Important safety warning to UK zgemma owners

Hi All,

I have recently ordered a Zgemma Star H2 direct from the manufacturer and have discovered that the 13A plug and fuse are both counterfeit and very dangerous. The fuse does not contain silica and could explode if it was ever to blow. In this case however, the fuse carrier is not even connected inside the 13A plug so the fuse will never blow - even if you remove the fuse completely, the unit will still be live. In addition the earth pin (which admittedly isn't used as it is a double insulated power supply) is partially insulated. Genuine BS1363 plugs should never have a partially insulated pin, only the shorter two pins should be partially insulated. The pins are also incorrectly sized.

In the UK, socket outlets are usually on a 32A ring final circuit (ring main) and in the event of a fault within the Zgemma power supply, the 0.75mm conductors within this cable will catch fire long before the circuit disconnects at the DB (fuse board).

I would urge all zgemma owners to check, and if need be replace, the 13A plug to C7 (figure of 8) mains cable on their box for a genuine and safe replacement cable to avoid the risk of fire and/or loss of life.

I am happy to assist anyone who needs assistance in checking their cable or sourcing a suitable replacement.

I have made the manufacturer aware and am currently awaiting further updates. I will update this thread accordingly if and when I receive further communication from them.

Martin.

Quote from Honcho

post some pictures so users who have these stb can see what your saying , and also for other users who have different stb as if teh manufacturer believes they was buying UK BSA PLUGS and indeed got fakes then so could every manufacturer out there who know , or they could have just not gave a shit in punted defect kit either case end users need to know really as any distrabuter could be selling these plugs and anyones house could go up in smooke very easily enough :(

Sorry guys, I've been horrendously busy with work so not had much time to follow up on this but I will provide a little more information and a quick update:

I emailed the manufacturers of the zgemma box at the time (airsat tech co) and received a response from them thanking me for bringing the issue to their attention and advising that they had asked their QC dept to investigate and product a report which they said they would send me in due course (but to date I have not heard anything further).

As well as by email to the manufacturer, and here, I also raised the issue on the zgemma forums, and the manufacturer has also responded there:
http://forums.zgemma.tv/forums…448-a-warning-to-uk-users

According to the manufacturer they are now shipping cables with genuine BS1363 plugs but I have no way of confirming this.

You're correct in your suspicions that this is not limited to zgemma boxes, it's becoming an increasingly common issue with many imported electronic goods from the far east.

The longer of the three pins on a UK plug should always be solid brass, or in the case of class 2 devices (that require no earth), they are allowed to be entirely plastic - this pin should never be part metal and part plastic. Any plug with a partially insulated earth pin is without doubt fake, and it was this that prompted me to look into more detail at the one supplied with the zgemma box.

Upon investigation there were a number of other issues with the supplied plug:

1. The pins were the wrong size - when the pins are undersized it can mean a poor contact with the socket, leading to arcing, heat, and potentially fire, or if oversized, can deform the contacts within the socket leading to the same issues when a genuine plug is later used in that socket.

2. The fuse was rated at 13A (it should be a 3A fuse for an appliance with this size flex). Contrary to popular misconception, the fuse within the plug is to protect the cable between the plug and the appliance from overheating, and not to protect the appliance itself (although may serve to provide some protection there also).

3. The fuse was physically smaller than a genuine one and when cut open, contained no silica - Genuine BS1362 fuses contain silica (sand) which serves to arrest any arc when the fuse blows. Without this the fuse can explode when a short circuit is present - see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVJVswLbqaA as an example... It's obviously not easy to detect a fake fuse but since I handle these frequently I had a feel for how they should look and feel - obviously without the silica filling they are lighter than they should be, but I still had to cut the fuse open to confirm.

4. The fuse holder was not actually connected to anything inside the plug - remove the fuse completely and the device still powers on!

I did take some photos which I included in my email to the manufacturer but I don't have access to these right now. There is however a lot more information on all of these issues regarding counterfeit plugs which may assist others with identifying them at http://bs1363.org.uk/

I'm working away from home at the moment but will try and chase up the manufacturer again when I return with regard to the report from their QC dept ;-)

Hope this helps,
Martin.

Quote from big_baws15

hiya guys I'm wondering if someone can post pictures of fake plugs and what boxes they on as I'm not sure about mine have kids in house thanks,would really appreciate it and peace of mind thank you

Hi,

Take a look at http://www.bs1363.org.uk for photos.

There are two things you can do to identify the vast majority of fake plugs:

1) Remove the fuse, put the fuse cover back in place (without a fuse) and try the device again - if it still powers up the fuse is not connected internally and the plug is fake and should be replaced.
2) Have a look at the earth pin (the longer of the three pins) - it should be either 100% metal, or 100% plastic - if it is half plastic and half metal (like the other two pins are) then the plug is fake and should be replaced.

Hope this helps.

Martin.