Dissecting a Lethal Universal Travel Adapter

Hackaday reports that a nine point two six dollar universal travel adapter sold online can expose all three sets of prongs to live voltage whenever any one set is plugged in. A quick resistance check shows the connectors are all wired together, and the device only prevents the prongs from being live when they are fully retracted—a safety measure the design does not enforce. The adapter also includes two USB ports that claim five volts at two point one amps, but lack a hard cut‑off. After opening the case, the author found a central bus bar linking the mains prongs, meaning multiple plug types can be energized simultaneously. To mitigate the risk, the reviewer taped over the unused US and UK plug slots, leaving a USB charger with a single universal mains input—still usable, but far safer than the original design.

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