13A to 5V adaptor is this allowed?

ericmark · 6 Apr 2010

Untitled

ericmark
6 Apr 2010
1

It says

Designed by Apple in California
Model No. A1299
Made in China
Input: 100-240V ~ 50/60 Hz 0.15A
Output 5V 1A
Emerson Network Power
Safety Mark 090471-11

There is a CE mark but no BS mark and looking at taper to earth pin I wonder if these comply with British regulations.
I seem to remember when talking about the daft plastic lumps that are stuck into sockets to disable the shutters and allow children assess to live parts one of the points raised is they have no BS number printed on them and it needs to have BS 1363 printed on all items which plug into our 13A sockets.

This unit is about the smallest switch mode power supply I have seen and one must admit it is neat.

However the "Made in China" does not fill me full of conference. And although with the Iphone it is supplied with it may be safe not so sure when other USB items are plugged into the unit.

Thoughts please.

Tipper · 6 Apr 2010

The CE mark means it conforms to European standards which may or may not be the same as BS but is a legal requirement in the EU.

Why worry? Apple sell them with the iPhone so surely they meet the necessary standards.

Made in China just means they are made in the biggest cheapest factory in the world!

Don't all USB items run on 5V?

slup · 6 Apr 2010

The iPhone itself is made in China as well so I doubt that's really a relevant point.

I've got a couple of those little Apple power adapters and when you hold them next to a normal 13A plug, the width where the live and neutral prongs are is exactly the same so I don't think they are inherently more dangerous than any other kind of adapter.

In fact because of the very small size and light weight, I'd contest that they are much safer than the big heavy lumps that we often hang off our sockets!

It is certainly a very impressive piece of engineering.

I think the issue with the plastic socket 'protectors' is that the crappy ones are flexible so it's possible to insert them upside down and push the earth pin in far enough to open the shutters.

aptsys · 6 Apr 2010

slup said:
It is certainly a very impressive piece of engineering.

Nothing particularly impressive about it. I've designed switchers smaller than that.

Monkeh · 6 Apr 2010

ericmark said:
And although with the Iphone it is supplied with it may be safe not so sure when other USB items are plugged into the unit.

5VDC is 5VDC. How would any other device be different?

bhm1712 · 6 Apr 2010

I have one of these ( mine is round) for a spycam watch novelty item, its a cam corder watch. It charges the watch up ok and doesnt really get very hot either, cant see it being any less safe than a mobile phone or similar charger.

ColJack · 6 Apr 2010

Monkeh said:
ericmark said:

And although with the Iphone it is supplied with it may be safe not so sure when other USB items are plugged into the unit.

Click to expand...

5VDC is 5VDC. How would any other device be different?

5VDC @ 100mA is a lot different to 5VDC @ 2A..

some items require more amps, so if it's designed to charge an Ipod at say say 100mA then plugging a cup warmer in that requires a couple of amps is going to make the adaptor unhappy..
I'm sure it has some sort of overcurrent cut off or thermal fuse in it, so if you overload it it just shuts down, though

Monkeh · 6 Apr 2010

ColJack said:
Monkeh said:

ericmark said:

And although with the Iphone it is supplied with it may be safe not so sure when other USB items are plugged into the unit.

Click to expand...

5VDC is 5VDC. How would any other device be different?

Click to expand...

5VDC @ 100mA is a lot different to 5VDC @ 2A..

some items require more amps, so if it's designed to charge an Ipod at say say 100mA

Actually I suspect the iPod uses a full 1A when on the proper charger. USB spec is only 500mA, though. Then again, it could just be specced for 1A to allow for voltage drop, or because it's an off the shelf circuit. I have a couple of wireless routers which idle at about 50mA, all come with 12V@1A supplies.

then plugging a cup warmer in that requires a couple of amps is going to make the adaptor unhappy..
I'm sure it has some sort of overcurrent cut off or thermal fuse in it, so if you overload it it just shuts down, though

It will have overcurrent protection, I'm sure. And if you're silly enough to buy a device with a USB plug which can't be powered by a USB plug, well, you deserve it.

ban-all-sheds · 6 Apr 2010

ericmark said:
[one of the points raised is they have no BS number printed on them and it needs to have BS 1363 printed on all items which plug into our 13A sockets.

Not so.

FYI - I have just been and looked at 10 different wall-warts I have around the house, made for (or badged by) companies like B&Q, Black & Decker, Nokia, Verbatim, Belkin, Netgear.

All of them are CE marked, all but 8 say made in China (the other 2 don't say where), and not one has any BS number on it.

I also found 2 other old ones, not in use (Why do I hang onto these things? Not sure I remember, or still have, what they powered). I can tell they are old because they say "Made in the UK".

They don't say BS 1363 either (but one has BS 4435, the other BS 3861).

mfarrow · 6 Apr 2010

ericmark said:
There is a CE mark but no BS mark

No requirement to stamp BS numbers on things, otherwise all British Standards would have BS 0 stamped on them!

Just because something's small doesn't mean it can't perform exactly the same as something twice as big (not my problem mind

).

ericmark · 7 Apr 2010

There are two considerations.
1) I thought the base of the plug needed to cover a set area to access and the angled part around earth pin I am not sure complies but at over £100 for regs I am not checking.
2) Some USB equipment has parts not insulated to class II so the

Isolation sign

ericmark
12 Mar 2009
10

should be on the device to show it has isolating transformer but I can't find this symbol.

I have a USB battery charger which charges two AA or AAA batteries and I am sure there is a connection between the USB plug and the contacts that connect to batteries. And there are many more items which I am sure would allow you to touch the 5v supply from USB.

I was instructed where PC assembly has hidden the label of the power supply and the second label normally supplied with the power supply has not been affixed to the PC that I should return them. Or at least phone supplier and get them to send labels.

This was because without viewing label one can't see if it has isolated output. I would consider the same applies to these power supplies and unless the correct label is showing then any PAT tester should reject them.

I am sure with the Iphone there is no danger and likely it is only a oversight that the

Isolation sign

ericmark
12 Mar 2009
10

sign is missing but it still fails inspection in my eyes?

Monkeh · 7 Apr 2010

ericmark said:
I was instructed where PC assembly has hidden the label of the power supply and the second label normally supplied with the power supply has not been affixed to the PC that I should return them. Or at least phone supplier and get them to send labels.

In the many hundreds of PCs I've seen, and the many I've built for myself and others, I have not once seen an external label for the PSU.

ericmark · 7 Apr 2010

Monkeh said:
ericmark said:

I was instructed where PC assembly has hidden the label of the power supply and the second label normally supplied with the power supply has not been affixed to the PC that I should return them. Or at least phone supplier and get them to send labels.

Click to expand...

In the many hundreds of PCs I've seen, and the many I've built for myself and others, I have not once seen an external label for the PSU.

Then they have just a 4 year life span. First PAT test they fail unless tester is willing to dismantle them!

securespark · 7 Apr 2010

I have just looked at a Geemarc USB charger I have for a hearing aid device.

The only things written on the unit are:

Geemarc

CE

The Class II mark

TRAVEL CHARGER

INPUT: AC 100-240V

OUTPUT: DC 5V 500mA

CAUTION INDOOR USE ONLY

Made in China

There's no BS number.

olly_k · 7 Apr 2010

These things are fine of course the transformer is isolated if it was not then you could potentially get the full force of rectified and smoothed mains @ well over 300V.

I wouldn't use one of those usb battery chargers though in fact anything that charges your batteries in less than 10 hours is going to slowly kill them but for everything else it is fine. And everything is made in China these days probably the same charger innards or similar as my HTC phone charger.

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13A to 5V adaptor is this allowed?

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