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Samsung Galaxy S7's Moisture Warning Prevents Charging When Wet (hothardware.com)
MojoKid writes: The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge don't officially launch for a few more days, but some carriers appear to have shipped pre-orders early and some phones are already in consumers' hands. One early Galaxy S7 Edge owner appears to have tested his phones' water-resistance already and uncovered another new feature in the process. The user submerged his Galaxy S7 Edge in water and snapped a photo, then about four hours later plugged the phone into its fast charger and a warning popped-up on screen that stated, "Moisture detected in charging port", and the phone wouldn't charge. The user dried the phone and let it sit for a while, and it eventually started to charge again, but it wouldn't quick charge any longer. Frustrated, the user RMA'd the phone and plans to send it back to T-Mobile. The Galaxy S7 is IP68 rated, which means it is sealed against dust and can handle continuous submersion in up to 1 meter of water. However, the water detection feature that's apparently built into the Galaxy S7 is a good idea. Though the devices are IP68 rated, a few drops of water in the charging port could easily cause a short when the phone is plugged in.
So it would never quick charge again or it just wouldn't in the short amount of time the user tested it within, which really isn't stated. For all we know this could have been solved by turning if off and on again and it's something a software/firmware patch can fix.
Indeed.
He could have asked technical support "Hey guys, everything is cool, but can you take a look if you can make the quick charge work again? It's just a nice feature to have and the phone happens to still be under warranty. Thanks!"
Instead, he got frustrated and returned the phone and plan.
First world problems...
While water around the connector may be harder to remove and may take longer to evaporate, the S7 also features wireless charging so you can still charge it.
The USB charging port is only 5V, and the resistance of water, even salt water, is high enough that it shouldn't disturb the charging process.
It's less than 0.3 ohms per metre for salt water. How far apart are the +5V and GND pins on a micro USB socket ?
False, plus there is nothing that Samsung can do to prevent electrolysis. This (letting the ports dry before connecting headphones or charger) is probably addressed in the documentation that comes with the phone - I'll find out on Tuesday. If it isn't mentioned in a quick start guide, it sure as hell should be.
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Came here to read/make this comment. Apparantly Sony are dropping the mag port. USB sockets are fragile as fuck, and anyone who puts a mag port or some other alternative method of charging that obviates the need to use the usb port a few thousand times over the life of the device (when they only last a few hundred) gets my money.
Devices that rely on covers to be waterproof don't work too well when the covers get dust in them and the seal doesn't work, or the cover gets knocked loose while submerged.
Like the micro usb and 3.5mm jack sockets on Kyocera phones, with their rubber covers. Don't drop your DuraForce phone in water if you have your headphones plugged in. It's not waterproof unless all covers are properly sealed.
To ensure that your phone maintains waterproof capability, the following precautions must be observed.
Make sure the charger/USB port and headset jack covers and battery door are properly seated, with no foreign objects obstructing the seals
Your phone is inoperable under water and should be dried as quickly as possible when wet.
Do not use the charger/USB port for charging, data transmission, etc. until the phone is completely dry.
Do not use the headset jack to plug in an accessory until the phone is completely dry.
Indeed. Ever read the fine print on a radiator core replacement warranty? It's usually something about "warranty doesn't apply to electrolytic corrosion in the presence of 50 milliamps or greater".
That's right. Try this test - unscrew the radiator cap, start the car, get out your multimeter, set it to a milliamp range up to 200 mA, put one probe in the coolant, and the other on the engine block. I had a warranty knockback on a replacement core because it developed pinholes within 6 months. I researched it, tested the amount of current, and went back to the installer. He got the deer-in-the-headlights look when I asked him if he had tested the current. It took a bit of arguing, but I got it all sorted.
They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
Passing a current through water, even when current limited (quick charging can deliver 12V and 1.5A I think, so that's 18W you want to dissipate as heat in the connector?) is going to split the water in to hydrogen and oxygen, quickly oxidating your connectors in the process.
Electrolysis. Admittedly it would be a small effect at 5V but it wouldn't take long to damage the insides of something as small as a USB connector. Also remember that the distance between pins on the USB cable is 0.25mm meaning you don't need very many ohm meters of liquid resistance to have almost a short circuit given the tight distances and size of conductors.
But it's the electrochemical process which will kill it. Within a USB connector the phone should have no problem accepting a short between the 5V, D+ or D- pins, and the charger should have a current limiter which prevents issues with a short between 5V and GND.
Samsung has drop-in support centers where you can talk to a technician and ask them to look at a phone while you wait?
Why not, they copy Apple in every other way.
One of the most compelling reasons I bought an S7 (don't have it yet... Verizon says by the 10th of March) is the wireless charging.
I'm having trouble understanding why you would plug a cable into the phone unless you had no other choice. Wireless is slower, but... so many advantages. So convenient. So easy to pick up and walk away with wireless charging, or conversely, to sit down and place on the charger. So much less wear on the device:
I have a Canon 6D... USB port now unreliable; a transcend card reader... USB port now unreliable; I've been though two Gear watch charger cradles, on my third now, as on both of the first two cradles, the USB ports became unreliable. USB is such a lowball connector standard, and the connectors are often mounted such that physically speaking, they aren't very robust. My Note III's charging port is getting flaky too. Normally a failure like that would make me look askance at the manufacturer, but it seems pretty clear to me that no one has really nailed down a reliable data/charge connector for plug-and-unplug service one or more times a day for years at a time. Wireless, though... oh yeah.
Well, different strokes and all that. If ya gotta plug... Sure am looking forward to the S7. Delighted they put card storage back in it. That kept me from buying a new phone from them for a while. Hoping for some more CPU ooomph, too, as compared to my Note III. The specs say I'll get it. I hope that turns out to the case in real-world applications.
Don't plan to either plug it into anything, or drop it in the water either. Even just to see. I know, I'm just no fun at all. :)
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