How to open up charge adapters? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: ElectricPower
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2021, 12:38:49 am
content: Yes, i have seen a lot of Youtube videos, and many of them uses gasoline or some solvent to attack the glue, but other uses a hammer. My goal is to open up old adapters and reuse the empty box etc.I have worked in a fabric many years ago that produced Nokia Mobile Phone wall chargers and i know that glue is not used there. The adapter was "glued" together with ultrasonic sound and high pressure that melts the plastic together.I think someone in here repairs things like that and i just want to know the best way to open adapters up without destroying them?

author: Doctorandus_P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2021, 01:23:02 am
content: I've had success with a hammer and light taps on the seam.The ultrasonic weld is weaker then the rest of the plastic.If you want to do more, then some wedge shaped press to bend the plastic right at the weld may be a better option.

author: t1d
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2021, 07:16:19 am
content: Given your experience, I take that you know that screws are often hidden under labels and rubber feet.I have had better success with dislodging sonic welded seams by running the edge of a broken snap blade in the seam and, essentially, scraping through the seam. The seams are less thick than the walls. But, it does take time and patience. Yep, learned it on YouTube.

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2021, 07:24:57 am
content: Whack around the seam with a hammer or the handle of a hefty screwdriver to break the weld/glue.Or put into a vice and give a squeeze on the seam.

author: SmallCog
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2021, 04:05:39 am
content: I give them a gentle squeeze in a vice.Tend to pop open at the ultrasonic seamDoesn't always work... get it wrong you ruin it... but quick if it works

author: Gregg
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2021, 04:29:28 pm
content: Score the seam for a guide, heat along the seam with hot air to soften the plastic and then run a utility knife along the seam to cut through in several passes. The softened plastic cuts much easier.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2021, 05:11:37 pm
content: You know you can buy empty wall wart enclosures, right? And that they don’t cost much?

author: ElectricPower
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 22, 2021, 08:49:23 pm
content: Quote from: tooki on November 22, 2021, 05:11:37 pmProbably. But it's hard to get these here in Norway.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2021, 07:07:54 am
content: Quote from: ElectricPower on November 22, 2021, 08:49:23 pmI don’t believe that for a second. I was able to find one right away on the Norwegian Elfa Distrelec website. And I’m sure you can order one from outside Norway if needed. (I’m also in a non-EU country and order things from elsewhere.)

author: TimNJ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2021, 02:20:25 pm
content: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/mechanical-engineering/laser-cutter-to-open-sealed-plastic-cases/

author: Refrigerator
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 24, 2021, 01:11:50 pm
content: Never had much luck opening laptop powerbricks by tapping but just to be sure tried again on a dead HP laptop charger with a small hammer and it worked ok.The insides get mangled because the plastic flexes as you hit it.Also can you really not find project enclosures in Norway? Are there any electronics/hobby stores in Norway?If you're comfortable with metalworking you can make an enclosure out of sheet metal.

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 24, 2021, 01:23:11 pm
content: In my experience nobody is repairing wall adapters. The time to repair will cost more than a brand new one. Switching power supply are not easy to debug for repair, especially the small ones.To reuse the enclosures from old adapters, just look for those (rare ones) that have screws by design. Otherwise just cut around the enclosure with a low speed tool (a Dremel will rather melt than cutting plastic). To reassemble glue back the two halves.

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 24, 2021, 01:37:49 pm
content: Quote from: SmallCog on November 22, 2021, 04:05:39 amI do similar but I put a ~3mm drill bit between the seam I'm trying to crack and one of the vice jaws. That concentrates the pressure and I've had much better luck and less damage.

author: GLouie
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2021, 12:30:05 am
content: I have had quite good luck using combinations of a chisel and light, strategic hammer taps into the seam, utility knife and also some light squeezes with the Panavise.

author: SmallCog
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2021, 12:48:15 am
content: Quote from: RoGeorge on November 24, 2021, 01:23:11 pmI've just finished modifying a batch of 100It's proven to be quite difficult to find a suitable plugpack/wallwart style charger for SLA batteries here in Australia.After our stocks of our previous discontinued charger ran out we found through statistical tracking that our batteries were having their lives shortened by up to a year when attached to a new model charger (it's depressing writing that to say we pay that much attention to these things)There are plenty on the market, but they tend to run the batteries too high and were causing premature failures. Their spec sheets were a mixed bag - some openly showed them floating too high (at least they were honest) whilst others showed a suitable float voltage, but floated too high.After many tests and teardowns we went with a known brand, from a reputable distributor, that had screws to hold the case shut. A few small tweaks and we had a suitable charger.In a few years I'll know for sure it's worked...

author: ElectricPower
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2021, 01:09:27 am
content: Quote from: tooki on November 23, 2021, 07:07:54 amI do not want to pay 40-50 dollar for an plastic enclosure ink shipping. Elfa is an exspensive store in Norway. I just want som plastic adapters for my home projects. For free and i have a lot of old adapters.

author: wasyoungonce
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2021, 02:16:06 am
content: I concur either tapping the seam with a hammer and flat blade screwdriver to break the OEM join (or as said in a vice, cracks the seams) ....or cut it with a hot knife (this works) or even cut with a dremel. A dremel might cut into the internal parts though. I've used the screwdriver hammer tap trick on these and Lappy pwr converters.Many of them can be glued back with acetone melt, sometimes not....sometimes I use an old soldering tip and hot melt plastic back together. All depends upon the plastic used.If it can be re-sealed with Acetone then don't fuss about the damage taking it apart Acetone re-melt can cover all sins. If the converter plastic is white (like the apple ones) I use their old headphone plastic packing holder as doner plastic. Again covers all sins.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2021, 06:34:04 am
content: I've repaired lots of them, usually because it fails and I don't have a suitable replacement on hand and want to get the equipment back up and running. I use a bench vice and squeeze slightly from two corners and many will pop.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2021, 07:23:02 am
content: Quote from: ElectricPower on November 25, 2021, 01:09:27 amObviously you don’t order just that one thing. You add it to an existing order the next time you place one.

author: mariush
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2021, 07:44:00 am
content: I've used adjustable pliers - I mean the tools that look like this:https://www.amazon.com/Irwin-Tools-VISE-GRIP-GrooveLock-2078709/dp/B000FK1R0W/- in the past to squeeze the cases at the seam and make the seam crack and then break it further by repeatedly squeezing the walls with the pliers.Not a fan of hammers as I think it's too much of a shock and could cause solder joints cracks or bending of heatsinks inside the adapters (ex in laptop adapters sometimes they use L shaped metal pieces on the edge of the adapter as heatsinks.I've also been able to open some by heating the tip of a flathead screwdriver on the fire and then basically punching a hole through the plastic. Then, just use a larger flathead screwdriver and twist it repeatedly as I moved along the edge to break the plastic weld.The downside to this is that hole in the plastic has to be filled when you want to put everything back together and it's a visual indicator it was opened up.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 25, 2021, 08:00:42 am
content: Put in a freezer, low temperature will make plastic easier to crack. When it cools down, put on some moderately hard surface like wood, and whack with mallet around the seal. Do it fast while it stays cold. Don't whack it while holding in your hand. You may break heavy parts like transformer.