Three Faulty Smart Plugs | Can I Fix Them?

[@BruceBoschek]

How often caps cause failure! I just replaced the starting capacitor on my 25 year old espresso grinder. Thanks for your videos. I am incapacitated and usually have to watch your videos on my cell phone. Due to a strong tremor in my hands I cannot comment on the phone, but I want you to know that your videos make my limited life experiences at age 80+ much more bearable, all the more because my favourite English dialect is Geordie! Greetings from Germany! Gan canny, man.😊

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 👍 and good work on fixing your espresso grinder 🙂

[@maximus759]

Totally agree. Can't count the number of times I have fixed items with crappy caps. I always replace them with quality ones like Panasonic FM, FR, or FC series. (there are other quality brands, the Pannys are just my preferred ones.)

[@manolisgledsodakis873]

@@BuyitFixit Those Panasonic electrolytics are the only ones that I trust. I used to buy them from Farnell. I wouldn't trust anything from Amaz0n.

[@Freebird57]

Hi m8, I've been a subscriber for a while now and love ya vids I'm a 67 year old disabled pensioner and like to try fixing stuff, I have a few of these round my bungalow so if any go off I know what to check first, thanks for the vids keep um coming, Paul from Wallsend

[@BuyitFixit]

Cheers Paul👍, haven't been over Wallsend for ages.

[@smbrob]

Well this show that if the capacity of your capacitor is incapacitated your smart switch is not so smart anymore. This is a good example of useful voltage injection. Good fix sir.

[@BuyitFixit]

😂😂😂Thanks mate 👍

[@twotone3070]

Channelling both the inner Big Clive and Tony359. Nice work, I'm hoping some of it sticks and I'll remember when I need to.

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 👍🙂

[@terrym1065]

Not always but almost always a capacitor...🤨 Brilliant fix sir, your patience and tenacity are most worthy of praise. The surface mount cap was a jewel of a find, astonishing diagnostic skills. IR camera is on my wish list, very handy. Great video as always, thank for the work, well done. See ya soon.

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks Terry 👍🙂

[@neiltheplayer]

Once again, them darn cap's. thanks for posting Mick. Brilliant

[@BuyitFixit]

Cheers Neil 👍

[@dieseldog289]

New subscriber here mate, currently on holiday watching videos in rainy Cornwall but these videos are making me smile!! I love to see repairs like this, from a fairly new electronics repairer (me) Thankyou so much

[@BuyitFixit]

Hey, welcome aboard 👍I'm currently on holiday in rainy Scotland for a couple of days 😂😂😂

[@garrypowell1086]

I would have liked to see you test the new capacitors before inserting them. Specially the ESR values of the new capacitors.

[@BuyitFixit]

I guess it depends on the make, as I did a little research on ESR and came across a thread in eevblog saying it's like asking what the weight of a cow should be. Depends on the make, electrolyte, etc so I'm still not sure how good of an indicator it is. Some people even posted pictures of bad caps with a good ESR reading so I think it's if in doubt replace anyway.

[@koraypekericli]

Perfect timing. I just came home with one of these that I saved from an electronics recycling box at IKEA. 😊

[@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co]

It's odd that Ikea has a recycling box; I’ve never had an Ikea electronic device fail, except one light bulb.

[@BuyitFixit]

Nice 👍I didn't know that they had one. I'll have to check see if I can find it next time I visit!

[@koraypekericli]

It is next to the self packaging area. This was in Berlin. They had recycling boxes for bulbs and electronics. I was in a rush and only collected this one (not IKEA branded). There were other things but I didn't dig more...

[@koraypekericli]

Hah! It was not faulty at all. Working perfectly for the time being. Odd. 😊 pleasantly surprised.

[@frankcarpenetti5776]

Never trust an electrolytic by the way it looks, or capacitance reading! Need to do all three! Looks, capacitance, and ESR, out of circut, to be sure! Sucks, but I have gone down rabbitt holes in the past for not following these rules. Great video once again!

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 👍and yes I think the advice is if in doubt replace it anyway.

[@Indiskret1]

Great job as usual! I got similar plugs which keep dying for no reason, so I will take another look at them.

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 👍Hopefully it's the same problem.

[@XKSteve]

😂as soon as I read the title and saw the fault I said “caps”. Had the exact same brand of cap in a smart switch (from a different manufacturer) go the same as that one in the third plug where it separated out. Good call as always Mick.

[@BuyitFixit]

Cheers mate 👍

[@MikeyMack303]

Great fix, as always, Mick! Thanks for sharing!

[@BuyitFixit]

Cheers mate 👍

[@iNireus]

Love seeing the inside of these devices, can’t wait to compare with the X10 ones

[@BuyitFixit]

Yes I've still got those to look at 👍

[@crazycarl9484]

Take my cap off to ya, good fault finding as always.

[@BuyitFixit]

😂😂😂Cap or caps? 👍

[@xzytqweo3538]

Always like your diversity in repairs...and also when you have to revisit an item. Keep up the great work! Until next time take care.

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 👍Yes I do try to mix it up a bit. I think it makes it more interesting doing a wide variety of stuff 🙂

[@brianwood5220]

Excellent diagnostics, Mick. I did think I heard a strange noise from the third socket, but I could have been wrong. Another great job, thanks for sharing.

[@BuyitFixit]

Cheers Brian 👍

[@wisher21uk]

Brilliant video Mick, I bet those caps dry out as they don’t have a lot of air flow due to the plastic cover where the 3 pins out go…

[@BuyitFixit]

@@wisher21uk Thanks Gary 👍yes heat and caps don't go well together...

[@markpirateuk]

Nasty cheap no name capacitors that seem to be in every modern gadget, not helped by the casing being glued shut ☹ I had the same issues with my plug in watt meter, Great feeling to repair stuff that was never meant to be repaired! Keep up the good work 👍

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks Mate 👍

[@enchantededition6879]

I was subscribed to this channel and then I wasn’t ! don’t know what happened there?!? A few videos to binge up on so all good 👍 😂

[@BuyitFixit]

Welcome back!

[@aizunomnom8556]

I use gasoline or eucalyptus oil to break the welded plastic bond. Tho sometimes the gasoline also makes the surrounding plastic become brittle

[@BuyitFixit]

Interesting, someone else mentioned similar 👍

[@ifonlyeverything]

I recently had a smart plug fail in the same exact manner. I wonder how many of these have been sent to the landfill because the manufacturer wanted to save a few tens of cents on the capacitor.

[@BuyitFixit]

I'd expect a lot. I've had a few similar comments since doing this one 👍

[@greg6172]

Great diagnosis and fix. As a new subscriber and a mad electronics hobbyist for more that 60 years I am impressed and I found your work very enjoyable. I think about 807s, Jeloso VFOs, 4093s and laser diodes in the same breath.

[@greg6172]

I misspelt Geloso - too long ago

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks and welcome aboard 👍

[@dazer123]

That really helps as I have two of the same brand that stopped working at Christmas as I use them to turn on and off my outside Christmas decorations.

[@BuyitFixit]

Hopefully you can now repair yours too! 👍

[@alfredocuomo1546]

"When in Doubt replace the Electrolytic Capacitors" because if they're not bad they soon will be. Funny as a rule of thumb Capacitors are usually the most common failure devices but as the third unit proved there are always exceptions to the rules. LMFIAO Nice video as always.

[@markturner7459]

But why don't they seem to last anymore?

[@alfredocuomo1546]

@@markturner7459 Well I'll guess the source, or the base material quality but who knows for sure. I'm just cognizant of the cause & effect.

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 👍

[@BuyitFixit]

I think it's because we are using switching power supplies more, which are running at high frequencies, so they are taking more abuse than they would in an old style linear power supply.

[@alfredocuomo1546]

@@BuyitFixit Great point

[@pkf4124]

I have several of these with the same issue, thought it would be the caps. At least now IU know its worth repairing them.

[@BuyitFixit]

@@pkf4124 Yes, the hardest job is getting into them without damaging the casing too much.

[@stevewells2327]

Nice nod to @BigClive “ One Moment Puleese “. Nice vid. Thanks Brit in Singapore e

[@BuyitFixit]

Cheers Steve 👍

[@millzee60]

I get great satisfaction seeing you fix this stuff, I can only imagine the satisfaction you get. How do you like the Fluke 179? I’m in the market for a new multimeter but being on a boat in salt water I may have go for the more rugged Fluke 28 II despite the expense. And are those after market leads or are the ones that came with the meter pretty good?

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 👍the leads were just a cheap set from Amazon or Ebay. They are ok, not great quality but cheap enough that I don't mind breaking them and paying £5 or so for a new set.

[@Stefan_73]

Nice repair, Really loving the channel. Are you using any isolation transformer for the mains? Wrt the Wifi boards, maybe take a look at Openbeken and Esphome. Most of those boards can be flashed to open source firmwares and you get rid of these CN cloud apps. Then the plugs also integrate better with home assistant etc. May be a video topic.

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 👍no haven't got an iso tx yet. It's on the list of things to get. Yes a friend of mine was talking about tasmosa and home assistant etc and how you can flash these.

[@Stefan_73]

@@BuyitFixit Tasmota is nice for ESPs. The RTL chips and many more are supported by Openbeken an Esphome. So you can "free" a lot of devices and secure their function for long. IOT has really become cheap. Would just be nice if the manufacturers would spend 50ct more on the caps ;-)

[@fredwooding599]

Hats off to you Mick. You would NEVER see me messing with 240 volts AC. We here in the USA have 110 and I don't mess with it either. LOL unless I have to (extension cords, Christmas lights)

[@BuyitFixit]

Cheers Fred 👍

[@eostrike]

I have that same component tester and personally do not like it. The capicator tester I've been using for years is the Peak Atlas ESR70. You should look into it and possibly pick up one for ESR testing.

[@BuyitFixit]

Yes someone else mentioned one of those although they seem quite expensive. What are the readings on that like compared to the component tester? I'd be interested to know 👍

[@eostrike]

​@@BuyitFixitthis tester tests electrolytic capacitors very well. It will tell you if it needs to be replaced, there is no guessing if the ESR is acceptable or not. I never take that $5.00 tester out anymore for electrolytic capacitors. Its expensive when compared to that lesser price tool but if testing electrolytic capacitors often I feel it is an investment well made.

[@eostrike]

​@@BuyitFixitone more thing to note. If you knew which cap to replace you would have saved money not replacing all the others. If the plan was to replace them all anyhow then the tester will not benefit you. If the goal was to show the audience which cap was the culprit and replace only what needs to be replaced then I recommend this tool.

[@johnmolnar2957]

New subscriber to your channel. Loving it so far. I have a good friend that is retired electronics repair, you guys amaze me. He always checks the new components before he installs them to make sure they are good. I was thinking you had a bad cap ( new) on the one that didn't come on

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 👍and welcome aboard John 🙂

[@StrawDragon]

Very nice... I started to watch My Mate Vince per your suggestion. I have only seen a few of his and enjoy your videos much more. Keep doing what you are doing.

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks mate 👍

[@MahlerLab]

amazing how you found out the last problematic ceramic capacitor! and I wonder how you guesstimated the 100nF value? perhaps from experience? thank you for inspiring me to go and try fix one of my own faulty smart switch!

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 👍yes just from experience and knowing what it does in the circuit. I did the same on a solid state hard drive (video is on my channel also) 🙂

[@MahlerLab]

@@BuyitFixit Thank you. I'm learning so much from you!!

[@LM-wq4fe]

Before watching video, guessing caps. Mine failed recently. It would turn off and on repeatedly. Replaced all caps, working good now.

[@BuyitFixit]

Nice, although the last socket did throw me a slight curve ball.. 😂😂👍

[@alunjones4427]

Excellent video I found that very interesting Its down to those pesky caps again. Had Big Clive vibes whilst watching this video. 🤣🤣

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 🙂Glad you enjoyed it 👍

[@Dutch_off_grid_homesteading]

Heya, I'm learning nicely, wen I saw the MDD showing on not stable voltische I said to my self faulty cap('s) lol and after this you showed it were the cap's. (just a little proud at my self lol ). tthanks

[@BuyitFixit]

Nice 👍Well done 🙂

[@sean9595]

Another sound job mick 👍🏼👍🏼

[@BuyitFixit]

Cheers Sean 👍

[@christopherforster6555]

Well done with them keep the good work up.

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 👍

[@DumahBrazorf]

Same cap 3 of 3. Designed to fail.

[@SlartiMarvinbartfast]

As are so many devices these days - just use at least one cheaply made part in the manufacturing process and bob's your uncle. What a waste. It's about time that there were more standards to prevent such things but unfortunately it's the way of the world given that corporate greed is uppermost and so many governments and assorted politicians are in the back pockets of China and the like.

[@BuyitFixit]

Although on the last one, I think the original cap might have been OK, and it was the shorted SMD that was the root cause of that one.

[@fichambawelby2632]

Excellent! Last week I had exactly the same problem (low voltage lytic) with a remote controller (only one, not three). The chinese components they use in this devices are really bad.

[@BuyitFixit]

@@fichambawelby2632 Thanks 👍

[@AubsUK]

18:08 - It doesn't look like you swapped them round. But great job sorting all three. I have two that are faulty, will give them a try like you did and see if it's the caps, which I guess it probably will be! Thanks for another entertaining video :-)

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 👍Hopefully you'll be able to sort yours too!

[@MikeB_UK]

Love watching you save stuff from landfill. These didn't look old enough to have failed electrolytics - I was surprised. Bad product design in that they should have thought that if someone opens them (or even if the welds fail) then building in some mechanical clips keeping the front cover on would be good for safety. I'm sure it could have been engineered at no actual cost other than mould complexity. Keep up the great work!

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks Mike 👍I've got a "dumpster dive" TV I was just looking at earlier.. (future video) that one was really snatched from the claws of the landfill 😂😂😂

[@MikeB_UK]

@@BuyitFixit I fixed electronics as a hobby my whole life and used to get paid to do a few TVs in my time. Now I'm old and I just don't come across anything to repair any more so it's a lot of fun watching people lile yourself diagnose and fix. You do great work. Can't believe you do all this on top of running a farm!

[@BuyitFixit]

Yes sometimes it's a bit of a challenge, hence why this video was out slightly later than usual 👍

[@darrenwardell3079]

Another great vid. I have a few of these, well a variation of these, and one of them has been playing up so might be tempted now to have a butchers inside when it stops for good. I get such a buzz when you have diagnosed and rectified the problem and then plugged it in to find it working. Love it. Many thanks 👍👍

[@BuyitFixit]

Cheers Darren. It's per of the fun the "buzz" of getting it working👍 (not the buzz of getting a shock though, I've had that a few times too)😂😂😂😂

[@darrenwardell3079]

@@BuyitFixit Yeah i am with you there on being buzzed as i am an electrician so i had my share of them. You soon learn 😂😂

[@jonnyduncan7056]

I admire your patience.. Keep up the great work.

[@BuyitFixit]

Cheers 👍

[@ralphj4012]

Very good, KP15051SPA switcher (SOP-8) on LCSC (kiwi instruments, unlikely to be outback related). A suggestion for the future is to use evo-stik pvc pipe weld (if ABS) or an epoxy, superglue bloom destroys just about everything.

[@BuyitFixit]

Cheers for that Ralph 👍

[@mrjsv4935]

Nice fixes, massive improvement from those crazy clicking relays to normal operation :)

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks Mr JSV 👍

[@generaldisarray]

Per usual outstanding work sir. I have a bunch of the TP-Link Tapo plugs and they just seem to be clipped together without any glue so they're easier to get apart and fix, if needed. I've never had one fall/come apart when I've been unplugging them, so they are fairly well clipped together. 10 seconds in... CAPS, it's the CAPS. CAPS I'd say. Defo the caps!!! 🤣🤣🤣 We'll always have "two trailer park girls go" 1:47 "round the outside", 27:30, 1:47... 🤣🤣🤣

[@BuyitFixit]

😂😂😂Yes, I wasn't expecting the short.. I think it made it all the more interesting 👍

[@generaldisarray]

@@BuyitFixit ah, yes grasshopper, but it was a cap that caused the short, so defo caps... 🤣🤣

[@lucymc0191]

spot on video mate as always concise nee jargon just lay man terms ....pleasure to watch ..

[@BuyitFixit]

Cheers 👍

[@mikecass8306]

Brilliant fix as usual. thanks Mick 😃

[@BuyitFixit]

Cheers Mike 👍

[@lmwlmw4468]

´´I'm no expert´´ ..... 🤣🤣😂😂 .... that was a good one....!!!! Those ceramic caps a a pain these days...!!!! There is a channel on repairing Laptops in which the owner says, ´´No capacitor, no shorted capacitor´´ when he refers to those ceramic caps, and usually he never replaces them if there are at least another one in parallel...!!!

[@BuyitFixit]

Well technically I'm not an expert as I've got no paperwork or college degree or anything. I've just messed around fixing stuff and learned myself mainly from experience and the internet 🙂

[@rickoneill4343]

The only thing this guy can't repair is my marriage. 😂

[@BuyitFixit]

...I'll come round and have a chat with you and your wife,I'll bring my soldering iron 🤣🤣

[@brettohalloran3152]

If only it was so simple we could fix our significant others LOL😂

[@ralphj4012]

Don't count your (or Mick's) chickens!

[@drinkintea1572]

​@@BuyitFixit beast❤❤❤

[@Z-Ack]

Marriages fail at about the same rate as electrolytic capacitors.. seems most of those times the cap blows its load all over which causes the whole thing to just not work anymore.. you can always clean up the mess but that smell will always be there and will always not trust in the thing again like maybe it wasent the correct fit for the circuit..

[@NicksStuff]

I wonder how hot it gets inside these things for caps to fail this consistently. I imagine three small holes drilled on top and bottom of the plastic case would wo wonders for the reliability. And I see a lof of these Teckin plugs can be flashed with Tasmota or ESPhome and rendered free of the cloud, so they may be very interesting for a tech-savvy man like you :-)

[@BuyitFixit]

Cheers Nick, yes good suggestion. A friend of mine has flashed similar and uses them with home assistant. I used to be into this kind of stuff, but sometimes it's just easier to flick a switch on the wall 😂😂😂

[@NicksStuff]

@@BuyitFixit Home Assistant is great when it flicks the switch for you. Having to get the phone out to do it yourself is, indeed, not the right use of the technology

[@toolmanchris]

Like the big Clive reference 😂

[@BuyitFixit]

@@toolmanchris 😂😂😂👍

[@jumboegg5845]

Low value electrolytic capacitors typically have higher esr, up to about the 3-4 ohm is fairly normal for 1 - 4.7 uF.

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks for that. Apparently voltage of the cap plays into this also. I did find a whole thread on the EEVBLOG forum talking about ESR and how it can also vary wildly between good quality bad quality and different manufacturers and even bad capacitors can have a good ESR reading.

[@jumboegg5845]

@@BuyitFixit Yeah it varies, the esr meter just gives you a ball park figure, its not a precision measurement, just gives you a good indication (so long as the cap is not shorted). Often works well testing electrolytic caps in circuit, its the ones that have a bit high esr, that's when you are unsure. A big cap with a few ohms or more, is not good, but after measuring lots of small caps in circuit, I find they often have a few ohms when perfectly fine.

[@599miata]

You are good, mate. Easy with cheap components...😊😊

[@BuyitFixit]

😂😂😂Thanks 👍

[@neilrampersad4291]

Great diagnostic skills, I really taught it would be the voltage regulator

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 👍

[@raresvintea1]

I've repaired dozen of these iot devices and in 90% are the caps, odd dimensions that needs to be precise but in the end something is not thrown in the bin!

[@BuyitFixit]

Nice, yes another item saved from the la landfill

[@ninaevans4501]

Another great video Mick, keep them going. Always beware that which comes out of China, which is most things now, sadly. But at least they keep guys like us sorting stuff out. Warmest Regards WAYNE (my comment), Nina & Barbara 🫡🫡🫡🫡🫡🫡😊😊😊😊😊😊😊🫂🫂❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@BuyitFixit]

Cheers Wayne 👍

[@ninaevans4501]

​@@BuyitFixitSorry, for the wording of our last message to you Mick. We have been reading too much Chinglish. 😂😂😂😂😂😂❤❤❤❤❤❤ Wayne, Nina, and Barbara.

[@chrissmith7655]

Hi, great stuff AGAIN! Many thanks.

[@BuyitFixit]

Cheers Chris 👍

[@tubeDude48]

Another fine repair! 👍

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 👍

[@kean4218]

Love your content do you have any tips for someone who wants to start electronics repair as a hobby?

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 👍Yes, take stuff apart and have a go! I never learned a lot of theory, and most of what I know is what I've picked up and through experience. You only get experience from having a go 🙂

[@gainmaster1]

Nice little fix Mick

[@BuyitFixit]

Cheers 👍

[@glennbarker222]

Nice work. Hopefully the covers don't come apart!!

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 👍You and me both 😂😂I used plenty of super glue, so hopefully they won't fail quickly...

[@hmartinlb]

Most welded plastic casings open right up if you squeeze them in a vise.

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks for the tip 👍

[@jonathanInLondonUK]

Came here to say the same. Learned that trick from Big Clive. I had to open a similar smart switch, popped it in a Black and Decker workmate, cranked the handle and eventually there was a loud crack, and it opened just fine.

[@kestranor]

Just a thought, but wouldn't ESR be "higher" if you're measuring with cables and those clips? ESR stand for Equivalent Series Resistance, so I'd imagine the cables and clips add to the measured values. You could try putting a cap straight into the connector and then measure the same cap with the wires, then see if you get different readings.

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks for that. I was doing another job which you will probably see in a future video, and I did exactly that. The readings were the same.

[@tall-jv4wo]

Nice one Vince... you are a very clever man. 😊

[@bills6946]

Mick

[@BuyitFixit]

😂😂😂😂

[@SeanBZA]

Capacitor value on secondary not too critical, it just has to have a low ESR, and be able to hold charge so the relay does not drop out between mains cycles. The buck converters are very tolerant on value, just do not like to have too much ripple on input, and ESR has to be low, as they draw very short high current pulses, so high ESR means it drops into undervoltage lock out range during every mains cycle. Shorted capacitor likely just because it got spikes applied, or it was damaged during assembly, normally the 3V3 regulator goes short circuit in this use from the spikes as the capacitors age. Value of capacitor not critical, it would run without it as well, short lead lengths to main capacitor allowing it to decouple properly.

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks for that Sean 👍

[@luckywetland]

Amazing as always

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 👍

[@solarforfuture]

nice.. just got one that also sends back useage data to the phone.. with timers. solar monitoring

[@BuyitFixit]

@@solarforfuture Nice 👍

[@AK-mt8gh]

Hi love your videos just wondering why did you know it was faulty caps so quickly?

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 👍Educated guess, I've had switching power supplies do things like that before and it's usually capacitor related. One was slightly obvious due to the bottom bulging out, although I wasn't expecting the short circuit on the last one 🙂

[@Gazzyb2071]

Do you test the caps before installing them??

[@BuyitFixit]

They were new, so I just assumed they would be OK. If I had used some used components I would have.

[@Gazzyb2071]

​@BuyitFixit, can you recommend a brand of caps to buy and where to buy them from mate???

[@FireballXL55]

Electrolytics on plug top devices are quite common The datasheet for the voltage regulator on the unit with the shorted ceramic would most likely give you the value for the faulty ceramic. The leads on the component tester I bought one of the long legged turned pin IC sockets RS 188-2695 and soldered my leads to it, this way I have easy contact points for short leaded components or the clips like you have.

[@BuyitFixit]

Interesting. Thanks for the tip 👍

[@cajuncoinhunter]

I thought that chip looked a little familiar , I have some HS-01 chips they are used TV power supply boards ... they control the Mosfets switching speeds ...

[@JustInspiredKent]

Nice one. I imagine the capacitor quality must be as low as can be in these plugs!

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 👍More than likely. I'm not sure what the quality of the Amazon capacitors I got are like..

[@MrDubje]

It's pretty much cause and effect what you're seeing here. The electrolytic cap probably failed in the last one, leaving the spikey high-freq rectified voltage to be smoothed by the little ceramic cap, resulting in its demise as well. Ceramic caps tend to fail in a short or become a resistor of varying value when exposed to voltage higher than their spec. Last month I was able to repair a display module in a Wacom drawing screen where the same issue occurred as a result of a suspected power supply problem.

[@BuyitFixit]

Could well be the case 👍Well done on fixing the Wacom 🙂

[@ottospoelstra2481]

There are also bipolar caps the dont have any markings regarding polarity

[@BuyitFixit]

Yes I've came across those before, can't remember where though..perhaps it was in an audio device?

[@andymouse]

Nice one !

[@BuyitFixit]

Cheers Andymouse 👍

[@mq1425]

Sir, may i know what brand of caps do you use?

[@BuyitFixit]

I don't really have a preference, I just bought some from Amazon for this job and usually from Ebay or such. I do have a pile of them pulled from old boards which I use too (check them first of course).

[@ElektroTechNL]

Nice fix 🎉

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 👍

[@AberdeenshireBeasties]

Interesting that one person has so many failures but looks like there may have been lots of revisions. I have many (12+) of the round form factor ones by the same brand, but my round ones are ESP like the square one you had, no issues so far with any of them (1-2 years old) and they switch higher powered devices than lights.

[@BuyitFixit]

Nice, I wonder if they changed a supplier of capacitors or something at some stage which may explain the failures.

[@ibrahimkocaalioglu]

You can wear a glow while dealing with high voltage. I do. There are comfortable ones.

[@BuyitFixit]

Great suggestion 👍

[@LucasTorresan]

A couple weeks ago I repaired a smart wall switch that had the same cap “exploding” problem, the cap might even be the same brand

[@BuyitFixit]

I guess it's a common problem with these due to the high frequency switching and the small enclosed space. Hopefully it helps other people who want to attempt repair their sockets too 🙂

[@ISquishWorms]

Shouldn't they really be using class X and Y capacitors? Nice fix and useful info as I have some of those sockets here although they seem ok for the moment.

[@BuyitFixit]

I think X and Y are on the AC side for noise filtering. These are after rectifier so are being used for DC smoothing.

[@ISquishWorms]

@@BuyitFixit Ah, thanks for clearing that up.

[@1kreature]

You never comment on the loss measurement of the caps. It's not a very standardized measurement but if it's increased there is a parasitic train across the cap. This very quickly leads to high loads on the supply-system. Often causing startup failure of switchmode supplys that detect the high drain as a fault.

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks for that, I'm not too sure what the VLOSS reading indicates, I should do some research on it 👍

[@gmespia]

Nice fix but I have to ask you, do you install that kind of random software in your daily driver? or do you have a test phone for that? If the answer is the former, you're a brave man 😉

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 👍Yes I was a bit concerned about installing random apps, but hopefully the Chinese gov will give me some discount on capacitors now 😂😂😂

[@gmespia]

@@BuyitFixit Good citizen. +1000 in your social credit card 🤣

[@BuyitFixit]

😂😂😂

[@ISquishWorms]

@@BuyitFixit 🤣🤣

[@maicod]

enjoyed it very much

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 👍🙂

[@eugenecussen3735]

You are the tech version of the old Irish TV program called Hands

[@BuyitFixit]

😂😂😂😂👍

[@dean_fkn_jones]

Mick, i have a Veho Pebble 30kmah power bank that’s gone faulty, it worked once and never again… Be great if you could fix it for me as it was quite expensive…

[@joelkist6493]

Nice

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks!

[@carlszymanski5812]

Use the vice of Knowledge !

[@BuyitFixit]

😂😂😂👍

[@torfinnsrnes6232]

Are the capacitors of bad quality?

[@BuyitFixit]

I'm not too sure, problem is also caps on the output of switching supplies get a lot of abuse and fail a lot more quickly than they would on an old fashion linear power supply.

[@colinboneham7387]

On the esr reading, I would have checked the new ones to see what they read as, but that’s just me.

[@BuyitFixit]

Good idea, perhaps I should have done a comparison 👍

[@1i1c1em0]

I fixed my ones by given them a damn good thrashing. Been working ever since

[@oliverer3]

Probably a stuck relay then.

[@AndrewSmith-py3ut]

Link to the Soldering Flux doesn't seem to be working?

[@BuyitFixit]

Yes, unfortunately I don't think they sell it now. I did look for an alternative but because I haven't used another myself I can't really recommend one.

[@Lightrunner.]

Wooow 😳😳😳😵‍💫😱 06:23 I swear definitely Alien code / language😱 Beware of this thing from another world🤖👾👽 Greatfull work you do 😵‍💫🤗🖖🥳 . Nice🍻🍻

[@BuyitFixit]

Thanks 👍😂😂😂Morse code 😂😂😂

[@christophermarshall5765]

He tests the faulty capacitor using DMM……. Display comes back with “wire link”!!!! Hehehe. Them smd caps are too fiddly for me to deal with.

[@BuyitFixit]

Yes, they are quite fiddly. I've had caps fail like this a few times now. One I remember off hand was on the solid state hard drive I repaired. Video is on my channel too 👍

[@charlestermin6837]

It looks like a seal’s face in the thermal camera 🦭

[@BuyitFixit]

😂😂😂😂

[@reggiedixon2]

I have had two TP-Link smart plugs fail, weirdly although apparently rated to 13 Amps "Tapo Smart Plug with Energy Monitoring, Max 13A,Works with Amazon Alexa & Google Home, Wi-Fi Smart Socket, Remote Control, Device Sharing, No Hub Required, Tapo P110, White" They seem to only be able to handle very light loads of up to 100W. I only used them for controlling the power to a USB PD charger that typically has two laptops connected, I can read the load from the screen on the charger and it is generally about 40 Watts plus 50 Watts. Both times they still click when swiched with the app but supply no current. Seem to be junk which is a shame as I generally like TP-Link stuff as it is cheap and cheerful but effective mostly.

[@BuyitFixit]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing 👍

[@michaelvalcourt9978]

Honestly, I think you could fix a rainy day!

[@BuyitFixit]

😂😂😂Unfortunately not, we get loads of those up here 🙂