UPDATE 2015.03.24: Amazon has FAILED to make good on their word. The Vantec HDD adapter is BACK on Amazon fulfillment, and is no longer 'under review'. Their Safety Department failed to follow through on their promise to call me when the issue was resolved. They have not heard the last of me.
UPDATE 2015.02.24: Success! Amazon has recalled the product from their fulfillment center, and will have it down from their resellers ASAP. Consumer Product Safety Commission has acknowledged the issue, and escalated accordingly. Consumer Reports has forwarded the story to the proper department. Thank you so much for all who helped spread the word!
I'm just one guy here. Don't see this blog and think it's all been taken care of. I've been working on this for days, and I'm getting burnt out. Someone needs to take this torch and run with it (No pun intended, but it works). If you can help me with legal fees, I've set up a Please chip in for legal and medical expenses, or BTC: 1PDoMu6Ye8HWa2fKJQhRECTXaE6JZjnyDq Thanks.
Since there has been some confusion, I’ll clarify that the problem is not with the USB data interface, it is with the AC cable that comes with it
You should be concerned about this. This COULD start a fire
Vantec USB Hard Drive Adapter
The AC power cable that comes with the Vantec USB Hard Drive Adapter (and Flypower power supply) is labeled with a 10A 250V rating, but is made with wires that are about as big as the USB cables that you charge your phone with, that should NEVER be plugged directly into an outlet. A redditor said they received a similar cable with a Sabrent HDD Adapter (See pics at bottom). This cable could very well be in many devices on the market. They look and feel the same from the outside, but if you accidentally use one with a computer or any device that draws more power than a hard drive, it could melt and possibly start a fire. If you might have one of these mixed in with your extra power cables, I highly recommend that you cut the ends off and throw them all away, and buy new ones. It’s worth the money.
Vantec/Flypower vs. Legal Cable
By law, power cables that have the standard IEC C13 connector must be rated at 10 amps. It says 10A 250V right on it, mine started MELTING at 2.6A 123V. A proper cable will be made with conductors that are at least 18AWG, these are nowhere near adequate. Here’s a close-up comparison with a decent one. You’ll notice that the Vantec/Flypower wires have more plastic than copper, and are also missing the strings that prevent damage if the cable is pulled on.
They look identical from the outside
When I plugged in the power supply, the LED flashed on, and then went out almost immediately. The AC cable that came with it didn’t seat quite properly, so I thought I’d try a different cable. It still didn’t work, so I set them both aside and just used the computer’s PSU to power the hard drive. When I needed to test another piece of equipment later in the day, I unknowingly grabbed this cable. Within 5 minutes, the cable was so hot that it burned my hand when I went to unplug it, and the plastic jacket was getting soft and almost melted. If I hadn’t been right there, it could have easily burned my house down, and I would be surprised if it has happened to someone already.
I’ve notified Amazon, and they said they will investigate within 7 days and take it off the market if they agree with my findings. I’ve also emailed Vantec, with CC to UL regulatory agency. The Flypower power supply had certification logos from around 10 different agencies, I can almost guarantee that a power supply this light and cheaply built was not certified by all, if any of them, considering how much testing costs.
Please spread the word, and help me get this thing recalled
Judging by the response, there are many people who have owned a unit like these, and think they have one of these cables somewhere in their collection. Cheap imports are great, but they’re definitely not worth the cost of human lives or property. When you find a problem like this, report it everywhere you can, and warn everyone you know. Force all manufacturers to sell a safe product, or push them out of the market and make room for quality domestic manufacturers to take their place.
I’ve notified the Consumer Product Safety Commission, my Attorney General, Consumer Reports, UL, and the manufacturers Vantec USA and Sabrent. Vantec replied, saying the cable was only designed to be used with a hard drive, which is clearly not an excuse. Sabrent quickly contacted me by phone, and were eager to address my concerns. UL connected me with their representative in Taiwan, who says they have no jurisdiction, since the cable itself does not have the (UL) marking.
If you have one of these units, please contact the regulatory agencies above, the retailer, the manufacturer, and any media outlets you can
I posted a quick video on YouTube describing the problem, and comparing the Vantec/Flypower cable with a legal one.
Update 2015.02.09: A redditor said they received a similar cable with a Sabrent HDD Adapter:
-Fry
This is just my personal opinion, I am not a company. If you're thinking about suing me, I'm disabled, have no income, and no assets. frysacidtest@gmail.com BTC: 1PDoMu6Ye8HWa2fKJQhRECTXaE6JZjnyDq
Why would you ever use an AC/charger/power cable that came from Amazon/eBay tho? I mean, come on now. Same thing with chargers. They are only good if you are suicidal or want to pull some nasty insurance scam. But otherwise…
I can’t afford to throw away every power cable that comes with a product and replace them with Tripp-Lite cables. I’m not expecting them to be great, but I expect them to meet the legal minimum standards.
Thanks to a friend, though, I /do/ have pro cables for anything that draws a noticeable amount of power. Still, my ex managed to shuffle one of these in with my good cables, and if I didn’t always double-check, could have easily used it.
These products are sold to the general population, without the expectation that they be electricians or technically knowledgeable to be safe.
The problem doesn’t exist if the cable is used for it’s intended application – the (<50W) power adapter. The problem exists because people will try to use that same power cable in a high amperage application it wasn't intended for. It would be much better if such cables were permanently attached to the adapter.
That’s the bullshit answer that Vantec gave me. Bottom line is, the cable is STAMPED with the rating ’10A 250V’, but MELTS at 2.6 amps! It looks and feels like any regular PC power cable, but IT IS NOT. It is not legal, it is not safe, and it is not OK in any way.
That wasn’t the concern raised. Try to use this universal cable specced cable say on my 1200 watt psu and wait for it to catch fire. That is what happened to me last year. Just we couldn’t figure out how it started and know I know.
Sorry that happened to you, I hope it didn’t do too much damage. Luckily, I never left the room, and was only using it for a quick test… it could have been disastrous. I’d be highly surprised if this hasn’t already caused many fires.
Thanks for the reply. I went ahead and got a whole box of Tripp-Lite 14AWG power cables to replace ALL of them in my house, cut both ends off the old ones, and threw them away. I’m not taking any chances, it’s nowhere near worth it.
Hey, are there any identifying markings on the cable? I have one of these, but I can’t tell which one it is in my collection. Any ideas how to find it?
The only markings on it are ’10A 250V’ on the C13 (PC) side. If you take a close look at the pic in the article, you may be able to find it by that plus the tapered gripper lines. It’s the same thickness as a regular cable, but has more rubber than copper, so it does feel slightly spongier if you bend it between your fingers. Personally, I bought brand new Tripp-Lite 14AWG cables for every device in my house (with holographic UL markings on them). I took the rest of them, but both ends off, and threw them away. I don’t trust a damn one of ’em. There’s no telling how many products these or similar cables have been shipped with.
Best of luck.
Thanks Fry, most of my cables are branded, but I’ll look for the unbranded and marked as you noted.
I found it, it has gold square connectors on the PC side, and it has W-P27CL stamped on the face.
Previous comment is silly, suggest reading the blog once again.
I came an your blog from another site who who posted a story about this. So here i am and found your concerns about the cable.
Rest assured the cable is totally ok for this power adapter as well as for supporting the usb harddrive.
A harddrive does not need much power and therefore it does not need to provide much power. The power adapter is rated for 34W Output in total. It has two readings 24W(Ausgang: 12V 2000mA) and a second rating for 10W (Output 5V 2000mA). This semms to be both for the hard drive and thats more than enought power for the hard drive.
For 34W however the cables dont need to be big inside. Think of a smartphone power adapter it is very small as well. It just needs to charge the smartphone. Or think of a laptop who needs much more power than a single harddrive.
Why do i know this things? Its my profession. I have made my A-level exams in elecronics.
So dont worry 😉
Vantec is just a rebrand of chinese products.
Obviously made in China cable to save on copper costs. ( at least they tried ^_^)
They tried what? They tried to save a few pennies, at the risk of lives and property? Yes, clearly this is a Chinese product. Why do so many people defend them? It was sold through Vantec USA in California… they’re still subject to the same safety regulations that all companies who sell products here are.
OK, smart guy… I’ve been a Senior Systems Administrator for over 15 years, and an amateur Electrical Engineer since my teens. I know what a standard PC power cable looks and feels like, and this cable looks and feels like a normal one. It isn’t until you accidentally swap it with an identical looking one that you find your house on fire. If you mistakenly grab this cable on the way to install a machine in a data center, you’re looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage. Get it yet?
Yeah, you obviously don’t know what you are talking about if you think it is OK for a rated cable to melt at less than half its rating. I hope that you do not design consumer products.