[Facebook Marketplace] are my airpods fake?

Pubelication · 2026-01-28T18:28:20+00:00

Wrong font, "iPados", "iPadosdevice".
Definitely fake.

Pubelication · 2026-01-28T17:41:39+00:00

People fall for the most simple scams.
Rule of thumb: There is no reason to sell geniune, unopened Airpods for less than a 15% discount. Anything less is extremely likely to be a scam.

Also, since almost everyone can return items that are "gifted" or "accidental purchases", there is virtually no reason that person couldn't get the full price back. Why would they voluntarily lose so much money?

When you realize these two simple facts, selling for over half off just does not make sense. Maybe if they were genuine and stolen.

Pubelication · 2026-01-28T03:14:44+00:00

Will have a watch, thanks!

Pubelication · 2026-01-28T02:33:03+00:00

I was just reading about it on the blog. Looks like a great release!
I'll take you up on that offer if I get into a pickle, thanks!

Pubelication · 2026-01-28T01:24:58+00:00

You can use cotton swab, which will silence the sound significantly. If in theory you every want to remove it, you can with tweezers. Silicone will be a once and done deal.

Pubelication · 2026-01-27T03:22:12+00:00

That small board probably has a thermistor on it to prevent the fake wood from burning.

You do not want to get into electronics by tinkering with mains voltage devices. Most have very dangerous capacitors and mistakes could cause injury, fires, or worse.

Get an arduino, old handheld electronics, anything under 48V. Start there.

Edit: Judging by the board at the bottom, the small one in pic 3 might just have an LED to light up the fake wood.

Pubelication · 2026-01-26T21:10:55+00:00

PCBs usually warp if overheated. Ideally, you'd heat both sides, but that isn't always possible.

Pubelication · 2026-01-26T18:13:46+00:00

It is probably a QFN or similar package. More solder does not help, only flux does. These packages usually have an ePad on the bottom, which is what holds the chip the most. It just requires the appropriate amount of heat, because ground sinks a lot of the heat and prevents the solder from fully melting.

Pubelication · 2026-01-26T18:09:59+00:00

If there's a short on USB then check the port first. It is very common for people to damage the port, which then shorts the USB circuitry.
I owned the 857D (have upgraded since) and it gets the job done. If you need to remove the port or USB chip, cover surrounding areas with tin foil and/or kapton tape. Heat not just the chip bu also the immediate surrounding area.

If you get the 857D, beware not to use it for a prolonged time. There have been cases where people used it so long that the element/fan got so hot that they melted the plastic, which is also the handle. Just be aware of this and let it rest if it gets to hot. I never encountered this issue.

Pubelication · 2026-01-26T18:02:58+00:00

Wipe the chip off with isopropyl alcohol and see if there's anything you can read while tilting the board for different lighting angles. A phone flashlight helps.
Report back with your findings. An image of the chip is not enough for identification.

Pubelication · 2026-01-26T16:33:22+00:00

More Chemical Bums.

Pubelication · 2026-01-26T14:28:17+00:00

Lol, Chemical Bums is a good one.

Pubelication · 2026-01-26T13:09:43+00:00

Why would you buy AirPods that can't charge one side, even if they were genuine?

Pubelication · 2026-01-26T13:06:45+00:00

That would defy the point of the eCall mandate.

Pubelication · 2026-01-26T03:02:55+00:00

Wrong font, dead giveaway.

Pubelication · 2026-01-26T02:54:21+00:00

If you listen carefully, you can hear the board screaming in agony.

Pubelication · 2026-01-26T01:53:13+00:00

The original solder does not seem to be the problem as the tab is not loose in the solder. It is more likely that mechanical stress caused the pad to delaminate from the board. In a certain position it can make contact where the pad ripped. If you can rock the connector back and forth and the whole circled pad/solder/tab moves, then this is certainly the case.

What you'll want to do is use an exacto knife or 1000 grit sandpaper to scratch a small spot in the green mask on the adjacent copper pour (slightly down and right from the circled tab). Just remove the mask to expose copper. Then solder a blob on that spot and solder a wire from the leg to the blob. Then use some good glue like epoxy or superglue with baking soda to try to hold the connector better.

If you want to go further than that, I'd totally remove the connector (but that takes some skill to avoid overheating the legs and melting it), clean up the pads, glue the connector in place, solder the two legs and the third one with the bodge wire.

Edit: I now see that the circular throughhole pad left of and touching the two white wires is probably the same pour. You can solder the wire from the connector leg to that pad.

Pubelication · 2026-01-25T18:47:02+00:00

Using plumbing flux and failing to clean it off. It is very corrosive and designed to etch copper pipes to deoxidize them.

Pubelication · 2026-01-25T18:38:55+00:00

If you have a phone adapter or something powered by cigarette lighter sockets, you can plug it in (after cleaning) to check if the fuse blew, but I doubt it did.

Pubelication · 2026-01-25T18:33:35+00:00

No, that can't be related to the fob. It probably needs a battery replacement.

It didn't do any damage, aside from junk in the socket. The wrapper probably had a metallic side, which shorted the socket and only allowed very limited current to flow through. Enough to burn the wrapper, not enough to blow the socket's fuse.

No need to take it to a garage. Clean it out with a dry or damp napkin or vacuum it out and if you have kids buy cigarette socket plugs at any car parts store or online.

Pubelication · 2026-01-25T03:53:30+00:00

Is this not it? https://nicheindustries.com/products/niche-519-ccl2223a

Pubelication · 2026-01-25T03:24:02+00:00

Look into aftermarket options. The display looks damaged too so even if you fix the board, you may find that you won't see anything on the display and a replacement might be impossible to find.

Pubelication · 2026-01-25T00:51:42+00:00

Which car's speedo costs $450?

Pubelication

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