Hi. Today, I'd like to talk about one of the most stupid products out there called USB killer.
It looks like one of these USB flash memories that you plug into your device, computer, or phone then BOOM
It kills your device. Let's buy one to try.
It's...
$218?! Forget about it, if I ever want to kill something I have my own ways. Here's one way for a dollar or two.
Never try this, of course. Very dangerous.
It is illegal to destroy other people's properties, but this is my wife's computer mine, hers, what's the difference?
*sparks*
F-[beep].
It's gone... Very effective. I have more cheap ways
But why? Let's see how the USB killer works... 'When plugged into a device the USB killer
rapidly charges its capacitors from the USB power lines. When the device is charged, -200 volt DC
is discharged over the data lines of the host device. The cycle is repeated many times per second.'
Okay,
then what is it for? Can it eliminate your sensitive data quickly?
Is data affected? 'When tested on computers the device is not designed or intended to erase data.' Then what is it for?
Abuse.
'USBKill.com strongly condemns malicious use of the product.' What is this for then?
'The USB killer is developed and sold as a testing device.'? The industry's most powerful ESD tester.'?
This is not an ESD tester, read the title!
It's a USB killer. A tester is used by a designer to improve a product.
The killer is designed to kill. The new version is one and a half times more
powerful and three times faster discharge cycle. If it is a tester, why does it have to get stronger? Are there no limits?
What is this USB killer tester? 'Protect yourself against USB power surge attacks.'?
So they make the weapon and sell the defense against it too? And now with Anonymous Edition, so it's not obvious
It's a USB killer. What are they testing? People's intelligence to see if they plug anything into their computer?
Hm, 'strongly condemned malicious use.' It is made
stronger, to make sure it kills, but it can't erase your data. Like, if police raids my home and I want to quickly
get rid of my tax fraud data from my computer, it doesn't help... Not that I have such data.
No consumer standard I know requires passing such an ESD test.
If it walks like a duck and [beep]s like a duck, then it's for malicious use! It is made
for people to kill each other's devices. What other purpose does it serve?
I mean there are arsons who like to set sh*t on fire and then there are USB killers.
Vandals. People who like to destroy other people's properties. And that's why this video is sponsored by
Audible. If you feel the urge to destroy something, put your headsets on get a nice book from audible self-help category,
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I'm sure you will find a book that will help your condition. Whatever it is.
So we won't waste your money on a USB killer and it's so expensive, too. You want to kill a device,
just dunk it in water when it's on. Or just for a few dollars, you can buy a hammer.
*heaves then smashes computer*
If you want to spend a bit more money,
you can buy a handsaw, a chainsaw, hydraulic press or if you're in US, you can buy a sh*tgun.
*shotgun reload*
but if you are in Soviet, Russia, the USB kills you...
*USSR Anthem*
Okay, I'll show you how to make some cheap high voltage sources that you can use to kill your own electronics.
I can't imagine any other legal reason for it. Obviously, the first source is in your wall outlet
like I showed. Even Wikipedia doesn't say if it is good for any reasonable purpose.
College of Saint Rose incident... 'A former student of the College of Saint Rose pleaded guilty to destroying
59 COMPUTERS AT THE COLLEGE USING A USB KILLER... He also destroyed seven computer monitors and stuff.' So far
It's only used for malicious purposes. I'm telling you there is no other reason for it. Oh, hey.
[Mehdi 2] Hey, man, take a listen to my latest mixtape on this.
[Original Mehdi] Ooh, let's hear it out...
*fumbles USB*
Backwards?
Backwards again.
[Mehdi 2] Hurry up, caveman.
[Original Mehdi] There we go.
*sparks*
F*CK!
[Mehdi 2, laughing] It was a prank, man, you're such an idiot! You plug anything into your computer? Now it's gone.
Hm, you should see the look on your face right now.
[Original Mehdi] But, I trusted you...
[Mehdi 2] It was just a prank, bro.
Don't beat yourself up for your stupidity.
[Original Mehdi] My life's work was on this computer.
[Mehdi 2] Eh, don't worry.
It kills your USB port and likely your motherboard. But won't erase your data.
[Original Mehdi] Ah, then we are good. High-five!
*Mehdi high fives himself*
Yeah, unless you have solid-state drive memory, that is!
*sad music*
Okay, here are a few cheap ways after all, I'm an expert at that.
But frankly some of my methods may kill more than your device. So never try them on anything.
And remember, it's illegal to use any of these to damage other people's properties!
You have already seen my 120 volt to USB converter.
It probably burns everything in your computer and sets your battery on fire and eventually burns your whole house down. Very effective.
Oh, you want something more subtle? Okay.
Here, I've torn my old camera apart to get to its heart, which is the flash capacitor.
These babies can hold hundreds of volts and output short pulses of hundred amps.
Now take a FULL BRIDGE RECTIFIER and solder a power plug to its AC lines.
Then solder the flash capacitor to the DC output of the rectifier,
minding its polarity. Then solder only the USB data lines to the DC output
across the capacitor. Now It's ready to go. You just plug it into the power line,
It charges right away and you can unplug. Then you charge-
SH*T! *bleep*
Yep, it is holding close to 170 volt DC. So we better isolate the circuit
vigorously with a lot of...
electric tape. Okay. Let's plug it in and listen for it...
*snap*
There you go. The capacitor discharges over your motherboard and kills a few things. Oh you want it to be battery-operated now, huh?
*sighs*
Too bad, I guess we could use the same camera to charge the capacitor, but I totally broke it now.
Hold that thought...
*piano music*
Nyah, there, I'm back with four
Disposable cameras with flash. I picked these up from my local photo studio where they recycle them.
See the circuit works fine with battery and everything. Let's open it up. Okay, here we are. Now. How does it work?
Ow! Sh*t!
Ooh, the capacitor charges up to 300 volts. This stupid flash capacitor is still charged.
Let's discharge it first before touching it...
*BANG* Sh*t.
These things are violent, okay. I think I figured out how it works, first, you close these contacts for the...
Flash to charge and then you close these two to make it flash. Ow, my eyes.
So really, all you need to do is to wire the USB data lines to your flash and every time you take a picture a
Computer dies. Chicka-boom. Oh, this solution is too big for you? Let me show you an even smaller one.
I bought this novelty gun from my local dollar store and when you press the trigger-
AH, SH*T! RRGH!
WHY?!
It zaps you when you press the trigger. A very cool trick to end a few friendships. Here, I've opened it up
These are the batteries and this is a tiny transformer. That's like a car ignition coil.
And this is the chip that turns the transformer on and off. Let's measure the output.
Look at this! Pulses over 1.1 kilovolt happening around every 10 milliseconds,
so really just hook these up to the data line of your USB.
But I can imagine they can't really supply too much current.
So I use a puny high voltage single diode to charge the capacitor from the output of the circuit so that the
capacitor can provide the super high current. Let's start charging the capacitor...
Wow the voltage rises so slowly. This circuit really can't provide too much output current. Let's wait for it...
*cheery piano music*
*sigh* Nevermind this solution takes too long to charge because the circuit can output very little current
*pop*
Use the previous solutions.
I mean, don't use them. Just learn the circuits.
So there. Some interesting solutions to create high voltage sources, but let's not kid ourselves beside abuse,
there is no reason to use a USB killer on a computer. They keep pushing it as a tester.
No. A product designer has to design pair standards for real-life situations.
Like if the USB cable gets pinched it must be able to withstand
short-circuit within the power and data lines, or reverse polarity protection, or real-life human body.
Electrostatic discharge, like the one I showed in my first video ever.
"The tip of the gun here simulates a human finger- *zap*
ack, sh*t!
Always be careful with your tools."
Selling this junk as a tester is like selling a bomb to test your house against earthquake.
No manufacturer has to pass such stupid criteria. You can always make something stronger to kill your device.
Although I don't know do they actually use bombs to simulate earthquakes?
Even if they do,
they won't sell it to regular people. And they already say on their website that it will likely not erase your data.
See what they do is that they take the 5 volt supply of the USB port and
charge a capacitor to over 200 volt DC and then switch that high voltage over the data lines.
The first thing it will kill is your USB interface.
Everything else will likely survive. If the pulse is super strong,
it may kill your processor still your memories may survive. If you're super lucky and the pulse is very strong,
It may kill the solid-state memory chips and remove your data. Or also kill the hard disk drive interface
electronics, which won't remove your data because the data is written on magnetic disks.
So if you think this will clear your browser history it very likely won't.
Unless your laptop is hit by a lightning, your data will be recoverable.
Abuse and vandalism. There is no other reason for it.
So before you buy it ask yourself, did you take your pill this morning?
Or maybe you should see a doctor for the urges you get to destroy people's property.
Either way reading, a good book can help you find your center.
*water coming out of tap and groaning in annoyance*
Or even better, use audible to listen to a book while doing one of those long, repetitive,
mindless tasks. If you're a bookworm or just a juvenile larva getting into books audible has what you're looking for.
You can download the book on your device and you'll own it.
And even if you don't like the book you got, you can swap it.
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Or text ElectroBOOM to 500-500,
and get a book from any category you like, from nature to science, to business, to physics,
professionally narrated, some by famous authors and actors. I have already finished listening to Tesla's autobiography.
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Now, I'd like to get the Astrophysics for People in a Hurry written and narrated by the soothing voice of the Neil deGrasse Tyson.
"...Up to T=10-"
Thanks for watching!