Delete comment from: Ken Shirriff's blog
" The complex sequence of steps provides more safety than a typical charger. "
I just thought I'd point out that this "added safety" is only necessary because the MagSafe connector is fundamentally unsafe, what with the power pins being directly exposed and adjacent to ground. I'd always assumed they used induction to transfer power, but seeing they just use flush-mounted pogo pins kind of scares me. Justifiably, if all that scorching is any indication.
A barrel connector like most laptop chargers use is far safer mechanically, and doesn't NEED connector-side logic to keep it from arcing and spitting or shorting voltage to ground and starting a fire. They were designed to be safe without the use of logic, even if they don't pop away cleanly when you trip on the cable(which was the "safe" that Apple marketed MagSafe as being).
Dec 25, 2016, 7:12:28 PM
Posted to Teardown and exploration of Apple's Magsafe connector