Fixing a faulty Lenovo USB charger

Repairing a USB phone charger from Lenovo. How to test components in a switching power supply and find the failure. Sometimes the problem can be a bad solder joint instead of a faulty component.
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[@Alchemetica]

I never tire of your examination of USB chargers as they are indispensable and ubiquitous to our everyday life. I find your education on how they work so one knows the difference between dodgy and safe valuable knowledge. Plus, the knowledge of components and how switching power supplies work applicable to controllers and such like I use in the field of music. Thank you. 🐈

[@Shmbler]

Seriously. I bought a couple USB chargers for my family that were rated "nice" here years ago and they still work fine to this day. I don't want fire or shock hazards in my outlets 24/7.

[@keiths8700]

very GLAD you don't make short videos. 9 min is too short in my opinion and I still turn it into a 30 minute video! thanks for the elaborate breakdown and your input. Your cat is too much in a rush, he just wants you to finish so more petting and feeding time.

[@KeritechElectronics]

Fixing it with a soldering gun and loads of rosin, you show a lot of things can be repaired even with crude tools :) That's how lots of us start with electronics. Budgets tighter than Ethel Granger's laces, no fancy schmancy gear, but still, a wonderful opportunity to learn and do stuff.

[@techtinkerin]

It could possibly have been repaired literally with a hammer by gently tapping the broken joints closed😂

[@vikenemesh]

The overpowered soldering gun and tub of raw rosin always gets me. And the joints turn out so shiny!

[@lifeai1889]

@@vikenemesh cuz leaded solder is great, none of those lead free rubbish for planned failure by the manufacture

[@mirrored_]

Just finished 24V 10A power supply repair, and USB charger comes up, thank you so much!

[@gordonwedman3179]

That is the best quality USB charger I have on your channel. Have never seen one with a plastic shield insert. For a solid 2 amps it is worth fixing.

[@keithking1985]

I bet the guy who sent it in is sickened he didn't spot the cracks.. but delighted his charger is on a video. 😊

[@antibrevity]

Thanks and I think this was worth fixing as it's a "real" one unlike the unsafe ones that people are buying by the ship load. Reflowing solder joints is simple.

[@keithking1985]

Agree

[@PetervanVelzen-l1f]

Thank you for the best electronics channel on YT - very high quality info, funny, and long videos !!

[@DiodeGoneWild]

Thanks for your support ;)

[@tajtrlik1111]

Ďakujem za toto video s opravou a meraním nabíjačky a TikTok veru nie je nič pre mňa 😀, ja mám rád videá čo majú nejaký zmysel, ako napríklad aj tie tvoje aj druhých elektronikov, ktorých sledujem a ešte rád pozerám na youtube let's playe na rôzne hry (najradšej FPS-ky ako napríklad Duke Nukem 3D a TPS-ky ako Mafia), niečo na TikToku som videl u známych, ktorí to pozerali a väčšinou to bola hrôza na to pozerať 😀.

[@DumahBrazorf]

So the conclusion is: NIIIIIIIICE!

[@zzyrc842]

Nice! Just yesterday I found that it was a bad solder joint that prevented my parents' ancient CD304 CD player from working and fixed it. Impressive that this beast still could be repaired.

[@blackbearelectronicswithco9541]

Axial inductors and resistors can look identical and be difficult to differentiate them. Look for markings on the board that indicate whether it is a resistor or inductor. For example, R8, R14, or R102 would be a resistor and L8, L14, or L102 would be an inductor.

[@Nitty-GrittyElectronicsRepairs]

Quality components analysis there......well done

[@scottgilson3247]

Well worth fixing! A "free" repair. Although i would have used solder wick to remove all the old (lead free) solder first.

[@bixenbaer]

This!

[@tactileslut]

Another well designed product rendered broken by adherence to that stupid lead restriction, as if people are going to be chewing on their circuit boards or assembling them by hand without gloves and fume extractors.

[@g4z-kb7ct]

@@tactileslut the lead-free restriction has nothing to do with handling it. it's about ewaste at end-of-life of the product and the resulting lead pollution into water and other resources.

[@ahmedm9788]

Hello, very nice video. On the switching power supply, very well explained. Good day.

[@LamerCorp]

A few years ago I had same problem with mine. It was an easy fix. Still powers an ESP8266 project.

[@omniyambot9876]

will there be another tesla coil projects or something very dangerous?

[@robertatpierpontbeach]

Locating and testing all of the potential faults before repairing the "low hanging fruit" usually results in fewer mishaps; however I agree somewhat with your cat. As soon as you discovered the bad solder joints, I thought you were going to repair them first and plug it in to ensure it was still broken. I'm sure that you use current protection in your power strip so you don't burn up faulty electronics 😊

[@keithking1985]

Low hanging fruit 😂 my new name for solder cracks .

[@vaclavtrpisovsky]

I'm sure he doesn't, he has drawn 5000 W for a while before. Sparks are fun. Also, it's been plugged in when it failed, and a pin on the secondary will not result in a mains short.

[@headpox5817]

Always good to agree with the cat !

[@niemam5825]

Yeah, a kilogram LEADED solder!❤

[@DrHouse-zs9eb]

What are the current sensing resistors on the primary side for? Do they contribute to the voltage regulation or are they just for short circuit detection? Cause there is no optocoupler, so the regulation must be done on the primary

[@DiodeGoneWild]

These are the overload protection.

[@therealromster]

M y guess is the voltage regulation is done by the tertiary primary winding that powers the SMPS controller combined with the turns ratio of the secondary winding. Regulation would not by very tight but the secondary active diode probably has voltage regulation built in. Educated guess. I could be wrong on this design.

[@mrelectromaniac6886]

Good knowledge sir

[@Conservator.]

Nice video demonstrating what components you can test and how. 👍 Also a well designed charger. I wonder what could be the cause of the bad solder joints.

[@BrainHurricanes]

Lead free solder together with lots of heat/cool down cycles makes the joints expand and contract and finally it breaks. A bit like taking a wire and bending it over and over again, finally it breaks.

[@Conservator.]

@@BrainHurricanes Yeah, lead free solder was not what you’d call an improvement. Thanks btw!

[@evespirit]

why. this was landfill when it left the factory, it being faulty now changes not much about that. thanks for fixing our landfill sir

[@marillima6350]

Thanks

[@Wineman3383]

Thank you for your videos brother

[@d.k.9406]

Danke! Thank you! Appreciate the xtra work to ringtest and measure the esr for showing us. Nice pieces of rosin... from which tree it comes from? /what kind of tree? ...sry for my bad english

[@simontay4851]

Rosin comes from pine trees.

[@d.k.9406]

​@@simontay4851 Our forest contains larch fir pine spruce trees.. Do you tested all their rosin? I hoped for some experiences xd

[@ChromiaCat]

Sometimes "dumb" chargers are useful since a "smart" one might refuse to work if it can't communicate with something on the other end.

[@jstro-hobbytech]

I may be alone in this but lead free solder and it's cold joints have been fucking with everything lately. From multimeters to a new guitar to power rails in electronics. Haha

[@DiodeGoneWild]

Thank you for your support ;). No, you're not alone. A lot of people are noticing that the lead free solder is more prone to bad joints.

[@mainmaine1533]

please explain whether using (GACUN) is risky?? in Indonesia the use of (gacun) is still in controversy... can you explain what should be done with the (gacun module)/(gacun kit) which is used as a replacement for switching... please explain sir🙏🙏

[@yoppindia]

What kind of soldering iron is that, it looks interesting, can you do review of that.

[@PiratCarribean]

The secondary side of the pcb does look like it got quite hot before

[@davidlguerr]

Yeah, looks a little bit crispy.

[@1pcfred]

Lead free solder saving the environment one broken joint at a time.

[@mernokimuvek]

And lead free solder contains indium and antimony, both metals are still poisonous in water souble salts form almost like lead. And they are less abundant,more expensive. I read somewhere that lead free solder is not allowed in medical equipment because it too unreliable.

[@1pcfred]

@@mernokimuvek RoHS is mostly for consumer electronics. Everyone else gets a pass. Certainly military and aerospace. If it's life critical they can probably weasel out too. What I don't understand is they dig lead out of the ground but when we put it back in the ground suddenly it's a big problem. If they really were concerned they'd manage the waste stream better. Which I think they should do anyways. But that costs money.

[@mernokimuvek]

@@1pcfred Same with mercury: It occours naturally even in elemental form but if a thermoteter accidentally breaks it is treated like a chnmeical weapon attack.

[@ReneCermak]

you best as always!

[@ChikkPK442]

My friends mock me I am still using Lenovo phone 🤳 that's was nostalgia

[@monkeyking9579]

Sir i like to donate my charger how can i send it to you

[@rezatavan5048]

Excellent ❤❤❤

[@nathanielharper5641]

It's so nice

[@LawpickingLocksmith]

Congratulations! Your cat was right!

[@techtinkerin]

I bet a lot of these get landfilled because of relatively simple defects. 😎👍

[@DiodeGoneWild]

Probably yes. Good components, but a bad solder ruins it anyway. Lead free solder is more prone to cracking joints.

[@franzliszt3195]

Looks like he's partial to eutectic solder. He spares no expense -- I guess less kibbles for the cat.

[@MANDINGOBlackPanther-lo1gm]

🗝USB CHARGER MODEL ADC-GAN002 bu şarj aletini bize tanıtıp içini tasarlamanız gösterebilir misin🔦

[@SeliJue]

Danke!

[@DiodeGoneWild]

Thank you for your support!

[@muhammetilhan2874]

5.45v at 2 amp load? I think it's a high value for USB

[@mirrored_]

its fine

[@DiodeGoneWild]

Yes, it's a little high. Not sure it's an intention to compensate the cable resistance, or a poorly designed regulation system with no optocoupler.

[@simontay4851]

I like that the voltage goes up with load. USB cables, especially long ones, have a lot of voltage drop with a 2A load.

[@mainmaine1533]

Pak boleh saya memohon video tentang (GACUN) di Indonesia (GACUN) itu sangat terkenal sekali... Dapatkah anda menjelaskan tentang semua itu???

[@Gooberslot]

ROHS strikes again.

[@piconano]

Thermal cycling and dropping it on the floor too many times, is responsible for those solder cracks. Lead-free solder is the worst. I would take that charger anytime. Beats all the cheap Chinese chargers to the curb.

[@mernokimuvek]

Medical equipment mostly uses leaded solder for the same reason: lead free is unreliable.

[@piconano]

@@mernokimuvek Didn't know that. Heating and cooling is the main reason old radios didn't use printed circuit boards. The heating and cooling of the tubes even made the tube sockets unreliable.

[@tvelektron]

Why did the solder break? Okay, the connector maybe machanically stressed by pulling the cable and bending the plug. But why the transformers secondary? Shitty lead-free solder? Bad manufactoring? Repeatedly dropping the charger on the floor??

[@DiodeGoneWild]

I was also thinking the same thing. It's weird how the secondary pin failed. Maybe a combination of what you say, plus maybe thermal cycles (the thermal expansion of the plastic bobbin of the transformer differs from the one of the board, which can get significant when there's a significant distance from the primary pins).

[@1pcfred]

My guess is poor ductility of lead free solder combined with other factors such as poor coefficients of expansion or mechanical stresses. Crappy solder is crappy.

[@bixenbaer]

I think the audience knows this but it would be good if you could state in your videos that mixing different solders for repair is not a good option. First get rid of the old stuff and then apply the new one. Only with this action the repair is permanent.

[@MANDINGOBlackPanther-lo1gm]

❣️🙏🇹🇷👍I have a request from you: Can you disassemble the Infinitsin 45 volt charger in the same way and present it to us? I'm very curious if you can teach us what's inside🫡🥹🔌

[@coladict]

With how you lift your voice on the last word of the sentence after speaking fast it really sounds like I'm listening to an Orthodox Christian sermon of some kind 🤣 And I have been to enough of those to have it as a point of comparison.

[@techtinkerin]

A lot of people criticise dgws accent and I have repeatedly said the same thing. Try learning a Slavic language and see how well you pronounce the words!🤭

[@coladict]

@@techtinkerin I am Slavic! That's exactly why I know how our priests sound 🙃

[@attilarivera]

👏👏👏👏

[@kaletsugas]

What oscilloscope are you using?

[@DiodeGoneWild]

It's Fnirsi 1C15

[@some-random-guy-l4r]

it shocked me how he grabbed the pcb near the mains side, according to the plug it is on 230V

[@techtinkerin]

Electricity just bounces off dgw!!

[@doorwhisperer]

apply 1x bucket of rosin

[@chongshenchang9367]

Almost everybody on earth give negative feedbacks on Chinese products, but still then, they keep on buying and using it..😁😁😁

[@Alexelectricalengineering]

👏👍👍👍

[@billyponsonby]

Interesting

[@PV2Omni]

Hey I caught one that was only 4 hours old😂

[@dog-gs1vt]

Noice, i was early today

[@catalin77ursu]

Dude, why do you speak like a robot?

[@alexziigerd2576]

2$ )))

[@orange11squares]

you're speaking too fast, i barely have time to process the provided information.... i noticed that you increased the speed compared to how you made videos a few years ago.... Not everyone is an expert and not everyone has seen all your previous videos to comprehend on the fly at light speed , all the provided info.

[@marnav9205]

Cant understand one thing he says so a useless video for me.

[@mernokimuvek]

ok boomer

[@MANDINGOBlackPanther-lo1gm]

💙Biz değerli takipçilerin👨‍👩‍👧👨‍👩‍👧‍👦👨‍👩‍👦‍👦👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 ve abonelerin için acaba infinix sin 45W voltluk🔌🪛🔧 şarj aletini📥📤 söküp🧲 içine inceleyebilir misin Biz değeri takipçilerin için🙏🙏🙏🙏❤❤❤❤

[@MiamiMillionaire]

👍

[@RohitCantSing]

And they say Indian accents are funny. Dude I can listen to his voice all day .

[@jassenjj]

Your charger videos always make me think of an old (now 15 years old) HTC charger that powers parts of my sound system that has been plugged in for all these years. It is a little bit bulkier... It's annoying that none of this type of electronics today have resilience and durability in the list of design priorities.

[@yahnsolo]

Yes! This one is well worth fixing indeed! Quality one, good insulation!

[@iot_enthusiast]

Do you have a video on your diy ring tester @5:22

[@DiodeGoneWild]

Yes, it is in 2 parts: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h3PFdoyPjM51f5o kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2LHoKOjrdWbaKM