[GLLUG] Spot the cheap Chinese fake

[j.roberts]

On 10/04/2014 08:02, Chris Bell wrote:
> On Wed 09 Apr, Mike Brodbelt wrote:
>>
>> The PSU would not necessarily have drawn attention from the silk
>> screening and CE mark, but was far too light in the hand. It's
>> significantly underspecced, and it can't possibly have decent
>> transformers in it. I have plugged it in, and it makes an unpleasant
>> rapid ticking sound which I've never heard from a power brick before. I
>> would not leave it alone in a room - it pretty much shouts "fire risk".

I have on various occasions had to buy a temporary mains or car 
micro-usb charger, and have lived to regret it.

I benched one of them after it caused my touch screen to suffer 
modulation issues, and it was illegal in at least three ways:

1 the creep distance between the 240v and 5v circuitry was hugely inadequate

2 the isolation transformer had a single layer of insulation between the 
windings not two

3 it was regulated by a single transistor and struggled to provide 100mA 
let alone the 1A rating, shutting down when the transistor simply got 
too hot. Eventually it would have caught fire.

Everything else about it was awful too.

Overall it was dangerous, dangerous, dangerous.

The car charger supplied with it lasted about 15 min and had similar, if 
less dangerous issues.

Mind you it did charge my phone enough for an important phone call!

MeJ