Allreli cables are a fire hazard
This morning, I was at the right place at the right time. An Allreli USB Lightning cable attached to my iPad Pro ignited and dispensed a plume of chemical laced smoke. Fortunately, I immediately unplugged the cable from my iPad, thereby avoiding any damage to the unit (or potentially my house!). The iPad Pro was at 100% charge. The cable itself was plugged into a smartD USB hub, which has never given me any trouble before.
Here’s a few photos of the cable damage, which occurred where the cable meets the Lightning connector.
Based on this harrowing experience, I cannot recommend the Allreli USB to Lightning cable anymore.
-Krishna
t3rminus
August 7, 2016 at 3:49 amI’ve had a similar experience with an unlabelled Chinese cable. This one smouldered *in my bed* for several hours before I caught it. My sheets and mattress have streaky burns, and it could have led to a serious fire, or severe injury.
I only caught it because I nearly burned myself as I got into bed to go to sleep. God only knows what might have happened if I had missed it.
As far as I can tell, a lot of 3rd party lightning cables are designed for *iPhone Only*, and are unable to handle the higher current that iPads charge with.
Lesson learned: only buy 100% approved MFI-certified cables from reputable vendors.
t3rminus
August 7, 2016 at 4:07 amTweet with a photo of the aftermath: https://twitter.com/t3rminus/status/622915958605115392
A short in the connector circuitry in the cable’s tip (yes, it’s not just wire, there’s a minuscule circuit in there, for connector logic and pin negotiation), caused the cable to start heating up, and catch fire.