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Someone in a different post mentioned the risk of fire/battery bulging if you leave your device plugged in like that. Is that a legitimate risk? I assumed that

by rendaw 4y ago

Someone in a different post mentioned the risk of fire/battery bulging if you leave your device plugged in like that. Is that a legitimate risk? I assumed that (while not great for battery life) there's some circuitry that's making sure it's not charging a whole lot.

Semaphor 4y ago
Never thought of that, I’d assume/hope it has protective circuits… It’s been on there for close to 2 years with no issues.
- zxter 4y ago
  You can use a plug with timer or even a smart plug that device itself turns on and off when battery level reaches certain levels.
  - Semaphor 4y ago
    Not sure how great constant charging and recharging would be either ;)
  - Fnoord 4y ago
    Chargie [1] allows this for USB-A. It could be controlled via an Android app. My problem with repurposing an old Android device is the security issues. Firmware doesn't get updated anymore. An alternative OS like LineageOS or PostmarketOS takes care of most of the software issues, but not the firmware itself. Another issue is that the battery is going to be years old, and on 'recent old' Android devices its much more difficult to remove the battery. [1] https://chargie.org https://chargie.org
beagle3 4y ago
modern devices often keep the battery at 80% level if charged for a long time, for this reason. (they say "to extend battery life" in notifications, and that might also be a side effect, but AFAIK the primary reason is to reduce the probability of bulging. But many/most of these older devices discuss, do not - and my personal anecdote is that of the tens of phones+laptops I have owned myself and managed for family through the years - there were 4 cases of bulging: 3 were constantly-charging devices (as in, 3-5 years with hardly any time not charging), and one that was dropped from height and bulged immediately.
- tjoff 4y ago
  Never heard or seen anything like that at all. The fact that you are not even given an option despite decades of "this really is one of the most important things to billions of devices" makes me a bit hesitant to believe it.
- mook 4y ago
  Hmm, since this is Android, would a rooted phone running AccA† to limit maximum charge work? † https://github.com/MatteCarra/AccA/ https://github.com/MatteCarra/AccA/
neurostimulant 4y ago
Maybe use a dummy battery? I use one for my 4g wifi modem. The battery got swollen so I replaced it with a dummy that connect directly to a USB charger.

by rendaw 4y ago

Semaphor 4y ago

Never thought of that, I’d assume/hope it has protective circuits… It’s been on there for close to 2 years with no issues.

zxter 4y ago
You can use a plug with timer or even a smart plug that device itself turns on and off when battery level reaches certain levels.
- Semaphor 4y ago
  Not sure how great constant charging and recharging would be either ;)
- Fnoord 4y ago
  Chargie [1] allows this for USB-A. It could be controlled via an Android app. My problem with repurposing an old Android device is the security issues. Firmware doesn't get updated anymore. An alternative OS like LineageOS or PostmarketOS takes care of most of the software issues, but not the firmware itself. Another issue is that the battery is going to be years old, and on 'recent old' Android devices its much more difficult to remove the battery. [1] https://chargie.org https://chargie.org

beagle3 4y ago

modern devices often keep the battery at 80% level if charged for a long time, for this reason. (they say "to extend battery life" in notifications, and that might also be a side effect, but AFAIK the primary reason is to reduce the probability of bulging. But many/most of these older devices discuss, do not - and my personal anecdote is that of the tens of phones+laptops I have owned myself and managed for family through the years - there were 4 cases of bulging: 3 were constantly-charging devices (as in, 3-5 years with hardly any time not charging), and one that was dropped from height and bulged immediately.

tjoff 4y ago
Never heard or seen anything like that at all. The fact that you are not even given an option despite decades of "this really is one of the most important things to billions of devices" makes me a bit hesitant to believe it.
mook 4y ago
Hmm, since this is Android, would a rooted phone running AccA† to limit maximum charge work? † https://github.com/MatteCarra/AccA/ https://github.com/MatteCarra/AccA/

neurostimulant 4y ago

Maybe use a dummy battery? I use one for my 4g wifi modem. The battery got swollen so I replaced it with a dummy that connect directly to a USB charger.