YouTuber DiodeGoneWild bought a dead Anker 737 120W USB charger and disassembled it to find out what had caused the failure.
The charger had developed a fault on an IC responsible for negotiating voltage with connected devices, rendering it inoperable.
Despite the fault, the YouTuber praised the charger’s design, which isolates the secondary side of the power supply from the mains voltage, making the charger safer.
The compact design of the charger also meant that components needed to be potted to prevent them from becoming loose or damaged during travel or exposure to moisture, which can make repairs more difficult.
The analysis highlighted the difficulty of repairing modern consumer electronics, as well as the environmental impact of disposable electronics versus the relatively small percentage of devices that are repairable by consumers or at third-party facilities.
