FaiKee Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 A Chinese lady posted in Weibo(Chinese micro-blog) about her young sister(a air-hostess), when talking with her iphone5 while it's connected to the charger, got a electric shock and died. The unlucky girl had used "all legit Apple phone and accessories". http://weibo.com/u/1724512014 Google translate: Please remember her, my sister, Ma Ailun (Sisi) China Southern Airlines flight attendants! Only 23 years old, August 18 will do the wedding! Unfortunately, so leave! Apple hopes to have an argument! I hope each of your friends do not avoid charging call! May you all is well at the other end This matter had raised a lot of concern and discussions in Chinese medias, and Apple China besides expressing sorrow, said will make a deep and thorough investigation in the matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuishimi Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 So I guess we have to wait for the investigation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustGeorge Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Phone manufacturers really need to work on making it safe to use your phone while its charging. There really isn't an excuse for this kind of hardware limitation in 2013, especially for the cost of these devices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papercut2008uk Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 is it even possible to die from such a low voltage shock? from normal usage i doubt that it had anything to do with the phone or charger. maybe had some external cause that might have killed her, like land lines, you should never use them during a lightning storm because if a phone line is hit the discharge will carry down the line and can go through a phone handset, maybe there was a lightning strike on a powerline or a overload somewhere that caused it to happen? Anibal P 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neufuse Veteran Posted July 15, 2013 Veteran Share Posted July 15, 2013 I somehow find this VERY hard to believe..... the wires on the cable are what 28AWG? Even if a short happened at the transformer, the wires would of burned up before it took her out... those wires can not handle that type of current is it even possible to die from such a low voltage shock? from normal usage i doubt that it had anything to do with the phone or charger. maybe had some external cause that might have killed her, like land lines, you should never use them during a lightning storm because if a phone line is hit the discharge will carry down the line and can go through a phone handset, maybe there was a lightning strike on a powerline or a overload somewhere that caused it to happen? voltage isn't the problem, it's current, but even at the limits of the cable and phone you'd not of had enough current to do it AsherGZ 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papercut2008uk Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 I somehow find this VERY hard to believe..... the wires on the cable are what 28AWG? Even if a short happened at the transformer, the wires would of burned up before it took her out... those wires can not handle that type of current a very high voltage could pass through them for a very short time, a fraction of a second before they burnt, enough time to pass the current on through someone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshall Veteran Posted July 15, 2013 Veteran Share Posted July 15, 2013 I somehow find this VERY hard to believe..... the wires on the cable are what 28AWG? Even if a short happened at the transformer, the wires would of burned up before it took her out... those wires can not handle that type of current This. I'd bet other factors were involved that aren't being disclosed (yet.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neufuse Veteran Posted July 15, 2013 Veteran Share Posted July 15, 2013 a very high voltage could pass through them for a very short time, a fraction of a second before they burnt, enough time to pass the current on through someone. you'd either of had a blow up at the transformer first if it shorted out... a circuit breaker trip..... or something else happen that was a giveaway that something was wrong before your phone shorted out... plus the phone itself has its metal case grounded... the current is going to take the ground path first before it gets you since ground would be the shorted and least path of resistance... AsherGZ 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizardslap Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 they are running at 220v on house outlets got alot more bite than the 110v here in the US Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
123456789A Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 She was charging it wrong? No really, I always wondered about when the rubbery material separated at the end where it plugs into the phone, exposing the wiring, how safe can that be? It happened on all the iPhone and MacBook power cords I've owned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Circaflex Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Voltage isn't what can kill you, its the Amps that do the harm. The Evil Overlord, djdanster, cyoung1616 and 2 others 5 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcfan Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 the mains is supposed to always be isolated inside the charger from the voltage that's coming out to the phone. they do this with optoisolators,and they leave sufficient space on the PCB to prevent arching from the mains end to the isolated output end. It could be possible this happened, whereby a defect of some sort, or some material could have gotten inside the charger shorting mains to the isolated part of the charger and being output. ive cracked open some of those Chinese chargers that you get on ebay for a buck,and those are very dangerous. the spacing between the 2 ends is too close and not isolated properly. you could have your portable music player charging while listening to music,while 110v could be sitting on your ears. srbeen 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srbeen Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 AFAIK the chargers put out 5W of power. I don't know how anyone could kill themselves even with 1amp of current at a potential of only 5V. Either thats massivly faulted hardware, or something else happened (humidity/moisture) Apple are not a company to cheap out on this thing. There have been several independent reporters praising apple for their extra effort in ensuring smooth, stable, reliable power delivery from their charging blocks. tiny ferrite beads where they matter, quality gauge wire, reverse polarity diode protection, PPTC fuses(i think), above and beyond component design and placement. I'd be very suprised if faulted hardware design was the actual cause. She was charging it wrong? No really, I always wondered about when the rubbery material separated at the end where it plugs into the phone, exposing the wiring, how safe can that be? It happened on all the iPhone and MacBook power cords I've owned. The danger is between the wallplate and the prongs you plug into the wall where theres 120/240V AC. Whats coming out of the USB port is regulated and you can hold them shorted to your tongue all day and likely wouldn't really feel it. Its possible she 'broke' the prongs off internal to the charger, effectivly shorting the AC out when plugging it in. This should have tripped a breaker/fuse nearly instantly, long before she could be electrocuted. Pretty sure the blocks are electronic and not using a transformer, which reduces the ability of the AC to get through to the DC output. Theres a much higher chance of your battery exploding when charging, compared to being electrocuted. Thats basic electronics theory/design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srbeen Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 ya but you cant let go of a 220 and its gonna be at least 20amps anyway Seriously? I thought with 220 you could effectivly half the current draw, meaning 120V(er, 110V) @ 15A would be 220V @ 7.5A for the same amount of power. P=IV. If not thats some thick wire in the walls! Also AC gives you the option to let go, termed loosely as usually the high current and fast changing will hold you there anyway. 50Hz wave means its 'slower' than 60Hz other places, technically giving you more time to let go as it passes the '0v potential' point than 60Hz sources. Plus its usually fused if done correctly, which should trip before you really get much of a jolt. DC is the one which won't let go as its constantly at its full potential. With that much power it won't really make much of a difference, but I'd rather get shocked with AC than DC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaP Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 is it even possible to die from such a low voltage shock? Don't think so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizardslap Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 explains why I almost got fried by a car battery charger with a bad ground then well I hope to see this story again after the investigation. Mabey she had heart problems she was unaware of before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Poster Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 damn </3 another hot asian gone ;( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spy beef Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Ohm's law states that this is impossible I = V/Rbody = 5 V / 1000 Ohms = 5 mA << 500mA required for fibrillation Therefore, myth busted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Warwagon MVC Posted July 15, 2013 MVC Share Posted July 15, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaiKee Posted July 15, 2013 Author Share Posted July 15, 2013 Sorry made a mistake, it was a iphone4 (could the mods edit the thread title? Tks! :) ) Here is the news in more detail: http://news.iyaxin.com/content/2013-07/15/content_4097876.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stetson Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Voltage isn't what can kill you, its the Amps that do the harm. Yes, but considering a fixed resistance for your body, the voltage determines how much current will pass through. V=IR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YanksOnTop Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 is it even possible to die from such a low voltage shock? from normal usage i doubt that it had anything to do with the phone or charger. maybe had some external cause that might have killed her, like land lines, you should never use them during a lightning storm because if a phone line is hit the discharge will carry down the line and can go through a phone handset, maybe there was a lightning strike on a powerline or a overload somewhere that caused it to happen? You only need like a few hundred miliamps to die. Im not sure how much the iphones take but it should draw enough to kill you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcfan Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 explains why I almost got fried by a car battery charger with a bad ground then well I hope to see this story again after the investigation. Mabey she had heart problems she was unaware of before? what happened exactly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
illage3 Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 You do realise that using a phone while its charging damages the battery, that is why the cables are so short. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Decryptor Veteran Posted July 15, 2013 Veteran Share Posted July 15, 2013 Why would it damage it? The phone is on anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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