The area where is frays is just melted, not black like the connector. And most likely it was electrical arcing, not a full on fire.
You can even see where the plastic shrunk away from the heat.
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iPhone 4 catches fire while charging
- Thread starter Geckotek
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The area where is frays is just melted, not black like the connector. And most likely it was electrical arcing, not a full on fire.
You can even see where the plastic shrunk away from the heat.
I wonder if maybe iPhoneToday was right?
You can say that the fire didn’t start in the iPhone, but you can’t be sure the iPhone didn’t cause it. Anyway, unless iPhones start burning up all over the place, this story will be forgotten in a few days.
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Just don't plug it in that way. No big deal. (I jest)
Glad no one was seriously hurt but i'd love to know what he had it plugged in to.
Just don't plug it in that way. No big deal. (I jest)
Glad no one was seriously hurt but i'd love to know what he had it plugged in to.
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Just don't plug it in that way. No big deal. (I jest)
Glad no one was seriously hurt but i'd love to know what he had it plugged in to.
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Aah, thanks Geckotek. Does that not seem a little odd as I thought USB had a maximum power output limit?
If it was his pc then it could kill any usb device he used in that case.
Aah, thanks Geckotek. Does that not seem a little odd as I thought USB had a maximum power output limit?
If it was his pc then it could kill any usb device he used in that case.
Anybody like me an old enough Mac user to remember the PowerBook 5300 series fiasco with the exploding batteries and the recall (this was like 1995-1996). Anyone?
I honestly don't think there have been many modern massively mass produced electronic products containing lithium based batteries and associated high rate chargers that haven't had a few go up in flames due to manufacturing defects/user error etc...
No big deal imo unless iphone 4's all over the place start spontaneously combusting!
infact, a very quick google even brings up this iphone 3g fire, seemingly exactly the same http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1925329
No big deal imo unless iphone 4's all over the place start spontaneously combusting!
infact, a very quick google even brings up this iphone 3g fire, seemingly exactly the same http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1925329
That was my first reaction too - there seems to be far more damage on the cable than the phone itself, hence perhaps the problem was with the cable.
However, the iPhone4 is mostly glass and metal - you'd imagine it'd be less likely to burn/melt/char at the same temperature as the cable.
</CSI Macrumors>
Looks to me like the CABLE caught fire or melted, not the iPhone 4.
Maybe he WAS charging it wrong! The orientation of the cable as displayed in the photo is incorrect. The dock connector on the cable is upside down in relationship to the orientation of the iPhone.
Makes you wonder if the owner tried to force it in upside down and, thus, shorted some pins.
Mark
Maybe he WAS charging it wrong! The orientation of the cable as displayed in the photo is incorrect. The dock connector on the cable is upside down in relationship to the orientation of the iPhone.
Makes you wonder if the owner tried to force it in upside down and, thus, shorted some pins.
Mark
It appears that the sparking occurred when the 30-pin connector was inserted into the phone while it was already connected to a power source on the other end. Maybe a defective (i.e., higher than specified voltage) USB wall charger? Five volts won't cause that type of charring. It "caught on fire while being hooked up to a computer using the Apple USB cable" may not be an accurate representation of the facts.
And those exploding screens, it turned out, were due to excessive force on the screens unintentional or otherwise, as I remember reading.
That BGR site really has a bunch of Apple haters posting on it. It makes one wonder what their REAL problems are.
It "caught on fire while being hooked up to a computer using the Apple USB cable" may not be an accurate representation of the facts.And those exploding screens, it turned out, were due to excessive force on the screens unintentional or otherwise, as I remember reading.
That BGR site really has a bunch of Apple haters posting on it. It makes one wonder what their REAL problems are.
Yes, pretty much everything that has a lithium battery can catch fire. It has plagued all the phone and laptop makers since their introduction. Sony had the worst time of it, as they made the batteries for most of the exploding batteries for lots of folk, including Apple. Interesting flaw in the Magsafe design. Magnets pick up metal filings, staples and other potentially conductive items. It is just the nature of magnets to do this. I do check mine for metal from time to time. It sure beats the 4 or 5 changers I killed from shear clusiness on my part.
Article why they burn from Cambridge University:
Why they burn Link
Article why they burn from Cambridge University:
Why they burn Link
Yeah, USB ports are current limited (0.5A), but it's really easy to add a few "charging ports" to your PC where you just wire some USB spare connectors to an unused drive power cable, where there are upwards of 30A available. Fuse optional at your own peril
A straight short circuit would trip the power supply protection, though. That's why I think the amount of damage shown is more consistent with 110VAC, most probably due to AC power adapter failure (water soaking?).