Voltbox, what's inside? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: peranders
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 21, 2021, 11:20:18 am
content: https://getvoltbox.comThis is obviously a scam but does anyone know what it contains? It seems to contain a capacitor.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2021, 06:20:21 pm
content: It's a single ended thing (rather than in-line with the supply) so it can only be a capacitor. Maybe a (hopefully) Class-X L-N capacitor, maybe some Y caps to Earth. Maybe a MOV. Maybe even just a resistor and LED.Almost certainly less than the above though. Probably embarrassing inside.EDIT: Ithoughtit looked familiar, it looks like this one that Big Clive did a teardown on. Maybe they're selling them as 'power cleaners' as well as 'power savers'.

author: peranders
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 22, 2021, 07:05:30 am
content: I wonder how good business this is? The thing is that you pay for active energy. Eventhough you make sure you have cos phi = 0 it will cost you the same.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2021, 09:26:13 am
content: There will always be suckers out there. Yes modern electricity meters measure actual power, as opposed to the old rotating disc ones that used to run on 'apparent' power'. I did hear tails that with enough capacitance, you could get those meters to spin backwards. I don't know if that was true, it would certainly slow them down though. I do remember a small spate of fires in the UK (probably '70s / '80s) caused by inexplicably large metal clad oil filled capacitors connected across the mains in certain housing areas.This thread really ought to get moved to the 'Dodgy Technology' section. In fact there is an existing thread there on a similar looking 'device' - It's hard to say how the internals vary within these Chinese off-the-shelf enclosure mouldings. I suspect that in most, the LED driver is the main component count though....https://www.eevblog.com/forum/dodgy-technology/voltex-device-that-cuts-your-power-bill-by-up-to-90/EDIT: It looks as if Voltex has become Voltbox, or it's a clone.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 23, 2021, 12:15:18 am
content: and

author: oliver602
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2021, 08:05:12 am
content: Saw an ad for Voltex featuring a thumbnail from a bigclive video.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2021, 09:19:20 am
content: Quote from: Gyro on July 22, 2021, 09:26:13 amSorry, but the classic Ferraris meter measures effective/real power. It uses a clever design which basically cancels out reactive power.

author: MrMobodies
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2021, 07:32:18 pm
content: Just found one on Google search with Australian reviews.If you change au to something like en the locations change to American states.https://getvoltbox.com/article4/au?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIm6jVm-jK8AIVeQe3AB1enw5HEAEYASAAEgLV3_D_BwEhttps://getvoltbox.com/article4/en?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIm6jVm-jK8AIVeQe3AB1enw5HEAEYASAAEgLV3_D_BwEAnd I think I've seen this sort of thing before with the fake date and time:I watch a documentary sometime early this year on Youtube, I can't find it now or remember what it was called but it was about the plastics used in these things melting and catching fire. An elderly lady brought one them over the phone from what she believed was from her energy provider believing it will cut down her energy bills, she went on holiday and left it plugged but it overheated and set light to her living room. They tested the plastics on some of them and found that whilst it was burning the plastic was dripping with flames that could set the carpet or whatever it landed on a alight so they can be a fire hazard.

author: MrMobodies
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2021, 08:19:15 pm
content: I see Walmart are selling them:https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lipan-Power-Energy-Electricity-Saving-Box-Electric-Smart-US-Plug-Saver-Device-for-Household-Office-Market-Factory/849239827$6.58 WAS $20.91Quote* is that Chinglish?

author: Kleinstein
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2021, 06:53:44 am
content: Does it really matter what is inside. It can only get worse than an empty box and pose a fire hazzard.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 28, 2021, 10:57:57 am
content: LOL, the photo of the "founders" seems to be stock lawyer photo?

author: MrMobodies
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2021, 07:59:16 pm
content: Different sellers competing against one another using user review pictures.https://www.amazon.com/Energy-Electricity-90V-250V-Household-Factory/dp/B08LZ2Y4ZYhttps://www.amazon.com/Beautychen-EcoWatt365-90V-250V-Household-Electricity/dp/B07JYW5PPCSmart Sleek design life prolonging Smart plug from BeautyChen with nothing in it apart from some leds.At least that won't draw much up apart from the leds.Just noticed from the seller above BeautyChen using that same picture showing it has a capacitor, fuse and a few components on the pcb compared to others when a review teardown ahove shows it doesn't.