Poundland USB versus lightning (The lightning won.)

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2020Aug 25

A look at the exploded remnants of a Poundland USB charger that clearly didn't enjoy a lightning induced voltage spike between live and neutral. It's not uncommon for small electronic power supplies to explode when they fail in UK sockets, as they rarely have the protection required to safely break the current available from the power circuit. I'm going to have to get another of this type of power supply as it's clear it has been redesigned since I took one apart. The early ones had an issue with the output rectifier diode getting too hot and failing when the supply was being run at maximum current. The new version has got a MOSFET based synchronous rectifier, which acts like a very low voltage-drop diode. That reduces heat and increases efficiency. The chip is an LP3515. You can find it's manufacturer's page here:- https://www.chip-hope.com/en/ProductD... Although the arc plasma engulfed the output connector, there would be no easy path for the current to take if the phone was lying on an insulated surface, so the phone would survive. If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:- http://www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm This also keeps the channel independent of YouTube's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.