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Unibody MBP Magsafe Fire

miles01110 said:
Pulling it by the plug would damage no wiring at all, ever. Pulling it by the cord is a different story, but the force needed to disconnect the plug isn't very large anyways. It's a matter of not insulting the wires properly, if anything.
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What exactly should I say to it!😕
 
The rubber covering on my apple ipod earbuds fell apart at exactly the same place.

I bought the new 80 dollar ones to replace them, and guess what...the rubber covering is falling apart on that one already.

I think the new rubber they are using is cheap. I haven't seen a magsafe one in person, but it looks like the same type.
 
Santa Rosa said:
Yea.... I just had a look at that and I have been doing the wrong one for a long time!! Ermm... worrying.
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I'd been doing the wrong thing too since I got the machine a week or so ago.

With any other laptop power supply out there, you pull the connector straight out of the power port and chances are pretty good that the connector is a decent size and you can grab it firmly and easily.

Leave it to Apple to miniaturize the connector and make it behave unlike any other one out there. If someone has used other, possibly non-Mac laptops before, undoubtedly when they go to unplug the MagSafe they will instinctively try to pull it straight out of the power port as they would any other connector. Pulling this connector straight out of the port requires more force than would be necessary w/ a non-magnetic connector. Given the connector is small the user ultimately gives the cord a little yank to pop the connector free from the port, leading to wear and tear, sparks and flame.

This is the wrong method, and Apple does a bad job at informing the user that this connector does not work like all the others out there. Glancing through the the "Everything Mac" booklet, there is nothing that I found that describes how to remove the MagSafe from the power port. This information should be around pages 68-69 in "Proper Handling" -- or better yet, around page 10 -- but is not (page 10 says "pull the plug, not the cord", but IMO should clarify how to pull the plug). A little update to the docs that are shipped with the equipment might do some good. Of course this assumes people read them. ;-)
 
mikes70mustang said:
All i know is i dont see crappy dell chargers lighting in flames.
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Really? I've heard many stories of power problems from many of the big players. Sonys batteries blow up, my dell inspiron 6000 had to have its power plug replaced because its literally held in by two TINY solder points (was a bitch to replace), etc etc.

Clearly your not looking around.
 
Really now....

Apple does a bad job at informing the user that this connector does not work like all the others out there.
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What do you need, a representative to come to your house and demonstrate the actual plugging/unplugging motion?

(page 10 says "pull the plug, not the cord", but IMO should clarify how to pull the plug).
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I am 52 years old and I have been unplugging things since 1959. Never once did I need a clarification in writing or pictures on how to correctly remove a plug from an outlet, no matter how small the plug itself, magnetic or not, common sense should prevail.....to make life easier and safer for everyone from now on, take it from me:
NEVER REMOVE ANY ELECTRICAL DEVICE PLUG FROM A POWER SOURCE BY GRASPING THE WIRE ENTERING THE PLUG. ALWAYS GRASP THE PLUG DESIGNED TO BE GRASPED FOR REMOVAL AND GENTLY REMOVE.
There. Sorry to shout, but your mother or father told you this as a child and obviously you did not listen, pardon my use of a loud voice.

Take it easy on Apple....they may assume that if you have computer skills, you may be familiar with electrical safety in its most basic form. Perhaps they are wrong on this point.....🙄
 
DooDaaDame said:
What do you need, a representative to come to your house and demonstrate the actual plugging/unplugging motion?
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No representative required! There's a knowledge base article that describes the motion just fine. Of course this is information you already know; you've been removing plugs just like this for 50 years. This is for the rest of us that lack your common sense, plug-pulling experience & thoughtful parents.
🙄
 
eXan said:
I bet most of the time this happens because of misuse on user's part. Like pulling the magsafe by the cord and not by the plastic thing.
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Of course, its the users responsibility and not Apple's to make a safe product. You must be kidding me man.

NT1440 said:
Really? I've heard many stories of power problems from many of the big players. Sonys batteries blow up, my dell inspiron 6000 had to have its power plug replaced because its literally held in by two TINY solder points (was a bitch to replace), etc etc.

Clearly your not looking around.
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Did it threaten to burn your house down...NO! There are flaws and then flaws that threaten your life...its an obvious difference.

f00f said:
No representative required! There's a knowledge base article that describes the motion just fine. Of course this is information you already know; you've been removing plugs just like this for 50 years. This is for the rest of us that lack your common sense, plug-pulling experience & thoughtful parents.
🙄
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You people amaze me. Apple MUST assume that people are going to pull the plug how they please...and they must make a product safe to handle it...if not, they have serious problems. Stop sticking up for apple and realize that they made an unsafe product. If it requires a tutorial, then they made a faulty product with too great a risk...END OF STORY

I have never in my life seen so many people stick up for a company, get a life
 
bbadalucco said:
Of course, its the users responsibility and not Apple's to make a safe product. You must be kidding me man.
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bbadalucco said:
You people amaze me. Apple MUST assume that people are going to pull the plug how they please...and they must make a product safe to handle it...if not, they have serious problems. Stop sticking up for apple and realize that they made an unsafe product. If it requires a tutorial, then they made a faulty product with too great a risk...END OF STORY

I have never in my life seen so many people stick up for a company, get a life
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Right... You might as well get a chainsaw and try to shave with it and its company's responsibility that you didn't use the product the right way?
 
I thought the thing Apple has been bragging about for ages is that the connector is extremely safe. And if it was pulled out for some reason, like someone tripping over the cord or so, it wouldn't damage the connector nor the computer, or pull the latter off the desk.

Geez, I'd rather have them both damaged than having them catch fire!


I have never in my life seen so many people stick up for a company, get a life
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+1
 
Why is everyone assuming that the plug was pulled incorrectly (i.e. by the wire)?

Did I miss something?

I always, and I mean always, pulled my ipod's headset jack out correctly and the rubber still came apart and exposed the internal wiring.

bigdaddyp said:
It has nothing to do with the magsafe connection itself. The material that is used on the cable going from the transformer (power Brick) to the magsafe is made from a soft and supple material that feels nice and coils up easily but unfortunately it appears to have the durability of wet tissue. 😉 You can see that apple has already added extra material to the magsafe connector as a strain relief but I suspect that it is not sufficient. I am sitting on the couch using a brand new aluminum mb and looking at the power cord it is under no tension but is sagging and I can see where this could over time kink and break the insulation. When I use my Dell in the same manner the cord sticks straight out by about two inches because it is reinforced much further down the cord. It is uglier and does not look as nice but I suspect it will last longer under normal use. This is not a dig against Apple I am just looking at it from a engineering standpoint. I do not think it is a dangerous design but is far less durable then it could be. I think apple is trying to keep a certain look and will not compromise on that. In the future when my warranty is up I will probably put a shrink tube (no not the thing that happens when a guy goes swimming in cold water) on the end to help add some strain relief.
I am speaking in general about the failures of magsafes not the particular toasty one in the original post. That could very well be a break in the insulation and a defect with the mbp drawing to much power.
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This sounds very reasonable.
 
NovemberWhiskey said:
Why is everyone assuming that the plug was pulled incorrectly (i.e. by the wire)?
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Because the plug of the MagSafe is hard plastic. You'd need to use a pair of pliers and a great deal of force to crack through it and affect any of the wires if you only pulled it by the plug.
 
miles01110 said:
Because the plug of the MagSafe is hard plastic. You'd need to use a pair of pliers and a great deal of force to crack through it and affect any of the wires if you only pulled it by the plug.
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Who says the end-user caused the damage in the first place? It's entirely plausible that it was a defective unit which caused a fire.

The important thing to note is how many times this has happened. If it is just an isolated incident, then it is just that.

If it is something that occurs frequently, I would venture to say that this is a manufacturer's defect and they need to issue a recall.

Does anyone know how common this is?
 
Pixellated said:
The shareholders would love you! Seriously, if that happened to me, i'd just get it replaced and be happy I wasn't dead. I think the culture of suing absolutely everyone under the sun is getting out of hand.
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I have seen a ton of mag safe adapters fray out like this and spark. Luckily they short before a fire is started.

IF Apple did a voluntary swap of the known defective (yes defective) then a law suit would be avoided.

This is a defect. The magsafe adapter is designed to be pulled at every which way and not like a traditional power adapter. They should have reinforced the cable.

If it started a fire and he should claim it under his home owner's insurance. His insurance company can go after Apple if it so desires.

Edit: From his addendum from the original link http://www.tuaw.com/2009/05/20/readers-unibody-macbook-pro-catches-fire/
It looks like Apple will be replacing his machine and there wasn't any damage to any other items.

I honestly think the adapter was already fraying. Judging from that picture the ripe in the plastic was already there and he probably thought what the heck. Regardless of that the cables should be stronger.
 
This reminds me to be vigilant in inspecting all power cords for shorts. The thinner the wire, the more susceptible it is to stress damage. The power cord on my hairdryer sparked, melted and fell away a few weeks ago while I was using it. I've had two Dell power bricks spark and melt in the wire. I have had no problems yet with magsafe cords, but since I coil the wire up every day, I know to not assume they can't be damaged and cause bad things to happen. I'm not saying Apple shouldn't be investigating better manufacturing designs to reduce the chance for stress damage and defects in their power cords... they should be. However, as with any electrical devices, I'll continue to be wary.
 
I agree with the crowd that says this is user-caused. I very much doubt this would happen if people didn't yank their magsafe out by the cord.
 
I'm really disappointed with some of the posters here that are on "auto-point-the-finger-at apple" mode. Yes, there are several reasons to how this happened but if anyone were to take a good look, the Macbook in questions has zero burn marks on it. Who's to say that the plug wasn't purposely lit on fire to show on the internet to crap on Apple? There are Apple haters out there ya know.
Also, it's very possible that some nutcase dipped the plug in water and stuck it to the computer and allowed it to cause a fire. Again, another Apple hate internet picture. And before anyone questions why would someone do this? Maybe some of you should take a look at the guy on YouTube that took a big knife to his Macbook Air screen and purposely damaged it just because of a alleged faulty hinge.
I have friends with Macbooks and I have a Macbook Air and none of my friends nor myself have had problems with the magsafe connector.

There are dozens of possibilities but some of you immediately cry foul to Apple because they are the evil giant. 😛
 
Och.

Imagine his surprise...i really dont know what i would think if I came home to that. But all the while, i knew i was getting a new MBP! 🙂
 
JasonR said:
What's the deal with people not liking Apple's magsafe connectors anyway? They had bad reviews on Apple's website. I've never had a problem with mine.
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Because who needs to buy a power adapter on Apple's website? Only the owners of those that have broken.
 
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