Ever wondered about how well this new MagSafe feature on MacBook Pros is? Well, at least one of them has over-heated and melted.

See the pics here: http://wiredblogs.tripod.com/cultofmac/index.blog?entry_id=1437672

Apple freaked out about it so quickly that they got in touch with the owner of the affected laptop and asked him to take down web-shots of the melted connector...in return for their prompt replacement of the MacBook Pro.

Hmmm...kinda makes ya wonder if they're worried about similar woes that used to cause Apple power bricks catch fire a few years back.

I don't believe that was caused by overheating. I have a MacBook Pro and the power connector and surrounding area don't get hot or even warm. This is abviously a short of some sort, possibly caused by a conducting liquid or material getting into the connector.

And no, I've never wondered about how safe the MagSafe connector is, other than how it is going to possibly save me money from having to repair my notebook or replace my power adapter because somebody trips over it.

other forums and discussion have shown other pics of the cord and it was also mentioned that the owner had a cat that hung around the MBP. my guess as was others was that the cat urinated on it and caused the melt down.

This has already been discussed at great length in another thread featuring the same pictures. No need to go over it again.
Pavmentsurfer

You know who is to blame for this? Stephen Harper! That's who!

All this cover up just reeks of Conservative Propganda!

Stephan Harper toasted my MacBook Pro!

You know who is to blame for this? Stephen Harper! That's who!

All this cover up just reeks of Conservative Propganda!

Stephan Harper toasted my MacBook Pro!

hmm...you may be on to something there.

For the record the plug on my MBP is cool as can be. I don't have a cat either so I should be safe! :D

Steve Jobs=Dog person :lmao:

Seriously though, even if there is a fault with the power adapters, I don't think the magnet is the problem; a magnet is not going to cause it to spontaneously combust...that makes no sense.

Either its a widespread flaw in the connecting pins (not the magnet) or its a single person who had some bad luck (your mobo fries, or your adapter shorts out---same thing, its just a failure).

Happened today with a Macbook Pro. We have 2 here. One has no problems. The other one just fried both sides ! Over night ! See pictures here: http://www.musiclicensing.net/mbp.htm

Ive had 1 of them melt on me. But It didn't damage the mac. Same thing happend to a friend of mine in the same place (on the cord about a cm or two before the magnet)

I too have friends that have run into this. The MacBook Air has a modified connector with more insulation around the connector, and its a stiff bend to prevent fraying

Has anyone ever had the problem of the actual adaptor part overheating? I've never had any problems with the connection at the computer end, but the adaptor seems to get so hot that it will stop working leaving my laptop powerless until it cools down and works again.

Try another outlet perhaps?

My mom's adapter would get scorching hot. I plugged it into a different outlet and it didn't get nearly as hot... though still quite warm to the touch.

Has anyone ever had the problem of the actual adaptor part overheating? I've never had any problems with the connection at the computer end, but the adaptor seems to get so hot that it will stop working leaving my laptop powerless until it cools down and works again.

I take it you have a macbook pro 15" or 17" right? Make sure you are not using the 65w magsafe.. the macbook pro should be using a 85w magsafe. Although, from what it's been said, the 65w magsafe will only either charge, or power up the macbook pro (not 13")

mine does get pretty warm when charging AND using the computer...

I wouldn't worry for a second about this happening as mine is always stone cold.
You people that have power adapters heating up really need to UNPLUG, or re-route a few items, yeesh!:eek:

I read some ware that because of issues Apple has redesigned the power adapters slightly so they don't over heat.

Sounds defective. I'd replace it.

One thing about these Magsafe connectors. Some people think they can now just yank it out by the cord and continually do so. The magsafe connector was not designed for this - its only purpose it to prevent you from yanking your laptop onto the floor if you snag the cable walking by.

I wouldn't worry for a second about this happening as mine is always stone cold.
You people that have power adapters heating up really need to UNPLUG, or re-route a few items, yeesh!:eek:

How's that? My power adapter gets warm; on the verge of hot. What does that have to do with re-routing or unplugging? When it needs to be plugged in, it needs to be plugged in. BTW - I am on power supply number 3 at this point. One failed, one had cable issues. This one gets hot but is still working.

i agree .. it sounds like there is a short in the cable and looks that way too, atleast in the pics i saw

How's that? My power adapter gets warm; on the verge of hot. What does that have to do with re-routing or unplugging? When it needs to be plugged in, it needs to be plugged in. BTW - I am on power supply number 3 at this point. One failed, one had cable issues. This one gets hot but is still working.

Your power adapter needs to be plugged in, sure, but it is guaranteed to heat up if, like some people, you have 5 or 6+ electrical items all drawing from one electrical outlet and one breaker switch. This is dangerous with most electrical items, and should be avoided.
Also, the two power adapter failures I have seen stemmed directly from this sort of problem, so it certainly is worth mentioning, I think.

Has anyone ever had the problem of the actual adaptor part overheating? I've never had any problems with the connection at the computer end, but the adaptor seems to get so hot that it will stop working leaving my laptop powerless until it cools down and works again.

Sounds like a soldering issue? Actually I am not aware of the exact construction of the power supply, but this sounds more along the line of your wiring inside the brick has overheated and has damaged the solder etc.

Try another outlet perhaps?

My mom's adapter would get scorching hot. I plugged it into a different outlet and it didn't get nearly as hot... though still quite warm to the touch.

Voltage irregularities?

I wouldn't worry for a second about this happening as mine is always stone cold.
You people that have power adapters heating up really need to UNPLUG, or re-route a few items, yeesh!:eek:

Even in conditions where the power supply is plugged into an outlet with nothing else on the circuit, my power supply can get very hot, especially if charging and running more cpu intensive tasks.

Your power adapter needs to be plugged in, sure, but it is guaranteed to heat up if, like some people, you have 5 or 6+ electrical items all drawing from one electrical outlet and one breaker switch. This is dangerous with most electrical items, and should be avoided.
Also, the two power adapter failures I have seen stemmed directly from this sort of problem, so it certainly is worth mentioning, I think.

I dont think you know what your talking about. You can have as many things plugged in as long as nothing is overloaded. You can have up to 8 (depending on location, and code) devices, each device has 2 outlets, so without any powerbars or cube taps you could have 16 devices plugged in. As long as the total of all the devices is at or under the capacity of all the devices in the circuit everything is safe.

The only time having lots of stuff plugged in is when extension cords come into play. Lots of extension cords are only rated for 5-10a, while your household wiring is only rated for 15a (or 20a in newer kitchens). This can cause the extension cords to heat up or melt and cause a fire. As for the wiring in your house, assuming everything is up to code there shouldn't be any problems, and if anything goes wrong the breaker should trip.

Your power adapter needs to be plugged in, sure, but it is guaranteed to heat up if, like some people, you have 5 or 6+ electrical items all drawing from one electrical outlet and one breaker switch. This is dangerous with most electrical items, and should be avoided.
Also, the two power adapter failures I have seen stemmed directly from this sort of problem, so it certainly is worth mentioning, I think.

Thanks for clarifying. Didn't really know what you meant. I usually have only my power supply plugged into an outlet but that outlet is on a circuit occupied by other devices (outlets, lights, etc.). You can't really avoid that. I can say that my power supply heats up just as much when it is fully isolated as well. I am in the process of wiring my cottage basement and can say without a doubt that my power supply has been the only item on a circuit going straight back to the panel. What I'm saying is that the adapter is going to heat up; it's totally natural.

It sure can be.

All electrical devices DEMAND power ... they don't ask politely. Hook up a device that needs x amount of power and the source of that power can only deliver 1/2x, it's the 1/2x that loses the battle. The device is drawing it's "x" no matter what, ready or not.

The breakers in your home do not, as most people assume, somehow "measure" electricity. The breaker has no clue how much power is actually going through the line it's protecting.

What they measure is how hot the line is. There is a safe amount of heat, because all electrical loads heat up all the wire in your home that supplies electricity, and there is unsafe amounts of heat.

Any part of that supply can be unable to deliver the load it's asked to deliver. If that's the case, it will heat up beyond safe levels ... not sometimes ... every time.

If the power cord has been damaged, even invisible damage to the naked eye, it will heat up. If the demand is sufficiently higher than it can supply, it will light on fire. Not sometimes ... every time.

A certain amount of heat is normal ... as I said, electricity running through a wire always adds some heat to that wire. If any part of your MacBook or MBP power adapter or power cable becomes abnormally hot then stop using it and get a new one.

it may be defective, it may be broken, it may be damaged. It may appear to be just fine, but the Gold Standard here is "does it get hotter than it should". Nothing else matters.

What it won't be, however, is defying the laws of physics just for little old you. Fire is inevitable at some point.