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Thread ID: 137363 2014-06-29 04:04:00 Theres got to be more to this wainuitech (129) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
1378103 2014-06-29 04:04:00 As the title says, got to be more to this story usb-charger-electrocutes-woman-in-australia (www.stuff.co.nz)

A USB powered charger simply doesn't have the power or wattage to kill one would think. Not like its putting out 240V or similar.

5802
wainuitech (129)
1378104 2014-06-29 04:43:00 I don't know enough about electricity to be sure (except to say a 9v battery to the tongue really hurts), but I'm sure it's amps that kill, not volts? Greg (193)
1378105 2014-06-29 05:23:00 Maybe a faulty Transformer - sending 240V and related current (> than the typical rating when charging) and possibly earthing within her body. Those aftermarket chargers are fragile inside. I once soldered the wires (+, -) inside the shell, which were poorly attached to the circuit. Won't buy them now after this news. kahawai chaser (3545)
1378106 2014-06-29 05:25:00 could have been one of those 240v to usb plug in the wall socket types. bad insulation could mean a jump from 240 side to the usb side. tweak'e (69)
1378107 2014-06-29 05:39:00 Yeap it will be a knock off usb wall charger, and like above has said, the 240V side hasn't quite stayed on the 240V side would be my guess. Alex B (15479)
1378108 2014-06-29 08:18:00 I don't know enough about electricity to be sure (except to say a 9v battery to the tongue really hurts), but I'm sure it's amps that kill, not volts?

True sort off I've never really liked that argument, your skin is an insulator (not a great one) and low voltage doesn't have enough energy to cause any dangerous amount of current to flow. Even though it's amps that kill it requires a high enough voltage to make that happen. Unless you insert electrodes through the skin directly into sensitive areas in which case even low voltage is dangerous. I say it's voltage that kills, without it current doesn't flow and there are no amps.

A car battery can put out hundreds of amps but you can safely hold both terminals in your hands and feel nothing (or maybe a slight tingle if your palms are sweaty) because it's low voltage. The 9V battery hurts because your tongue is a much better conductor that your skin. I always laugh when they torture people with car batteries in the movies, pretty sure that wouldn't work.

Volts is a measure of how much energy each electron has, amps is a measure of how many of them pass a given point in a given amount of time. To be dangerous to humans you normally have to get above 80-90 volts but you only need a very small amount of current flow (milliamps) to kill someone. Considering the burns the story mentioned though I'd say there was a bit of current flowing around, it's also amps that make things get hot.
dugimodo (138)
1378109 2014-06-29 10:58:00 You don't need very much current to interrupt your heart or kill you.
www.physics.ohio-state.edu


That story is a very good example of why I hate cheap crap knockoff power supplies from China for $2 or whatever. They are connected to the mains, but often have little or no safety mechanisms, not to mention often going faulty and destroying whatever they are powering.

Don't save $10, save your LIFE and your $300 phone. Buy the real thing. It's not worth it.
Agent_24 (57)
1378110 2014-06-29 21:38:00 It is believed a dodgy $4.95 phone charger sent a high-voltage electrical pulse into her phone, which transferred to the earphones she had connected to a laptop.
www.smh.com.au


Mr Stowe said the banned devices were made from low quality plastic that could melt and had no insulation pins or approval marks according to Australian electrical safety standards.
news.ninemsn.com.au
pctek (84)
1378111 2014-06-29 22:35:00 . . . . and the user completely failed to wear any form of hi-visibility clothing . How long before some civil service nong decrees ear muffs to be mandatory for earbud users? R2x1 (4628)
1378112 2014-06-30 04:51:00 . . . . and the user completely failed to wear any form of hi-visibility clothing .

LOL!! Make sure you live forever, I'd miss your comments if you weren't here .
pctek (84)
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