My solar phone charger started smoking when I aimed a magnifying glass at it for 'more power'

I figured if sunlight charges it, then concentrated sunlight would charge it faster, but I learned in about 4 seconds that melting a plastic USB port and filling my driveway with acrid smoke is not the same as supercharging, has anyone else tried boosting their solar panels with lenses and regretted it immediately?

2 comments

2 Comments

elliotc104d agoMost Upvoted

My buddy actually did the same thing with a magnifying glass on his phone case last summer, and it warped the plastic bad enough that he couldn't get the battery out for like 20 minutes. It's funny how we all have that instinct to push things harder when they already work, like putting winter tires on in a snowstorm thinking they'll make you drive faster. Same reason people crank their home AC to 60 degrees when it's 95 outside, the system just chokes and breaks instead of working better. There's this whole pattern where more input doesn't mean better output, whether it's solar panels, your car's gas pedal, or even how long you study for a test. Sometimes the fastest way is slowing down and letting the thing do what it was built to do.

margaret_bennett34d ago

Isn't that just the definition of diminishing returns though?