What is the purpose of this extra bit on my pocket charger?

[DaveC426913]

I recently bought this pocket charger for my phone.
Simple device, power in, power out.
But it has this extra bit whose purpose I cannot figure out.

Ideas?

 

[jedishrfu]

Maybe it was used to power itself for testing?

 

[Borg]

My guess would be that you can use a USB connection from your computer to charge your phone instead of the regular charger. The other possibility is that you could charge a second phone.

 

[DaveC426913]

My guess would be that you can use a USB connection from your computer to charge your phone instead of the regular charger.

How? There's one power in and one power out.

The other possibility is that you could charge a second phone.

How?
The slot in which it fits will not take a miniUSB connector. It's too small.

Maybe it was used to power itself for testing?

With a factory power connector? Could be, yeah.

 

[DaveC426913]

OK, with a more careful look in better light, I can see way down into the slot that is exposed when I take the slug out.

There are at least two copper terminals inside the hole that are in a position where a long thin connector could make contact. So, it must be a factory reset/configuration port way down there.

 

[jedishrfu]

My y post was meant to be humorous but it is curious that the rubbery connector can plug into one end and that maybe there was a second adapter which they didn't give you but instead gave you this dummy plug.

 

[Borg]

Couldn't tell the size from the picture other than it looked like a USB shape.

 

[DaveC426913]

My y post was meant to be humorous but it is curious that the rubbery connector can plug into one end and that maybe there was a second adapter which they didn't give you but instead gave you this dummy plug.

I see. I hadnt thought that there could be accessories I don't know about.

 

[DaveC426913]

Couldn't tell the size from the picture other than it looked like a USB shape.

Oh I see, you mean could you plug a male mini-USB into that slot? No. It is both too narrow and too deep. (Hard to tell that the slot is almost a cm deep. It is as deep as the plastic slug is long.)

 

[jedishrfu]

Also the plastic side of the dummy plug looks like a connector from my old dumb cell phone.

 

[jedishrfu]

Here's a photot I found of common plugs

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/10-in-1-Multifunction-USB-charging-cable-splitter-adapter-cell-phone-universal-charger-adapter-plug-charging/1121355240.html

 

[DaveC426913]

A very close look reveals two wire pins that are certainly mounted directly to the circuit board.
I may not know whether they're for configuration or for power, but I'm satisfied that I understand the purpose of the plastic fiddely bit.
It is simply a lid for this port.

 

[DaveC426913]

Maybe it was used to power itself for testing?

One of the first things I tried to do was see if the power out would reach the power in.
It does not.