USB Charger Fail...and then what?

[tim]

Feb 10, 2016 22:13:07 GMT 300 said:

Feb 10, 2016 10:38:49 GMT calnorth said:

Got one of these with a new iStick 30W a month back. Didn't think eleaf provided them..dunno? Anyway, it worked for 4 weeks and without any flame show it stopped supplying 5 volts @1000ma (1A will do!). It charged the ileaf ok till I noticed I had to plug into my Laptop/PC. Never did measure its o/p during operation...why would you?

This has the usual CE joke markings (+ others) and no manufacturer name or type ID. So the temptation now for a lot of folk is to grab the nearest charger with a USB socket on it I suspect? Thats 240v AC to 5V DC with a few bits of silicon. Whether its fused adequately, I've yet to get to surgery.

Got one of those with the Wife's first I-Stick.... burning smell & too hot to touch after first charge, didn't cool down even when not under load, straight in the bin.

Use one of these now, 1amp max from either USB port & still get to use the socket if need be.

Where did you get that? I likeeee.

[300]

Feb 10, 2016 22:44:53 GMT tim said:

Feb 10, 2016 22:13:07 GMT 300 said:

Got one of those with the Wife's first I-Stick.... burning smell & too hot to touch after first charge, didn't cool down even when not under load, straight in the bin.

Use one of these now, 1amp max from either USB port & still get to use the socket if need be.

Where did you get that? I likeeee.

Argos £9:99 well spent IMO

[mart166]

Feb 10, 2016 22:52:42 GMT 300 said:

Feb 10, 2016 22:44:53 GMT tim said:

Where did you get that? I likeeee.

Argos £9:99 well spent IMO

I bought similar from a very well known high street DIY superstore for my first charging station, it was complete crap, after 3 days it ended up in bin, my computer can charge my phone (very simple one) in an hour, this rubbish could not charge it in six, paid premium price thinking i'm getting something good, just shows how careful you have to be.


MP

[djs]

Feb 10, 2016 22:40:36 GMT Greg said:

Your Mistress ?

Yup. Something like that.

[djs]

Feb 11, 2016 8:50:46 GMT mart166 said:

I bought similar from a very well known high street DIY superstore for my first charging station, it was complete crap, after 3 days it ended up in bin, my computer can charge my phone (very simple one) in an hour, this rubbish could not charge it in six, paid premium price thinking i'm getting something good, just shows how careful you have to be.

It does. That's a 'Masterplug' one. Straight from the back door of somewhere near Fasttech, presumably, but they seem really good.

They do all kind of this stuff. Some of it is silly money, (like the tower one) but I've not had a bad product from them yet. I have all sorts.

[calnorth]

Feb 10, 2016 22:44:53 GMT tim said:

Feb 10, 2016 22:13:07 GMT 300 said:

Got one of those with the Wife's first I-Stick.... burning smell & too hot to touch after first charge, didn't cool down even when not under load, straight in the bin.

Use one of these now, 1amp max from either USB port & still get to use the socket if need be.

Where did you get that? I likeeee.

Surge Protected?

It might be...for a while? That applies to the 3 pin multi socket outlet slabs you can buy. Spendy stuff for nothing much...usually. 

This is the business of getting special devices to stop power spikes (energy bursts) damaging electronics. Usually this kind of "mains disruption" arises from domestic motor switching (washing machines/fridges/freezers).  

The principal is to slap a MOV device (fused allegedly) directly across the 240v mains incoming to your equipment. You can well imagine what happens when a spike causes the MOV to operate...if its still capable? Clamp/reduce spike....fast!

spike = fast voltage jump above 240v (ugly/dirty transition)
MOV = metal-oxide varistor

This kind of circuit usually has a neon lamp to indicate your device is protected...anybody check that lamp periodically? Likely they stick high radiance blue LEDs on these days. Who is the idiot that does that? My loft is illuminated almost completely by just one of those.

So, on the day you really want your stuff to work and mysteriously it doesn't, add this to your list. 

I'm not saying this MOV thing never works...just that there exists many variants of it. Lets say "quality issues".

[300]

Feb 11, 2016 9:27:00 GMT calnorth said:

Feb 10, 2016 22:44:53 GMT tim said:

Where did you get that? I likeeee.

Surge Protected?

It might be...for a while? That applies to the 3 pin multi socket outlet slabs you can buy. Spendy stuff for nothing much...usually. 

This is the business of getting special devices to stop power spikes (energy bursts) damaging electronics. Usually this kind of "mains disruption" arises from domestic motor switching (washing machines/fridges/freezers).  

The principal is to slap a MOV device (fused allegedly) directly across the 240v mains incoming to your equipment. You can well imagine what happens when a spike causes the MOV to operate...if its still capable? Clamp/reduce spike....fast!

spike = fast voltage jump above 240v (ugly/dirty transition)
MOV = metal-oxide varistor

This kind of circuit usually has a neon lamp to indicate your device is protected...anybody check that lamp periodically? Likely they stick high radiance blue LEDs on these days. Who is the idiot that does that? My loft is illuminated almost completely by just one of those.

So, on the day you really want your stuff to work and mysteriously it doesn't, add this to your list. 

I'm not saying this MOV thing never works...just that there exists many variants of it. Lets say "quality issues".

I'm sure what you say is correct (I don't know) but i didn't buy it for surge protection, it's only a charger, just want a single unit with 2 USB ports to deliver 1amp max at each port & that's what it does.

[300]

Feb 11, 2016 8:50:46 GMT mart166 said:

Feb 10, 2016 22:52:42 GMT 300 said:

Argos £9:99 well spent IMO

I bought similar from a very well known high street DIY superstore for my first charging station, it was complete crap, after 3 days it ended up in bin, my computer can charge my phone (very simple one) in an hour, this rubbish could not charge it in six, paid premium price thinking i'm getting something good, just shows how careful you have to be.


MP

I suppose that's the thing with making a recommendation, someone may think it's a bad idea, that's a good thing for balance.

[nanotm]

Feb 11, 2016 9:27:00 GMT calnorth said:

Feb 10, 2016 22:44:53 GMT tim said:

Where did you get that? I likeeee.

Surge Protected?

It might be...for a while? That applies to the 3 pin multi socket outlet slabs you can buy. Spendy stuff for nothing much...usually. 

This is the business of getting special devices to stop power spikes (energy bursts) damaging electronics. Usually this kind of "mains disruption" arises from domestic motor switching (washing machines/fridges/freezers).  

The principal is to slap a MOV device (fused allegedly) directly across the 240v mains incoming to your equipment. You can well imagine what happens when a spike causes the MOV to operate...if its still capable? Clamp/reduce spike....fast!

spike = fast voltage jump above 240v (ugly/dirty transition)
MOV = metal-oxide varistor

This kind of circuit usually has a neon lamp to indicate your device is protected...anybody check that lamp periodically? Likely they stick high radiance blue LEDs on these days. Who is the idiot that does that? My loft is illuminated almost completely by just one of those.

So, on the day you really want your stuff to work and mysteriously it doesn't, add this to your list. 

I'm not saying this MOV thing never works...just that there exists many variants of it. Lets say "quality issues".

I learnt through enquiring that the vast majority of transformers in cheap electronics are designed for the EU marketplace, that primarily means its over volting the second we plug it in and start using it, only stuff that's specifically designed for the UK actually delivers the output its meant to, primarily this is down to the EU harmonisation rules that dictate the CE standards are for 220vac and our primary supply is 240vac, those extra 20volts generally mean and extra 100mah getting pushed out, that makes things run warmer and more prone to faults, the only fix I've found thus far is running all the sensitive stuff off a dedicated UPS, in my lounge that means 2x 6 way extension bar for low power devices running off ancillary outlets on the UPS and the pc/NAS boxes running off their own dedicated lines, this smooth's the supply to a constant 240vac once the batteries are half charged even if its running on a 220vac input
a good thing since the local grid seems to swing between 220 and 250vac at various times thought the day, I've stopped burning through phone chargers since I started using this setup before i would burn out at least 1 a month if not more, I also totalled the original autosensing psu on my pc before i got the UPS unit, so when I had to get a replacement I was more than happy to get the UPS at the same time (since the PSU cost £250 and wasn't covered under the warranty it was an expensive lesson) true there expensive but not more so than a decent dna200 box mod athough somewhat overkill if your not running a pc and such off it as well

[calnorth]

That'a true nanotm but not sure of its significance now. Electronics/Electrics (analogue) in my early days was known as a 10% business... +/- ? Digitally...ah well!

That USB charger I showed uses the switch mode principal which should handle 240v. It didn't after a few weeks and ended with an o/cct primary and that item was a toy trafo in my view.....a weak link among many I think? Likely the load cooked it in fairly slow time?

Its the kind of sh*t that fools in this country get hold of and sell via eBay. They'll attempt to kill you and damage your property and I think I'd prefer to see a major extinction of eBay really, certainly as regards this stuff.

[mart166]

It's bit off subject, but on radio today they said major manufacturers starting to recall Tumble Dryers, due to them catching fire, took a few peoples life getting ruined for them to realise, I know you should not leave them unattended (not got one myself) but people trust big name companies to supply goods that are not going to inferno house. Where do you go unless your an electronics expert (as some obviously are on here), you pay high prices for better quality and it all turns out same, manufacturers just paying FT prices to sell at bigger mark up. Just my thoughts !!!

MP

[decoy]

ive got a trip board I'm safe

the number of peps that use a 13 amp fuse to replace any blown fuse in a 3 pin plug scares me
it blew the sodding fuse for a reason put the same size fuse back in

I personally think you should know when something is to cheap to be good from china
specially if your plugging it in to your mains

[calnorth]

Feb 12, 2016 15:28:56 GMT mart166 said:

It's bit off subject, but on radio today they said major manufacturers starting to recall Tumble Dryers, due to them catching fire, took a few peoples life getting ruined for them to realise, I know you should not leave them unattended (not got one myself) but people trust big name companies to supply goods that are not going to inferno house. Where do you go unless your an electronics expert (as some obviously are on here), you pay high prices for better quality and it all turns out same, manufacturers just paying FT prices to sell at bigger mark up. Just my thoughts !!!

MP

I've had 2 letters in the last 3 months...if I remember right its from Indesit and spanning about 5 yrs of tumble drier production. They want an engineer(?) to visit, inspect and perform mod. Its about fluff build up/ingression.

Seems such manufactures forget from time to time how to build stuff..can include Ford in that also!

[Deleted]

I just use these (not these exact ones) but the same sort of thing son in law is a sparky so got him to get the right ones i needed.
www.screwfix.com/p/lap-13a-sp-2-gang-switched-socket-usb-charger-port-white/1204f

[300]

Feb 13, 2016 14:56:24 GMT @broadblaster said:

I just use these (not these exact ones) but the same sort of thing son in law is a sparky so got him to get the right ones i needed.
www.screwfix.com/p/lap-13a-sp-2-gang-switched-socket-usb-charger-port-white/1204f

Looked at those they're a great idea but most seem to be 2amps or more, a little too much i thought for the Wife's I-Stick.