Apple Event: May 7th at 7 am PT
My 5 year old son was using his iPad 2 when this happened. It was dramatic enough to throw the breaker. The iPad was still running, but is it even safe to let him use it? I'm afraid to plug anything in to it now. Should I contact the CPSC? There's no Apple store where I live (on an island), and Apple wants $25 just to talk to me.
iPad 2, null
Looks like something shorted out. I would not use that again. I would also take the iPad in to have the hardware checked. More than likely with the discoloration at the 30-pin cable area that something is probably melted on the iPad itself. Let Apple examine it.
If it were my son, it would be in the trash.
The charger, yeah, but the thought of throwing away a working iPad (well, at least it turns on, I have no idea if it will charge any more), is... a little sickening.
cwm9 wrote:
The charger, yeah, but the thought of throwing away a working iPad (well, at least it turns on, I have no idea if it will charge any more), is... a little sickening.
Nowhere near as sickening as risking your child's safety.
I guess I'll contact the CPSC.
Before you do that, you may want to call an electrician and have your wiring checked.
I would think that contacting Apple would be more important than a consumer agency.
That's what I thought, but Apple wants $25 to talk about it and the CPSC is free, so I'll let them deal with Apple.
That is because you probably tried to contact Apple support about the issue and they thought it was a service call. It is something different. Speak to a real person, or make an appointment at the Genius Bar of the nearest Apple Store. Phone support just looks at your serial number and warranty status.
Sad to say, I live on an island, and there is no Apple store near me, so this is impossible. I would have to fly to the next island to do that. I can't even find a consumer safety concerns hotline for Apple.
Use this support document to find how to contact Apple for you location. Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support
If that doesn't help, then use this link. https://expresslane.apple.com/GetproductgroupList.action
I live in Hawaii. Unfortunately, both those options want the $29 pay-per-incident fee. I don't want to pay a fee to report a safety concern.
They won't charge you once you make the report. You have to get to a real person to be able to talk to someone. If you are that concerned, I would go ahead with the charge and talk to them, and then ask about reversing the charge. I would imagine they would do that given the issue.
I'd be amazed if the ipad still works. Buy new connector and try. You could plug connector in first then power second. Don't touch anything. May want to connect to surge protector. Protector will drop before power line. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a fuse on the 5volt line.
The charger reduces the voltage down to what the iPad can accept. From this page, it looks like the iPad accepts 5volts. In my knowledge of electronics, 5 volts is safe.
http://www.wired.com/2013/12/charging-devices-faq/
Here is all about the use of the thirty pins. Light on how charging works. USB charging is at 5 volts. See comments.
http://irq5.io/2012/06/25/the-apple-30-pin-dock-connector/
google search of ipad 30 pin connector
Take to a computer repair stop and see what they have to say.
For maximum safety, buy a genuine apple cable & power supply.
Electrical explosion with original iPad 2 charger
