The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning

Ed Nisley's Blog: Shop notes, electronics, firmware, machinery, 3D printing, laser cuttery, and curiosities. Contents: 100% human thinking, 0% AI slop.

The New Hotness

  • USB Charger: Safety FAIL

    Mary reported a problem unplugging the USB charger powering the light pad (the successor to the pad I repaired) she uses for quilting layouts:

    USB Charger - as found
    USB Charger – as found

    Yes, that blade is sticking out of the hot (“Line”) side of the outlet.

    The only way into the charger was through its other end:

    USB charger - interior top
    USB charger – interior top

    Because I had no intention of returning it to service, I tried pushing the errant blade back in place, only to have it overshoot the mark and bulldoze various parts aside:

    USB charger - PCB blade contacts
    USB charger – PCB blade contacts

    The two upright shapes contact the blades, but do not lock them in place. The PCB pulled easily out of the case, with no objection from the remaining (“Neutral”) blade.

    The blades are simple steel bars press-fit into the plastic case, without holes / dimples / notches to lock them into the plastic. As far as I could tell, they were not molded in place.

    I tossed the corpse into the e-waste box, extracted another USB charger from the Box o’ USB Chargers and returned the light pad to service.

    I do have a few Genuine UL Listed USB chargers, but these are not among them.