On Mon, 30 Nov 2015 17:02:46 -0000 (UTC), "Danny D."
wrote:

I would just like some advice since I melted a USB cable today
and I realized I don't have the proper troubleshooting skills.

I bought over a half-dozen "Hype Volt" 6.8Amp USB chargers for
stuffing the Christmas stockings:
https://i.imgur.com/Zavgm4B.jpg

It seems to have melted some plastic or rubber.

Can you still use the cable?

Isn't the better goal to be figuring out why it overheated so maybe
you can continue to ucse the charger, if possible?

Maybe there was a bad connection at that USB connector. Bad
connections generate heat, though in practice , I've only seen that at
a plug/receptacle connection for a 1100 watt room heater (where a
40-year old receptacle made the plug so hot the hard-rubber plug
caught on fire) and a car battery/battery cable junction that was
powering a whole car (minus the alternator, which should have been
plenty so that's confusing) which was hot to the touch and that's how
I realized it was loose.

I can't really imagine this happening on 5 volts, but then again, it
did. I think it was a bad connection even though the amperage was
within range.

I don't think a good connection would generate any noticeable heat
even if it was putting out twice the proper amperage.

I kept one for myself, but, when I used it last night on an iPad
and on an Android phone, the iPad lightning cable melted!

When I pulled it off the iPad, it was noticeably extremely hot,
but it doesn't seem to have damaged the iPad (AFAIK).

So, I'm just wondering what happened, and, more importantly, when
I look at the specs for this device, they don't make sense to me,
so, I have difficulty troubleshooting what the problem is/was.

Here are all the specs off the package and off the device:
DGL Group Ltd. Hype Volt HV-6PT
Model: HC363-5U (also listed as HV-6PT-WHT)
Input: AC 110VAC/60Hz - 220VAC/50Hz (800mA max)
Output: DC 5V, 6.8A total
Maximum Power: 40W
Supercharge: maximum
Universal: 5V@1A maximum

Description:
http://www.amazon.com/Hype-Compact-A.../dp/B00T3FQBHO
http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/hype-vol.../6000193376994

My questions are varied, because I don't understand how it works,
nor how it could have overheated the cable to the tablet.

Here's what it says on the package:
"Smart USB Technology: This adapter automatically adjusts power
output to fit your charging device. Tablets and e-readers require
2 Amp charging, and this adapter will reroute power to the
appropriate USB port you use."

"Charging Combinations:
- 2 tablets + 3 mobile devices
- 1 tablet + 4 mobile devices
- 5 mobile devices
- 3 tablets"

I am confused about both the pure math and how this operates.

Q1: Since 6.8A times 5VDC is only 34Watts (not 40 Watts), how
can they very clearly label it as a 40Watt device?

Q2: How does the device "know" to give tablets 2.4 Amps
(12 Watts) but a "mobile device" only 1Amp (5 Watts).

Q3: What if a mobile device "wants" more than 1 amp?
Does the charger give more than 1A to the device?