Plan C | Is this Samsung Travel Adapter Genuine? @Plan-C | Uploaded July 2019 | Updated October 2024, 1 hour ago.
Wasn't sure if a Samsung charger I bought online was fake so I compared it against some known genuine ones on an old oscilloscope and then I tore it apart...
What was inside was slightly unexpected.
It is an ETA-U90WE. Apparently, Rev 1.4
I modify it slightly to improve the output and will keep it as a spare.
Update: I am now pretty convinced it is a good fake. I bought an identical unit from a reputable source for comparison. The fake weighs 47g, the real one weighs 53g. The model numbers are identical. The text is identical and the ink is identical. The real one shows shows max 50mV ripple at 2 amps and tops-out at 2.2a before folding back. The fake manages maybe 1.7a with severe voltage sag and more than 400mV ripple before collapsing. It also shows 200mV ripple at 1 amp. The real one increases output voltage to compensate for losses as the amps drawn increase. The fake does not. I also noticed a listing on Alibaba showing an identical board to the suspect one and the vendor has disappeared lol. It may be that this was an inadequate early revision but I doubt it. In any event, it hasn't given me any problems (apart from providing noisy power to my phone).
Very difficult to spot. The main giveaway was the improper safety capacitor.
Good luck all.
Test Equipment Used:
Hameg 20MHz Oscilloscope - Second-hand, eBay
Unit-T UT658 USB tester - Purchased online
British Standard Isolation Transformer - Second-hand, eBay
60 Watt 30V Electronic Load - Purchased online
Wasn't sure if a Samsung charger I bought online was fake so I compared it against some known genuine ones on an old oscilloscope and then I tore it apart...
What was inside was slightly unexpected.
It is an ETA-U90WE. Apparently, Rev 1.4
I modify it slightly to improve the output and will keep it as a spare.
Update: I am now pretty convinced it is a good fake. I bought an identical unit from a reputable source for comparison. The fake weighs 47g, the real one weighs 53g. The model numbers are identical. The text is identical and the ink is identical. The real one shows shows max 50mV ripple at 2 amps and tops-out at 2.2a before folding back. The fake manages maybe 1.7a with severe voltage sag and more than 400mV ripple before collapsing. It also shows 200mV ripple at 1 amp. The real one increases output voltage to compensate for losses as the amps drawn increase. The fake does not. I also noticed a listing on Alibaba showing an identical board to the suspect one and the vendor has disappeared lol. It may be that this was an inadequate early revision but I doubt it. In any event, it hasn't given me any problems (apart from providing noisy power to my phone).
Very difficult to spot. The main giveaway was the improper safety capacitor.
Good luck all.
Test Equipment Used:
Hameg 20MHz Oscilloscope - Second-hand, eBay
Unit-T UT658 USB tester - Purchased online
British Standard Isolation Transformer - Second-hand, eBay
60 Watt 30V Electronic Load - Purchased online
