Will charging your phone using a power strip's USB port damage it?

Recently, a netizen asked, "The current power strips with USB charging function have a charging current of 1A-2.1A, but can it cause damage to mobile phones with a current lower than 1A-2.1A ?"

Nowadays, the popularity of smart phones has also made USB interfaces unified. Not only mobile phones, but also many devices use USB interfaces as interfaces to connect chargers. The unification of USB interfaces has also led to another tool for life, that is, USB sockets. The function of charging mobile phones and other devices without a charger greatly facilitates users. However, during the use of USB sockets, users always have a little distrust of USB sockets. So will USB charging sockets damage mobile phones ?

Mainstream mobile phones on the market now often have built-in power management chips inside the phones , which monitor the voltage and current levels of the charging device . If the input voltage or input current is too high or too low, the system will automatically report an error. If the current and voltage fluctuate within the acceptable range for the mobile phone, the battery loss will not be too high for the mobile phone battery.

However, the loss of rated capacity of mobile phone batteries is not only due to charging of the mobile phone. The loss of mobile phone battery capacity can be roughly divided into internal reasons and external factors .

Long-term use of batteries will cause internal electrode aging, electrolyte decomposition and oxidation, and diaphragm damage, resulting in a decrease in the rated capacity of mobile phone batteries. External factors are that during rapid charging and discharging, the current density is too large and the negative electrode is severely polarized. Another reason is that the battery operating temperature will affect the stability of the organic electrolyte, as well as long-term deep charging and discharging, as well as external vibrations and collisions. These reasons combined ultimately lead to an overall decrease in the rated capacity of the battery.

Compared with the above points, the loss of rated battery capacity caused by charging the mobile phone becomes less important . Although it will still cause loss, it is not as serious as rumored. So you still have to use it. No matter how well you maintain the battery, the capacity will decrease in about a year. The difference is that the capacity may decrease by 5% if it is well maintained, and by 7% if it is not well maintained. After all, the aging of internal battery components is inevitable.

It is also worth mentioning that users are advised not to use devices that mix high and low current . Although these devices can pass common safety standards and are legal products for sale, damage to either the high or low current part will affect the other part.

Because the USB power supply module must occupy a large enough space in the power strip to accommodate the two USB AC-DC conversion circuits, and since the power strip panel itself has a small space, these extra things will inevitably occupy the space behind the panel, which can easily affect the reliability of the strong power connection. If this space is not occupied, the power of the USB power port must be limited.

And because the service life of the USB port is much shorter than that of the AC power plug, both the plug-in life and the power-on life will cause the USB port to basically be damaged earlier than the AC power, and the USB port is more likely to get wet . These problems will cause the USB socket to cause unspeakable reaction damage between weak electricity and strong electricity, causing damage and triggering various accidents of varying sizes.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.