Low-impact enough that I keep it in my troubleshooting toolbox still.

Beyond that - sounds like a store visit.
 
QuarterSwede said:
Sounds like the iPad’s charging circuit is going bad to me. Not dead yet but getting flakey enough with certain power sources that it’s showing symptoms.

Interested in what others think.
Click to expand...
That was a thought I had, but when it wouldn't charge this morning on my normal charger, I took it into the bedroom where we keep a charging cable and it charged up just fine. If this were a charging circuit, I would think it would be intermittent on all chargers. Wouldn't you?
 
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Coachcasa said:
That was a thought I had, but when it wouldn't charge this morning on my normal charger, I took it into the bedroom where we keep a charging cable and it charged up just fine. If this were a charging circuit, I would think it would be intermittent on all chargers. Wouldn't you?
Click to expand...
No, because the device is what determines what power it’s going to pull not the charger.
 
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I would check the iPad's USB-C port with a magnifying glass and a strong light source to see if there's any lint trapped in there. (I cut a plastic drinking straw into a long pointy scoop.)

I'm guessing you don't have an iPad Magic Keyboard or else you would have already mentioned whether or not it consistently charges the iPad.
 
CharlesShaw said:
I would check the iPad's USB-C port with a magnifying glass and a strong light source to see if there's any lint trapped in there. (I cut a plastic drinking straw into a long pointy scoop.)

I'm guessing you don't have an iPad Magic Keyboard or else you would have already mentioned whether or not it consistently charges the iPad.
Click to expand...
I don't have a keyboard. The other thing that goes into this equation is that my wife's iPad Pro has had the same results with the cable and brick in question. Sometimes they charge and sometimes not. Everything I've described with mine is the same with her iPad. So that would tell me it's not the iPad. I just can't seem to isolate the problem.
 
Coachcasa said:
I've been charging my iPad Pro with an older MacBook Pro brick. It was the brick from my 2015 MacBook Pro that I no longer have. The charger is an 87w brick with a USB-C to USB-C connector that I plug into my iPad.
Click to expand...
Okay, let's call this the Old MacBook brick.
Coachcasa said:
Recently I started to notice that my iPad wasn't charging when plugged into this. I figured that maybe the USB-C to USB-C cable was going bad. I tested plugging my iPad into another charger and it charged fine, so I was relieved that the iPad wasn't going bad.
Click to expand...
By "different charger" do you mean a different brick?
Coachcasa said:
I bought a new Anker cable and plugged into the same brick and iPad and it was charging. Problem solved, or so I thought.
Click to expand...
Which brick? The Old MacBook brick?
Coachcasa said:
A few days later I noticed that my iPad hadn't charged when I plugged it in. Meanwhile my wife said that the old cable worked just fine for her. Now I was starting to get confused. Maybe it was the brick going bad? I unplugged the brick from my surge protector and plugged it directly into a different wall outlet and it seemed to charge fine. Okay, so maybe it's my surge protector?
Click to expand...
Which brick? Old MacBook brick?
Coachcasa said:
This didn't make sense because I charge my MacBook Pro every day from a brick that's plugged into that same surge protector, along with some other devices.
Click to expand...
Let's call this the New MacBook Brick. Is this the same as the "different charger" you tried? If not, have you tried New MacBook Brick on the iPad?
Coachcasa said:
Is it the brick?
Click to expand...
I can't tell if you ruled that out or not. My previous suggestion about lint was based on thinking that you had ruled out the brick, but now I see that you're still asking the forum if it's the brick.

That should be easy to rule out. Are you using Old Macbook brick to charge anything else or just the iPad?
 
Last edited:
CharlesShaw said:
Okay, let's call this the Old MacBook brick.

By "different charger" do you mean a different brick?

Which brick? The Old MacBook brick?

Which brick?

Let's call this the New MacBook Brick. Is this the same as the "different charger" you tried? If not, have you tried New MacBook Brick on the iPad?

I can't tell if you ruled that out or not.
Click to expand...
I tried to specify originally in my post. Sorry for the confusion. I'll answer your questions in order:
1. "By "different charger" do you mean a different brick?" No, I just used a cable at first, but I did then plug the USB-C cable into my current MacBook Pro brick and got the same weird results.
2. "Which brick? The Old MacBook brick?" Yes, the old brick.
3. "Let's call this the New MacBook Brick. Is this the same as the "different charger" you tried? If not, have you tried New MacBook Brick on the iPad?" When I referred to charger I was just talking about another cable. As mentioned above, I did try the using the new brick with the iPad and it didn't help.

As I said, at first I thought it was the cable, then I thought it was the old brick, then I thought it might be the surge protector. Now I'm just not sure.
 
Coachcasa said:
The other thing that goes into this equation is that my wife's iPad Pro has had the same results with the cable and brick in question. Sometimes they charge and sometimes not. Everything I've described with mine is the same with her iPad
Click to expand...
If you hadn't posted this, I would be thinking that @QuarterSwede was onto something.
 
I’d just go to Apple for a diagnostic, but if you’re dead set on trying everything at home first then maybe get another usb-c device and charge it with the potentially problematic brick etc. Do that for a few days to assess variability with charging. If it’s working then the issue is in the iPad.
 
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