Exploding cigarettes.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Seems a chap was injured when the electronic cigarette he was charging exploded. He was on oxygen, and the oxygen pipe or whatever got damaged making things far worse. Seems he may also have been using a charger which wasn't supplied with the cigarette kit.

An 'expert' (think he may have been from the fire service) on the R4 PM prog explained that USB chargers are not all the same and could give a much higher voltage than the correct one for the device. So advised against charging such things from a computer USB socket, etc. He sort of admitted he wasn't an expert though. He didn't need to.

[Jabba]

Dave Plowman (News) wrote

He's a scouser

Nuff said

[Andy Burns]

I think I posted here of a similar report made by Derbyshire fire last year, info was circulated to other fire services, I saw some photos of the damage, the "ejected" battery had set alight bedding, again the charger wasn't original ...

[Robert]

Merside Fire are quoted on the BBC site as saying: "We urge people to always use electrical equipment in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and guidance, always ensure that no electrical items are left charging overnight or left unattended for a long period when being charged, and do not mix parts from different e-cigarettes.

"Only use the original charger or electrical cables supplied and ensure you purchase electrical items from a reputable source."

Well that should kill the universal micro USB socket initiative on mobiles off !

[Graham.]

I thought he did OK, and gave good general advice without commenting too much about the individual case which the Coroner Court has yet to give a verdict. He didn't mention the O2.

Follow the manufactures instructions, use the supplied charger and don't leave unattended.

[Tim+]

If they should ONLY be used with the supplied charger then they shouldn't be using the USB standard interface. The problem is the cigs surely, not the chargers?

Tim

[Graham.]

That point was made by the fire officer interviewee. He said something along the lines of different USB devices give differing voltages

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Great advice. So you sit there watching it - or your phone, etc - while it charges?

More sensible would be to charge the device on a reasonably flame proof surface like a kitchen worktop - and away from flammable materials. Which anyone with common sense would do anyway.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Which is nonsense. Unless faulty or designed by an idiot, all USB outlets supply 5 volts.

[meow2222]

Unfortunately not, 5.25v has been used for higher charging current apps. Not every appliance is ok with that.

NT

[Brian Gaff]

did anything that was so called standard ever work as designed. Its hard to think of one which has not been abused in some way. Brian

[Tim Streater]

Unfortunately it's those with the severe smoking habit that are the most likely to end up needing oxygen.

[Scott M]

I imagine, like a lot of cheapy crappy stuff, the fudge is to do with charging current, not the voltage. Instead of bothering with a charge control circuit, just cripple the supplied charger to, say, 25mA and let thermal dissapation sort itself out. Plug in a proper "unrestricted"

500mA laptop/charger and all hell will, literally, break loose.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

[snip]

Yes, I heard it too. Fascinating stuff.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

From a computer USB socket? How to they manage that?

However, I suppose it's no different in practice from the older jack system once common for low volt DC. The voltage there could be anything. Even AC.

[meow2222]

from some chargers

Its very different, most usb kit works together ok. But not all.

NT

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Right. And they have type approval with a non standard voltage? I'm surprised the phone makers haven't cottoned on to that one - it must gall them not to be able to sell you an overpriced charger.

Certainly a high current device won't work from a low current USB. But neither will it burst into flames.

[Tim+]

So there are devices available that burst into flames with a 0.25V overvoltage?

That sounds like exceedingly poor/dangerous design.

Tim

[Andy Burns]

That's the message the Mersey spokesman was trying to get across ...

[Tim+]

Except that he seemed to be blaming the chargers rather than the e-cigarettes. I'm not saying that there aren't shoddy chargers out there too but it sounds to me like the primary problem lies with the cigarettes.

Putting a "standard" socket like a USB one on a device is just inviting folk to use any USB power supply. If a manufacturer decided to make a 12V rechargeable touch that connected to it's charger unit using a three pin

13amp plug, I think they would be held liable for fires resulting from folk inadvertently plugging the torch direct into the mains rather than the charger.

If they're going to use a USB socket then the device should be designed to cope with anything a USB outlet can reasonably be expected to produce.

I thank god I never took up smoking...

Tim