Fake Nokia AC-10E USB charger and others?

[Hydrawerk]

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

[andtfoot]

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=2m
I 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.

[tszaboo]

I think the capital english, small spanish text should be a good clue.
There never gonna be spanish text on that EU charger.

[wraper]

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.

[retiredcaps]

Hello, this was bought in a good shop in my town in June 2015.

Wow, if you bought this charger brand new in June 2015, that orange cap only last 6 months before bloating. 

[wraper]

BTW laser marking is a complete shit, they even didn't try make it look like genuine.

[Fraser]

The build quality alone shouts cheap and nasty so unlikely to be a Nokia genuine unit. Love the floating optocoupler.
Fraser

[SeanB]

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.

[ciccio]

I think the capital english, small spanish text should be a good clue.
There never gonna be spanish text on that EU charger.

The spanish text has an orthography mistake. There are two spanish words and one ("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!!!

[Hydrawerk]

Thank you. BTW, there are all that safety marks. 

[Hydrawerk]

Here's a video with a teardown of the Australian version (AC-10A):
https://youtu.be/9t2ARP79LDc?t=2m

Thanks. The transformer looks much better and safer.

[wraper]

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.

There 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.

[SeanB]

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.

[dannyf]

Is this Nokia AC-10E USB charger genuine of fake?

It 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.

[station240]

Fake an possibly dangerous

no fuse on the input
components not flush with the board (safety risk due to solder pads lifting and breaking off).
crappy orange capacitor
circuitboard looks like it was washed in dirty river water in an attempt to remove the flux
'free' optocoupler (just unsolder)

[Hydrawerk]

Fake an possibly dangerous
no fuse on the input

There 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.

[Hydrawerk]

These photos were taken by me. I bought another original Nokia USB charger AC-10E.
https://picasaweb.google.com/106264218831814439783/FAKEVsORIGINALNokiaAC10EUSBCharger
https://picasaweb.google.com/106264218831814439783/FAKENokiaAC10EUSBCharger
https://picasaweb.google.com/106264218831814439783/OriginalNokiaAC10EUSBCharger

[brumbarchris]

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

[ElektronikLabor]

[...]

Four diodes for the rectifier seems to be too expensive 

[Hydrawerk]

I got a fake AC-3E Nokia charger. https://memristor.rajce.idnes.cz/FAKE_Nokia_AC-3E/

[Hydrawerk]

And this is what a genuine AC-3E Nokia charger looks like...
EDIT
There 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/

[Gyro]

I got a fake AC-3E Nokia charger. https://memristor.rajce.idnes.cz/FAKE_Nokia_AC-3E/

They 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.

[amyk]

The most unusual part about the fake is the solid 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.

[wraper]

The most unusual part about the fake is the solid 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.

It's genuine Nichicon FPCAP... salvaged from e-waste.