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Discuss MacBook Pro charger sparking when plugged into extension lead plug pins burnt ? in the Electrical Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net

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When I plug my MacBook Pro charger into the extension lead I noticed I can see it spark through the Extension lead plastic which I thought was a bit odd I also noticed today that the plug pins are burnt.

I tried the charger in other extension leads and it does not happen also tried other appliances with that extension lead and it doesn't happen

is the charger not compatible with the extension lead in some way?
 
No, it cannot be incompatible. There is often a slight spark when connecting a piece of equipment to a live socket. Perhaps you can see it more clearly through this socket, or perhaps the contacts are not well made or damaged, and are arcing too much and damaging the pins.

Please post pics. Is it definitely a genuine Apple charger?
 
No, it cannot be incompatible. There is often a slight spark when connecting a piece of equipment to a live socket. Perhaps you can see it more clearly through this socket, or perhaps the contacts are not well made or damaged, and are arcing too much and damaging the pins.

Please post pics. Is it definitely a genuine Apple charger?
its definately genuine bought directly from aplpe 2 weks ago

the pins are slightly burnt black

i notice it only does i with a particualr extension lead and it mainly only happens if i plug the laptop end in first then the plug , if i plug the charger in without the laptop connected it doesent spark
 
You say 'through the plastic'. Where exactly?
It sounds like a bad contact of some sort.
Let's have a look at it...pic.
 
That is the 'splat' created when the pins first make contact, due to the current inrush as the reservoir capacitor charges. I am not familiar with it being noticeable on Apple chargers and I handle a lot of them (good quality chargers are designed to minimise the effect.) Are you confident that the order was fulfilled by Apple and there is no realistic chance that someone has substituted a counterfeit charger?

The inrush splat will also depend on the design of the contacts in the socket. Can you post pic of that?
 
That is the 'splat' created when the pins first make contact, due to the current inrush as the reservoir capacitor charges. I am not familiar with it being noticeable on Apple chargers and I handle a lot of them (good quality chargers are designed to minimise the effect.) Are you confident that the order was fulfilled by Apple and there is no realistic chance that someone has substituted a counterfeit charger?

The inrush splat will also depend on the design of the contacts in the socket. Can you post pic of that?

what do you want, a pic of the socket?

just tried it now with a few diferent extension leads its doing the same

it does it on some and not others and it is 100% genuine unless apple have ----ed me over
 
Most likely it is the extension lead that is not quite right, but to check, can you compare the pins on your Apple charger and compare it to any other 13A plugs in your home?

If they are the same dimensions then it is the extension socket that is at fault. The the Apple pins are smaller than other stuff it is probably a knock-off and dangerous.

You can get knock-off that are the right size and still dangerous, but pin size is a known safety factor:
 
Most likely it is the extension lead that is not quite right, but to check, can you compare the pins on your Apple charger and compare it to any other 13A plugs in your home?

If they are the same dimensions then it is the extension socket that is at fault. The the Apple pins are smaller than other stuff it is probably a knock-off and dangerous.

You can get knock-off that are the right size and still dangerous, but pin size is a known safety factor:
bought directly from apple
 
More than likely the pins on the extension lead have become 'tired', as the power supply works fine in other sockets I'd just bin the extension lead.
 
When I plug my MacBook Pro charger into the extension lead I noticed I can see it spark through the Extension lead plastic which I thought was a bit odd I also noticed today that the plug pins are burnt.

I tried the charger in other extension leads and it does not happen also tried other appliances with that extension lead and it doesn't happen

is the charger not compatible with the extension lead in some way?

Send it to Louis Rossmann in New York. :p
 
That is the 'splat' created when the pins first make contact, due to the current inrush as the reservoir capacitor charges. I am not familiar with it being noticeable on Apple chargers and I handle a lot of them (good quality chargers are designed to minimise the effect.) Are you confident that the order was fulfilled by Apple and there is no realistic chance that someone has substituted a counterfeit charger?

The inrush splat will also depend on the design of the contacts in the socket. Can you post pic of that?

is this video any good to you?
 

Attachments

  • apple spark.MOV
    6.8 MB
I have 6way switched extension for similar reasons ,
... thought it does occasional click without actually turning on !
(but I bought cheap .. as a throw away after 3 yrs of torture)
Plugging in laptop and PC PSUs in un switched sockets in the dark can be quite spectacular .
 

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