We have all somehow come to terms with the fact that iPhones and iPads are expensive and have taken it for granted. You can hear indignation less and less often, and more and more often the words that you just need to choose a simpler model. Moreover, the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, released in the last two years, are not so much inferior to their Pro versions. But there is still talk that branded accessories are expensive and that you should buy cheap analogues instead. This makes some sense. This really can be done, but some users take it very directly, buying not just cheap analogues, but literally junk that even works every other time. There is no need to do this, and there are at least several reasons for this, which we will now examine.
It is better to use the original charger. If not, then at least a high-quality analogue.
Cheap charger for iPhone
There was a wave of interest in cheap cables when AliExpress began to appear en masse and offer its “masterpieces.” I remember how at my old job a colleague bought 6 Lightning cables for 150 rubles . Actually, it is fair that three of them simply did not work, and no one began to use the rest. And he did it very well.
The second wave of interest in non-original chargers came with the release of the iPhone 12 last year. The kit did not include a power adapter and the search began. Even though Apple reduced the price of its proprietary charger, users were still looking for something cheaper. Even having bought an iPhone for 100,000 rubles, they were not ready to buy a power adapter for 2,000 rubles. And it would be fine if they chose something good, like Baseus, but they went even further and bought a complete “no name” for 200-300 rubles. It’s not a good idea to risk a new expensive phone.
Apple allows you to repair iPhones and Macs yourself. Has the end of service slavery come?
At the same time, I personally told them about this, since two such people were among my acquaintances. So far the phones are working, but one of them dies very quickly, and its owner chalks it up to battery wear. After all, a whole year has already passed. It is normal that the phone constantly heats up and does not last until the evening with low usage. If anything, this is sarcasm.
This is an extreme stage, but it happens.
Options for solving the problem
There is no really working way to solve the problem in Russian conditions. Need grounding.
Life hack: sometimes it is enough to re-plug the power supply plug to change the phase and zero. But not always.
You can try to make sockets with grounding, and not just suspend the third contact in the air. And charge your laptop only at home, fortunately, autonomy today will allow many to do this.
But here’s the problem: if there is no full grounding through the shield, it’s better to forget about it.
Of course, you can “zero the ground” by combining the “ground” wire with the “zero”-neutral contact.
If you connect it directly to the outlet, catching a short circuit is as easy as shelling pears.
If you do it in the shield, if the zero is accidentally broken, there will be a phase on all cases. And the devices will burn out, and there will be dangerous parameters that can lead to death.
Electricians may also suggest connecting the ground to the battery or pipes. Strictly prohibited up to a criminal sentence!
The method worked in ancient times, when all risers were assembled from metal and led directly into the ground under the house.
Nowadays, steel pipes are often replaced with plastic ones, so grounding will not work - the connection between the battery riser and the ground (basement floor) is simply broken.
Why does the iPhone sit down quickly?
Actually, here lies the main problem that people underestimate. When the phone starts draining quickly, users think it's time to change their phone battery. You can’t blame them for being illogical, but they don’t take into account that in addition to the battery, there is also a charge controller that should adjust the currents inside the phone. It is this that burns out first if the phone is constantly charged with poor-quality charging. Let me emphasize that it is of poor quality, and not just unoriginal.
Users often come to our friends from the Apple Pro service center asking to replace the battery. To which experts suggest checking the same charge controller, and it turns out that the problem is not insufficient battery capacity, but that it is constantly in active operation mode, and the charge quickly disappears. If in this case you just replace the battery, it won’t get much better, and the phone will still run out quickly. By the way, this is why Apple Pro specialists have such a negative attitude towards “masters” who change the battery in a “tent near the metro.” You definitely shouldn’t expect anything good from such a renovation. However, we digress.
How to repair a phone if all services are closed.
Laptops aren't the only ones suffering
In fact, the effect can occur on any computer that is plugged into an ungrounded outlet if it has a metal keyboard frame or case.
Kettles, toasters, floor lamps, etc. behave the same way.
You can also experience such a “vibration” if you touch another person’s hand while passing under a power line, and the effect is much stronger than with electrical appliances.
When riding under power lines on a bicycle, you can feel even more vibration, even on good tires.
Of course, if the frame is made of conductive material. Steel, for example - then there is a chance that the frame capacity is enough to turn into a capacitor.
With a regular PC it’s even simpler: there is no galvanic isolation between the network filter of the computer’s power supply and the case to which a pair of protection capacitors are connected.
Screen doesn't work well when charging phone
Another type of negativity that may be associated with the use of low-quality charging is not so common, but some users complain about it. Apple Pro also told us about them. The fact is that in some cases a static charge may appear on the case. This in turn leads to malfunctions of the touch screen. He begins to “think” that he was touched, although this was not the case. Most likely, this will not damage the phone, but it will definitely cause discomfort during use.
A battery is a complex thing, which means charging it cannot be simple.
Electrostatic energy in the driver-vehicle system
The machine, which is isolated from the ground by rubber tires and has many plastic parts and synthetic fabric coverings, is itself an electrical capacitor capable of storing high-energy static electricity. When a car door is opened by a driver whose body has much less electrical resistance than the dielectric of car tires, the car capacitor is discharged through the human body, and significant electric shocks are felt.
Can a phone give an electric shock?
But there are more dangerous things that can happen when using a bad power adapter or cable. Due to the fact that literally everything is saved , there is a high risk of short circuit or insulation failure. In the first case, you risk burning your phone (sometimes even very colorfully and dangerously), and in the second, you can get an electric shock, which is also very unpleasant.
Sometimes people come to Apple Pro with burnt-out devices in the hope of restoring them, but in the best case, even if this can be done, the price will be comparable to a new smartphone. And it’s worth thinking several times whether it’s worth taking the risk and saving a few hundred rubles, at the risk of losing several tens of thousands.
What happens if you save on iPhone and Mac repairs?
How dangerous is this for humans?
It is difficult to predict possible problems along the ground line.
If the circuitry of the computer's power supply or charger is of sufficient quality, and there are no obvious violations in the wiring, the “tickle” is harmless to both humans and the computer.
It's not volts that destroy people, it's amps that destroy people.
It is unlikely for a person to get seriously injured in this way: the currents are not the same. Especially if the power supply is of high quality and connected through an extension cord with a high-quality filter.
But if the design does not provide for grounding, it is better to accept what is happening.
Which charger is better to buy for your phone?
This is not an advertisement for any specific chargers. Just another reminder that you shouldn't think of the power adapter and cord as just a way to connect to an outlet. They have sophisticated components that have been tested over and over again in a variety of conditions, and real processors.
It's better to just use your phone rather than repair it. But all you have to do is pay a few hundred rubles more for charging.
Only such chargers will last a long time and will not damage your iPhone. For example, I have never skimped on chargers and all my smartphones, some of which I have used for 3-4 years , still hold a charge perfectly. Even if low-quality accessories bring you to the service center just once, all the savings will already be wiped out.
Therefore, choose high-quality chargers so as not to give us news that an iPhone 13 caught fire somewhere, and our friends from Apple Pro - additional work to repair your phone. Even just one connection to Chinese junk (even for a couple of seconds) is enough to ensure that the phone cannot be saved . Remember this.
Is there a ground connection to the outlet?
Since adequate grounding throughout the entire apartment in Russia began to be laid not so long ago - previously it was found only in three-phase sockets for electric stoves and washing machines).
Therefore, there may be 3 situations with wiring in the apartment:
1. Euro sockets in which the grounding contact is connected with a neutral wire.
2. Euro sockets in which nothing is connected to the grounding contact;
3. Regular sockets without grounding.
The first option is allowed with certain reservations. At a minimum, it really allows you to relieve stress from the computer case.
In the second and third cases, the case will be connected into the void, even without a surge protector between the power supply and the outlet.
ATTENTION: the extension cord is not a surge protector and is not always equipped with one.
Fake chargers
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Three unnamed charging adapters showed their insides. All three rootless adapters turned out to be dangerous. In this device, the insulation gap turned out to be 3.7 mm:
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In this case, the distance to the voltage from the socket was 3 mm
0
But this adapter is extremely dangerous: its insulation distance is 2 mm and decreases to 0.6 mm
Smartphones cause insomnia
This myth is only half true. On the one hand, using a smartphone during the day will not affect the quality of sleep. But on the other hand, frequently looking at your phone screen before bed can cause insomnia.
Harvard Medical School professor Charles Kzeisler conducted an experiment in which subjects read books on an iPad at night. It turned out that using the gadget before bed slows down the production of melatonin, a hormone that is responsible for sleepiness and a healthy circadian rhythm. The brain forgets that you were going to sleep and continues to work in “day mode”. It's all due to the same blue light that we talked about above. Therefore, doctors advise not to use gadgets before bed and be sure to turn on the vision protection mode in the dark.
Want even more myths?
- 7 Myths About Smartphones You Still Believe
- Destroying myths about smartphone batteries
To start
Turn off the power to the equipment
At the first breakdown, turn off the machine by removing the plug from the socket. Pressing the “turn off” button is not enough: the “washing machine” will remain connected to the 220 volt network.
This option is used in special cases when there is no access to a machine:
- flooding;
- water pipe break in the bathroom or kitchen;
- the force of the breakdowns became life-threatening.
Prepare your tools or call a professional
After disconnecting the machine from the network, decide what to do: solve the problem yourself or call a specialist. The first option assumes that you have at least basic skills in repairing electrical appliances.
At a minimum you will need a set of tools:
- Screwdriver Set;
- wrenches, including pipe wrenches;
- set of hexagons;
- indicator screwdriver;
- multimeter;
- fabric or polyvinyl chloride based electrical tape.
As for the other option, it is enough to find the nearest home appliance repair service to you and call a specialist to your home. Sometimes it is necessary to transport equipment to the workshop.
Factors influencing the nature and severity of electrical injury
Kind and power and voltage
- More than 1000-volt current leads to severe damage, even death, without even touching the source, but being very close - within walking distance from the current source (the so-called “voltaic arc”).
- Alternating current is more dangerous than direct current
- Low frequency current affects internal organs
- High frequency – the surface of the skin, without causing death.
The path of current through the body is a current loop
Electrical injury at home
- The most dangerous options are a complete loop, including 2 arms and 2 legs, arm-arm, since the current flows through the heart.
- No less dangerous is the hand-head, when the current passes through the brain.
Tissue resistance and current density
Current density refers to the amount of current passing through a unit area. Energy is concentrated when current passes through a smaller area. For example, if an electric current passes through the hand, the current density increases in the joint area.
Current duration
The longer the current lasts, the stronger the damage and the greater the likelihood of death.
- A high voltage current leads to a sharp contraction of muscles; a person can even be thrown forcefully away from the current source.
- Low voltage current provokes muscle spasm, leading to prolonged involuntary gripping of the conductor by hands. Over time, skin resistance decreases, so it is necessary to interrupt the contact of the victim with the conductor as soon as possible.
External factors
The severity of the damage increases in conditions of high humidity (baths, bathrooms), as well as with electric shock in water, and the damage is stronger in salt water than in fresh water (the more dissolved salts in the water, the better the electrical conductivity of the water).
Body condition
The danger of electric shock increases against the background of exhaustion, alcohol or drug intoxication, chronic diseases, old age and childhood.
Types of Electrical Injuries
In general, injuries caused by electric shock are called local, mixed and general (“electric shock”).
- Local injuries are localized lesions, violations of the integrity of the skin, ligaments and bones. One of the most common signs of local electrical injuries (more than 60% of the total number of industrial injuries) is a burn.
Burn after electric shock There are two types of electrical burns:
- current (contact) - occurs when a person touches a live part of an electrical installation (bare socket wires, broken extension cord, etc.);
- arc - occurs when interacting with an electric arc that has a very high combustion temperature (there are cases when the arc can go beyond the “untouch zone” and touch a person). In this case, an extremely strong thermal effect on a person occurs;
- electrical signs on the body (marks) - are obtained as a result of superficial disorders of human skin and are clearly visible pigments on the skin of gray or gray-yellow color. The burn on the body is externally similar to the shape of the live part that was touched;
Electric sign on the body after an electric shock
- metallization of the skin is the result of molten metal particles coming into contact with the skin during the passage of an electric arc through it. The surface of the victim’s skin becomes rough, and the color is determined by the color of the metal from which the conductor is made: green - when interacting with copper, gray - with aluminum, bluish-green - with brass, gray-yellow - with lead;
- electroophthalmia is a medical term that describes inflammation of the outer membrane of the eye during exposure to ultraviolet radiation when an electric arc occurs (for example, during electric welding).
Consequences of electroophthalmia
- General (electric shock) is a condition of the human body in which spontaneous convulsive contractions of some muscles of the body occur after an electric shock.
- Electric shocks are divided into four main degrees:
- muscle contraction, while the person remains conscious;
- muscle contraction, while the victim loses consciousness, but retains the basic vital functions of the body;
- loss of consciousness and disruption of the heart and lungs (due to the coincidence of the frequency of contraction of the vital organs of the body with the frequency of the electric current);
- clinical death is a term meaning a state of the victim that is as close as possible to biological death, which occurs shortly after the heart stops working.
You may be interested in this: Designation of various electrical equipment on diagrams
Loss of consciousness after electric shock
- Mixed electrical injuries are a combination of local and general injuries to varying degrees.
Selfie from the mind
Last September, Mashable published a monstrous statistic: in 2015, more people died trying to take a selfie than from shark attacks.
The world is obsessed with “crossbows” - people are ready to do anything for the sake of a successful shot. Below is a selection of several accidents that could have been avoided if smartphones did not have front-facing cameras.
A 17-year-old Russian woman did not live to reach adulthood because of Instagram: the girl was taking a selfie on a 10-meter bridge, fell, grabbed a high-voltage cable and died on the spot.
Photo: © flickr.com/Jonnie Andersen
A teenager from the Kemerovo region dreamed of a spectacular selfie on a high-voltage power transmission tower. This is how the guy learned what it means to sacrifice his life for a dream. True, I still couldn’t take a selfie.
