Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
The OP is suggesting that this woman deserved to die through natural selection because she was obviously so stupid. We don't know the full facts here and we don't know if she was to blame or if it was a faulty device, etc. However that is immaterial, like some else said earlier show some respect someone died here.

Also, not everyone is educated about electricity.
 
i am not a hardware guy but how could a 5v usb2 device kill a lady that easily?
if it really can, all the usb devices are not safe at all.
 
Hold up there! I wasn't inferring either. I invite you to re-read my posts and you'll see I made no such inference.

I simply stated that I wouldn't (wrongly) assume that because I haven't heard of other cases, that this couldn't possibly have happened, and then reinforced this with my own Apple power adapter issues (albeit for a different product).

OK, maybe I wrongly inferred parts of your earlier response because you inserted information not part of my original post. However, I never said it didn't happen, I said it was likely a one-off "freak" occurrence, not a flawed product design. It's just not plausible that there are zero other reports of an iPhone shocking a person to death. I mean, hey, the iPhone 4 antenna shorts out and it's the lead story in every city between both Poles for weeks. Certainly loss of life would rank even higher.
 
i am not a hardware guy but how could a 5v usb2 device kill a lady that easily?
if it really can, all the usb devices are not safe at all.

It's almost certain that what caused this was either a malfunctioning USB charger, and/or a defect in the supply power going to the charger itself, or even a problem with the structure the girl was in. (electrified surface, incorrect building wiring, ect...)

The designed output of this charger should not be able to cause this - something(s) catastrophically failed.
 
Haha this is funny! I believe its fake. Here are some technical facts:

1. Assuming she was using genuine iPhone with charger. iPhone uses USB like power supply. Max DC current it can provide is 2A @ 5V. According to facts min 5A DC is required to to cause electric shock.

2. Assuming it was fake USB charger connected to a 220V supply and got short circuited. Still she'll get a shock if the charger was connected with regular 4A AC socket. A minimum of 10A AC current is required to electrocute somebody, that usually comes in power supply meant for Air Conditioning / Water Geysers and they have separate sockets. Normal plugs can't be used with it.

3. A faulty capacitor can produce high amount of charge to cause electric shock. But DC devices generally don't need very high rating capacitors, unless you are making an arc reactor :)ironman:)!


Voltage does not kills. It's the current!

Standard plugs in the US are 15 or 20A. An air conditioner runs on a 60A curcut. That means the breaker won't trip until it's feeding 15 or 20 amps. Can easily be enough to kill if you can't get your hands off it or the breaker doesn't trip.

A TV may only DRAW 2-3A, but the plug on the way is hooked into a circuit that can provide enough amps for 5-10 TVs. The TV itself has a step down/resistance built in.

It had to be a faulty adapter and the adapter would have have to fail when she answered the phone. Otherwise the phone would have been long dead after receiving full voltage.
 
The article itself is apparently biased. And some people's replies are as horrible as the unfortunate incident.
 
Isn't the electricity going into an iPhone (or anything for that matter) from these things low-voltage and low-current? 5V DC over USB, right?

----------



Electrocution does not necessarily mean death.

Definition:
Electrocution is death caused by electric shock, either accidental or deliberate.
 
Ha people are questioning the facts because this happend in China? Racist much?

So it's racist to point out that China is the fount of this most copycat Apple cables etc and they can fool folks into thinking what they have is legit. But those copycats are often shoddy and even dangerous.

Well then call me racist and proud.
 
The incident occurred when she heard the phone ring WHILE IN THE SHOWER, and got out (or just reached out) to answer the phone. Why this wasn't clearly written in the MacRumors article is beyond me.

But her body would have been wet and potentially standing in water.

----------

Reported 5 days ago by Le Matin (France) Samsung Galaxy S3 explodes, gives owner third-degree burns
Too hot to handle.

And I believe there was at least one article where it was pointed out that the user had removed the battery, perhaps even replaced it, recently. So a screw could have gotten under it just like the one in Australia. Lit-ion batteries don't like to be punctured
 
I will wait for the results of all investigations first before making any moaning comments about anything.
 
Amperage kills, but you need sufficient voltage, too.
Answer is no. The guy you are replying to seems to troll 100% of the time here. I think he's been in time-out a few times as well.


Oh I know him all too well. I'm annoyed at myself for even replying him. You'd think after multiple times of being timed-out MR would've finally banned him. Just report him each time for foul play and wishes may come true. :)
 
It's the current that kills you and the amount of current is determined by resistance. You short the power supply circuit, your resistance goes to 0, your current skyrockets until either something burns up or your mains breaker trips.

And 120VAC from the mains can definitely kill you, esp if the breakers fail. Be careful

"It's the current that kills you" -- yes, but the voltage needs to be present in order to drive current through the body.

"120VAC from the mains can definitely kill you, esp if the breaker fail" -- If you are in a configuration that would allow 120VAC to kill you then that breaker ain't going to do jack to prevent that. Breakers break on >15A and >20A depending on their rating. Takes as low as 10mA through the heart to kill a person. I think you are confusing being shocked with being burned. A lot of current can be arcing and that can burn you but most likely will not shock or electrocute you if the voltage is low. You can draw an arc at really low voltages that pose no shock hazard, but do pose a large burn hazard.
 
Oh my, I didn't get that from the post. I just thought he/she was simply saying if you misuse a product and something happens then you can't complain. I didn't take it that they meant the person deserved to die.

We don't know if she misused the product or not at this stage. That's my point. We don't know so we shouldn't condemn the poor lady. iPhones have exploded and caught fire in the past. We just don't know.
 
"It's the current that kills you" -- yes, but the voltage needs to be present in order to drive current through the body.

True, current can't exist without a drop. Physically though it's the electron flow (current) that kills

"120VAC from the mains can definitely kill you, esp if the breaker fail" -- If you are in a configuration that would allow 120VAC to kill you then that breaker ain't going to do jack to prevent that. Breakers break on >15A and >20A depending on their rating. Takes as low as 10mA through the heart to kill a person. I think you are confusing being shocked with being burned. A lot of current can be arcing and that can burn you but most likely will not shock or electrocute you if the voltage is low. You can draw an arc at really low voltages that pose no shock hazard, but do pose a large burn hazard.

Configuration = you're grounded. And yeah you're right about the breaker. Though if you're grabbed a grounded pipe and couldn't let go because your muscles were firing, the CB trip might save you by keeping your organs from getting fried
 
Current

Haha this is funny! I believe its fake. Here are some technical facts:

1. Assuming she was using genuine iPhone with charger. iPhone uses USB like power supply. Max DC current it can provide is 2A @ 5V. According to facts min 5A DC is required to to cause electric shock.

2. Assuming it was fake USB charger connected to a 220V supply and got short circuited. Still she'll get a shock if the charger was connected with regular 4A AC socket. A minimum of 10A AC current is required to electrocute somebody, that usually comes in power supply meant for Air Conditioning / Water Geysers and they have separate sockets. Normal plugs can't be used with it.

3. A faulty capacitor can produce high amount of charge to cause electric shock. But DC devices generally don't need very high rating capacitors, unless you are making an arc reactor :)ironman:)!


Voltage does not kills. It's the current!

Actually it only takes 10-30 milliamperes to get a severe shock. And just 100 milliamperes to kill a human. That's 0.100 Amps. Your outlets in your home can deliver 15 Amps depending on the circuit breaker. The report I read about this said the woman had a burn on her neck. My thought is the charger block malfunctioned and allowed the primary side to contact the USB shield. The woman was wet from the shower so a much better conductor and possibly touching a grounded pipe/facete. Sp. the cable lay against her neck and an arc between the cable and her wet skin. Take a look at the video someone posted a link to it. Shows how cheap and dangerous the knockoffs are. Even the chargers that "look" like the real deal could be counterfeit. It's a huge problem, Chinese counterfeiting that is. Back in the mid 90s there were millions of bad capacitors going into all electronics. I'm still finding them today. Google the capacitor plague or bad electrolytic caps. It's an interesting read.
Also interesting is 100-200 mA will kill you but more than 200 mA usually doesn't kill but will cause severe burns and stop breathing. A person can usually be revived if attended to right away. Check this link for more info. http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~p616/safety/fatal_current.html
 
Last edited:
What does this have to do with anything? A woman was electrocuted while picking up her iPhone. No one knows the details. Apple is said to be investigating the issue. Apple may have no fault at all. We don't know, but your contribution to the thread is "Well Samsung..."

Deflection is the word your looking for.

Looks like you missed the point.

I answered to a poster who put SAMSUNG into the thread to show that this is an issue that other manufacturers seem to have too.

Since everybody likes to attack Apple for anything without even knowing facts and details and it never gets reported with the same attack style people use for Apple.
 
You don't have to be racist to a "'race". Hitler was racist to Jewish people but they weren't a race, they were people who believed in a certain religion.
They are both. Per the stupid definition of race that attempts to segregate humans. They have a common descent.
 
An electroTECHNICAL engineer? Well, that goes a long way in explaining how wrong you are on EVERY count here. :roll eyes:

That's the term used in my country. In US it's "Electrical Engineering and Computer Science", in Portugal is "Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores", because it's not what we call "electric" engineering.

A: By your logic, all lightening strikes should be completely harmless, right? I mean there is ZERO wire diameter in most lightening.

Zero? An electric arc (aka "spark") in case of thunder doesn't come from a wire, do you know where it comes? Do you realize how big they are to store that kind of energy?

B: Google: "Switching Supply Failure Modes", "Statistical Failure Rates", "Mass Manufacturing Quality Control", "Environmental Variables", "End-User Variables".

I googled, problem? Anything to do not with overheating?

C: If you did actually look up "Switching Supply Failure Modes" you would realize that one failure mode results in THE ENTIRE LINE VOLTAGE PASSING THROUGH TO DC / SECONDARY LEG. Translation: You're connected directly to whatever is coming out of the wall outlet. Oh, the iPhone has a metal exterior - that it uses as an antenna? Oh, most everywhere line voltage has a reference to earth ground. Wait, humans stand on the ground, AND can hold things? I wonder, what could the odds be...

No.

A transformer (in case of a SMPS, a 1:1 transformer, usually) is connected to the plug.

A transformer isolates two circuits, the connection between the wall outlet and the PCB is made magnetically, that's what a transformer does.

Anyway, the copper wires are so tiny in the transformer, it can't pass much current, because it acts as a fuse.

D: Metal iPhone, Ground Shields, Failure of Switching Supply - Electrifies the "Ground Shield" and results in the skin / exterior of the phone going "hot" - PCBs inside could care less, as they are "within" a Faraday cage. Just like how you'd be safe inside a steel cage, that was struck by lightning. Again, just Google.
Doesn't make any sense, sorry.

DC can KILL. I've got capacitors for how power lasers that have "THE ENERGY STORED WITHIN THESE CAPACITORS IS LETHAL - ALWAYS VERIFY CAPS ARE FULLY DISCHARGED AND SHORT LEADS BEFORE HANDLING" That label was not there from the beginning... however after 2 people died from touching these caps, they had to label them. As far as I'm aware - there is not a capacitor on earth that stores AC...

But that's if you charge a great load of volts and discharge them fast.

A capacitor that size even won't fit inside a iPhone charger.


Whatever licensing body certified you - should reconsider what they've done.

Thanks for the info.


Finally - all the obligatory "Volts don't Kill, Amps do" statements - you're both wrong. POWER kills.

Power(W) = tension(V) * current(A)^2

I'm containing myself to don't call you stupid.


1,000,000 volts with near zero currently has not killed me, likely won't even bother you, either.

That's nice. Pics or it didn't happen.

But, battery banks providing THOUSANDS of amps, ALSO do not kill me, nor does it kill every tow truck operator who's provided a jump start.

A truck battery can't discharge sufficiently fast to have enough power to kill a man. A truck battery won't make an electrical arc because the voltage it's too low. And it's DC.


And I was holding buss bars with wet hands! Imagine that? You need a combination of Volts AND Amps to become dangerous

Thank you caption obvious. Water doesn't do anything unless connects one end to the other end.

- and the ratio of the two varies depending on body mass, location, conditions (humidity, salinity, ect...) Humans are not perfect conductors, we're actually terrible conductors, as it takes upwards of 40 volts for you to start passing anything significant through your skin.

Yes, humans aren't perfect conductors, in fact, human skin is a good isolator.

Ok, sorry, end of rant.

Thanks.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.