Order of operation when connecting charger to Onewheel

[r1alvin]

Hey Onewheel engineering!

Manual states: Connect the charger to an “AC” supply and then to the Onewheel charging port.

What if I have the charger connected to the board and THEN I plug it into the wall? Is this not recommended for any specific reason?

Reason I ask, is because I want to use a wifi app controlled outlet to connect my charger to the wall so I dont have to keep plugging and unplugging the charger. Thanks!

[kbman]

@r1alvin i always plug into my board and then into the wall because I noticed the aggressive arc that occurs when I plug into the wall then my board. my father makes batteries for the us government and knows metal chemistry well. He suggests the same procedure. The charger will be fine either way. The metal at the terminals on the XLR connection points is thin enough to potentially wear out before the battery. slim chance but we are invested nerds and preserving any physical part is a plain old good idea.
As to why they suggest the opposite in the manual, simply overlooked theory by FM. Logically it would seem linear but considering techy techy tech, I do this.

[thegreck]

Yeah, it's weird that the manual suggests that order, as it causes a spark when you plug it into your Onewheel. There was a thread a while back discussing that's it's better to do Onewheel then wall:
https://archive.owforum.co.uk/topic/828/charger-sparks-fix

[r1alvin]

Thanks for the input! I, too, noticed the spark when plugged into the wall and then inserting the connector to the board. I've been getting really tired of plugging and unplugging the charger in the wall, so this app controlled wall outlet is AWESOME! Definitely don't want to leave the charger turned on, so this switch is perfect. I'm using the Belkin WEMO switch and their free app,,,

[mrb]

the power brick will produce higher voltage and inrush current for a moment when first plugged into the wall.

this isn't a concern with a device like Onewheel and most other modern electronics because of internal ic controlled voltage regulators.

the arcing will wear the terminals but this is also negligible.