Where can I buy a USB charger that syncs/transfers songs for this...?

I lost my usb cable and bought an accessory package off Amazon that included one but it only charges, it doesn’t allow me to transfer over any songs!  I’m not sure if it was the cable’s issue or if it’s the Clip Zip’s issue so I wanted to ask here b/c it’s so frustrating.  I was looking up micro usb cables on Amazon that seemed pretty cheap but I don’t want to buy it and then realize it isn’t able to sync/transfer.

Does anyone know if something like this would work?  Thanks in advance.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002HMWQE2/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B001EJFZ5G&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=14DFC66V55WPGQF59HES

That’s the type of cable you need (USB-A to USB micro-B), but I’d buy one from a different manufacturer. That one has a lot of 1-star reviews.

http://shop.sandisk.com/store/sdiskus/en_US/DisplayProductDetailsPage/parentCategoryID.11443000/CategoryID.11449200/productID.243719300

7 bucks and in-stock in the Sansa Store. And it’s made for the Zip player.

Or, how about $1.29 including shipping, for a 1’ cable?

http://www.meritline.com/1-foot-usb-a-to-micro-usb-m-m-data-cable-for-cell-phones—p-59661.aspx

Or, $1.49 including shipping for a 3.3’ cable?

http://www.meritline.com/3-3-feet-usb-a-to-micro-usb-data-cable-for-cell-phones-charge-cell-phone-on-pc-and-transfer-data—p-56587.aspx

Meritline has some great prices (I’ve never understood how its super-low prices, such as the above, can include shipping–the price of mailing a simple letter alone from the U.S. to Hong Kong is $1.05!) and its products are just fine, generally; have gotten some nice deals there.  Note:  most items ship from Hong Kong or Singapore; shipping to the U.S. usually takes 1-1/2 to 2 weeks or so.

@intranet wrote:

I lost my usb cable and bought an accessory package off Amazon that included one but it only charges, it doesn’t allow me to transfer over any songs!  

It could be a defective cable.  If I were you, I’d contact Amazon for a replacement (which Amazon is very good about) or, if it’s a private seller, the seller about a replacement (and Amazon will back you up where there are defective products from private sellers).  Note:  some USB cables (the minority) are power only, and don’t include the pins/wires to transmit data as well–make sure the cable you bought wasn’t one of those, in the original product description.

@tapeworm wrote:

http://shop.sandisk.com/store/sdiskus/en_US/DisplayProductDetailsPage/parentCategoryID.11443000/CategoryID.11449200/productID.243719300

 

7 bucks and in-stock in the Sansa Store. And it’s made for the Zip player.

LOL–of course, as are all USB cables with a USB A 4-pin male connector on one end and a micro USB B 5-pin male connector on the other, as these cables are generic.  :)    (Just make sure, with any cable, that it transmits both data and power–some cables are power only.)

Thanks so much for the replies!  I’m cheap so Im’m going with the meritline price for now but if I run into any troubles, I know where to buy the Sansa brand one (couldn’t find it on the website for the life of me haha).

@miikerman wrote:


@tapeworm wrote:

http://shop.sandisk.com/store/sdiskus/en_US/DisplayProductDetailsPage/parentCategoryID.11443000/CategoryID.11449200/productID.243719300

 

7 bucks and in-stock in the Sansa Store. And it’s made for the Zip player.


LOL–of course, as are all USB cables with a USB A 4-pin male connector on one end and a micro USB B 5-pin male connector on the other, as these cables are generic.  :)    (Just make sure, with any cable, that it transmits both data and power–some cables are power only.)

Do these generic cables have that little can-type-interference-fliter-thingy on them like the originals do? Don’t know exactly what they do, but it seems to me SanDisk wouldn’t have put them on the cables in the first place if they weren’t necessary or at least do something beneficial or prevent something derogatory. :wink:

@tapeworm wrote:

Do these generic cables have that little can-type-interference-fliter-thingy on them like the originals do? Don’t know exactly what they do, but it seems to me SanDisk wouldn’t have put them on the cables in the first place if they weren’t necessary or at least do something beneficial or prevent something derogatory. :wink:

It’s called a “ferrite bead”. It’s supposed to reduce high-frequency noise.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrite_bead

It’s unclear to me if the ferrite bead actually does anything, perceptible or significant or otherwise, for the user, especially given that a user typically only is using the USB cable for charging or data transfer and not generally for listening purposes (unless a user connects a player to a computer to listen to music through the computer; and I guess that the cable may be used as a listening transfer cable in some car stereo setups).  

USB cables on the market typically don’t seem to come with ferrite beads (I’ve generally only seen them on cables coming with SanDisk audio players, although I may have one other cable, that came with a Canon digital camera, that includes a ferrite bead), either with other audio players, other electronics equipment, or as replacement/additional cables.  It’s always been interesting to me that the SanDisk original cables have the bead and, like Tapeworm, I have wondered why SanDisk includes it (nice that it does, if there actually is some performance factor somehow–one would think that there must be a reason for SanDisk’s practice, although, who knows).

From the SanDisk store link, it’s unknown if the USB cable sold separately by SanDisk has a ferrite bead on it–ther’s no information there, including concerning the cable’s length, although the cable is listed as a “replacment”–maybe it’s the same as the original one.  An unfortunate killer at the SanDisk store can be the separate delivery charge, as so often is the case in buying small items mail order/through the Internet.  (For me, the ship cost almost doubles the total purchase price, to $12.99–alot for a USB cable.) 

@intranet wrote:

Thanks so much for the replies!  I’m cheap so Im’m going with the meritline price for now but if I run into any troubles, I know where to buy the Sansa brand one (couldn’t find it on the website for the life of me haha).

You’re not cheap–just a wise consumer.   :slight_smile:

I’ve been happy with my purchases from Meritline for inexpensive items, including many USB cables which have worked out just fine (again, this generally is a generic item), where I know exactly what I want and what I am ordering (its product descriptions on some items sometimes can be sketchy)–just be patient with the delivery time and recognize it upfront (people have gotten so used to 2 or 3-day delivery).  And Meritline’s customer service, via email, has worked great for me if there ever has been any (rare) issue.  

I almost never use the little shorty Clip Zip USB cable with mine…the extra-long cable from my Nook Simple Touch e-reader is plugged into the back of my computer, and I use it for my Zip, the Nook, my cell phone, and my Samsung Galaxy 5.0.  The only time I use the shorty Zip cable is if I have my laptop out and want to charge something with it, and that’s rare.

Agreed as to stationary use.  I must say that, for portable use, I like the original shorty cable more than any other–it fits perfectly in my earbuds case along with my buds and is always available that way, when I am traveling.

@gwk1967 wrote:


@tapeworm wrote:

Do these generic cables have that little can-type-interference-fliter-thingy on them like the originals do? Don’t know exactly what they do, but it seems to me SanDisk wouldn’t have put them on the cables in the first place if they weren’t necessary or at least do something beneficial or prevent something derogatory. :wink:


It’s called a “ferrite bead”. It’s supposed to reduce high-frequency noise.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrite_bead

Well, after having read that, I’m still not sure I understand exactly how it’s supposed to help and/or what applications it’s used for, but I just happened to notice on my computer at work (Ssssh, don’t tell the boss) I have one not only on the cable from my printer into the back of the computer, but also there’s one on my monitor and keyboard cables as well. :confounded:

A ferrite is basically just a low pass filter that absorbs RF energy above some frequency limit. So if you’re using your player near a large radio transmitter or unshielded microwave, or whatever, and some energy is absorbed by the wire, the ferrite core absorbs that energy and dissipates it as heat. Probably it doesn’t matter since theres already filtering on most electronics in the socket, but having more can’t hurt.