As a bit of a PSA - you might want to ensure you're rather careful with Valve's new Steam Controller charging Puck. Keep anything conductive away from it.
There's a pretty big Reddit post that's appeared from user Toikka, who notes they accidentally left a metallic smartwatch strap laying around that went on top of the Steam Controller charging Puck and started "sizzling" that "Almost started a fire". Which…does not sound like something that's particularly safe. However, to be clear here, part of the issue is that this particular strap was attached to a watch that was actually on charge. So there was some cross-over happening here.
Picture the Redditor showed below:
I'm sure to some that this might seem like a "well, duh" moment. Don't leave things laying around chargers. Especially if they're also on charge. But, we're human, and humans can be pretty stupid or just generally clumsy. We also have children, pets and — you get the idea, accidents can definitely happen so this seems like something worth being clear about regardless.
As for overall safety - Valve are likely not the only hardware vendor to have this issue, as there's quite a few controllers out there that have a similar sort of charging pin system (like the 8BitDo Ultimate series).
Luckily, I still had the Steam Controller box and manual left here. So I dug into the manual, and Valve do actually have a small and pretty clear safety notice on this:
But, who actually reads this kind of small-print? My bet is only a very tiny minority of people, especially for something usually as simple as a game controller. Ideally, Valve should look to add a much more prominent warning (like in the Steam client) - just to be a bit more on the safe side.
I've emailed Valve to provide a comment on the safety of it and will update if they reply.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Quoting: tfkI had something like this happen to my PS4 dualshock controller when I put it in the microwave to dry after cleaning.that sounds like something straight from the chatgpt advice trove
[https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1675200/view/685254577766793783](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1675200/view/685254577766793783)
Address potential charge issue when controller is removed from charging puck.
Quoting: CaldathrasLong, long ago my girlfriend's dwarf bunny chewed partially through the monitor cable while I was using the computer. The screen went from full colour to shades of green. The rabbit survived. She changed his name to Merlin.Sound like Merlin is the one with nine lives.
Merlin liked to play with my brother's Siamese cat. He would sneak up behind the cat and bite its tail then run away, expecting to be chased.
Quoting: pbHappily, I'm not a big fan of AI. Don't worry friends, no Dualshock controllers were harmed creating previous post.Quoting: tfkI had something like this happen to my PS4 dualshock controller when I put it in the microwave to dry after cleaning.that sounds like something straight from the chatgpt advice trove
Quoting: Liam Squires-HandThat's worrying. I was taught this kind of thing at secondary school 40 years ago.Quoting: BumadarI think you vastly overestimate how many people understand that at all.But, who actually reads this kind of small-print? My bet is only a very tiny minority of people, especially for something usually as simple as a game controller. Ideally, Valve should look to add a much more prominent warning (like in the Steam client) - just to be a bit more on the safe side.Oh please, take responsibility, its magnetic, it has electricity......
ElectricPrism 6 hours ago
Philadelphus 5 hours ago
Quoting: apotatoIt still seems like a bit of an oversight from valve but maybe not as huge as it might look like. There's a bit more nuance to this story here.Oh, that's interesting. A comment there by the person who made the original post points out that the smartwatch was on an inductive charger. And that changes things a lot! I was assuming it was physically connected.
https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamController/comments/1tkelu6/psa_puck_is_not_an_immediate_fire_hazard_but/
Induction charging works because a varying electric field (from wires in the charger) induces a magnetic field, and a varying magnetic field in turn induces an electric field (Maxwell's equations!). If there's a physical circuit nearby such as in the device to be charged, that induced electric field drives a flow of electrons and thus a causes an electric current. It'll also cause an electric current in any other nearby electrically-conductive material that forms a cirtuit – like, say, a watchband made of tons of tiny metal loops. That's about the worst material you could think of for something that's going to be in close proximity to an inductive charger; no wonder it started shorting when it hit the puck pin. 😬
So what I said earlier about the watch charging not being consequential is probably false, but I was imagining it as being physically connected.
Quoting: ElectricPrismGuys, I was wondering, would it be okay to put my Steam Machine in the Bath with me? I also have the strong urge to lick the puck.I suppose next you'll want to see where it fits...
Quoting: apotatoIt still seems like a bit of an oversight from valve but maybe not as huge as it might look like. There's a bit more nuance to this story here.Also looks like everyone is ignoring the fact that his watch was also charging at the time so perhaps the short came from that carger when the metal strap created a bridge between ground on the puck and the watch-charger.
https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamController/comments/1tkelu6/psa_puck_is_not_an_immediate_fire_hazard_but/
Reading these comments gave me an old memory as a kid when my grandma use to stick old batteries in the oven, which would give them a little more charge
The only practical way to completely get rid of that (galvanic isolation) is to use a transformer. But that adds a lot of bulk & weight to a charger, and it's less efficient.
Anyway, these two devices got connected together, and a leakage current flowed through. Most likely from GND to GND. Here, the puck is at fault (but so is the other device, and most chargers don't do it either): it probably limits current from VDD to GND, but not through GND.
I don't think a software update alone can fix this. It's also not worth recalling the devices, in my opinion. This probably wasn't a fire hazard, worst case the puck would have become a melted blob.
Should they improve it in a future HW revision? Definitely. Is this cause for concern? Not really, but still useful to follow the recommended good practice of not leaving it near metallic objects.
I also agree that a better (safer) design would have used recessed pins.
ElectricPrism 2 hours ago
Quoting: PhlebiacIt's only logical that I fit my Steam Machine inside my dish washer where I keep all the steam.Quoting: ElectricPrismGuys, I was wondering, would it be okay to put my Steam Machine in the Bath with me? I also have the strong urge to lick the puck.I suppose next you'll want to see where it fits...
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