How to inspect USB cables? Data cable inspection requirements and standards

Summary of Inspection Requirements for USB Cables

1. Appearance inspection:

1. Plug housing: The colloid should be free of bubbles, shrinkage, burrs, scratches, smudges, or dirt. The buckle and the shell should be well connected, with a seam of ≤0.5mm, and no looseness or cracking.

2. Metal part of the plug: The colloid has no shrinkage, burrs or scratches. The buckle and the shell are well connected, with a seam of ≤0.5mm, and no looseness or cracking.

3. Line appearance: The wireless body is dirty, bubbled, shrunk, scratched, deformed, chipped, or has exposed wire core, etc.

4. Model identification: The stickers and plug orientation markings on the data cable must be consistent with the sample.

5. Package: The cables must be secured with cable ties and placed in a PE bag. Complete packaging effectively protects the cables. The outer tape must be printed with a suffocation warning. The printed content on the color box must match the customer's information.

2. On-site testing:

1. Drop box test: Refer to ISTA 1A standard and no fatal or serious defects shall be found after testing.

2. Size/Length/Weight Measurements: Measure product dimensions, power cord length, and product weight according to specifications or reference plates. Unless otherwise specified, a tolerance of +/-3% is applied.

3. Barcode scanning check: The barcode should be scannable and the scan results should be correct.

4. Assembly test: It can be assembled smoothly according to the instructions, and there are no quality issues after assembly.

5. Full functionality check: The product must have all nominal functions (such as installation/adjustment, switches, settings, display, actual use, etc.), including functions that require assembly.

6. Coating adhesion test: All printing, foil printing and UV coating must be tested for 3M tape fastness, and the sticking area must not exceed 10%.

7. Operation test: The test sample is tested under full load at rated voltage for 4 hours (or full load time as specified in the manual). After the test, the sample must also pass high voltage test, functional test, and grounding test.

8. Drop test (applicable to handheld/removable/portable products): The sample is dropped three times onto a wooden floor. The required heights are: 750mm for desktop products (≤5kg)/mobile products; 1000mm for portable products/plug-and-play devices. The test must not present any safety issues and must pass both a high-voltage test and a grounding test. Any major issues found during or after the test must be recorded in the report.

9. Internal workmanship and key components inspection: Check the integrity of the internal structure and whether the key components are complete according to the structural diagram or the list of key components.

10. Label durability test:

    • Rated Label Friction Test: Wipe the label with water for 15 seconds, then wipe with gasoline for 15 seconds.

    • Printed label adhesion test: Same as “Coating Adhesion Test” (tested with 3M tape).

11. Needle removal test (applicable to the United States): When the needle is charged/de-charged/grounded, it must be able to withstand a force of 20 pounds for 2 minutes. The needle cannot be pulled out or displaced more than 2mm.

12. Plug durability check (for the United States): After 10 cycles of insertion and removal, the plug must be fully inserted into the device again. Apply a 3 lb force vertically to the wire connection surface for 60 seconds, and the plug displacement must not exceed 2 mm.

13. Pull-out force check (applicable to Europe): The force required to pull out a standard single-needle gauge must be greater than 2 Newtons and less than 27 Newtons.

14. Power cord diameter inspection: The wire diameter must meet the requirements (for example, 3.8mm, depending on the specifications).