Originally Posted by
Steve B.
I have encountered situations where some USB cables, when connected to my Edge 1000 or 1030, would not pass data to the PC Express software. Trial and error had me find certain cables that would allow the connection. I subsequently labeled those cables with a "G" to indicate I could use them with my Edge devices, so it's not a rumor, I have seen this happen. and it has been discussed more than a few times on the assorted FB Edge groups. I have no way of knowing if the cables that did work had been provided by Garmin and then thrown into the pile of assorted USB to mini/micro cables. This issue of "wrong" cable seemingly went away when Garmin moved to the USB-C standard on the 1040 (and others). I can use any USB - C cable on my 1040.
Different issue.
Ignoring the plug differences, there are two types of USB cables: 1- charging-only cables (*), 2- data cables (that can also charge).
I've never had any issues with
any data cable with any mini or micro Garmin device (various models over many years).
Micro/mini USB cables are simple things: they are 4 wires (for data type) connected to the right pins. There's no place to hide magical behavior. It's possible there might be an issue with the quality of the cable but even that would be remote (USB cables are
simple things). (USB-C cables are complicated. I suppose charging-only USB-C cables exist but I don't think these would be common.)
The rumor was that the cable had to be an explicit Garmin one. The devices come with a cable that has "Garmin" on it. (You wouldn't need to label the Garmin cable with "G". So, these are non-Garmin cables that work with the Garmins and also work for other stuff)
(One basis for the rumor is that Garmin asks people whether they are using the Garmin branded cable. They do that because it's an easy way to be sure people are using the right cable type.)
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* Charging-only micro USB cables often come with rechargeable lights.