IKEA has issued a recall for thousands of its ASKSTORM 40W USB Chargers in the United States and Canada due to potential burn and electric shock hazards. The recall, prompted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, addresses concerns that the chargers’ cables may break or become damaged over time, posing risks to users.

Internationally, there have been 17 reported incidents related to these chargers, including five instances of burns and four reports of electrical shock. However, no such incidents have been reported in the United States.

These gray chargers, bearing model number ICPSW5-40-1, were sold both online and in IKEA stores between April 2020 and December 2023.

Contact the IKEA recall center to find out how to swap out the product or receive a refund for the purchase.

In its journey to becoming a household name, IKEA has a rich history that dates back to 1943 when founder Ingvar Kamprad started selling pens, wallets, and other goods. The company’s name is an acronym formed from Ingvar Kamprad’s initials along with those of the farm where he grew up (Elmtaryd) and the nearby village (Agunnaryd) in Sweden. From these humble beginnings, IKEA gradually evolved, introducing its first furniture piece in 1947 and opening its first store in 1958. Over the decades, IKEA’s innovative approach to design, affordability, and sustainability has propelled it to global success, making it a widely recognized brand worldwide.

Celebrate the all time fan favorite of Star Wars with this R2D2 USB hub that not only lights up but also plays his notorious R2D2 sounds. Before we get to the product, let us take a few minutes and review how awesome R2D2 is with this summary of his big screen persona.

R2-D2 is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise, and it is an astromech droid known for its resourcefulness and loyalty. Here’s a brief history of R2-D2:

Creation and Introduction

R2-D2 was created by George Lucas and designed by Ralph McQuarrie for the original Star Wars film, “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope,” which was released in 1977. R2-D2 made its first appearance in this film.

GetUSB.info researches USB products every day from every corner of the internet. While we don’t publish every finding, the research continues with a focus on delivering value to our visitors.

Over the past six weeks, we’ve seen an increasing number of products described as a USB splitter. This trend makes it worth explaining what a USB splitter actually is — or more accurately, what it is not.

A USB splitter does not split a USB signal. The most common use of the term “splitter” comes from telephone hardware, such as a phone splitter for an analog signal. In that case, a single phone line can be split so the same analog signal reaches two phones at the same time. USB does not work this way — at all.

What many sellers call a USB splitter should actually be called a USB hub. A USB hub consists of one upstream port and multiple downstream ports. The upstream port carries the incoming signal, while the downstream ports make that signal available to connected devices. The key phrase here is “available,” because not all ports can receive or use the same upstream signal simultaneously.

For example, if audio is playing from your PC to a USB speaker, a hub will not automatically split that audio signal to multiple USB speakers connected to the same hub. The same limitation applies to video and data. USB signals cannot be automatically duplicated across multiple devices.

Calling a USB hub a USB splitter is a poor choice of words. In fact, we consider this a red flag and a reason to avoid buying products from suppliers who use misleading terminology to describe basic USB hardware.

The closest thing to a true “splitter” is a USB Y-cable. A USB Y-cable has two connectors on the upstream side and a single connector on the downstream side. However, both upstream connectors do not transmit data. One connector provides both data and power, while the second connector supplies additional power only.

This configuration is commonly used with external hard drives (traditional disk drives, not solid-state drives). The purpose is to draw additional power from the host computer using two USB ports and deliver that extra power to the external device.

As shown above, the idea is to connect the two USB Type-A connectors to two USB ports on the host computer, while the single USB connector attaches to the peripheral device. This setup allows the device to receive additional power beyond what a single USB port can provide.