Fire on board! Well nearly. USB C cable.

[Thresher]

I was well offshore when I smelt burning and faint smoke in the cabin. Turned everything upside down and was ready with the fire extinguisher, I couldn't find it and it eventually went away. In the evening I found my usb c cable melted to the side wall fabric covering. I bought it in Ale-Hop but people on t'internet say that it doesn't have to be Chinese rubbish for this to happen.

 

[lustyd]

Plenty of examples of Apple lightning cables on fire on the Internet, and they're some of the most expensive cables money can buy. It doesn't take a lot, dirt, corrosion or internal damage can all cause this sort of thing. The scary part is that sometimes it happens next to the phone which has a lithium battery inside. Unrelated but I feel compelled to post this video of a dog biting a portable USB battery charger and burning it's owners house down

 

[penberth3]

I was well offshore when I smelt burning and faint smoke in the cabin. Turned everything upside down and was ready with the fire extinguisher, I couldn't find it and it eventually went away. In the evening I found my usb c cable melted to the side wall fabric covering. I bought it in Ale-Hop but people on t'internet say that it doesn't have to be Chinese rubbish for this to happen.

It does "look" like a good quality cable. Not one of the moulded things you get thrown in with various gadgets. A good idea to run your fingers over things occasionally, see if anything's hot.

 

[Refueler]

I still restrict my USB cable power .... despite C cables saying they can handle high charge rates ...

Only time I go above 2A via USB is when the item powered cannot be powered at such level ... luckily not many.

 

[wingcommander]

I recently had similar, Samsung phone plugged into USB charger, few moments later the unmistakable electrical burning smell .Followed by several minutes of panic searching, only to find a very warm phone which was not accepting a charge.
Was single handed across Liverpool Bay at the time , and thought myself very lucky to have discovered before anything more serious happening. I now won't leave the boat unattended with any unnecessary items on charge.

 

[lustyd]

Only time I go above 2A v

They generally only go up to 3A anyway, it's the voltage that changes to give extra power so usually on a boat you're limited to 12Vx3A regardless of product support for more than 36A. There is a spec for 5A 100W charging but that would need a different (thicker) cable.

 

[Refueler]

I recently had similar, Samsung phone plugged into USB charger, few moments later the unmistakable electrical burning smell .Followed by several minutes of panic searching, only to find a very warm phone which was not accepting a charge.
Was single handed across Liverpool Bay at the time , and thought myself very lucky to have discovered before anything more serious happening. I now won't leave the boat unattended with any unnecessary items on charge.

Not so long ago - Samsung had a recall on various of their phones because of the batterys - it also led to airlines tightening rules on them.