A battery charger that does even more

Multifunction devices are great…as long as you can find uses for all (or at least some) of those additional functions that you end up paying for, that is.

All other factors being equal (or at least roughly comparable), I tend to gravitate toward multifunction devices instead of a suite of single-function widget alternatives. The versatile smartphone is one obvious example of this trend; while I still own a collection of both still and video cameras, for example, they mostly collect dust on my shelves while I instead regularly reach for the front and rear cameras built into my Google Pixel phones. And most folks have already bailed on standalone cameras (if they ever even had one in the first place) long ago.

Speaking of multi-function devices, as well as of cameras, for that matter, let’s take a look at today’s teardown victim, NEEWER’s Replacement Battery and Charger Set:

It comes in three variants, supporting (and bundled with two examples of) batteries for Canon (shown here), Nikon, and Sony cameras, with MSRPs ranging from $36.49 to $73.99. It’s not only a charger, over both USB-C and micro-USB input options (a USB-A to micro-USB adapter cable is included, too), but also acts as a travel storage case for those batteries as well as memory cards:

And assuming the batteries are already charged, you can use them not only to power your camera but also to recharge an external device, such as a smartphone, via the USB-A output. My only critique would be that the USB-C connector isn’t bidirectional, too, i.e., able to do double-duty as both a charging input and an external-powering output.

When life gives you damaged devices, make teardown patients

As part of Amazon’s most recent early-October Prime Big Deal Days promotion, the company marked down a portion of the inventory in its Resale (formerly Warehouse) section, containing “Quality pre-owned, used, and open box products” (their words, not mine, and in summary: where Amazon resells past customer returns). I’ve regularly mentioned it in the past as a source of widgets for both my ongoing use and in teardowns, the latter often the result of my receiving something that didn’t work or was otherwise not-as-advertised, and Amazon refunding me what I paid and telling me not to bother returning it. Resale-sourced acquisitions don’t always pan out, but they do often enough (and the savings are significant enough) that I keep coming back.

Take the NEEWER Replacement Battery and Charger Set for Canon LP-E6 batteries, for example. It was already marked down from $36.49 to $26.63 by virtue of its inclusion in the Resale section, and the Prime Big Deal Days promotion knocked off an additional 25%, dropping the per-unit price to $19.97. So, I bought all three units that were available for sale, since LP-E6 batteries are compatible not only with my two Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLRs and my first-generation Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema 6K video camera but also, courtesy of their ubiquity (along with that of the Sony-originated L-series, i.e., NP-F battery form factor) useful as portable power options for field monitors, flash and constant illumination sources, and the like.

From past experience with Warehouse-now-Resale-sourced acquisitions, I expected the packaging to be less-than-pristine compared to a brand-new alternative, and reality matched the lowered expectations. Here are the front and back panels of the first two devices’ outer boxes, in the first image accompanied by a 0.75″ (19.1 mm) diameter U.S. penny for size comparison purposes, which you’ll also see in other photos in this piece:

Flip up the top, however, and the insides were a) complete and b) in cosmetically acceptable and fully functional shape. Here are the contents of the first box shown earlier, for example:

The aforementioned USB-A to micro-USB adapter cable:

One of the two included batteries:

The device outsides:

And finally, its insides:

The third time’s NOT the charm

The third device, on the other hand…when I saw the clear plastic bag that it came in, I knew I was in for trouble:

Removing the box from the bag only made matters visually, at least, worse:

And when I flipped open the top…yikes (I’d already taken out the LP-E6 batteries, which ended up looking and working fine, from the box when I snapped the following shots):

From a charging-and-powering standpoint, the device still worked fine, believe it or not. But the inability to securely attach the lid to the base rendered it of low value at best (there are always, of course, thick rubber bands as an alternative lid-securing scheme, but they’d still leave a gap).

So, I got in touch with Amazon, who gave me a full refund and told me to keep the device to do with as I wished. I relocated the batteries to my Blackmagic camera case. And then I added the battery charger to my teardown pile. On that note, by the way, I’ve intentionally waited until now to show you the packaging underside:

Case underside:

And one of the slips of literature:

This was the only one of the three devices I bought that had the same warning in all three places. If I didn’t know better, I’d think they’d foreseen what I later had planned for it!

Difficulty in diving in

Time to get inside:

As with my recent Amazon Smart Plug teardown, I had a heck of a time punching through the seemingly straightforward seam around the edges of the interior portion:

But finally, after some colorful language, along with collateral damage:

I wrenched my way inside, surmounting the seemingly ineffective glue above the PCB in the process. The design’s likely hardware modularity is perhaps obvious; the portion containing the battery bays is unique to a particular product proliferation, with the remainder common to all three variants.

Remove the three screws holding the PCB in place:

And it lifts right out:

That chunk out of one corner of the wire-wound inductor in the middle came courtesy of yours truly and his habit of blindly jabbing various tools inside the device during the ham-fisted disassembly process. The foam along the left edge precludes the underside LEDs (which you’ll see shortly) from shining upward, instead redirecting their outputs out the front.

IC conundrums

The large IC to the right of the foam strip, marked as follows:

0X895D45

is an enigma; my research of both the topside marked text (via traditional Google search) and the image (via Google Lens) was fruitless. I’m guessing that it’s the power management controller, handling both battery charging and output sequencing functions; more precise information from knowledgeable readers would be appreciated in the comments.

The two identical ICs along the top edge, in eight-lead SOP packages, were unfortunately no easier to ID. They’re marked as follows:

PSD (company logo) AKJG
PAP8801

And along the right edge is another IC, also in an eight-lead SOP but this time with the leads connected to the package’s long edges, and top-side stamped thusly:

SPT (company logo) SP1081F
25CT03

This last one I’m more confident of. It appears to be the SP1081F synchronous buck regulator from Chinese semiconductor supplier Wuxi Silicon Power Microelectronics. And intermingled with all these ICs are various surface-mounted passives and such.

For additional perspective, next are some side-view shots:

And, last but not least, here’s the PCB underside, revealing the four aforementioned LEDs, a smattering of test points, and not much else (unless you’re into traces, that is):

There you have it! As always, please share your insights in the comments.

—Brian Dipert is the Principal at Sierra Media and a former technical editor at EDN Magazine, where he still regularly contributes as a freelancer.

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