How not to charge your phone

Submitted: Tuesday, Mar 26, 2024 at 19:04
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Campers attempting to use a car battery to charge their phones are thought to have accidentally started a bushfire that destroyed three homes and five short-stay chalets near Perth on Monday.

Probably unlucky with weather conditions , but once again , you just have to be aware of the possibilities.

Cheers
Jim
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Reply By: Member - DickyBeach - Tuesday, Mar 26, 2024 at 19:23

Tuesday, Mar 26, 2024 at 19:23
Your footer (about sitting and thinking) reminds me of a tongue twister my Dad taught me a million years ago and which I was challenged to repeat three times quickly:
Sunshine Susie sitting in a China shop, she sits and shines and shines and sits ..."
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Reply By: RMD - Tuesday, Mar 26, 2024 at 21:43

Tuesday, Mar 26, 2024 at 21:43
What is wrong with using a car battery to charge a phone? People do it everyday! Any mistake with most electricals will cause a hot spot.

Did the journalist do the "thoughting" or someone who knows what is what? Journo's usually get it all stuffed up and dramatised.

So, HOW DO WE NOT CHARGE OUR PHONES? we have no idea what they were doing even IF they are the culprits.
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Follow Up By: Member - bungarra (WA) - Tuesday, Mar 26, 2024 at 22:59

Tuesday, Mar 26, 2024 at 22:59
Probably only half the story and most likely the press release was very short on details.

The DFEC commissioner was on the TV tonight and that was the words he used...skimpy on the details as well, so journalists don't have much they can add (and didn't) leaving the general public to second guess the details.

Most likely a normal cig lighter attachment or USB charger left unsupervised and phone battery got hot. It could have been a completely safe and legit connection and the phone battery got hot..as Lithium Iron batteries are prone to do.

Rechargeable tools, phones ebikes are all prone to overheating and casing fires. It's almost an everyday occurrence across Australia...they all use Lithium Iron...NOT TO BE CONFUSED with Lithium Iron Phosphate LifePo4....

Too often the word "Lithium" is used generically to describe all type of Lithium type batteries appear unsafe.

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Follow Up By: Nomadic Navara - Tuesday, Mar 26, 2024 at 23:33

Tuesday, Mar 26, 2024 at 23:33
The story I heard on the TV news tonight said that sparks were generated whilst connecting to the battery. The sparks ignited dry grass.
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Follow Up By: Member - McLaren3030 - Wednesday, Mar 27, 2024 at 07:01

Wednesday, Mar 27, 2024 at 07:01
Hi Bungarra,

Just a minor correction, it is Lithium “Ion” batteries that catch fire, not Lithium “Iron”. Auto correct strikes again?

Macca.
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Follow Up By: Member - Bigfish - Wednesday, Mar 27, 2024 at 18:51

Wednesday, Mar 27, 2024 at 18:51
Nomadic Navara posted:
The story I heard on the TV news tonight said that sparks were generated whilst connecting to the battery. The sparks ignited dry grass.

Must have been 4B&S wire for the phone charging cable....cant see how sparks from a very thin phone charging cable would occur....even if reverse the pos and neg it would burn out almost immediately..(I know!!).
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Follow Up By: Member - Gordon B5 - Thursday, Mar 28, 2024 at 00:01

Thursday, Mar 28, 2024 at 00:01
I heard the same story as Nomadic Navara. I agree phone charging cable is very thin but how do you connect it to a battery ? I have a couple of cig lighters with clips to attach to batteries. Perhaps they used something like this with a usb plug. May have been younger kids, who knows but that is the reason given for the start of fire & police say no charges will be laid. Wasn’t far up the road from us.
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