Don't buy cheap death-wish chargers

[@46I37]

I bought a ‘Genuine Apple Charger’ from an Australian ebay seller in Australia. I pulled it apart and was clearly a fake. Oh boy did ebay seller go ballistic when I called out the fake product with a negative review. Trouble is, I as an electronic manufacturer spend a small fortune on compliance, but authorities don’t care about unsafe overseas fakes.

[@laustinspeiss]

That’s the oddity… importers can bring in almost anything legally as long as it doesn’t crossthe copyright & patent laws, but they can sell *anything*. It’s up to the user to complain after they’re killed using it. Of course there’s no traceable path to the importer or manufacturer.

[@DavidMonro]

I had a weird one like that - Australian seller via ebay. Delta-branded 12V supply for LEDs. Didn't like the look of the label when I got it, didn't look quite right. Pulled it apart and it turned out to actually be a Lite-On PSU, with only about half the current capability. I think it was actually safe enough (proper anti-tracking etc), but as far as I can tell that lite-on model was never approved for Australia. I only use it for testing stuff, never leave it plugged in unattended.

[@46I37]

@@laustinspeiss Actually, in Australia they have to comply with RCM which covers EMC and Electrical Safety. Trouble is, Chinese will print whatever compliance marks you want without doing the testing, and most ebay importers are mums and dads in a garage who wouldn't have the faintest on their legal obligations.

[@man_eating_monkey]

@@DavidMonro I wouldn’t rank Lite-On any worse than Delta. Both are major Taiwanese electronic manufacturers. Apple actually contracts both Delta and Lite-On to manufacture their offical Apple-branded MacBook chargers.

[@lathiat]

Catch com au sells counterfeit apple stuff too all very clearly and prominently advertised as “genuine” but so clearly not when you get it. got a refund and reported to apple twice.

[@Treppiede]

0:47 That, ladies and gentlemen, is a genuine USB-A plugging experience. You aren't doing it right if you're successful in less than three attempts, as defined in the USB-A Consortium literature.

[@fahad_hassan_92]

Usually the empty side is supposed to be up, this shitty fake couldn't manage that

[@edherdman9973]

Understanding USB plug chirality is way beyond me.

[@micomator]

They exist in a quantum superstate,

[@markkinnon4866]

This brings back memories of working in a corporate environment where something like this was installed to supply USB power in some complex fancy smart whiteboard set up. They frequently went bang and the maintenance team had great fun dismantling everything to replace them with something more appropriate for the task :-)

[@MrKillswitch88]

The good old "furnace fights" when something breaks down, for me it was the shrink wrap machines at Coke.

[@Kalvinjj]

I can only imagine the face of the suits there in conference rooms when the fancy pretty smart whiteboard goes dumb whiteboard right in the middle of a presentation, then with no clue how to solve it they just look at each other and wonder who the heck paid for that

[@mySeaPrince_]

@@Kalvinjj and how much they pocketed..

[@wdavem]

@@Kalvinjj and what to do next...

[@kittytrail]

​@@wdavem what to do next is the easy part: blame everyone but themselves. 🤡👆

[@j0hnf_uk]

The irony is that, if the manufacturers of these products, 'splashed out', a fraction more on the cost of these things and made them up to standard, they'd still out-compete the OEM versions but avoid the reputation of making dodgy cheap and often dangerous alternatives. All for a h'appeth of tar.

[@Debbiebabe69]

Its a race to the bottom though. You could be in a situation that if you could wholesale the chargers for 98p you would sell 14.3 million, but if you upped your price to 99p you would only sell a few hundred - thats why manufacturers fighting for the bargain market skimp on EVERYTHING.....

[@peterg.8245]

What about Anker? They make decent chargers but sometimes you do get a bad component.

[@PainterVierax]

I don't buy no name chargers nor the phone brand ones. Both are crap in their own ways. The best in every corners are devices from companies like FSP who are longtime designers and regularly contractors for the big brands.

[@1mmickk]

You dont understand Chinese mentality. The first knock off is usually quite good, then they do the cost cutting exercise. No care, no responsibility in China, life is cheap.

[@PainterVierax]

@@1mmickk That's not a chinese mentality. Since ages, way before PRC entered the game, a lot of brands applied that to maximize profits.

[@tubastuff]

Ah, the "Madman Muntz" school of product engineering! Earl "Mad man" Muntz was an American entrepreneur back in the 1950s who sold bargain-priced TV sets. He'd start removing components from a set until it no longer worked, then add back the last-removed component and turn the result over to manufacturing. He was quite a character...

[@Strider9655]

Problem is that you can't trust any seller, any shop, to not be selling this same crap. We've lost technically intelligent people and companies now comprise primarily of unqualified office desk jockeys, who have no idea what they're retailing.

[@smee5437]

Well, if you want an Apple accessory, you can buy it directly from Apple.

[@Strider9655]

@@smee5437 If you want an Apple accessory, then i'm afraid there's just no hope for you :p

[@damionlee7658]

There also seems to be a lack of regulation enforcement. I cannot believe that CE marking is authentic, and there is so much stuff being sold online, and in many physical stores, that has all the safety quality of your average "Wish" purchase; and yet the problem only seems to be escalating. I recall when working for a retail company at the time the requirement for plugs to come pre-fitted on most consumer electrical devices was brought in. Our company had a full review of the requirements, an evaluation of all existing stock for compliance, and a comprehensive process to monitor all new product ranges for compliance. These days it really seems to me that nobody is remotely concerned with the regulations or whether the products they sell meet them.

[@cornholio.2110]

No one cares. Its a dollar in their pocket to pay rent.....

[@zacharytaylor8523]

@@damionlee7658 I always felt the CE marking was irrelevant to actual safety as basically everything has it including deathtrap electronics, I know the actual standards are suppose to be rigorous and on par with other standards but no one is bothering to check if shit actually complies when it's small quantities of stuff directly imported from China by end users. If you're unsure of a manufacturer you always have to look for some other testing lab's marking, whether it be TUV, UL, KC, CSA, etc. TUV, ETL and UL are particularly nice as often you can look up the model or manufacturer of something to see the actual certification.

[@NoobixCube]

There's really no excuse for this in British power supplies. Your plugs are so damn big there's always going to be ample room to do it right.

[@kwinzman]

The space is not the problem. The 99p end consumer price is! So minus the shop's margin and the shipping cost how much is the total budget to make the damn thing? You do so see that they left out as many components from the reference design as possible.

[@thomasneal9291]

@@kwinzman it's quite possible that the selling price of this item has little to do with its manufacturing cost. it is much more likely that it is just a loss dump.

[@MrGrimsmith]

This is actually a big bonus - makes it easier to wire them and easier to find. Of course, they do like to lie on their backs on the floor waiting for an unsuspecting foot. The first thing I noticed on the opening up though was that the earth pin went to nothing. They might as well have just been honest and made the thing out of plastic rather than metal.

[@steeviebops]

@@MrGrimsmith Apple themselves aren't much better. Take a MacBook charger and you'll see that the metal earth pin on the provided plug isn't connected to anything. If you run your fingers along the metal palm rest you'll feel a tingle because it's not earthed. Only the extension cables are properly earthed.

[@seraphina985]

@@MrGrimsmith Phone chargers generally don't have the earth pin connected so that is not the issue. That said such devices are required to be fully double insulated in order to meet any reasonable safety standards such as CE certification. This device would thus fail any certification testing in the European Union, which would potentially be a problem if someone were to actually bother enforcing the law at some point, it is about time someone woke up the sellers that are importing and selling these uncompliant items. Probably wont happen until someone with a high enough profile to attract serious media attention to the issue dies though.

[@DarkLink1108]

Strongly reminds me of a cheap phone charger my father in-law gave me to have a look because it failed. It was horribly cheap constructed and failed because a current limiting resistor got too hot and let out the magic smoke. I refused to repair that thing because upon further inspection it's a death trap similar to the one you had here. There was basically no gap between the primary and the secondary side. I can provide you a picture for giggles and shudders if you want.

[@kpanic23]

Yup, found out the hard way when I had my vape device plugged into a cheap Samsung-lookalike USB charger. I was just about to take a puff when the whole thing became live. I managed to throw it down and, after the initial shock had worn off, curiously measured the voltage of the USB cable to ground. Roughly 330V! I took it apart and yes, they didn't use a class-Y capacitor between primary and secondary, and the cheap standard cap had become a resistor.

[@tonyppe]

I understand why they say vaping is dangerous now :)

[@blueredbrick]

Vaping can be bad for your health 🤔that way

[@bonzaihb3432]

btw, just in case: in EU (certainly in DE) there will be quite some tax on any kind of vaping liquid shortly, like 200€ on a liter of base, no aroma nor nic added, that's on top... plus vat afaik. Time to bunker stuff...

[@guyh3403]

Your vaping device will get back to you in a few years...

[@daviddavidson2357]

@@bonzaihb3432 Just buy high concentration nicotine solution in PG or VG. Plenty of places sell it (in the UK) up to about 100mg/ml. It just isn't marked as "for vaping use" and therefore the EU TPD has no effect on it. Then you just buy some VG and flavour.

[@paulhall9811]

A couple of years ago the flat below us caught fire due to a cheap phone charger. Luckily everyone got out, even though most of the people in the other flats (10 in total) ignored the fire alarm (it was always going off). Ever since then I don't trust generic chargers or power supplies.

[@infernaldaedra]

Generally as long as a power supply has the appropriate ratings and certifications it should be trustworthy in theory.

[@willrobbinson1]

dodgy fire alarms r not good either if false alarms too freq , then people ignore

[@rogerborg]

Interesting if true. How are you privy to the details of what caused the fire? How cheap was the charger?

[@stephhhie17]

@@rogerborg Fire inspectors can usually figure out the source, if it's not obvious to a layperson (like if the tenant left the stove on and the kitchen is badly damaged sort of thing)

[@paulhall9811]

@@rogerborg Talking to the fire brigade after they put it out and the neighbor a couple of days later. It was a knockoff charger, the phone was plugged in overnight on a bedside table next to the curtains. It was a block of 10 studio flats with smoke detectors in the cooking areas. The alarms would go off 3-4 times a week. The fire started at about 8am, everyone though it was burning toast and were waiting for the alarm to be reset. It wasn't until a kid ran around to all the flats yelling that it was a fire before the building was cleared. The smoke in the hallway was terrible but the flats had good fire doors so the rooms were ok.

[@piconano]

These cheap chargers are everywhere. Even corner stores sell them. Thanks BC for educating people about these widow makers.

[@monad_tcp]

Someone should develop a 4KV portable tester for using in stores that sell those. Just like you teast a lamp before buying. You plug it in, it explodes , you know it was shit. That will teach those stupid vendors.

[@JenkinsUSA]

With due respect it’s a equal opportunity killer. ⚡️🔥

[@Ellie_Melloy]

2:35 I love the way the L and N go straight in uninsulated, either side of the metal USB surround, with what looks like 2-3mm clearance.

[@TC_here]

Amazing how easy that came apart. Could easily see half the plug remaining in the sockets as you go to remove it.. And if really unlucky a nice shock for your troubles

[@georgeprout42]

I think Clive mentioned that possibility. But it's another bloody good reason to have switches on the socket when you want to remove the last bit. It's almost as if BS1363 saw cheap chinesium coming.

[@matthewlovibond900]

Yep, had that happen to me with a very similar looking usb charger that came with an Amazon network cable tester. Top came straight off leaving the rest of it with all its exposed live bits dangling in the air. Replaced it with a Poundland £2 charger. Worth every one of those 200 pennies.

[@ZephodBeeblebrox]

@@georgeprout42 Remember the switch only turns off the live. The neutral and earth are still connected and on so you can still bridge between neutral and earth and end up being zapped by 240v.

[@georgeprout42]

@@ZephodBeeblebrox Oh I know. I hate that "I can't do it" but someone with a one day course can. My two year HND with understanding of the underlying principles counts for nothing. Meh, it's their name on the certificate and I now always double check everything is ok after they've gone. Usually just needs a tighten here and there, sometimes green/yellow sleeving. Or red sleeve on a switched live.

[@patrick_test123]

@@georgeprout42You don't need that swich for that. For something that rare you can just go tho the switchpanel instead.

[@vaughanellis7866]

Do you have the guts of an Apple charger plug so they could be compared side by side for components and build quality?

[@muzikman2008]

I took an old Apple charger apart, there is a hell of a lot more components in one of those, and electrical seperation. I did it out of curiosity, so yes the Apple ones are much better quality lol.

[@fersunk]

Apple use Rubicon cap, IRF power ICs, and actual EMC filters, way higher quality that this things

[@tin2001]

I can't stand Apple products normally, but there basic 5v USB chargers are some of the best you can get. Probably why half the cheap ones are designed to look like them.

[@GBOAC]

@@tin2001 the upside of having vendor support lock-in. If they would ship shitty chargers then it would cost them more in under warranty servicing.

[@Rosscoff2000]

could you open a genuine Apple adaptor and do a part by part comparison. That woukd be very interesting.

[@skywing959]

I have one remarkably similar to that which was supplied with an automatic pet feeder. The charger made an audible pop and stopped working the very first time it was plugged in. The pet feeder is absolutely fine and now working quite happily with another charger, just the supplied charger that was dodgy.

[@ianhosier4042]

I remember buying one of these for £0.49 from eBay including shipping from china. The only components it had in it was a resistor, rectifier diode, zener diode and led. Needless to say the sleeve of the usb output was live. At least your one had more bits inside but didn't seem to have a fuse or any current limiting. Definitely a fire hazard if a diode blows in that tiny bridge or the output transistor pops in the IC due to the omission of the snubber network.

[@ekij133]

To be fair that was a whole lot better than I was expecting for £1! I was expecting no isolation and a capacitively coupled 5V source with minimal regulation.

[@steve_ancell]

These teardowns show that you really care about the safety for others, thanks for sharing this video big guy!

[@TheSpotify95]

12:29 I've seen this type of transformer before, and I think it's fabulous! The one where there's absolutely no isolation in the transformer - remember that the feedback winding (often referred to as the auxiliary winding) is connected to the negative of the bridge rectifier, so it's essentially referenced to the mains input. So you have the USB output isolated by the thin layer of lacquer on the wire, which is less than 0.05mm thick, and is not designed to isolate mains from humans. This is what DiodeGoneWild would call "super dodgy". ;)

[@stargazer7644]

Thanks for repeating pretty much exactly what Clive said in the video.

[@JaceSomers]

So dodgy you'll need to physically dodge the inevitable explosion if you plug it into a wall

[@davestech6357]

I have some of those usb loads from EBay. I soldered two wires on one and use it as a current regulator in series with a battery for charging or a led, lamp etc to regulate current. It's op-amp controlled and keeps current regulation spot on.

[@benbaselet2026]

A splash of urethane coating on that PCB would have helped with the poor separation and arcing. But then again it would have cost half a penny and not made this thing safe to use so why bother.

[@sofa-lofa4241]

A great lesson on high/low voltage separation, especially for anyone designing their own boards, There is usually 2 to 4mm distance and a long slotty thing almost cutting the board in half... It's there for a reason! ⚡📲💀

[@mikemike7001]

For a second, I expected you to probe the diodes in the picture and not on the actual PCB. It's one thing to skimp on (omit) components that affect performance, another thing entirely to skimp on those that affect safety. The lack of separation is particularly inexcusable. It looks like there was enough room in the layout to create sufficient separation by shifting things around a bit. And adding a slot to a PCB costs virtually nothing.

[@dave_s_vids]

Yes, me too!! :D

[@piconano]

That's not a defect in design. It's a spark gap feature :)

[@Slikx666]

He hasn't been drinking enough to make that mistake again. 😆

[@monad_tcp]

@@piconano lol, it's part of the protection, It sparks.

[@johndododoe1411]

Gaps are a surcharge from the PCB factory. It may or may not be cheaper than increased PCB area. But even with that space routed completely out, the distance may be too small for mains isolation without a dedicated protrusion in the plastic case.

[@robertallen5890]

Thanks again for demonstrating the importance of knowledge to prevent accidents from faulty electrical devices and bad electricians plus the coolest led light projects and ways to fix some of rhe same things I've had still kept and wasn't sure how to repair.

[@garymetheringham4990]

could you do this same test on a genuine Apple and samsung chargers? 1 to see if genuine is safer and 2 you have a standard to compare death chargers with giving them a %rating

[@willmoindrot]

Here I think is the genuine article A1399 kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGG7dYpobKaEjZY quite a difference!

[@ParkerBlank]

Always loved how (to a certain maximum) transformers always find someway to look the same. Like mini little micro-wave shockers

[@StreetSoldierUK]

That opened way too easy, someone will go to unplug that one day and the casing will come off very dangerous.

[@tncorgi92]

I like how they made the earth pin metallic even though it wasn't connected to anything inside.

[@3vIl3aGl3]

One more thought on this. If that case somehow weakened, say by dropping it on a hard floor, it seems totally possible to just pull the upper case part off and then have live metal parts poking from your outlet.

[@PatrikKron]

That happened to me with a genuine power supply for a network switch. The glue had weakened over the years and when I unplugged it, it split in half (luckily I unplugged it fast enough to not touch anything and the way I gripped it the plastic could not fall off completely.

[@johndododoe1411]

That's the failure mode that made Apple recall their original chargers.

[@mattfleming86]

Unplugging without throwing a breaker would be the most dangerous game of "operation"

[@kjur18]

1:49 it's not cutting out, you can see led on load shines the same brightness all the time, it's just a way that tester shows that voltage is over specified value, dictated by what standard is detected in charger.

[@Mr_Daddums]

I have one of those! It makes a buzzing noise when plugged in, and when you unplug it, the buzzing continues for about 10 seconds

[@M0UAW_IO83]

Not just USB chargers, I've sent out a laptop charger to a user today because they'd bought an ebay special which caught fire.

[@tech29X]

For a quid, that's a bargain. It held up pretty well. Over time it might even improve grip and forearm strength. Cancelling my gym membership, and buying me one of these. Should save me a ton of money.

[@Paxmax]

You also get that lovely quick acting cardiovascular training at 50 times a second! 😂

[@satanaz]

always wondered what's the difference with those charges and if I was just paying for a brand name You're doing great work here.

[@KateRVN]

I can vouch for damage! We had one of those. Was sitting minding my own business and all of a sudden BANG!! ALL lights and power went off in the house and then there was the disgusting stink that ensued.....I thought that the standard lamp bulb had blown, to my surprise and horror, the plug socket looked odd. This "thing" we had shoved into it had gone bang, throwing not only the usb but also the camera that was attached to it and bits of hot plastic everywhere. I'm surprised that the sofa didn't ignite!!!! The other thing I failed to mention earlier was that the three pins were still attached to the charred plate attached to the socket attached to the wall, also blackened by the arc/fireball. Be wary folks, there are these fake chargers.....they do not have the apple logo inside of them and they are not fused.....the plastic also has a vague creamy colour to it, which, when placed side by side to a genuine apple one, you can see the difference. Fortunately I am still here sat in my lounge, able to tell the tale! Thanks to Clive for showing you the insides of one. Unfortunately there was bugger all left of the one I had!

[@LuxAudio389]

Turning that voltage ⚡ knob up and up reminded me of when Marty McFly goes to Doc Brown's house and keeps raising the volume knobs up on his guitar amp, and strikes a cord blowing him back! I was cringing the whole time waiting for that thing to explode with shrapnel and fire😰

[@bluerizlagirl]

Skimping on a power supply is always a false economy. It's worth an extra few bob to be sure it's not going to shock you, go on fire or damage the expensive (possibly irreplaceable, if it's a home-brew or restoration project) equipment plugged into it.

[@AcornElectron]

2:11 bollocks, you used it to jemmy open that car in that bank job last week… we know, but we won’t tell. Keep up the good work Clive and, as always, stay safe.

[@peterrobinson6091]

The product should carry manufacturer/importer name/brand and postcode, so it should be possible for Trading Standards to trace them. When importing, Trading Standards do occasional checks on such items, though clearly not often enough.

[@tsm688]

they'd just lie.

[@dh2032]

at 11:44, that may actually be a spark gap, not the usual, pointy affair, but a spark gap none the less, it only failed at 2000volt, well that a bit out side the normal main voltage anywhere in the world, lightning strike, or a bad day at the power plant, if it was just a small flash, bang, would it of still be in workable, and how abut what was coming out the USB socket how far from 5volt, and amps, before it had a complete melt down turning to a death-trap

[@PE1MR]

Both clones of iDevice chargers as well as Macbook-chargers are often a great way to jamming the complete RF spectrum (at least up to DAB+ bands ;-)).

[@radiohirsch]

Dumb QRM is just sad 😔

[@risvegliato]

Yep. when using my SDR with a longwire, you can see the stripes and wiggly lines all the way up beyond 30MHz. I switch off or unplug anything with a switching supply but it still picks up all the neighbours' devices.

[@monad_tcp]

Not only it electrocutes you, it also causes interference on your wifi. Nice.

[@johndododoe1411]

@@monad_tcp Does it block the signals to call 999 on your mobile?

[@Kalvinjj]

@@johndododoe1411 Ultimate Skynet moment. For no more than a pound.

[@londonerwalks]

I love your sense of humour, Clive! Agree that a hand tightly gripping the phone due to muscle spasms from electrocution isn't an ideal scenario.

[@GadgetUK164]

Shocking - quite litterally lol! I was also surprised at the way the back separates from the front. I could imagine a possible situation where the live and neutral prongs are still stuck in the socket as the back comes away?

[@jp-um2fr]

Make your mind up Clive - Poundland and I quote what you said 'Very electrically compliant'. You have done several videos on these and were quite satisfied with all of them.

[@bigclivedotcom]

This one isn't from Poundland.

[@untruenorth]

I just want to take a moment to celebrate the return of terrifyingly dangerous 240v electronics.

[@grahamstevenson1740]

What's so dangerous about 240 or 230 Volts ? Design it right and it's no problem.

[@untruenorth]

@@grahamstevenson1740 And therein lies the rub.

[@jwstolk]

Actually a bit more than 240V, since the the rectified DC voltage is almost the peak-to-peak voltage of the mains sine wave.

[@brucemibus9523]

And 120v is so much better? Try and design a decent high power amplifier for 120v. Taking so much current that connector heating restriction of current flow. Yes I am talking about serious current for class A amps!

[@renof2505]

Good pics, when you pulled out the meter I was expecting the probes to go on the pic and then the little board comes out....

[@johnsonlam]

Ton of these selling in Hong Kong cheap accessories shop, surprise our price here is a double of UK. I really have no faith with this knock-off charger, I use those from better brand name or Japanese made.

[@simonbeasley989]

I definitely wouldn't! I'd only ever buy from somewhere reputable as these could electrocute, explode or catch fire. Quite worrying these are on sale but at least it served one useful purpose, another great Big Clive video!

[@georgeprout42]

Vape shop owner here. Before there were UK distributers (yay, everything goes back on you as the importer) we'd be sent half a dozen large boxes of unsellable USB adapters and same again of completely unnecessary death dapters. Probably cost us an extra £500 on DHL shipping and then we had to pay commercial waste to get shot of them (which cost more than the shipping). Chinese manufacturer thought that they were doing us a favour by sending "free gifts" FFS. I can see the attraction of selling them to the public. We didn't. I've got loads at home, they're ok ish. I use them for small personal low current projects.

[@grahamstevenson1740]

Worrying to me that it carries the *CE* safety compliance mark too. If Clive had reported his findings to Trading Standards, they'd have an open and shut case against that store in Sauchiehall Street.

[@Frrk]

In a normal household, are 1 or 2 kV peaks to be expected to occur sometimes normally, or during a thunderstorm perhaps? Or is it more a matter of principle to always make sure spark gaps are wide enough?

[@zacharytaylor8523]

There is a slurry of reasons, having a margin is always good. What may be alright for the 400V peak on 220v mains at standard room temperature and humidity may not be good at higher temps and humidity.

[@haajee1]

Oh and the USB load tester is from Ruideng Technologies or also called Riden Technologies.

[@P25AES]

Unfortunately, you can warn consumers all you want but ignorance often stands in the way.

[@meechmushrooms]

Videos like this make me wish I had a mini-Clive on my shoulder to analyze dodgy electronics and advise me when I go to make a purchase.

[@jrmcferren]

For mobile device adapters I always recommend a reputable third party adapters or if you insist OEM. Pound Shops/Dollar stores, flea markets, no name brands on Amazon, etc are always risky. I also recommending avoiding OEM on Amazon or any model on eBay due to the possibility of getting counterfeits. With USB Power delivery this is getting more important than ever. The latest version of USB Power delivery is now capable of transmitting up to 240 watts of power using up to 48 volts DC versus earlier versions which supported 100 watts and 20 volts at the same 5 amps.

[@radellaf]

On the up side, cheapie manufacturers don’t (yet) tend to support high voltage (i.e. 12) or current output. So far I only see it with 5v stuff. Anker or Aukey always seem good. Apple really does make quality power supplies but I want 2 port QC/PD and they just don’t make that.

[@fishyfool]

I've been known to use my laptop charger on my phone, scares me though. It charges so fast on the lappy charger that I'm afraid it'll cook the battery

[@straightpipediesel]

@@radellaf Your two-port wish was answered last Monday.

[@radellaf]

@@straightpipediesel my lord, $60 for a 35W dual-port. $20 for the 20W wasn't _that_ bad...

[@radellaf]

@@fishyfool I know what ya mean. It won't cook the battery, but personally I like using 5V-only USB ports for my phone. I don't need a fast charge, and it certainly doesn't _help_ the battery to be fast charged.

[@michaelkaliski7651]

For a Pound, this is actually half decent. The electrical isolation isn’t great, but it withstood a couple of thousand volts before breaking down. Amazing anything can be produced, packaged and shipped for the price and still make a profit.

[@vsmash2]

This might sound stupid but why bother to make the earth pin metal when its doing jack all?

[@elvinhaak]

Since it should be connected in the real thing (see the chematic on the end with this safety-cap that is not on the board)

[@westelaudio943]

Modern British plugs block off plugs without earth pin

[@James-P96]

Clive I've come back to this as my genuine Huawei plug is now getting a bit Hot to the touch lol The Mrs is concerned as I recently replaced the charger cables done a wired test and the output of the plug with the new cable is the same as the old but the old is a 5A cable where the new is a 6A cable

[@GodmanchesterGoblin]

I remember designing PCBs in the 90s - back then I always used 6mm as the minimum creepage for anything that might be a safety issue, or for telecoms approvals. That layout was quite literally, shocking. (OK, I'll get my coat.)

[@Derek_Garnham]

don't forget your hat

[@wordreet]

Hmm, I hear you mate. I'm still using the same Apple mains plug charger at home that came with my iPhone 11pro, but I do use a multi plug charger in my car. It has 2 usb sockets and 3 cigarette lighter type sockets. I use one for my dash cam and often have my iPhone plugged into the usb for Googlemaps.

[@CanizaM]

What really irritates me is that they could've made it much safer with only a tiny increase in cost. This seems like the perfect use-case for open-source, publish a safe and cheap design for them to clone and sell.

[@SeanBZA]

Still would be redesigned to be cheaper, and smaller. Plenty of room in the case for a larger PCB, but that increases cost, and plenty of manufacturers reference designs with a complete BOM and assembly instructions around as well, complete with layout for a case in them, that are not used, because it is going to add a hundredth of a cent onto the cost. They went as small as possible, as cheap as possible, to maximise profit at all costs. Incidentally faking the CCC compliance mark gets you a bill for the bullet in China, if you are small fry, and not a connected person.

[@ischmidt]

Clive showed the reference schematic for the chip in this charger, and half of the circuitry from the reference schematic was missing in the actual charger, which made it less safe. The same thing would happen with a theoretical safe OSS reference design.

[@klocpl]

that colour coding its doing great job! good idea much easier to understand that circuit! thanks

[@TheChipmunk2008]

Terrifying that was on sale RETAIL!

[@alanhilton3611]

Thanks Clive I have one of these which is now living in the bin thanks for the potentially lifesaving video.

[@andyonions7864]

I had one of these. My daughter has a metal cased phone and said she got mild shocks whenever touching it. It had to go. The 400V/5V separation and arcing was scary.

[@GBOAC]

400V???

[@andyonions7864]

@@GBOAC Rectified 230ACV RMS is pushing 400V and can spike over.

[@neilhoganwa]

I repair USB charge ports used in our local public transport buses. They rate their chargers at 2 amp but they only seem to go to just over 1 amp before dropping out. They tend to get destroyed by idiots braking the units and shorting out the charger's. The units don't burn out, they just shut down. I replace the USB plug and they are all good.

[@raymitchell9736]

I worried that you were handling the charger and board without discharging it first... You didn't mention any discharge resistor across the mains, Is it necessary in this design? I'm not sure. As a long-time view of your channel, you've taught me well to short them out, probably with a screwdriver holding the plastic handle across those mains before I spudgered it open.

[@Kalvinjj]

Honestly, I expected him to doubt that crap's design so much that he would have shorted live and neutral before disassembly. And of course, it would spark.

[@raymitchell9736]

@@Kalvinjj Yes, it would have been interesting to find that out. But it's torn to bits now. Maybe Clive will reply on this thread and let us know.

[@grahamstevenson1740]

@@Kalvinjj Snorting live to neutral wouldn't have discharged the 2.2uF storage cap because the bridge rectifier is in the way.

[@Kalvinjj]

@@grahamstevenson1740 I know, the normal operation would be that, I just mean it's a miracle it isn't SO terrible that you could expect a circuit like those UV germicidal lamps he showed (or was it another channel?) that connected to mains and left a capacitor charged up with no discharge resistor, that would just zap you if you touched mains unplugged. Tho I'm more just exaggerating it, I think that kind of capacitor dropper (was it?) circuit wouldn't be suitable here.

[@rollymaster16]

"I've somehow lost it" I wonder how? Your desk is so clean! *Has seen the desk proper in the past*

[@Mark.D.H.]

Thanks for making us aware of the dangers of these cheap chargers. Many people assume because something looks like the genuine article it will be safe and perform the same. I've always assumed Poundland electronics are actually very good, as being retail, they are carefully regulated.

[@andygozzo72]

ones sold by actual Poundland 'usually' are much better, clive has reviewed some, that said, one of the ones he reviewed i bought, only used a couple of times till it made a popping sound and bit of a smell, i opened the thing up and both ht dc smoothing caps were red hot and one very bulgy about to pop completely, i think the main problem is trying to shrink parts too far, as someone once said, 'you cant miniaturise the watt' , larger sized caps handle the ripple current better without almost boiling

[@TheDefpom]

Aren’t class Y caps supposed to fail as an open circuit, not a short?

[@MatthewBryce]

Now to do the same tests on an authentic apple one, I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't fair any better

[@BrianG61UK]

My guess is it'd be better but you still wouldn't feel good about using them once you saw what was inside.

[@edc1569]

quality of engineering in the Apple units is excellent

[@soundspark]

I saw the failure in the Hi-Pot was arcing from primary to secondary in that too close separation you pointed out.

[@Dark_Ronius]

Interesting, these remind me of the power supplies CEX sometimes provide if you buy second hand products without the original plugs. I would really hope they choose those that are better specced than this 😂😂

[@sodorflubbs5000]

I would assume they would as if anything happened the company would be liable for any injuries that occurred. I can’t believe they’d be that daft.

[@smilingeyes1938]

In addition to everything described, also not too hip on the mains contacts spike being directly adjacent the bare metal USB port housing. I didn't see an insulation or separator so it's one hard knock away from the housing being live at mains voltage.

[@MrNavyman53]

Have you ever taken apart a high quality USB supply in order to compare it to cheap crap like this? I've been following you since fanny flambeaux ;) and I can't remember seeing anything like what I've mentioned. I also don't claim to have any sort of elephant memory, though, so maybe you've already made a video along the lines that I've suggested. Thanks for the great content anyway!

[@franktuckwell196]

I bought a double usb charger plug from a perportably, reputable source, but after about two months use, i notice it has cracked in about 7 places. Is this still safe to use? Can i send it to you? If dangerous, you are probably the best and safest route to explore.

[@bigclivedotcom]

If it's cracking I'd recommend getting a new one in case the enclosure comes apart while you're plugging or unplugging it.

[@mrrkrr]

I'm very curious to know what voltage the pcb tracks flashed over at. (presumably >2kV?) That would be pretty impressive given such tiny seperation

[@brendanpells912]

Did it have a CE mark on it? When we used to wind toroidal transformers we would wind a layer of tape over the primary with a 1/3 overlap. Then, repeat with another layer of tape. Even if you had microscopic pin-holes in the tape, you could be pretty sure of at least two layers of healthy tape covering it.

[@wherami]

you had me at cheat death-wish. I clicked so fast

[@Bartok_J]

I found one in a grassy verge while I was out walking in the countryside. AFAICT, it's absolutely genuine. I needed a "clean" 5v source to power my Hans Summers U3 WSPR beacon (qv: I can't be bothered to explain what it does☺). With most of my wall-warts, the U3 reset itself as soon as it went into transmit mode. I looked at them all on a scope, and the Apple had the least spikes on the output. It works fine and runs cool. I've no idea who dropped it, but their loss was my gain. ♥

[@bigclivedotcom]

If a charger has been wet I'd be cautious about using it. There may be conductive residue on the PCB.

[@Bartok_J]

@@bigclivedotcom That's good advice. However, this one has been in almost daily use for at least two years - if it was going to make an attempt on my life, it would probably have tried by now.

[@chillybrit2334]

Oh my. I'm not an electrician or electrical engineer, just an IT tech but even audible 50Hz mains hum emitting from LV (I don't call 240V low voltage - but it's relative I guess) power cabinets makes me nervous - I'd be horrified to hear an arcing noise like that from a device on site. De-power immediately.... we're all going to die!! :D Meddling in stuff I shouldn't as a kid and getting some hefty mains zaps as a result taught me caution I think. My Mum used to tell tales of finding me with the back off the CRT TV poking about inside, with it plugged in... at 5 years old. I just wanted to see how it worked I think..... in hindsight, I'm lucky to be alive.

[@monad_tcp]

Nah, it's fine. I sleep under my electrical panel, the humming of high current passing through the breakers is soothing.

[@monad_tcp]

Gees that TV thing thou, that was really stupid. I knew when I was 5 that the HV from the flyback to the tube could kill. There was a technician TV store that I used play around, they taught me how to play safe with electricity and some overall vision on how the TV works. But I was shocked one time when I was plugging things, it was an power 5V power supply I was using to power lots of crappy electronics , luckily I was insulated from the ground because I always sat on a rubber mat and only plugged things with one hand. That left hand touched the pins and shorted them, lol, it was enough for me to throw it away, luckily it was only 110v. Most of the times I only caused short circuits and tripped breakers. And the magic smoke of my electronics. Ironically I ended up being a programmer because I was too poor to proper have an electronics lab. Programming was expensive back then, a computer could easily cost $5K. But as my father was an engineer, I could use his at night.

[@johndododoe1411]

I was poking about with a multimeter in the high voltage circuit to find an intermittent fault in ours. It took weeks of carefully navigating around the open TV to watch the show together with the propped up meter to see if the needle moved when the TV failed.

[@monad_tcp]

I used to disassemble everything, once when I was 10yo, I disassembled a tube TV to see inside. I took care wrapping the cable with tape so I knew the TV was off for the entire week before opening it, the TV wasn't being used for a long time thou. Then I shorted the flyback plug to the chassis using a long screw driver just in case. You can do that by sliding the screwdriver under the rubber of the flyback cable. You have to clip it to the chassis using a cable. Always be safe when playing with HV. When I was more younger I was super afraid of dropping things inside the TV as I plugged my videogames on it. I would never put things on the TV. I remember once my mother dropping a bit of water on the TV (it was from that plate used on plants) . It made spark sounds, amazingly it kept working. Those things are like tractors.

[@1kreature]

Wow, cable loss voltage compensation. That is actually nice!

[@whitesapphire5865]

We have a shop in town where the owner has a box full of these. I must say that his do actually look the part, but, who on Earth would be able to buy an entire box of genuine OEM chargers? - Exactly! No, I would not buy one!

[@mattmanyam]

They must have fallen off the truck... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@leongyokeloong5083]

Love your high voltage tester..love to see arcing.

[@ZephodBeeblebrox]

You would LOVE a Soviet "transformer" I came across. I bought a Soviet flashgun to go with a Fed camera that I bought, 30 years ago when I was in Riga. I did not have great confidence in the transformer so I opened the case - it was screwed together. To get the necessary 6v to power the flash they had put a bridge rectifier and then a bloody great big wire-wound resistor. That was it. No isolation. About as unsafe as could be. I don't know if I still have that transformer or whether I threw it away.

[@DielectricVideos]

Stick a 5.1V zener diode and a smoothing cap across it and make the least efficient and least safe phone charger ever!

[@evzenhedvabny6259]

Soviet stuff was illegal to use even in some countries of the Eastern Block. My graddad worked as a maintenance electrician during 80's. Every equipment they had and was labeled as "сделано в ссср" had to be adapted or used with a safety transformer. The reason was that the USSR used the IT system in their power network so nothing (in theory) can give you a shock unless you touch both wires.

[@VincentRiquer]

When Clive says "so not ideal" you know you're risking your life

[@rayoflight62]

You're right calling them "Death wish" charger from pound shops. They are built to Chinese electrical standards, where electrocuting the user is perfectly fine. The separation between the main and the output is 1 millimeter instead of the 20 required from international regulation. Also, the charger lacks any feedback from the output, normally achieved with an optocoupler - which is missing here. Thanks for warning the Internet about these dangerous contraptions...

[@wearsjorge55]

I gotta ask, is the electrocuting the user thing a legitimate thing in their country?

[@MrSegmentfault]

They are not built to Chinese standards. Chinese domestic market has proper safety standards as well. Crap like this doesn't meet any standards.

[@TD-er]

That rather loosely mounted PCB with the mains pins almost touching the USB connector shield is also a potential safety hazard. Especially since the openings of the pins wapping around the mains pins are open on the side towards the USB connector, so wiggling it a bit (while holding an USB cable) may already shift the board slightly and thus allow the mains pins to touch the USB connector. That one really should have written "Don't turn it on, take it apart" as operating instructions. Also in the video, it looked like the first spark was somewhere at one of the legs of the chip, not the traces which were obviously too close to eachother.

[@mikropower01]

If they would connect the Earth with GND of the secondary side, then they would have a security benefit in case of a connection between the life-wire and the secondary side. But they didn't do this. How would it be if the products get quality-checked from an engineer before we let them enter the European boarder? The possibility that bad things are happening would be much lower.

[@jayzo]

7:50, I have an anker charger with a load of different ports on it that when I charged my metal-bodied Pixel 2 I'd get an extremely mild shock off if I brushed my hand against it while plugged in. Is a capacitor like this why I'd get that?

[@AZREDFERN]

I just looked up Apple UK chargers, and I'm so sorry for you. I love the UK home electrical standards. But I also love the US 5W charger. It lacks power, but fits in any pocket and works reliably on any power strip. Great for overnight charging. That 5W UK charger looks like an abomination.

[@emmatitova2154]

5w eu lightning chargers are scary small too!

[@edc1569]

The foldable pins 20W one I use for almost everything now, its excellent, pins fold away, can even power the laptop in an emergency. Only £19 too.

[@BrianG61UK]

Remember that was a fake. Hopefully the real Apple made ones are somewhat better.

[@dket2571]

Very well presented, with evidence. Next logical step would be for your government to take action and prevent these from being sold, for the evidence to be used by other governments to prevent these from being imported by any by ANY country. Hold the manufacturer accountable by not allowing this faulty product to be sold. Oh, if only our Governments weren't on the take, and still think the population doesn't know.

[@KeritechElectronics]

Circuit design done by accountants... as always. Meh. Taking the transformer apart makes me wanna call you BigCliveGoneWild - I like it how deep Daniel goes into the circuits, definitely seeing it here :)

[@richardturton6900]

Dan would rate this charger as "Super Dodgy"

[@brandtfj]

I work in a school district with 13000 students and 1200 staff. the kids have all sorts of dodgy chargers with stringy charge lines.. however, I have not heard of any chargers exploding or starting on fire. I wonder if it's because here in the US we only have 120 volts.? less push to jump electricity across a narrow Gap. or is it because most people hear by their chargers at Target and Walmart etc

[@ross1701]

"Dodgy!".

[@KeritechElectronics]

Nothing of beauty, joy never.

[@mandolinic]

So, is that a fake CE marking on the unit?

[@piconano]

It's sad how little life means to the manufacturer of these death traps. Unfortunately government isn't out to protect anyone but themselves. Otherwise, importing these would've required true UL and other approvals, like apple and other name brands do. Pay once, cry once. Buy real name brand electronics.

[@grahamstevenson1740]

It was marked CE. To do that is a statement by the manufacturer that it complies with various EN standards that derive from IEC standards just like UL. Clearly the manufacturer was lying. But to see it in Europe it HAS to be marked CE (it's compulsory) so the manufacturer just applies the mark without bothering about compliance. That means that the CE mark is essentially WORTHLESS despite honest companies spending lots to comply. What CE actually has come to mean is CAVEAT EMPTOR !

[@alfstewart2592]

Not the government's job

[@grahamstevenson1740]

@@alfstewart2592 Sort of half and half. Central government in the UK has 'farmed out' policing CE marking to Trading Standards who are underfunded so it ends up being a mockery of the law. It was the government that brought in those regulations and more recently the UK only CA but they're just 'box ticking' in reality.

[@TimoNoko]

Give government enough powers and it will do anything to the max. Great example was in 1970's when government prohibited extension plugs and cables. In Finland. Only legal solution was either lengthen the cables on devices or install new wall plugs, which could only be done by licensed electrician. Lasted only few months, but some new apartments had literally hundreds of wall plugs, which was not too safe either.

[@slakingfool]

It might be the two tall shots of 100 proof corn whiskey I had with dinner, but I love your hands. And thanks for the safety tips!

[@joopterwijn]

Certainly not Apple, you can open it without destroying it!

[@seandoofer5720]

Have you come across a synchronous diode, it looks and measures like a silicon diode, but actually in the package theres a fet in parallel with the diode, and a circuit that detects the flyback cycle and turns on the fet bypassing the diode, it makes a standard flyback psu as efficient as a synchronous supply, they seem to be gaining popularity.

[@williamsquires3070]

Well, don’t power any TTL-logic chips from this thing; the voltage was edging up to 5.25 volts or so (at around 965 mA). This’ll result in hot, smoky chips - and not BBQ flavor either! 😏

[@tsm688]

TTL can tolerate up to 5.4 reasonably well, but poof, no safety margin

[@johndavis1465]

TTL speced to 7v

[@KomiyanVT]

@@johndavis1465 No that's absolute maximum, as in a surge or something. So power supply overshoot of 6V is spicy, but non-volatile, whilst you could only get away with one or two 7V hits before something hates you for it! Specs show 54LS' logic can withstand up to 5.5V - but the more common 74LS' series only handles 5.25V

[@sapereaude391]

If the transformer output short circuited and the case of the phone became 'live', (13:30) surely it would be AC. As I pointed out in a reply to another video, AC would not cause a person's hand to grip onto the phone and be unable to let go (high voltage DC would) which is one of the reasons (if I remember from my training) why we have AC mains supplies; AC is safer - or at least less dangerous at similar voltages. Having had several mains AC shocks, the tendon and muscle response (fingers have tendons rather than muscles, by the way) is rapid flexing and tensing at 50Hz - it would actually be more likely to be impossible to hold onto the phone. I had a few belts from Wessex III and Wessex V 24v systems and we were warned of the risk of not being able to let go and how to avoid the situation. Anybody who has tried electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) will have experienced how DC pulses cause muscles and tendons to contract - I once had the problem that I was using a particularly high voltage and couldn't switch it off because every second or so, the DC pulse jerked both my arms. I have read articles which contradict each other but I lean on my personal experience. By the way, I have had a number of these explode. I bought a few of them when I couldn't find any of my original Apple chargers but since the originals have shown up and as the fakes I have have identical printing on them, it is impossible to tell which are which until they blow up.

[@bigclivedotcom]

It's AC that causes sustained muscle contraction by continuously stimulating the muscles. DC causes a single brief contraction.