USB charging killed my PC

[ehoser]

Just got an OV a few days ago. I plugged in the usb cable and the phone was charging. IIRC it was on and in standby for a while. I picked it up and pressed the power button to see if it would charge any faster. The next thing I see is register dumps flying across my PC screen. I had to power it off to recover.

Is this a common problem? Should I avoid powering the phone on or off while charging? I suppose it could be a bad cable or connector, it's the one that came with the phone.

Also, when I got my first VM phone (just a "dumb" phone) I was using the car charger. I picked up the phone and the cable came out. I don't know if it shorted on something or what but it caused problems with the car's electronics, to the tune of many hundreds of dollars. Is there any danger of that happening with a USB car charger?

 

[MasterTec]

You probably have a power supply going bad on your computer.

 

[ehoser]

You probably have a power supply going bad on your computer.

Thanks. That's a possibility. The CPU fan has been acting funny lately, like switching on full speed once or twice a day.

 

[watskyhotsky]

your computer must have been ancient and already in a highly unstable state for something that minor to affect it so disastrously.

time to upgrade to modern technology

 

[LeslieAnn]

Sounds like an issue with the port on your phone if it already messed with the car.
Though, honestly, something else was in play there since a lighter socket shouldn't be capable of flowing enough juice, especially from a cell phone, to blow out the cars electronics. The phone doesn't have enough juice and there is a fuse that should have protected you.

I'm willing to bet the car charger you have is actually at fault for everything.


As for the computer, it shut down to avoid damage.
While I don't recommend it, on a good computer power supply, you can short the 12v and negative wires and it will simply power off and have no damage. DON'T TRY IT. If you have a good power supply, it will turn off, if you have a cheap one, you might see some smoke and damage parts. Just another reason to buy a good power supply.

The same happens with USB ports, they are semi-smart in this regard, at the first sign of trouble, they shut down. Sometimes it can trigger a blue screen when it happens because windows lost control of the port and freaks out.


Basically, my guess is the charger damaged the phone and the car, and the damaged phone triggered the computer panic.

 

[ehoser]

The car problem was about 9 years ago with a "dumb" phone. I don't even have a car charger for the Android OV. I was just worried that the same could happen if the car usb charger fell out. The good news is that the usb connector takes a fair amount of force to pull out.

BTW, is the Motorola car charge a good one?

 

[LeslieAnn]

I buy my chargers from Ebay for a few bucks. They all come from China one way or another.

I just got one the other day, it's a cig. lighter with a usb port. That way it can charge anything that is USB. Honestly, that is the best way you can go.
This is the latest one I got, works well.
Mini Car Cigarette Lighter to USB Charger Adapter f MP3 | eBay

If you do, order from a US supplier. Yes, it's a Chinese part, and you will pay a dollar more, but stuff being imported can spend 2 weeks in customs. I have had parts take anywhere from a month to to 5 days to get here.

 

[ehoser]

Thanks. I'm such a newbie at this it's nice to hear the voice of experience.

 

[crickie]

If your phone is new but your car & computer isn't you may have a power incompatibility issue. My phone is a first version OV. ( a novatec model ) my car is a 1966 Rambler station wagon. It has a cigarette lighter but not a proper power outlet for my cell. (YES there is a difference so DON't plug your cell into the lighter outlet). the power needs for one isn't the same as the other in MOST cars. Your computer, depending on it's age & make, may also be having a similar issue. A regular desktop running @ 1.8 mhz is different than a gaming console running @ 2.2 mhz or better. Both may charge you phone but guess which one will heat up the battery while doing it?! Other factors get involved here too. Have proper surge protection on your power? Homes suffer small surges all the time. not enough cause problems for the home, but your electronics notice. These little differences, when unrecognized, over time can cause death to small electronics. I want to thank my father-in-law for this info. He's a retired electrician.

 

[LeslieAnn]

Sorry, but I'm not quite buying that one.

Your phone should not be sending any power back to the car, and there is certainly no signal being transferred. The usb signal wires do not connect to anything. Yes, it could send some feedback maybe, but that is an awfully lot of wires to go through before you hit the computer, all tangled in a mess that would remove most of it, if not all of it.

Could there be a car out there with some weird issue, of course, but for the most part, I'm not buying it. People have been running computers, charging cell phones, radar detectors, flashlights, you name it, all from the cigarette lighter for decades.

Yes, there is a difference in frequency, but enough to damage the car? Doubtfull.