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The usb port on my Dell Venue 8 7840 has become loose and will no longer charge (If I ‘jiggle’ the usb cable and get it in just the right position inside the port, it will start charging, but it stops charging as soon as I let go of the cord). Can anyone give me advice on how to fix this? Can the USB port be purchased somewhere? Can it be easily swapped out or does it have to be de-soldered? I wasn’t able to find any guides for the Dell Venue 8 7840 on ifixit. Thanks in advance for any help solving this issue. Update (10/22/2017) Yes, over a year since my original post and my 7840 is still sitting in a closet waiting to find an answer for the insanely frustrating broken USB port.
The problem with these tablets is the way the charging port was designed. I don’t know if you guys have taken the tablet apart, but the charging port connects to the logic board via a flat flex pcb with snap connectors. The problem with the design is how the port connects to the aluminum chassis. It connects via two screws that come loose overtime as a person connects and reconnects via the micro usb port. When these screws come loose the whole port moves around and stresses the very delicate flexible pcb. Eventually, the cable breaks and the connection is lost between the board and the port, making it unable to charge the tablet. The big problem is that you can’t find these spare cables anywhere and when they do show up, they end up costing upwards of 50 dollars. I just got one of these tablets from a co-worker and really like how nice it is but until I can either make a cable or find one, I’m afraid that it’s basically a nice looking paper weight :(
I have had had three 7840’s, and every one of them has had a USB port failure. Dell saved 50¢ each on the best tablet ever made, and destroyed the entire product line. An OLED 4k Intel-based Android Tablet. What’s not to like? That darned USB port broke on every one of my tablets. One repair shop broke the screen to repair the port, which is not replaced front the front, but the back. I still need to find a competent repair shop to do this or get a good iFixIt guide for this particular repair. Help, anyone?
