IKEA mini Smahagel teardown

[@piconano]

Now this is how you design a power supply boys and girls. Flyback, Isolated, safest transformer windings, with rock steady output. I would buy Ikea electronics any time. Solid engineering at a good price.

[@SeanBZA]

Plus a secondary and feedback winding that are very closely coupled, likely with the primary wound on either side of them, so that you can use primary side sensing to regulate voltage. In this way you shave off 100mW of standby power, simply from the 10mA or so of current that otherwise would be consumed in a TL431 and optocoupler on the secondary side. Very good regulation there on that supply, it does not drop out of spec till the chip reaches close to 90% on time and the overcurrent limit on board shuts off the output, but it still then runs in hiccup mode to attempt to restart. Bipolar transistor is nice, reliable, and likely to survive longer as well, no delicate gate structures. Only not easy to up to higher power levels with the limited base current available, but probably more efficient, as you can saturate it to a lower drop than your typical high voltage mosfet with modest current, and your operating voltage for the chip can be much lower as well, no need to run at 18V or so, you can run around 8V and still get decent performance, saving turns on the feedback winding and also power dissipation. All the design points to something designed for low standby power, it might cost you perhaps 1 unit of power over a year to leave it plugged in with nothing connected.

[@johndododoe1411]

1kWh/year is about 110mW average . Is it really that low power?

[@fredbloggs5902]

@@johndododoe141134p/year is fine with me.

[@ericvenneker]

@@fredbloggs5902 34p/year is not bad, the problem tho is if you count up all electrical devices in you house the consume this while on standby. TV, one or more mobile phone chargers, tablet chargers, watch chargers, laptops, PC's, monitors, alarm clock, electric oven (with a always on display and/or touch interface), etc. Multiply that by all housholds and you can have significant savings!

[@drefk1973]

The regulations in Sweden wouldn't allow for anything less

[@Nono-hk3is]

Being able to read schematics is a tremendously useful gateway to learning, but only if you can continue to find interesting schematics to look at. Manufacturers no longer feel the responsibility to provide them anymore (and I'm not sure I'd trust them if they did.) Clive, you do us a great service!

[@rpdom]

The mains wires are even correctly colour coded brown and blue, not generic red or yellow as is common.

[@sgctactics]

Now that's a trap for American new players. Learned that the hard way my first month of working industrial maintenance years ago, when someone ripped out the cord of a conveyor weighing device. I saw blue/brown instead of black/white and completely forgot that it was mains power and tried rewiring it to a terminal block labeled +/-. Classic magic smoke lesson right there, know clue what I was(n't) thinking...

[@thebloxxer22]

@@sgctacticsEverything is a smoke machine if you use it wrong enough.

[@rpdom]

@@sgctactics Old colours in the UK used to be Red = Live, Black = Neutral, which makes the US Black = Live (Hot) seem odd.

[@sihamhamda47]

​@@rpdomHonestly the red-black is the easiest to remember as that color code is very common in electronics made outside US and Europe

[@CampGareth]

I had a mains to 28V DC power adapter for a robot mower use red and blue wires where blue was positive. That device no longer works. Spares were not available.

[@spokehedz]

I love that it supports the USB port from being SHOVED into the electrical bits. That is such a nice touch.

[@dennisp.2147]

I think it may speak more to the lowering of our expectations that basic engineering for safety is impressive.

[@spokehedz]

@@dennisp.2147 everything has to be put down to a price

[@ManWithBeard1990]

Words I wouldn't expect to be using to describe Ikea stuff: exemplary, as always. Their furniture isn't that great but every teardown on this channel of one of their power supplies has shown them to be as good as any, and better than most.

[@robertmason2707]

Their furniture isn't that good, generally, but it is good considering the price.

[@kevinc21945]

I work at Big Clive's nearest IKEA and I was extremely surprised when I started - I expected the usual corporate behemoth only interested in shareholder driven profit etc, but they are a genuinely ethical company and design products with the customer in mind first before profit. Yes a lot of furniture is cheap but it's built to a certain price point. We are even taught to help customers think about whether it's an option to reuse or repair furniture instead of buying new! (BTW thanks Clive for another great teardown. Been a long term fan.😊)

[@rupertthomson]

​@@kevinc21945Warrington?

[@fmattiasc]

My experience is that you get whatvyou pay for and they offer a wide range from cheap to not so cheap. And it's fairly easy to examine stability and durability of each product in the show area and choose the one that match your neess and wallet.

[@kevinc21945]

​@@rupertthomson no, there's a closer one than that 🙂

[@damowdotnet]

The Zigbee repeater/router they sell is quite neat and is designed to plug neatly into this supply. Reassuring to see how well-designed it is.

Is it? This power supply delivers only slightly above 1.1 Amps so how come?

[@DjResR]

@ That device uses 1A as far as I found on the internet so it should work fine._

[@damowdotnet]

@@DjResR I’d be stunned if it ever draws anything close to an amp.

[@Purple431]

I would definitely buy these for the low power consumption and safety. Very well designed.

[@gadgetman36]

1:50 IKEA stuff doesn't come apart easily, not unless it's their furniture! 😂

[@Sonny_McMacsson]

For some people it seems that it doesn't even go together either.

[@tncorgi92]

I've gotten to when every time I see IKEA mentioned I get the Jonathan Coulton song stuck in my head.

[@haroldsmith45302]

It's very refreshing indeed to learn that some brands are serious about quality-of-design and quality-of-manufacture, and are willing to sell at a reasonable price too. Thank you, Clive, for these reviews of various Ikea electro-tech products. After your earlier positive review of the Ikea Småhagel 3-port chargers, I bought a few, and plan to soon buy some of the Ikea LED bulbs that you reviewed recently.

[@dcallan812]

Im sorry but this is just too GOOD. Not the usual pound-shopie type product we have come to love here. Great video and a very safe bit of kit from IKEA. 2x👍

[@ABaumstumpf]

It is so strange to see that it is Ikea that is currently one of the best electronics suppliers there is. They have good Led lamps, good batteries, good chargers - and all for a decent price.

[@benjurqunov]

That's my US observation too. Their 'specs are pretty stiff for their consumer grade electrics.

[@blahorgaslisk7763]

@@benjurqunov I think they have this idea that if they make one version that fulfills all standards for all the markets they sell to they only need one design and can move larger volumes keeping the cost down. With this USB wall wart they have to vary the shell to match the plugs used, but other than that it seems universal. So there's one part number for the guts that is the same for all versions.

[@PsiQ]

I was exactly looking for simple+safe power supplies, to mod my aunts christmas lights, the ones she liked came with those 2xAA battery holders... you cant really find cheap 3 or 3.3V supplies so i went for the 5V, which usually means usb (and a dropper resistor)... and then found that ikea was the cheapest starting around 2.5 bucks aaand also the safe option vs amazon and other non chinesium brand names.

[@atlesifeyst2185]

reputation, ikea is a major brand. also you don't fuck around with electrical issues and fire, especially if you want to remain a major brand.

[@Dennan]

@@atlesifeyst2185 also alot is designed in sweden and we normaly dont take shortcuts even if it cost more. i think its a culture thing, we are shit at making food and talking , but we love making good designs and building stuff. also it also helps that invgar kamprand the founder of ikea, before he died, he setup the company so it cant be taken over or have money reduced from alot of things to designs and such. his sons took over as owners but they dont have the power to remove the things ingvar kramprad sat it place. abit crazy doing that to your sons, but he kinda insures that nearly all of the money go back into the bussniess.

[@raymitchell9736]

First time in a long time that I've seen a product and a schematic that I like vs. the junk ones. That was a great reverse engineering and explanation of the circuit! Thanks for the teardown video.

[@GodmanchesterGoblin]

This is a really well thought out design. The load regulation is amazing for such a device. I love the various mechanical protections that they build into the case and the PCB.

[@ssuubbaasshh123]

I requested this video few months ago. Thank you for fulfilling my request. I use this to show charge my mobiles. Bought it in latvia for 2 euro and using it in India. Cheers

[@freemansfreedom8595]

Good to know it is actually a great power supply! I bought one for my job to keep my phone topped up slowly. Though it would be decent since it comes from Ikea and, since it was cheap I figured it would not be a problem if it broke. This confirms it :)

[@ssuubbaasshh123]

Same as me, Show charging does not heat up the battery thus preserving battery life.

[@mistermeaargee2670]

That's made me want to go out and buy a few from Ikea, $7.95 here in Aus. They do the electronics well. There is the Åskstorm 23W USB A/C charger that would be interesting too but at $29.

[@bigclivedotcom]

I have one of the USB C ones here.

[@iamjimgroth]

Thunderstorm sounds funny for such a product.

[@niclaskarlin]

@@iamjimgroth I didn't watch the clip yet, but it translates to "small hail".

[@niclaskarlin]

@@iamjimgroth ahh, but Thunderstorm is correct. I blame Midsommar, swedes be drunk.

[@johndododoe1411]

​@@niclaskarlinÅskstorm translates to thunderstorm .

[@alexanderwingeskog758]

Seems like a good design! As a Swede I'm proud! :-)

[@oldbatwit5102]

I bought one of their three socket units following your review a few months ago and I am very pleased with it. The only niggle was that they charged me very nearly as much for shipping as the unit itself cost and I live just South of London. It also came in a box big enough for a pair of size 11 high sided workboots (I had to try it).

[@NaoPb]

I love these reviews from you because I use USB power supplies for lots of things and I like to know that they will not fry my devices or set my house on fire. Since these are available in nearly every Ikea, chances are high that I can one too and now I'll know these are safe.

[@gregorythomas333]

A refreshingly well built power supply...how I've missed thee :)

[@electron7373]

Good to see a well built usb power supply for a change. The reverse engineered schematic of that tiny board must have taken time and eye fatigue! Great work Clive!

[@davidg4288]

It's hard to know what your getting unless someone goes to the trouble to do a teardown, so thanks! When I buy house brand or no name LED lights I am often disappointed. Name brands (even though they too are often from China) are usually good. I used to buy USB chargers from the closeouts bin at the local supermarket. One of the automotive USB chargers seemed to work OK with my phones and GPS but got my bike light extremely hot. A meter revealed that they just wired the 12 to 14 volts from the car directly to the USB socket, disassembly verified this. Amazingly all the the devices, even the bike light, survived this abuse. That particular USB charger remained disassembled. I don't buy USB chargers from the closeouts bin any more.

[@nemtudom5074]

Honestly, ikea's non-furniture things are almost always excellent. I bought their chips (crisps for the brits) and their fruit jam and both tasted great for completely normal prices!

[@petersage5157]

Ikea really does have some good engineers designing its electronics. I'm curious who they farm this out to. If you're building Ikea or similar flat pack furniture - especially wood furniture - and you don't want it to come apart easily, there is a way to make it much more durable. It's a technique that is never mentioned in the instructions, but is shown in just about every video that has woodworking joinery. It's actually a catchphrase on Laura Kampf's channel. Let Glue Dry.

[@RIMHQ-YT]

Ikea is low key really good. I have a hole damn kitchen i ordered from ikea with all my measurements and it came and all things came together perfect and all things have been perfect for years now. Doors, hinges, shelves, drawers.. all

[@channelsixtyseven067]

Excelkent analysis, Clive. Ikea electrical gear always looks well made, but you confirm that it is so. Thank you.

[@andymouse]

Smashing bit of kit Old Bean....cheers!

[@KeritechElectronics]

A nicely designed and made product. I love the insulation gaps and primary side DC filtering. Gets the Keritech seal of approval!

[@Money4Nothing]

Thanks Clive! Longtime subscriber, I love all your videos.

[@snakezdewiggle6084]

Thanks Clive, time and effort appreciated. Always a chance to be educated here. ;)

[@Mike_5]

Your forensic investigation of these products still intrigues us all Clive mibbie you should be some of these retailers Quality Assurance officer ?

[@benbaselet2026]

My 3-port Småhagel has pretty sturdy USB connectors, very solid feel. Although the genuine Oneplus charge cable that came with my phone simply refuses to insert into any of the ports. Several other cables do work, though.

[@simonbeasley989]

That's odd, with loads of chargers and leads and USB powered things I've only come across one physical incompatibility. I cannot plug my Huawei smartwatch charger into my 3 port IKEA Koppla charger, the predecessor of your Småhagel. It's not tight, it just doesn't fit in at all.

[@williamromine5715]

Once again, I didn't understand a thing he said. I had no idea how much is involved to charge my phone. But, of course I can't wait for one of his videos.

[@andresilva8444]

Ikea coming through once again. I bought the 3 plug one based on your review ages ago. Good to see they’re not dropping the ball.

[@-yeme-]

Ive got a couple of the old Ikea USB PSUs, I think they were called KOPPLAs, that have been in constant use for maybe 5 or 6 years, one of them charges my phone every day. I think mrs yeme is on her third Apple charger in about that same time period

[@jamesdurber88]

just goes to show just how safe and well made something can be! - for something so cheap! to buy!

[@SmithyScotland]

Would have been interesting to know how much power it consumed with nothing plugged in to the USB port.

[@thedogsdiddies8421]

Be interested in that too, as well as Power Factor.

[@MortenVindingSvendse]

generally the consume >0.1watt until there build-in shutoff kicks in. the they measure 0.00watt, I guess because they only occasionally wake up to measure if anything is connected. in reality it is so low you can’t really measure it with normal instruments.

[@roberttaylor2328]

Thanks for yet another superb exposé.

[@cal5365]

Smahagel: MY PRECIOUS (5V 1A charger)

[@davidg4288]

Regarding wire colors, many years ago (maybe late 1970's) Japanese cars used a red wire for negative on the battery. Transistor radios of the same vintage did the same. I've also seen red negatives on US telephone company 48 volt battery banks, and they are positive ground. Even in buildings here, white is neutral except there are approved exceptions where it isn't. So always test everything everywhere.

[@bobroberts2371]

Taking glued stuff apart. I've had some good results by clamping the item in a vise with the parting line along the jaws. This can flex the plastic breaking the bond.

[@diditbreak]

It would be interesting to see a FLIR shot of the exposed boards. We'd see what kind of stress goes onto components in different configurations

[@Ralesk]

I'm always impressed by the quality of IKEA's electronics. Too bad you're so far from central europe, there's a Czech chain called Alza (also present in Hungary, not sure where else), they dabble in all kinds of home electronics from chargers to power banks and all that as well; would be curious to see teardowns of their stuff.

[@SianaGearz]

Just send it to your neighbour DiodeGoneWild.

[@johnrehwinkel7241]

So the startup MOSFET is depletion mode? I couldn't find the part number. Another advantage of Schottky diodes is their low voltage drop, which is useful in circuits like this one where there are only a few volts available.

[@static-san]

I'm seriously impressed! Very good, very thorough design. This actually changes my opinion of them. Although I have plenty of USB power bricks if I need more, an IKEA one is on my list. Would be good to see what's inside an Arlec or HPM one to see if they're just as good.

[@PhalosSouthpawsBastelstube]

I think the reason for the mosfet is, that in the EU electrical devices without internet connection are not allowed to have more than 0.5W when being in stand by mode. Probably they were close to it when leaving the mosfet out of the circuitry, but EU laws made it nessessary to cut the power down even more by a few milliwatts.

[@Alex.Adametz]

Those resistors could consume up to 0.27W (for 240V mains) so the mosfet is quite justified. Nice solution indeed.

[@brucepickess8097]

Impressive design, i was particularly impressed with the primary / secondary circuit isolation barrier which should provide excelant creepage and clearance distances.👍😏

[@Shaun.Stephens]

I've seen you tear down a few IKEA power supplies now Clive and am very much looking forward to IKEA opening it's first store here in New Zealand in 2025. You can never have too many high quality USB power supplies IMO.

[@3v1Bunny]

Only In the end I notice the houding even goes through the separation slot between pri/sec ... Very nice. I wonder what the isolation in the transformer is like.

[@bigclivedotcom]

The secondary winding has very thick insulation for extra separation. I recently took the three port version of this apart and unwound the transformer.

[@cuteraptor42]

I'm definitely going to use this snubber circuit next time I use a Schottky diode in a schematic. At work I don't usually need this but as we are designing high reliability equipment it's useful to know

[@PeTTs0n88]

That's actually really impressive, great attention to detail in the design. Output values aren't anything spectacular, but it does what it says on the tin and it does it well. I'd rather see this than a "2A" supply that'll cut out at 1.6A or so, had one of those already.

[@nigelh3253]

Agree, electronics quality excellent, but output values are a generation behind especially for a mains unit. Just the powerbank I'm using now has 2.4 amps and 3 amps with USB-C. Does 'it' (made by Juice) achieve this? I don't know, but it's v fast. I avoid anything saying 1 amp these days.

[@PeTTs0n88]

@@nigelh3253 Yeah, but like stated - these are just for driving basic stuff like a fan, a light or something like that. And for that... it does its job, no more but no less either.

[@tasmedic]

More excellent content from Mr Clive. Incidentally, my wife made my day today by saying that the Ocean Gate Titan should have been inspected by Clive prior to departure, and she also added that he wouldn't have let anything based on the unreliable Playstation Controller hold human lives in the balance. I honestly didn't realise that my wife paid any attention at all to my KZbin habits!

[@fredbloggs5902]

Full priced branded controllers are incredibly robust and reliable, they have to be given the punishment they’re subjected to. They’re used by the US Navy in their submarines.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Given its claustrophobic looking nature I'd have given it a body swerve.

[@wisher21uk]

IKEA make the best stuff we have their chargers all over the house, thanks for the insight Clive 😊

[@carlubambi5541]

I found the name of the company that makes the cabinet coolers and De humidifiers. ICE Qube inc .Greensberg PA model number IQ300FPW.its a different company but we use these as well .I can't find the one that uses the peltier junction for cooling and dehumidification

[@MrTconquest]

A rare well made device, thanks for sharing.

[@davidpooley4167]

It's been a while since we've seen the vice of knowledge for opening things like these

[@nei1s]

Just appeared on my subscriptions, im sure iv seen this before (ages ago) but some comments are from a few weeks ago and Big C.C has a new table top in black, having said all that im watching "Edge of Tomorrow" so that could explain a few things. 😂😂😂

[@bigclivedotcom]

The black bench is temporary during travel.

[@cobar5342]

Impressive! Thank you

[@weerobot]

Sméagol...Solid Design...

[@tonyweavers4292]

Did you use the Vice of Knowledge to open it😃?

[@bigclivedotcom]

Yes. Accompanies by careful tapping on various sides.

[@HAL9000.]

The USB coming out the side is ridiculous. What about other sockets next to it?

[@twocvbloke]

Always a sensible idea to buy such electronics from a reputable seller or brand, cheaping out has been shown in the past to lead to damage, injury and even death, I'm just glad that being from Ikea, it's not self-assemble given people can't seem to get that right at the best of times... :P

[@micomator]

I knew Big Clive would appreciate an extra-strong rugged mounting! 4:10

[@fredbloggs5902]

Clive is an aficionado of rugged mountings.

[@hob991]

Postage dept at IKEA " oh no big Clive recommended another product ..... stand by for all the orders" 😳

[@heyarno]

This could be good for running a raspberry pi zero 2. I'll keep a eye open when I happen to be close to ikea.

[@PaulSteMarie]

Doesn't look much like Gollum, i must say. You need s pair of the horseshoe ring pliers that Proto makes. Two small serrated jaws that open outward. I don't know if Knipex or other European manufacturers make something similar.

[@smartphonecomputerundmehr]

Nice video. A teardown of the Ikea Stenkol Nimh charger would also be great 👍🏻

[@johndododoe1411]

Sounds like that famous Welsh product: Mined coal .

[@michaeltempsch5282]

@@johndododoe1411 direct translation would be rock coal - as opposed to träkol (wood based charcoal)

[@johndododoe1411]

@@michaeltempsch5282 I know

[@Safaricom_]

3:02 😂😂love the UK English “Dinky” small

[@brentengelhart5]

'Isolation slots' can be pretty impressive!

[@Fridelain]

I am interested in seeing a teardown of the ones they sometimes sell at ALDI / LIDL

[@PsiQ]

While you wer talking about separation one of my old HP screens went bang out the underside (mulit monitor holder) and took out the rcd/breaker .. at first i thoughts it was the switch, because i saw the explosion projected on the table (..from ikea).. but the switch is fine. Soo.. monitor was only 20 bucks and really old.. but i guess one of those "i dont have to pay for power so i keep it running all the time" ones. Definitely a primary side splosion. Guess it didnt like the high summer temps in my room, was running really warm itself.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Depending on the age and brand, you may be able to get a retrofit power module online.

[@PsiQ]

@@bigclivedotcom i had other monitors fail (blow up, not only aged caps), traced where they had the internal secondary side power, usually 12V, if unlucky 12V + 5V and there made a connection to an external power brick... but the monitor isnt all that great. Also still has ccfl and is using a lot of power/getting warm.. I guess i'll send it back to the great planes of the recycling gods to be reborn.

[@alanwhite4427]

Another great video, keep up the good work. Thank you 🙏

[@Yrouel86]

Ikea devices are a breath of fresh air after all the cheapo c*ap you take apart. Kinda a reminder that you can in fact well design and implement usb power supplies etc

[@peteypops]

It’s nice to know that IKEA power supplies are spudger proof!

[@kanrakucheese]

Can you do a teardown of one of the crank/solar light/radio/power bank imported by “Thousandshores”? The two sizes offered dominate search results for emergency equipment on both US and UK versions of that internet shopping site named for a South American river from multiple sellers with poorly doctored photos of them in use. US model number for the small one appears to be “HN-028” or “HN-28” while the UK version (which appears to be differ by regionalized radio controls/markings and lack of a blink mode) appears to be “MD-088”. The multiple sellers thing and fact that I found open wholesale listing are rarely great signs for quality control, and suggestions of low quality control are always an *interesting* combination with emergency equipment.

[@bigclivedotcom]

I tried various hand cranked lights in the past and they took a lot of effort for a short light duration. I also broke a few by hand-cranking them quite hard and shearing gears.

Nice teardown. I'd rather buy this than any generic low cost charger for sure .... sidenote , småhagel = small hail ... bigger brother Åskstorm = Thunder storm ... so weather related names :)

[@richardbrobeck2384]

A very well made piece !!

[@sparkyprojects]

You need external circlip pliers (reverse acting pliers) )

[@18robsmith]

For two and a half quid that's a decent job. I've just looked at their range of USB chargers - right up to a 40W three output one - that's nice and spicy (and may solve a 5V psu problem I have....)

[@theoneohmresistor]

oh the askstorm, it is such a good product

[@RobbyRoberts91]

strangly very nice

[@richardhalliday6469]

At £2.50 it's value for money - a loss leader possibly, well made, even at only 1 amp it's worth having a few handy for whatever takes your project fancy.

[@superdau]

It's crazy how stable the voltage is over the whole current range. I think it changed 20mV. And that with only indirect secondary voltage sensing.

[@NMY556L]

Nice power supply! I’ve been reading up on what you can and can’t take on P & O cruise ships and have read that they disallow (and will confiscate) any appliances which have in-built surge protection on the grounds that the surge protection poses a fire risk to the ship. I know that the ships generate their own 230V @ 60hz electrical supply but can you explain what they might be so concerned about surge-protected equipment being used by passengers.

[@bigclivedotcom]

It's possible that if the ships generators had coarse regulation then the surge arrestors could dissipate a lot of heat when high loads were suddenly turned off and the voltage rose briefly.

[@nekowolf583]

My precious!

[@Paxmax]

The reason for a bipolar transistor might be to avoid a sneaky patent for secondary side voltage regulation via flyback transformer main winding. The use of a mosfet in conjunction with main winding feedback regulation is patent protected. Chinese manufacturers don't give a crap about it... but major players in EU/USA must because patent owner only goes after those with a big wallet... I seem to have forgotten who was the patent owner, could be Linear Technologies.

[@ThomasEnder_pt]

I'm sorry to be too dumb but first I wanna tell you how amazing you are for teaching and explaining everything. But could you please for once explain what a snubber network is? I heard it too often from you and still haven't understood what it does or how it prevents parts from exploding... Sorry and thank you

[@bigclivedotcom]

A snubber network is designed to clamp a sharp electrical spike while not passing any more. It protects the transistor from the sudden voltage spike from an inductor being turned off by shunting it.

[@voltare2amstereo]

I find a love tap with a hammer along the seem to be the quickest way to seperate these types of packages

[@hughtube4me]

Please excuse my electrical circuit ignorance but am I correct in thinking that "universal" power supplies all convert incoming AC to DC then use a buck converter to achieve the correct DC voltage ? If so could one input 24V DC and still get the 5V out.

[@MatthewDeveloper]

Summary: No, you can't input 24V AC right at the input high voltage rails, because the transformer primary turns ratio is really high, 24V AC is probably less than 2 at the output if the control chip would even turn on. Technically yes they convert the high voltage input into high voltage DC for the control stuff to work (mostly for the main switching chip). But the high voltage DC is also used to the transformer by the control chip adjusting the switching, as transformers is designed to run on alternating current not DC, pulsed DC works. The transformer did the "magic" of lowering the voltage and outputs the pulsed DC which then also rectified and stabilized.

[@hughtube4me]

@@MatthewDeveloper Thank you

[@bigclivedotcom]

The universal power supplies are usually designed to operate from 90V to 240V but will deal with a margin outside that before becoming unstable.

[@kjetiltrondsen8242]

What is the purpose of the Y capacitor between primary and secondary? Why is that not giving people a shock? And is it not the opposite of the point of the air gap it bridges over? Yes I know it is a Y class built to the highest security standards and is safe in it self, but why is it needed in the circuit?

[@bigclivedotcom]

It provides a path back for current capacitively coupled between the layers of transformer windings. That reduces the amount of high frequency RF noise transmitted by a cable plugged into it.

[@TrickyNekro]

The snubber at the schottky is probably there to stop the circuit from ringing at the output due to the leak inductance of the transformer and the inherite capacitance of the diode when it's not yet forward biased (They form a tank circuit at very high frequencies where the output capacitance would mostly look like a short to more of an inductance). This is probably an EMI standards thing. Would be nice if you can measure it in a video (ringing no ringing due to the snubber), I havent watched the google thermostate video yet, so if you done it already, touché! You could try removing the snubber, but you could also try changing the output capacitor.

[@gloomyblackfur399]

Just once, on one of these ridiculously well-sealed items, I'm hoping to hear "One moment please, I'm about to get medieval on its arse."

[@Nandaka1]

do the new 100w/140w usb-c pd GaN charger next? :D

[@Alabaster335]

What sort of paper and printer do you use for your photos? It reminds me of the wax printers I used back circa 2005...

[@bigclivedotcom]

Cheap glossy photo paper and an Epson ecotank.

[@Stainless316L]

Cam you have a look inside ugreen 140w pd charger please. What's the best quality built pd charger out ther i wonder

[@sincerelyyours7538]

Hats off to IKEA for putting out a high quality, low cost item like this, but my question is, how much RFI does it emit? I'd expect it to be pretty good judging by the quality parts and design, but most wall wart USB chargers put out a lot of hash and RFI suppression is not, generally, high on the minds of the people who design them. Radio Frequency Interference is a constant nuisance in the radio shacks of ham operators.

[@COBARHORSE1]

I'm a little disappointed that it doesn't come apart with an Allen wrench.

[@tvelektron]

Very nice, i think i will get some at next store visit. Only the 1A rating is a bit on the weak side ....

[@bigclivedotcom]

It's designed for low loads like lights.

[@GregBurrowa]

Thank you for the good description, one question! Where is the 5 volts sensed and feedback to maintain exactly 5 volts at the output?

[@bigclivedotcom]

It's sensed in the feedback winding that accurately reflects the peak voltage that the secondary winding reaches when pushing current into the output capacitor.

[@carlubambi5541]

Great break down as usual .Ikea has the same issues with CSA UL and ULC .So many inferior and unsafe products out there .wonder if it can put out what it claims and for how late ng before it fails

[@trickvro]

Gotta love that svensk ingenjörskonst.