Fake Nokia AC-10E USB charger and others?  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2015, 10:17:55 pm
content: Hello, this was bought in a good shop in my town in June 2015.Is this Nokia AC-10E USB charger genuine of fake?Maybe there were some production changes or something?Please note the unconnected NEC optocoupler.This is very strange and funny.More photos here:https://get.google.com/albumarchive/106264218831814439783/album/AF1QipPpDbCPBy3O1yDqGY0bxYTSYLdODZ74cKLmaH1I

author: andtfoot
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 30, 2015, 11:25:24 pm
content: My initial feeling is that it's fake.Here's a video with a teardown of the Australian version (AC-10A):https://youtu.be/9t2ARP79LDc?t=2mI would have thought the circuits would at least look similar, if not the same, between the country variants.Also, most of the photos I can find of the AC-10E have the registered trademark symbol next to Nokia as a superscript. Not sure how reliable that is as an indicator though.

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2015, 11:56:17 pm
content: I think the capital english, small spanish text should be a good clue.There never gonna be spanish text on that EU charger.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 31, 2015, 12:01:52 am
content: Certainly fake. It will output 500 mA max in a good weather. Nokia chargers are completely different inside regardless from which supplier it came. Several versions of AC-10E exist made by different PSU suppliers like Friwo, Astec and others.

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2015, 12:05:09 am
content: Quote from: Hydrawerk on December 30, 2015, 10:17:55 pmWow, if you bought this charger brand new in June 2015, that orange cap only last 6 months before bloating.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 31, 2015, 12:08:14 am
content: BTW laser marking is a complete shit, they even didn't try make it look like genuine.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2015, 12:12:12 am
content: The build quality alone shouts cheap and nasty so unlikely to be a Nokia genuine unit. Love the floating optocoupler.Fraser

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2015, 08:21:50 am
content: All genuine Nokia chargers I have taken apart have a yellow tape on the transformer, along with a blue ceramic class Y suppression capacitor across primary and secondary, along with a sleeved fusible resistor in the inlet leads. That one looks like it was made from recycled parts from the market.

author: ciccio
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2015, 08:36:04 am
content: Quote from: NANDBlog on December 30, 2015, 11:56:17 pmThe spanish text has an orthography mistake. There aretwospanish words andone("safada") should be written "salida".I'm sure that this is a fake... and a fake built by some ignorant (how could they solder in a floating optocoupler?Happy new year!!!

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2015, 05:10:47 pm
content: Thank you. BTW, there are all that safety marks.

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2015, 05:17:27 pm
content: Quote from: andtfoot on December 30, 2015, 11:25:24 pmThanks. The transformer looks much better and safer.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 31, 2015, 05:38:19 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on December 31, 2015, 08:21:50 amThere is no Y class capacitor between primary and secondary in Nokia chargers. Probably they are using shield between primary and secondary windings to avoid interference.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2016, 12:20:36 pm
content: Haven't bought a new Nokia phone in a decade, so no experience in the new designs, the ones I broke were mostly very old ones where the phone was long gone or stolen/lost, and all i got was a charger. They do make nice 5V power bricks, but not the small square bricks which are a transformer, bridge rectifier and 470uF 10V capacitor for the really basic phones.. They draw pretty much a constant power, irrespective of whether the phone is plugged in and charging or not.

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2016, 12:51:08 pm
content: QuoteIt is hard to tell, and even Nokia may not be able to tell you whether it is fake or not: I have seen some genuine (as coming in with Nokia phones) and fake Nokia chargers, inside and out, and I would say that it is very difficult to tell them apart. People tend to over-estimate their expertise in telling a fake from a real thing.It probably says more about the state of Nokia (in this case Nokia / Microsoft) than the state of knock-offs.

author: station240
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 01, 2016, 01:50:25 pm
content: Fake an possibly dangerousno fuse on the inputcomponents not flush with the board (safety risk due to solder pads lifting and breaking off).crappy orange capacitorcircuitboard looks like it was washed in dirty river water in an attempt to remove the flux'free' optocoupler (just unsolder)

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2016, 05:32:59 pm
content: QuoteThere is a "fuse resistor" on the input, that will become nonconductive in case of overcurrent.There is an comparison of probably genuine and fake AC-10E.http://www.mikrocontroller.net/topic/363635#4087425!Pictures were not taken by me!Yes, my AC-10E is even different internal design.

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2016, 01:52:25 am
content: These photos were taken by me. I bought another original Nokia USB charger AC-10E.https://picasaweb.google.com/106264218831814439783/FAKEVsORIGINALNokiaAC10EUSBChargerhttps://picasaweb.google.com/106264218831814439783/FAKENokiaAC10EUSBChargerhttps://picasaweb.google.com/106264218831814439783/OriginalNokiaAC10EUSBCharger

author: brumbarchris
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2016, 09:48:35 am
content: I work in automotive electronics, so I am rather used to state of the art design and controlled suppliers, controlled design process etc. Even so, many times I say I would not buy the cars we work on, knowing the shortcuts that are sometimes taken and the dirt under the carpet.But what we plug in the mains at home (hidden under the shiny plastic cases) is just terrifying! Even the original thing!Regards,Cristian

author: ElektronikLabor
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 08, 2016, 10:38:11 am
content: Quote from: Hydrawerk on January 01, 2016, 05:32:59 pmFour diodes for the rectifier seems to be too expensive

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 26, 2019, 05:18:46 pm
content: I got afakeAC-3E Nokia charger.https://memristor.rajce.idnes.cz/FAKE_Nokia_AC-3E/

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 26, 2019, 05:19:32 pm
content: And this is what a genuine AC-3E Nokia charger looks like...EDITThere are three different versions, but they are always safe.https://memristor.rajce.idnes.cz/03_Genuine_AC-3E_Nokia_charger/https://memristor.rajce.idnes.cz/02_Genuine_AC-3E_Nokia_charger/https://memristor.rajce.idnes.cz/01_Genuine_AC-3E_Nokia_charger/

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 26, 2019, 05:38:52 pm
content: Quote from: Hydrawerk on October 26, 2019, 05:18:46 pmThey couldn't even manage to draw a decent zigzag primary 'fuse' on the underside.... Although I don't like the primary - secondary spark gap on the Nokia genuine one. I know it is too big to ever break down in practice but I can't see a situation where it would be helpful if it did.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 27, 2019, 03:28:45 am
content: The most unusual part about the fake is thesolid polymer cap--- those are not cheap and even the genuine doesn't use one. Unless that is also a fake, but it seems unlikely and why would they do that instead of a normal cheaper electrolytic anyway.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 27, 2019, 03:37:19 am
content: Quote from: amyk on October 27, 2019, 03:28:45 amIt's genuine Nichicon FPCAP... salvaged from e-waste.