Again in March, EDN revealed my teardown of a 30W USB-C output gallium nitride (GaN) transistor-based charger from an organization known as VOLTME. On the time, I advised you, and I even confirmed you:
that I’d additionally lately acquired a standard (non-GaN) 30W USB-C charger, this an Insignia (Finest Purchase’s retailer model), which I’d even be dissecting shortly. That point is now.
The VOLTME charger, once more, has dimensions of 1.2×1.3×1.2 inches, translating to round 1.9 cubic inches of quantity, and weighs 1.5 ounces. In the present day’s sufferer, the Insignia, is just a bit bigger, 1.43×1.33×1.33 inches (~2.5 cubic inches); I can’t discover a weight spec for it on Finest Purchase’s website.
Again in March, I’d additionally confirmed you comparative pictures of the Insignia charger and an older Aukey 27W one, additionally typical in design, which I’d bought in mid-June 2019 and which finds day by day use in recharging my 11” iPad Professional (together with, extra lately, my new-to-me M1 MacBook Air…however that’s one other story for an additional time…). Right here they’re once more:
The Aukey gadget, with mannequin # PA-Y8, has dimensions of two.17×1.97×1.10 inches (~4.7 cubic inches) and weighs 2.57 ounces. It value me $17.59 (plus tax), promotion priced. Evaluate that towards the earlier-documented dimensions of the 2 newer units. Now take into account that the extra trendy items value me solely $9.99 (VOLTME, bought in early January) and $10.99 (Insignia, bought in early February), in each circumstances once more on sale on the time, and plus tax. Half (or much less) the quantity, and round half the value, after round 4 years of evolution. Progress!
Now for some standalone pictures of our affected person. Right here it’s again in February, nonetheless packaged:
Right here’s what’s inside, as standard accompanied by a 0.75″ (19.1 mm) diameter U.S. penny for measurement comparability functions:
Now for some standalone pictures. Entrance:
Left facet:
Again, with the AC plug prongs each retracted and prolonged:
Proper facet:
High, once more with the AC plug prongs each retracted and prolonged:
And eventually, the comparatively boring backside:
Now it’s time for the $10,000 query: get inside? The entry factors with merchandise like these are often apparent; there’s sometimes a seam across the fringe of the entrance panel, in addition to the again (which is how I obtained contained in the VOLTME unit). However for apparent high-voltage security causes, it’s not often in any respect straightforward to get by these seams; they’re fairly sturdy. That was definitely the case right here: I began out with the entrance panel utilizing the mixture of a field cutter and a small flat-head screwdriver performing as a chisel, however didn’t get far:
I then turned to my warmth gun within the ultimately-shattered aspiration to soften the glue holding the entrance panel in place:
As a substitute, I ended up melting an excellent portion (however not everything) of the entrance panel off:
However the insides remained stubbornly caught in place, due in no small half to all of the gray thermal paste that you may see on this preliminary glimpse (to not point out all of the remaining bits of the entrance panel that remained stubbornly glued in place):
I then tried ejecting the insides from the case by pushing on the prolonged AC prongs. No cube. Wielding my implements of destruction on the again panel didn’t do something, both:
Finally, I brute-forced my approach inside, placing the unit in a vise and making use of a hacksaw to it:
Right here’s what the “guts” appear like, now case-unencumbered however nonetheless thermal paste-swathed.
Entrance:
Left facet:
Again (no totally different than the earlier perspective, however maintain that thought):
Proper facet:
High:
And far-more-interesting-than-before backside:
Re my earlier “maintain that thought” remark, and as keen-eyed readers could have deduced from the earlier “high” view, it seems that the “guts” comprise two totally different assemblages, press-fit collectively (however, within the earlier “high view”, moved barely out of alignment in the course of the case-cutting and “guts”-removal steps). One encompasses the AC prongs, together with a spring-and-latch meeting of some kind, presumably; I couldn’t work out get contained in the black-and-white field. The opposite contains the majority (entirety?) of the electronics. You’ll be able to see on the highest fringe of the latter meeting’s high view the 2 PCB contacts that mate with clips on the previous:
Listed below are some extra views of the AC prong meeting:
And a more in-depth peek on the high of the primary meeting standalone, minus its prior mate:
I noticed on reflection, whereas scripting this piece, that I hadn’t taken one other picture of the again of the primary meeting at this level. Belief me after I try and reassure you that the visage was unmemorable, primarily nothing however a giant blob of gray thermal paste, to (amongst different issues) stick the 2 assemblies collectively. You’ll see what it regarded like after paste removing shortly.
Talking of which, it’s now time for an isopropyl alcohol tub, paying homage to final time (this time I used a shot glass as an alternative):
adopted by tedious chip-off of the paste utilizing the combo of a fingernail and toothpick. Then again within the shot glass for an additional soak…wash, rinse and repeat a number of instances…
And eventually the deed was accomplished, at the very least to the diploma that my endurance afforded. Entrance first, striving to maintain the identical cadence (and orientation) as in prior picture sequences:
Final time I discovered a small black piece of plastic that, when eliminated, uncovered extra circuitry to view. I discovered one once more this time: presumably their features aren’t merely aesthetic but in addition protecting. See it within the higher left, extending throughout the highest left fringe of the transformer?
Right here’s what the entrance seems to be like after I slip it off:
The rationale for the plastic piece turns into extra apparent whenever you take a look at the left facet. Right here it’s quickly put again in place:
Now eliminated and exposing a number of extra passives to view, three capacitors and two resistors, to be exact (the piece slides into that groove within the PCB you will have already seen):
Now right here’s that shot of the prong-less again facet that I beforehand promised; the inexperienced toroidal coil inductor and two large brown capacitors had been utterly immersed in gray goo beforehand:
Proper facet:
High:
And final however not least, backside:
Fini et terminé! As I’ve confessed loads of instances previously, “1”s and “0”s are my specialty, not energy electronics. As such, as an alternative of making an attempt additional evaluation myself (predictably embarrassing myself within the course of), I’ll now flip the microphone/pen/keyboard/pick-your-favorite-analogy over to all of you on your ideas within the feedback!
I’ll maintain onto the “guts” for some time in order that I can reply to any incoming part identification or different comparable questions that people could have, for which my magnifying glass views could also be illuminating. Simply don’t ask me to reconnect the 2 halves, plug the unified assemblage into an AC outlet and see if it nonetheless works…belief me, I’ve considered however efficiently ignored that temptation loads of instances already!
—Brian Dipert is the Editor-in-Chief of the Edge AI and Imaginative and prescient Alliance, and a Senior Analyst at BDTI and Editor-in-Chief of InsideDSP, the corporate’s on-line e-newsletter.
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