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USB power supply puts 220 Mains power out on USB jack

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Re: USB power supply puts 220 Mains power out on USB jack

#141

Post by rs999gti »

voltagex_ wrote: post #9

How do I know what I'm buying is safe? I've sworn by the Nexus chargers in their various incarnations and http://www.amazon.com/Charge-Charging-Station-Micro-USB-Sams... (I have a Tronsmart and an Aukey vertsion)

> How do I know what I'm buying is safe?

I think I answered my own comment a few sections above. But for safety you should look for the UL mark:

http://www.ul.com/code-authorities/resources/faqs-for-code-a...

The CE mark is the manufacturer's self declaration of compliance with EU law, sometimes including safety.

Whereas the UL mark can only be put on products that Underwriters Laboratories have authorized themselves.

Re: USB power supply puts 220 Mains power out on USB jack

#142

Post by alex_hitchins »

dom96 wrote: post #57

Aren't there legal tests that any appliance which plugs into the mains must pass? I'm surprised this kind of thing is possible, but I guess not performing such tests cuts costs.

Sometimes even large well trusted companies get fake products shipped to them.

I think EEVBlog highlighted this with the FTDI case. People were buying what they thought were authentic FTDI chips (and paying the proper price) but being delivered fakes that then went on to be bricked by the driver update.

There is so much margin in swapping good stuff with dreadfull stuff there are several points in the procurement chain where people can try their luck passing off crap.

Re: USB power supply puts 220 Mains power out on USB jack

#143

Post by raverbashing »

irremediable wrote: post #132
basicplus2 wrote: post #111

A true isolation transformer has an earthed copper shield wound in between and physically separating the primary from secondary windings, anything less is unsafe. One of the many reasons I detest "double insulated" equipment, as it is impossible to determine if it has been designed for safety or not without ripping it apart and destroying it. This is a real issue in Australia as our regulators do no regulating and mo…

What about ordering things that are also UL/CSA-approved? Lots of electronics sold in the EU have their CE mark, but also list their UL/cUL/CSA approval.

CE as in "China Export"? http://siloscordoba.com/2013/07/09/china-export-is-not-ce-a-...

Re: USB power supply puts 220 Mains power out on USB jack

#144

Post by zimpenfish »

rs999gti wrote: post #141
voltagex_ wrote: post #9

How do I know what I'm buying is safe? I've sworn by the Nexus chargers in their various incarnations and http://www.amazon.com/Charge-Charging-Station-Micro-USB-Sams... (I have a Tronsmart and an Aukey vertsion)

> How do I know what I'm buying is safe? I think I answered my own comment a few sections above. But for safety you should look for the UL mark: http://www.ul.com/code-authorities/resources/faqs-for-code-a... The CE mark is the manufacturer's self declaration of compliance with EU law, sometimes including safety. Whereas the UL mark can only be put on products that Underwriters Laboratories have authorized themselves…

Although counterfeiters aren't above putting it on unsafe products - e.g. http://www.righto.com/2016/03/counterfeit-macbook-charger-te...

"The photo below shows the safety certifications that the charger claims to have. Again, it looks genuine, with no typos or ugly fonts."

Or http://www.righto.com/2014/05/a-look-inside-ipad-chargers-pr...

"The counterfeit charger displays a bunch of certifications (such as UL) that it doesn't actually have. As you will see below, there is no way it could pass safety testing."

Re: USB power supply puts 220 Mains power out on USB jack

#145

Post by lucaspiller »

basicplus2 wrote: post #111

A true isolation transformer has an earthed copper shield wound in between and physically separating the primary from secondary windings, anything less is unsafe. One of the many reasons I detest "double insulated" equipment, as it is impossible to determine if it has been designed for safety or not without ripping it apart and destroying it. This is a real issue in Australia as our regulators do no regulating and mo…

> even though manufacturers lie and put standards compliance numbers on them

The CE marking in Europe is the same (in most cases). It just means that the manufacturer declares it is compliant, not that it has been approved and tested by anyone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CE_marking

Re: USB power supply puts 220 Mains power out on USB jack

#146

Post by basicplus2 »

mavhc wrote: post #113
basicplus2 wrote: post #111

A true isolation transformer has an earthed copper shield wound in between and physically separating the primary from secondary windings, anything less is unsafe. One of the many reasons I detest "double insulated" equipment, as it is impossible to determine if it has been designed for safety or not without ripping it apart and destroying it. This is a real issue in Australia as our regulators do no regulating and mo…

Does the Australian Standards body require that devices are sent to them for testing? Then there could be a database you could check as to whether a device has passed.

technically yes.. but it is not enforced

Re: USB power supply puts 220 Mains power out on USB jack

#147

Post by yoodenvranx »

Tepix wrote: post #118
yoodenvranx wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I play Ingress a lot (a GPS based mobile game where you run around a lot in the real world so most players use external batteries) and at least 60-70% of the whole community uses Anker products. I personally know at a dozen people who use Anker wall plugs and all of them (including me, 1 wallplug and 2 battery packs) are very happy.

When talking about Ingress, I suppose you primarily talk about USB power packs. These are not as dangerous as power supplies that are connected to 110V or 220V (although they can catch fire). Instead of trusting a particular brand, I think it makes more sense to trust the various security certifications that were created for this purpose. The ones I am aware of are: * TÜV Nord, TÜV Süd, TÜV Rheinland (TUV, Germany) *…

> I suppose you primarily talk about USB power packs

No, somehow we have to charge all those batteries ;) A lot of people use Anker products for this as well.

Re: USB power supply puts 220 Mains power out on USB jack

#148

Post by technofiend »

Amezarak wrote: post #75
DiabloD3 wrote: post #14

As a reminder, if you're buying a USB charger or battery, or MicroUSB, Type C, or Lightning cable please buy Anker products. They are not expensive, but they are the best products you can get your hands on. I own multiple Anker products, and have never discovered anything better than these. The only non-Anker charger I currently use is the Google Nexus branded Qi charger (plugged into an Anker multiport brick), and t…

I bought five anker USB cables after reading about them on HN, and a wall charger, and I was actually really disappointed. All the cables stopped working within three weeks. Monoprice USB cables didn't fare well either, but the OEM cables that came with my Icons, kindle, and S3 have lasted years. Wall charger still works great, but the cables are what I was really interested in because people are always running off w…

I had a similar problem with some Anker cables - they'd die with light use. I found at least one culprit in that my wife would rest her thumb on the cable connection while the phone charged. This bent something enough the cable would stop working.

But some of them have simply stopped working after use on my desk or being carried around in my backpack for a while. I've switched to aukey for cables for that reason. Whether they're any more reliable is TBD.

Re: USB power supply puts 220 Mains power out on USB jack

#149

Post by voltagex_ »

basicplus2 wrote: post #111

A true isolation transformer has an earthed copper shield wound in between and physically separating the primary from secondary windings, anything less is unsafe. One of the many reasons I detest "double insulated" equipment, as it is impossible to determine if it has been designed for safety or not without ripping it apart and destroying it. This is a real issue in Australia as our regulators do no regulating and mo…

How much would you charge me to do teardowns / tests of a few chargers?

Re: USB power supply puts 220 Mains power out on USB jack

#150

Post by irremediable »

raverbashing wrote: post #143
irremediable wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about ordering things that are also UL/CSA-approved? Lots of electronics sold in the EU have their CE mark, but also list their UL/cUL/CSA approval.

CE as in "China Export"? http://siloscordoba.com/2013/07/09/china-export-is-not-ce-a-...

Hehe, I don't know whether CSA/UL/cUL are faked as often though -- I think you can even look up the certification record to check it matches the product.
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