We could go around and around with this, however, you are simply overlooking what happened by getting caught up in the what if's. The fact is, the cable faulted. Faulted meaning it did something other then what it was intended to do. Lent, fuzz, hair, fair dust, etc - it should not have been able to produce such heat to cause my carpet to burn and melt the plastic housing around the connector. That's some excessive heat.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
My Iphone Charger Burnt Me!
- Thread starter Boneclinks
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I love how some people will make up ridiculous claims to back up apple. Last time i checked carpet was a rather poor conductor of electricity, much like hair, lint, fuzz, and moth other fiber-like materials. Unless people have metal shavings littering their carpets i highly doubt that leaving your charger on the floor would melt it.
Looks like a resistive connection. A surge protector does nothing to prevent this. This would be caused by a failed component or short. No worries. Probably not a design flaw. I see this from time to time in my industry (power electronics). Possible culprits:
- solder balls from the manufacturing process
- mechanical stress (aka stepping on the connector)
- misc debris
Resistive connections are near impossible to protect against because current does not exceed normal limits. A large amount of power (watts) is dissipated in a very small area. Watts/area is high and burns surrounding material. In this case the plastic casing. This is not an issue exclusive to Apple's electronics (just to appease all the whiny apple fanboys)
- solder balls from the manufacturing process
- mechanical stress (aka stepping on the connector)
- misc debris
Resistive connections are near impossible to protect against because current does not exceed normal limits. A large amount of power (watts) is dissipated in a very small area. Watts/area is high and burns surrounding material. In this case the plastic casing. This is not an issue exclusive to Apple's electronics (just to appease all the whiny apple fanboys)
just for what it's worth, phone chargers continue to draw some power from outlets even if nothing is plugged into them
A cord that is plugged to a power source and loose on the other end is a BAD thing. A spilled drink could've done that. A rat could've licked it. A dog could've peed on it. A baby could've put it in his/her mouth. Something metal could've come into contact with it.
I'd say this isn't a fault of the part, but a fault of the user for not ensuring that the part is unplugged when not in use.
I'd say this isn't a fault of the part, but a fault of the user for not ensuring that the part is unplugged when not in use.
I am sure most users like to keep their cable plugged in when the iPhone is not charging, and Apple has to keep that in mind. Most times nothing will happen, but if it suddenly burns from whatever reason (hair, lint, etc) then it is the parts fault. Apple has to make it work and safe under normal, every day conditions. It is really amazing how Apple can do no wrong in some of your eyes.
That's kind of like saying Conair is responsible if someone takes a bath with their hair dryer... Its just silly. You can't sue Ford if someone runs you over with an Fusion. Companies aren't responsible for misuse of their products.
Well, call me a Negative Nancy, but empty beer box on the floor + beer caps on the floor... You see where I'm going with this?
While someone is "allowed" to do whatever they want with a product, don't be surprised if something goes wrong.
In this case, leaving a plugged in adapter on the floor to get stepped on (are you for real?) is begging for problems. Like a poster above me said - dogs, babies, spilled drink, dropped paperclip, anything could start a bad chain reaction. Better safe than sorry, no?
Well ... I'm off to use my toaster to make some toast while I'm taking a bath! Making toast is "normal use" after all!
In this case, leaving a plugged in adapter on the floor to get stepped on (are you for real?) is begging for problems. Like a poster above me said - dogs, babies, spilled drink, dropped paperclip, anything could start a bad chain reaction. Better safe than sorry, no?
Well ... I'm off to use my toaster to make some toast while I'm taking a bath! Making toast is "normal use" after all!
So you users all unplug your charger from the socket when your not charging your iphone on it?
If i may, so in essence you should unplug your iHome from the socket everytime your phone or iPod is not plugged into it? GIVE ME A BREAK!! The connection on the iHome and the connection on your iPhone charger are exactly the same. They are the standard Apple iPod connection. IT IS NOT necessary AT ALL to unplug your charger from the wall every time your done using it.
You had a defect, I personally wouldn't be one to file a law-suit. However, if you feel that its justified go ahead. You are not at fault for this one.
P.S. Corona's are my beer of choice as well
If i may, so in essence you should unplug your iHome from the socket everytime your phone or iPod is not plugged into it? GIVE ME A BREAK!! The connection on the iHome and the connection on your iPhone charger are exactly the same. They are the standard Apple iPod connection. IT IS NOT necessary AT ALL to unplug your charger from the wall every time your done using it.
You had a defect, I personally wouldn't be one to file a law-suit. However, if you feel that its justified go ahead. You are not at fault for this one.
P.S. Corona's are my beer of choice as well
Well while I agree with you that those conditions are not the optimal, the people with the problem never stated that the adapter got wet, or something. Could it happen the same in my case where I just leave the charger hooked to the iPhone 3g dock when I don't have the iPhone charging??? I don't know, but if it happened, it wouldn't certainly be my fault, since that is the normal use I would expect for this. The only reason I bought the dock was to have a charging place, available whenever I want to give my phone a quick charge.
I leave my cables plugged in 24/7. I don't, however, leave plugged-in electrical cables laying around on the floor to get stepped on.
I'm not saying his cable wasn't defective (not saying it was, either), but I'm pretty sure leaving it on the floor and stepping on it while it's plugged into a socket isn't a best practice.
Why apples to oranges??? Techically, it would be the same to leave the adapter plugged to the iPhone dock without iPhone as leaving it unplugged , isn't it?
That's not what we're talking about.
We're talking about leaving a plugged in electrical cable on the floor, mixed in with debris and getting stepped on and who knows what else.
I'd say your entitled to a cash settlement.
The very fact that they replaced the unit is an admission of wrong doing.
The very fact that they replaced the unit is an admission of wrong doing.
Why are you guys trying to paint the OP like he's incompetent for keeping his charger on the floor? I mean... are you guys serious? Are you actually serious?
NOT!
Plugs just don't spontaneously burn or combust. If there's power on one end, and nothing on the other, guess what...it shoudln't be plugged into any type of power outlet. It has nothing to do with Apple loyalty...its freaking common sense.
Of course not. I've lost count of the number of times someone here has stated that they had an issue with their macbook and took it in only for the Genius to tell them that they've spilled something onto their computer...there are other stories of people here breaking their equipment and then coming to the forums to be told to lie to a Genius to get a free fix. There are also posts of people flatout saying they've broken their equipment and are going to flatout lie to attempt to get a freebie fix. How else do you expect people to react to a post where something supposedly 'burned on its own'. If it had burned at a juncture or break or bend of the cord, I'd be less of a skeptic about this, but its at the freakin' connector.
I once had a few AA batteries in a fanny pack that I kept as spares for a flashlight (for jogging). The day after I put a fresh set in the pack, they were dead. The batteries weren't the only thing in the pack, though...there were coins and a metal pen. The contact of metal on the batteries most likely drained the batteries. That's one example. Another is, have you ever put your tongue on a 9-volt battery? It zaps. Imagine something wet (carpet or beer or whateverTF) against a loose cord plugged into an outlet. I'm betting it'll zap too, and burn maybe...
Sorry, the pics and story just don't add up.
I disagree. I have a nightstand by my bed, and on that nightstand is my iPhone dock. The dock is plugged in at all times, and I put my iPhone in the dock every night when I go to bed.
I think this would be considered "normal use."
I for one never said he was incompetent. Accidents happen. The thing to realize is that this is just an accident...
Can you show where the OP said, 'dock'? The OP didn't have a dock.
We're not talking docks. We're talking plugs. There's a HUGE difference, and, your dock is on a nightstand.