Faulty 65W USB-C fast charger analysis and fix

Opening a donated faulty USB-C fast charger made by AlzaPower with up to 65W output power, testing all of its components, finding the failure and repairing it.
Please support my channel on Patreon:
/ diodegonewild
Instagram:
/ savage_danyk

[@robertatpierpontbeach]

Great troubleshooting; many techs forget to test the cable. Always consult with your cat to determine what "low-hanging fruit" to test first 😊

[@fredflintstone1]

Cat knows best and always has the best comments ;-)

[@TradieTrev]

ROFL!

[@hernancoronel]

NOOOO, now I know the end of the movie and can’t watch it! LOL! 😂

[@stevejagger8602]

It is rare to see components failure in SMPS chargers. Most often it is basic issues like cold solder joints, wire bridges from poor finishing, or cable joint failures either at the unit or at the connector. Great work analysing the circuit. PS what is the make and model of the oscilloscope please.

[@vaclavtrpisovsky]

@@stevejagger8602 Components do fail but usually spectacularly because of the high voltage/current.

[@CliveChamberlain946]

Superb close-up shots and detail here! No Electro-BOOM moments, just solid "leave no stone un-turned" diagnostics packed with great explanations of what's going on. You never fail to make us smarter. Simply amazing sir! 👍

[@KrotowX]

What is wrong in ElectroBOOM moments (ok, I know that guy do that for our fun only).

[@siloton]

@@KrotowX Wrong is some of us take fright several times during his show in spite of we know him well. You cannot tell your brain to not be afraid of highs because you are on a secure rope. Higher brain functions just cannot instruct lower brain functions this way. Few times it can be fun and refreshing, doing it constantly is contraproductive for some of us.

[@fiddlerJohn]

Agreed. Superb

[@phillipsvanderwesthuizen800]

"The fault is the last thing I tested" or finding something in the last place you looked, always make me smile. I said that once and a friend of mine said that if you found it you would be a fool to look further 🙂. Thanks for a grate channel, always worth watching.

[@DiodeGoneWild]

Well, yes :) but there really wasn't anything else I could check ;).

[@filda2005]

@@DiodeGoneWild connector pin last last chance

[@dosgos]

That was the point of the video!

[@cool386vintagetechnology6]

A quick way to see if a switchmode power supply has started up without measuring anything, is to place an AM radio next to it and listen for interference.

[@TheXGamer969]

What’s an A-M radio?

[@macmroz]

@@TheXGamer969 Good point! Ha Ha!

[@patrikjankovics2113]

@@TheXGamer969 amplituded modulated radio. Todays radios almost exclusively use FM afaik.

[@quantumleap359]

@@TheXGamer969 Hahahahaha!~

[@cool386vintagetechnology6]

@@TheXGamer969 MW band 550-1600kHz

[@adriansdigitalbasement]

Excellent video! I just love that even though you aren’t that familiar with Type C, you are able to figure it all out.

[@ЯСуперСтар]

Nice to meet you there, this was really unexpected to me. Seems like all good channels intersect smh

[@LawpickingLocksmith]

Great work. This always happenes to the best engineer. Nobody told me about PD and there seem to be too many ways to implement it. As a general rule: The harder the case is to open the further away the trouble will strike.

[@johncoops6897]

PD is fairly simple and only complimented one way. The new FNIRSI USB tester has all the tools to test and analyse.

[@hullinstruments]

​@@johncoops6897 yeah those USB testers are pretty decent I have to admit. They sure go above and beyond what was first on the market five and ten years ago. Those little seven segment display testers. They did great in their time but the newer testers can do some incredible things cheaply. Even people using the hardware to turn it into benchtop higher precision multimeters and stuff. Super cool seeing the technology implemented and watch how It's evolved test work benches and technicians procedures... A little $30 device that used to be $1,000 worth of equipment to get the same precision and functionality it is quite impressive

[@HPD1171]

i like that design with the heatsink wrapped around the E-cap. this way the E-cap will never get to cold in the winter and will always be heated right up to its 105 C rating which i am sure the electrolyte will be very happy about long term. very nice.

[@ppdan]

We wouldn't want this thing to last forever!

[@WagTsX]

when you started testing it and tested the most obvious components and everything seemed normal, I immediately suspected the cable. Said and done.

[@twocvbloke]

I've dealt with so many broken cables before that it's the first thing I look for, visible signs like sharp angles on bending or that knobbly, lumpy appearance in the cable usually indicate the wire inside has given up due to excessive strain right at the ironically named strain relief, saves a lot of headaches just cutting the end off and testing the wires directly before anything else... :)

[@liam3284]

The majority of USB cables have terrible construction. I remeber getting faults with some outdoor equipment. After finding no problem in the kit or host controller, I cut the cable. No sheilding, data pair not twisted, power wire too small. Replace the cable and all the faults stopped.

[@Mark1024MAK]

The cables people often buy/are provided with are built down to a price. Quality and good practice goes out the window…

[@johncoops6897]

The new FINRSI tester has PD Sniffer that you can use to analyse the signals on the blue wire. You can also use it to test what protocols and voltages the charger supports (PD, QC etc).

[@ikativan2110]

As always great informative video. All the best from a long-time subscriber and neighbour 😊 from Serbia. 👍👍

[@DiodeGoneWild]

Thank you ;)

[@FerrybigGaming]

15:40 There is a straight connection. One way to test without the cable is connecting the CC wire via 2 10K resistors in parallel to the GROUND, this will cause the VBUS transistor to turn on and apply power. Never do this with any device being plugged into the cable and it creates an undefined situation

[@maheen-]

bro, are you saying that connecting that blue wire to ground using a 5k resistor will trigger the charging IC. your statement was too technical... pls reply.

[@ariefhidayat2157]

​@@maheen-yes if there isn't any device connected to that blue cc cable the charger won't output anything

[@michaelseitz8938]

These kind of power-bricks can be opened easily with alkylate gasoline. Just a few drops into the seams will weaken them within a minute, and the shell can be pried open with little force. Alkylate gasoline is much safer to handle than ordinary gasoline because it contains no aromatics or olefins. I got mine from Biltema ... you should get it in other places that also sell lawn mowers and chainsaws. But ... of course, a hammer is more photogenic 😁

[@DrHouse-zs9eb]

Shouldnt alcohol work too? They are ultrasonic welded - not glued

[@michaelseitz8938]

​@@DrHouse-zs9eb Honestly, I don't know why gasoline works on ultrasonic welded plastic. But it does 😁 Alcohol (ethanol, isopropanol) and turpentine don't work, unfortunately.

[@quantumleap359]

@@michaelseitz8938 Agree. Isopropyl alcohol is good for rubbing alcohol and that's about it! I'm going to try the gasoline on my next crack-open project. Thanx!

[@michaelseitz8938]

@@quantumleap359 Just make sure to get _alkylate_ gasoline ... the gasoline that won't give you cancer 😁

[@KrotowX]

I doubt that gasoline will help for plastic device cases sealed with ultrasonic welding which effectively melt both sides together. For glued cases gasoline indeed can help. Will try that in future :)

[@hullinstruments]

Love these "no stone unturned" troubleshooting videos! No matter how many times I work on something similar... I always enjoy watching your process and explanations

[@MrMcNo1]

The hammer method is great. I use that all the time when opening power supplies. A few quick blows around the seams usually breaks the glue.

[@johnwalton5576]

That was extremely informative, and as always, very entertaining. A textbook class on basic troubleshooting! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience with us.

[@rilosvideos877]

Great autopsy with clever analysis! Broken Cables or solder connections are often cause of a failure - but often hard to find!

[@yomboprime]

Very good video. The blue cable most probably is connected to pins CC1 and CC2, which communicate the Power Delivery protocol.

[@hermannschaefer4777]

Well, as users tend to misuse their stuff, I always check the plugs first. Burned plugs and broken cables are quite common, even with "good brands" like Apple, Samsung or Motorola. Stumbling across a power cord or forgetting that the device is connected for charging when lifting it up happens every day to everybody, that's why I really like plugs with a magnetic connection.

[@Mark1024MAK]

I’m not sure I would describe Apple, Samsung etc. as being good brands. Part of the problem is the drive to miniaturise the connectors and cables. Styling is winning over longevity. That means that damage from miss-use is more likely, and even if users are not ham fisted, they wear out or are damaged far too easily from normal use.

[@TheDefpom]

@6:15 that date will be the manufacturing date of the enclosure, it is very commonly used for traceability in the plastics industry for ISO9001 compliance.

[@samdarius3305]

Blue cable is connected to CC pin in the usb C plug, it communicate with the device the charge speed required. 👍

[@DB-47]

Hi Danyk, actually you made mistake at 0:46. I see that on USB tester you kept PD COM jumper in OFF position. This does not short blue CC (channel configuration) wire to GND so even if power supply was in pristine condition, you would not see any voltage on the tester. The same applies for Power Z KT002 and KM003C tester (however for latter one you have press one button to do that same). Actually you might like a lot KM003C, which can be connected to PC and it can all activity on CC line of USB-C used for Power Delivery and its optional extension PPS. 16:18 there is straight connection without active circuit, actually in this case there are even ommited USB 2.0 data lanes, as protocol Power Delivery does not need, only legacy QuickCharge, Samsung AFC and Apple 2.4A needs them

[@309electronics5]

I am late but seeing how intergrated that little cypress chip is at the secondary end doing the usb comminucations is pretty cool and probably way to overcomplicated/intergrated. It has a full 32bit arm cortex m0 with 64kb flash and 8kb sram. It supports usb pd3.1 and has a lot of protections built in, an adc, charger detection, low side csa, serial, gate drivers for fets, timers counters and pwm, io subsystem.

[@pelajarankimia1503]

Handling energized aligator clippers with bare hand looks safe for professionals like this guy

[@ElevationWithToad]

That multimeter has a very fast update rate, super niiice

[@d.k.9406]

Danke! Thanks! The charger series goes on! Looking for magic smoke or simple expected/unexpected failures... Thanks to you we can stay safe and learn from reality..

[@quantumleap359]

Big Clive always refers to the black marks on the inside of fried electronics as skid marks! Always evokes a chuckle!

[@salemabo8147]

Your video helps me to relax and understand more of a power that im trying to fix , thank you .

[@Mymatevince]

Brilliant video!!

[@kulasekaranamirthalingam3033]

an easy way to open glued power adaptors: You can use petrol on the joints and leave it for a minute. the glue will loosen and easily separate the two halves.

[@Mladjasmilic]

This is power supply meant to charge only new devices. Some chargers are legacy compatible, as they put out 5V on the output, and then if there is request for different tension, they can put out. Some 5V devices, even if they have USB-C connector, have only V+ and GND connected and they would not work with charger like this. Good thing about this charger is that it can put out less than 5V. Last week I repaired HP charger. It is interesting, as DELL uses same plug as HP, but does not need ID line to work and it worked with laptop just fine (also had 19V output at the connector). Cable is coaxial, with ID line in the middle, then positive and ground is top layer. I cut the cable, soldered it to connector and put heat shrink on the connector.

[@dandatiles8404]

I love your voice. I hope you continually sing while teaching electronics.

[@brizee993]

Rubbing turpentine around the glued sections will loosen the glue... you may be able to pull the casing apart and re-glue it later. Some plastics will become brittle and crack with turps, but makes it easier to open.

[@5Dale65]

17:31 barehanding live conductors, you got to love it ☺

[@SLeslie]

The easiest way to opening these kind of welded plastic cases for me is to squeeze them with a vice (or even freeze them first to make the plastic more brittle) from multiple sides and multiple angles. This way they tend to crack open at least on one side.

[@jstro-hobbytech]

I took a European 65 watt gan charger and cut the plug off and set up a switch to the input attached to a fual rail linear supply I built today. I was going to put it in an emi shield but I ran it with 14awg cable to another part of my bench. I tested it with my isolation transformer with a load and it never got hot after hours of use. I live in nova Scotia and got it on sale on ali for 8 dollars. I've had luck with the brand before so I said eff it.

[@ahmedbashar8571]

10/10 your videos are better than everyone's videos😀

[@yukkireina]

I wish diode gone wild will brought and review the safety of common quick charge/turbo charge/flash charge of nowadays phone, some of them have more than 4 cable connector between charger and the phone, i want to know how does is work

[@AlexanderBurgers]

they use proper USB-PD fast charging, which communicates between the device and charger about which voltage is to be supplied and to the device how much current will be available for charging.

[@johncoops6897]

And if the device only handles USB 2.0 there will be 5 wires. If it supports USB 3.0 or 3.1 There will be additional wires for the sidebands that give extra data speed. The voltages, data modes, etc are all communicated on the signal wire (blue in this case)

[@jacekantosiak6331]

Fantastic job! Congrats! For the future please use a petrol for opening the charger. regards

[@CliveChamberlain946]

At 65 watts, I'd be restoring this adding the MOV and inrush limiter to make it live longer. It seems worth it.

[@DrHouse-zs9eb]

That's why my pd supplys have only connectors - no Hard wired cables

[@haczyk84]

so they will broke out of pcb eventually ;)

[@jasonvoorhees3282]

Lesson learned, always start from simpler to complex.

[@KrotowX]

Disassembling the glued charger brick only to find that the charging cable was broken. It happens :) Anyway thanks about demonstrating the innards of regular USB PD charger and how tto quickly diagnose it.

[@REVERSE_BIAS]

A tip for anyone wanting to open these things...A hammer and a large flat head screwdriver is all you need. Usually they're clicked together, but also superglued. So using the screwdriver as a chisel...hit the screwdriver with the hammer directly along the seam until you hear a crack...then move along...hit again...and continue all the way around. Obviously discharge capacitors immediately before touching anything inside with bare hands or metal objects!

[@sunsys0]

As usual fantastic explanation, @DiodeGoneWild is among the very few best channels on youtube, thank you sir for another great video 👏👏👏

[@159357ahmed]

great video as usual thanks a lot , can you also show us how the control chip on the secondary controls the optocoupler to change the voltage output on oscilloscope

[@Ale.K7]

I'm sure your cat knew where the problem was from the start :-)

[@jerryfacts9749]

When I have had one of these supplies fail, I opened it up. Most of the time I found bad capacitors. Replacing the bad caps fixed it most of the time. Rarely, it has been a transistor, or a diode that failed. If it was one of the specialty ICs that failed, then I disposed of the supply. I have a power supply with a defective MOSFET driver IC. The cost for me to have this IC is expensive in relation to the replacement cost of the complete power supply that was made in China.

[@AKG58Z]

I have a 65w adapter and recently blew up I open it up and see that 5 resistors are burned right next to the MOSFET I removed and checked the MOSFET and it was totally shorted out and some of the smd caps were also showing short at the primary and secondary sides I couldn't figure out what went wrong I just have a hint that at the input mains voltage went way higher.

[@igrewold]

great work, thanks man

[@kd5byb]

I love your cats comments!

[@anonymoususer6448]

A trick to open such housings is to put something like a long nail on each side of the box, over the entire length of the seams and then put it in a vise. When slowly closing the vise, the pressure from the vise goes to the nails, and this cracks open the seal in clean way.... mostly

[@robertjung8929]

i usualy use a vise to crack them open. clamp it into a vise and increase the pressure of the jaws till you hear cracking sounds. then repeat in various directions and this way you crack the ultrasonic welds and you can easily open the device.

[@NicksStuff]

But shouldn't the power supply still deliver 5 V when there is no data line on the other end?

[@strange67x]

thanks for your videos ! I like your way to talk english, this is so different 🙂

[@glenn7245]

OMG I can't believe I can contribute to a DGW video. 😊 Please tell, what is the cat's name? If you doubt a conductor like the bue one just pull it don't cut it. If there is no resistance to the tug it was broken and just the vinyl holding it together. If a little resistance then it was on it's last legs. Many years of working on low voltage tiny wire systems. Meow 😸😸

[@andycristea]

Nice work! How did you calculate the power required for the light bulb at ~200W for testing the 65W psu? I am having trouble with some computer power supplies not turning on and doing weird things with my 100W light bulb in series. Should I increase the wattage of the bulb?

[@tajtrlik1111]

Vďaka za video z opravy, ani mňa pri sledovaní nenapadlo že by to mohol byť kábel.

[@riajhasib8810]

Use acetone (after apply wait for 2 min) between the plastic joint to open quickly. It will open with very little force.

[@p-fix]

17:30 - my heart left out a beat or two 😬

[@labiadh_chokri]

Nice teardown, can you investigate more about the prtocal, is the charger list the available voltage first or the phone send a request for a specific voltage, is that protocol common for all brand or every constructer use his own , because I have a honor 10 that didn't get 9v from some fast charger.

[@MrTurboturbine]

The KISS rule applies yet again.

[@G1ZQCArtwork]

Nearly always the last thing you get to is where the fault is. Carefully put back together, it makes a useful PSU for comparison. I have very recently done an intermittent fault find on old house Mains power. It took up FOUR days to find it. The fix is a pain but not so bad as the fault finding, chasing an intermittent fault is the worst kind.

[@theelmonk]

Of course it does. You stop looking when you find the fault so it has to be the last thing you check !

[@G1ZQCArtwork]

@@theelmonk I know.... I really do know.!

[@dhananjaykadam2786]

please inform name of testing instrument you are using. Regards

[@lmwlmw4468]

Nice work and a smart kitty...!!!

[@Pirelli.]

Another great vid DGW! Thank you! And a kiss for you sweet cat 😗🐱☺☺

[@BlackWolf42-]

it's always the easiest thing and it's always the last thing I check. good to know that somebody else is afflicted with this bass-ackwards ailment.

[@NicksStuff]

7:46 No, it means the diode is not shorted. It could be open ccircuit

[@waqaskhan148]

quick tip to open up plastic casings is just use gasoline/petrol on the joint and voila it splits up like a nut

[@shoumikahmed6373]

Just a tip: In future if you want to open this type of charger, just use some gasoline and you will be able to open with ease.😊😊😊

[@ankur0077nca]

Iso propyl alc is also a probable compitator

[@saarike]

Great repair!!! Thank you.

[@blg53]

"The fault is in the last thing I tested". That my friend, is an absolutely universal statement, no matter where the fault is. Would you continue testing once you have found the fault?.... :)

[@michaelbenard6758]

WT is that really donated coz the way you hummered it while you could just use hot air gun...

[@josephking6515]

Murphy was an optimist.

[@estrabetenovomultilaser1936]

You're amazing, Diode 🤩

[@shampuan5628]

Good job!

[@astromancer]

"The problem was the absolute last thing I tested" Who woulda thought that you stop testing after you found the problem :)

[@Sestorema]

From Prague, yes?

[@CXensation]

Your cat seems to have a degree in electronics 😉

[@jensschroder8214]

To unlock 5 volts, the CC pin must be pulled to ground via a 5k1 (or 4k7) resistor.

[@mostlymotorcycles.]

Nice pick up.

[@mcflapper7591]

Well done.

[@h.m.mashudulalamfaisal3775]

In which language you do speak bro!!! And your pronunciation!!! Really great entertaining bro :v

[@amkp40technology]

*Your cooling fan sound feeling me wind Storm outside of my house 🤪🤪😇😐😔😌*

[@EinGamer22]

That power supply uses the USB-PD (Power Delivery) protocol. Can you please look at some articles about it? I don't know much about it that's why I can explain it to you, you need to take a look at it yourself.

[@WolferAlpha]

Probably in the connector there is a chip called e-mark, it is used for several things, from making it possible to transmit 40Gb/s to simplifying the construction of smart chargers like this one. If the problem was the e-mark, you have to change the cable

[@johncoops6897]

All that is handled by the control chip in the charger and the blue wire. No need for e-mark in the cable of a hard-wired cable.

[@309electronics5]

Its all handled by the cypress chip (cypd3174) there is no in-cable chip.

[@ДимитърАндонов-ъ7е]

isn't it supposed 5v to work no matter the device? or its the control chip that don't allow the charging procedure if the data pin is missing??

[@Broken_Yugo]

No, IIRC you need a pair of resistors to get 5V. Common problem with cheap stuff that charges over USB C at 5V, it wont charge on a real USB C charger becaise they omitted the resistors.

[@korakagazofficial1285]

Please make a working video on "cypd3174-16sxq" Ic used in this changer

[@309electronics5]

Its a pretty intergrated chip! It has a 32bit arm cortex m0 mcu with 64kb flash and 8kb sram and supports pd3.1

[@Alexelectricalengineering]

Nice, put it back together with some cable ties around it (also reflow the soldering joints), some heat shrink over the connector (don't forget to solder the blue wire), and you can use it again. Thumbs up 😎👍👍👍

[@rkan2]

Maybe in 120V land or 90V land... but definitely don't do that in 240V land.

[@Alexelectricalengineering]

@@rkan2 he is crazy (in a positive way), he would do that I think, I was do that already some years ago it's still working properly. I mean you should know want you do I work on electronics for more then a decade. He for more then 30 years.

[@rkan2]

@@Alexelectricalengineering Yeah for his lab sure but it ia not like he keeps absolutely everything. He wouldn't redistribute such a device.

[@Alexelectricalengineering]

@@rkan2 That what I was meaning of course, for his lab

[@Alexelectricalengineering]

I also keep things like that for me of course

[@quantumleap359]

I wasn't aware that you could input over 9 volts into a USBC charging port! Can the device being charged handle this high voltage? Fast charger - indeed, but will this harm the device?

[@ЯСуперСтар]

It depends. Operating voltage is negotiated by device itself, not the charger. If it's not, then the voltage is default (5V). The actual fast charging standard is all about that.

[@juperrr]

Love this type of videos !

[@keithking1985]

Have you seen the F-NIRSI TRANSISTOR TESTER AND OSCILLOSCOPE TWO IN ONE PACKAGE. I HOPE YOU GET ONE TO DO A REVIEW ON IT, I GOT ONE BUT THE TRANSISTOR TESTER ON MY ONE DOSEN'T GIVE RIGHT READINGS. MAYBE IT JUST MINE COZ F-NIRSI SEEMS TO HAVE GOOD PRODUCTS. I GOT IT FOR THE SCOPE ANYWAY. I LIKE TO GETBTHE GIGER COUNTER TOO THEY MAKE, I SAW THE REVIEW YOU DONE ON YOUR ONE. ANYWAY I HOPE YOU GET YOUR HANDS ON IT, JUST MAKE SURE TO GET IT WITH THE PROBE COS YOU NEED THE ADPTER THAT COMES WITH IT TO FIT THE PROBE TO IT. I HAD BUY ONE OF ANOTHER SITE FOR MINE COS IT CAME WITHOUT THE PROBE AND ADAPTER FROM BANGGOOD. THANKS FOR THE VIDOE I REALLY ENJOYED IT 👍🇮🇪

[@johncoops6897]

Your keyboard is also broken, the caps lock key is locked on.

[@hopper7755]

Now put it back together with some electrical tape and it's good as new

[@qutube100]

At least the magic smoke had stayed in all its receptacles ;-)

[@SwgwmTJB]

I really like this kind of vdo...

[@naseemqureshi1966]

Excellent 👌

[@kasel1979krettnach]

Hello, I just learned the China has tough requirements on isolation distances, due to a lot of electronics being used above 2000 meters (e.g. in Tibet). Question: can you expose the worst CN chargers (isolation gap wise worst), to low air pressure and see what happens ?

[@ЯСуперСтар]

I guess what matters is not air pressure but humidity in there. Air pressure doesn't change that much across the planet to play a significant role in its conductivity. It's even not the main reason of faults. Most of the time arcs are formed on a stained moistured surface.

[@kasel1979krettnach]

@@ЯСуперСтар that's not correct. isolation capability of air drops significantly above 2000 m sea level. power supply component suppliers even advise about this fact in their layout recommendations.

[@nayanjagirdar8408]

Nice Sir 👌👍

[@cydia2020]

There's absolutely no reason for this charger to have a soldered cable beside saving the manufacturer a few cents (and creating e-waste). I've a laptop power supply with a similar design (unremovable cable), it stopped working after a year, opened up the casing and realised it was just a bad cable on the secondary side. I fixed but had to buy another one as the casing and the cable's strain relief were destroyed, making it unsafe to use when travelling.

[@mammam6472]

Obrigado!

[@dariuszpakulski7095]

Dziękujemy.