That piece of junk switch was in the mobile home. Damn things just sit there and arc. So you get a strobe light. If it was drawing any real current there would be a fire. And not much of a box to contain it. There are still a bunch more of them but not giving as much grief.
I can see the attraction of plastic boxes and Romex, but out in the sticks we have RODENTS. Yes, they will simply eat the insulation off. Sometimes they 60-Hz themselves to death, other times they just leave an accident waiting to happen. Anything permanent needs to be in metal clad cable or 2” PVC buried underground.
I can see the attraction of plastic boxes and Romex, but out in the sticks we have RODENTS. Yes, they will simply eat the insulation off. Sometimes they 60-Hz themselves to death, other times they just leave an accident waiting to happen. Anything permanent needs to be in metal clad cable or 2” PVC buried underground.
Wow!
There is an insurance claim (or fire investigation into a death) in the making. 12V systems run at higher currents, and that is what creates heat.
There is an insurance claim (or fire investigation into a death) in the making. 12V systems run at higher currents, and that is what creates heat.
I would suggest LED lighting, needs much less current.
And I don't think @wg_ski would overlook the fact that 12V DC /AC means high current which could cause fire from excess heating.
Mobile home can have 110V AC, I think it is possible to do that with batteries, and inverter.
Solar panels are also a possibility.
And I don't think @wg_ski would overlook the fact that 12V DC /AC means high current which could cause fire from excess heating.
Mobile home can have 110V AC, I think it is possible to do that with batteries, and inverter.
Solar panels are also a possibility.
Yeah, it sounds like MC is the call in that situation. I generally like working with stranded MC but just ran a couple circuits for a friend with 10-3+gnd solid MC (stranded wasn't in stock locally at the time) and it was a PITA. As it turns out, the two hour round-trip drive to get stranded would have been worth it.
Anatech, I learned the value of a thermal camera doing marine work. They're great for troubleshooting and general electrical survey work. 24V and 48V systems are becoming increasingly popular, even on boats without electric drive or a large windlass.
The bonus is the camera is nice for the audio hobby. Noting that your FETs are all conducting with a quick glance or finding a high resistance connection just as easily is 👍
Anatech, I learned the value of a thermal camera doing marine work. They're great for troubleshooting and general electrical survey work. 24V and 48V systems are becoming increasingly popular, even on boats without electric drive or a large windlass.
The bonus is the camera is nice for the audio hobby. Noting that your FETs are all conducting with a quick glance or finding a high resistance connection just as easily is 👍
Hi seventenths,
Yes, I have long wanted a half decent thermal camera. I do have some nice DC current probes (HP 428A), but they are large. Also a Tek probe and current amp.
If I was doing industrial AC, or 12V/24V/48V systems to any great extent, I would definitely have a thermal camera. I can only imagine how much time they save and problems they would show early. Draw at 48 VDC in telecom is low for individual phones.
When troubleshooting early MSI or SSI logic that didn't work, I would just feel the temperature of each chip. If they dragged the 5V supply down - PERFECT! I'd use a higher current supply and wait until the guilty party got warm while watching the current draw. Found many shorted/leaky tantalum caps that way too.
Yes, I have long wanted a half decent thermal camera. I do have some nice DC current probes (HP 428A), but they are large. Also a Tek probe and current amp.
If I was doing industrial AC, or 12V/24V/48V systems to any great extent, I would definitely have a thermal camera. I can only imagine how much time they save and problems they would show early. Draw at 48 VDC in telecom is low for individual phones.
When troubleshooting early MSI or SSI logic that didn't work, I would just feel the temperature of each chip. If they dragged the 5V supply down - PERFECT! I'd use a higher current supply and wait until the guilty party got warm while watching the current draw. Found many shorted/leaky tantalum caps that way too.
Those switches are rated 15A/120V/“AC only”. Running an LED light or two doesn’t draw much current, but 5 amps worth of incandescent could be a serious issue. I guess they figured 12VDC systems would always be too much current. Regardless, it’s annoying to have a strobe light even if it never gets hot enough to melt the plastic or catch the paper insulation on the ground conductor to combust. What I used to do with Christmas lights at my old place would have been out of the question. I used to get spec grade outlets hot.
I wire most of everything with 12-2 Armorlite, 12-3 where needed. It does have a separate green conductor that “doesn’t count”. The aluminum cladding can’t be counted on for grounding to steel boxes, so the green wire is required. I prefer a green wire to a bare one - less chance of getting sixty-hertzed working on it, or having it short against a screw terminal cramming it all in the box. In places where #12 isn’t enough I use the empty flex and run #10 or #6 THHN. It’s cheaper than 10/2 or 6/3 NM-B, if you buy wire by the 500 or 1000 foot roll. Buy all black and mark the conductors. I’ve made my own 12/5 before, too.
The MH did come with a regular 200A 32 space Siemens main panel. But they will probably pull every inch of wire out and replace it when they go to refurb the place. They do that on site - and I looked at the refurbs first. The savings didn’t impress me enough not to go with a new one for this.
I wire most of everything with 12-2 Armorlite, 12-3 where needed. It does have a separate green conductor that “doesn’t count”. The aluminum cladding can’t be counted on for grounding to steel boxes, so the green wire is required. I prefer a green wire to a bare one - less chance of getting sixty-hertzed working on it, or having it short against a screw terminal cramming it all in the box. In places where #12 isn’t enough I use the empty flex and run #10 or #6 THHN. It’s cheaper than 10/2 or 6/3 NM-B, if you buy wire by the 500 or 1000 foot roll. Buy all black and mark the conductors. I’ve made my own 12/5 before, too.
The MH did come with a regular 200A 32 space Siemens main panel. But they will probably pull every inch of wire out and replace it when they go to refurb the place. They do that on site - and I looked at the refurbs first. The savings didn’t impress me enough not to go with a new one for this.
Well true. DC ratings are far lower than an AC rating is. There is no natural interruption of current flow as there is with an AC current.
Arrrrrrrrgh!
Another issue with my daughter's car, too close to Christmas Day. It's at that age where things are starting to go wrong.
Had to change a driveshaft (FWD) as the inner CV boot burst and it's just easier to replace the lot nowadays rather than just the boot or joint. Fortunately, it all went perfectly and I was finished in a couple of hours without rushing. Usually something else needs to be done but I was lucky!
As a side issue, the thick oil had splashed onto the downstream O2 sensor and the car was throwing a code for that sensor, so I cleaned it with brake cleaner and reset the code with my OBD reader. Hopefully, this was just an anomaly from the grease affecting the resistance reading across the sensor.
Rewarded myself with a beer or three. Thanks Dad, I said to myself.
Another issue with my daughter's car, too close to Christmas Day. It's at that age where things are starting to go wrong.
Had to change a driveshaft (FWD) as the inner CV boot burst and it's just easier to replace the lot nowadays rather than just the boot or joint. Fortunately, it all went perfectly and I was finished in a couple of hours without rushing. Usually something else needs to be done but I was lucky!
As a side issue, the thick oil had splashed onto the downstream O2 sensor and the car was throwing a code for that sensor, so I cleaned it with brake cleaner and reset the code with my OBD reader. Hopefully, this was just an anomaly from the grease affecting the resistance reading across the sensor.
Rewarded myself with a beer or three. Thanks Dad, I said to myself.
Just finished repairing the JVC VN-700, really nice little amp. Repaired the main driver boards and power supply board, but I think I need to recap the tone board now as well… either way it’s working and sounds really nice!
Aftermarket driveshafts are cheap but most are also junk these days. I've seen them go noisy within less than 10k miles. So better not throw away the original one yet. You may be much better of in the long run by fixing and reinstalling it. Remove all old grease and give it a good clean before replacing the boot. And use the correct grease.
Thanks; yeah I know there are quality tiers with driveshafts from complete junk up to top quality.
I avoided the cheap aftermarket shafts and bought a mid-priced one from NAPA, which I understand are of good quality. It wasn't cheap, but was still 1/3 the price of a genuine GM part. We are gouged in Australia by some dealerships. NAPA have a good reputation to maintain so I'm fairly comfortable with what they put their name to. The one I bought was AU$300; the cheapest crap goes for about $99. Genuine GM was $900!
But as you recommend, I'll keep the old one just in case. I looked at buying an OEM joint with boot but it was stupidly expensive. I couldn't get an OEM boot on its own in Australia. I've found aftermarket boots to be not worth the gamble so didn't even look for these. Besides, I needed a quick in and out job!
I have also replaced driveshaft boots in the past (on both a Peugeot and Renault) so am familiar with the process, including the special oil/grease used.
I avoided the cheap aftermarket shafts and bought a mid-priced one from NAPA, which I understand are of good quality. It wasn't cheap, but was still 1/3 the price of a genuine GM part. We are gouged in Australia by some dealerships. NAPA have a good reputation to maintain so I'm fairly comfortable with what they put their name to. The one I bought was AU$300; the cheapest crap goes for about $99. Genuine GM was $900!
But as you recommend, I'll keep the old one just in case. I looked at buying an OEM joint with boot but it was stupidly expensive. I couldn't get an OEM boot on its own in Australia. I've found aftermarket boots to be not worth the gamble so didn't even look for these. Besides, I needed a quick in and out job!
I have also replaced driveshaft boots in the past (on both a Peugeot and Renault) so am familiar with the process, including the special oil/grease used.
Repair my 6 years old bosch KGN39VL35 series refrigerator replace the two blown diodes and the transistor in the middle.All so change the tamper.
Drive shafts are comparatively cheap in India, and again there are tiers of price, but volumes ensure that the shafts are sold by the OEM to spare parts shops, as well as car dealerships.
Those can be quite a saving...and are good quality.
The cheapest ones are refurbished, cleaned, polished, new steel balls, new boots and grease, they last about a third, and cost about a third of best ones...
Those can be quite a saving...and are good quality.
The cheapest ones are refurbished, cleaned, polished, new steel balls, new boots and grease, they last about a third, and cost about a third of best ones...
I like the YT videos of folks in your neck of the world refurbishing stuff. Gigantic machine comes in, they talk about it a little bit, then take it apart and fix it.
I find them inspirational, particularly when I, as a born in the USA type, want to cry about how hard some mechanical challenge is to accomplish. There's also the ones where they refurbish smaller stuff like batteries and starter motors.
I agree. I hate that we (Australians) throw a lot of recyclable gear in the tip. For example, most people would throw my removed driveshaft straight in the bin. In many places like India they'd be repaired and used again until they can't be used due to extreme wear or failure. And only THEN, the shaft would be used by a blacksmith to make other things, for example.
That's the best kind of recycling.
That's the best kind of recycling.
Actually I stumbled on videos of rebuilding Beetle drive shafts, which are not in production any more.
And when I asked the shop keepers here, they said the cheapest ones are actually refubished from old ones, and work okay, if the car is not used much, or if the owner wants to sell it, the problem will be invisible at point of sale.
I got the starter motor on my father's car serviced, new front bush, clean + lube, and maybe new brushes, cost me INR600 (US $7.50), the bush had got stuck on the shaft, that needed a trip to the lathe shop.
The alternator in my old car had needed new brushes and regulator, and maybe a new bearing, that was after 200,000 km so I am not complaining....locally made TVS, better than Bosch (terrible quality, spares are expensive).
In fact, the repair guy who does my work says put a Denso or TVS alternator / starter purchased from scrap instead of repairing Bosch, the parts are so expensive on those.
This has been reported on other Bosch products as well, it seems, like washing machines, and vehicle electronics in North America.
The price restrictions by OEM customers can also result in a barely acceptable product, that can also be a factor...
We Indians think it stupid and wasteful to throw away a 100 USD item which needs 10 USD of parts and maybe a couple of hours time to fix.
No ties to any names above, have to mention for comparison, my cars have OEM electricals, serviced as needed, so not my choice of brand...
And when I asked the shop keepers here, they said the cheapest ones are actually refubished from old ones, and work okay, if the car is not used much, or if the owner wants to sell it, the problem will be invisible at point of sale.
I got the starter motor on my father's car serviced, new front bush, clean + lube, and maybe new brushes, cost me INR600 (US $7.50), the bush had got stuck on the shaft, that needed a trip to the lathe shop.
The alternator in my old car had needed new brushes and regulator, and maybe a new bearing, that was after 200,000 km so I am not complaining....locally made TVS, better than Bosch (terrible quality, spares are expensive).
In fact, the repair guy who does my work says put a Denso or TVS alternator / starter purchased from scrap instead of repairing Bosch, the parts are so expensive on those.
This has been reported on other Bosch products as well, it seems, like washing machines, and vehicle electronics in North America.
The price restrictions by OEM customers can also result in a barely acceptable product, that can also be a factor...
We Indians think it stupid and wasteful to throw away a 100 USD item which needs 10 USD of parts and maybe a couple of hours time to fix.
No ties to any names above, have to mention for comparison, my cars have OEM electricals, serviced as needed, so not my choice of brand...
Please bear in mind that a skilled electrician here gets about $20 a day maximum for 10 hours work at his own auto electrical shop, now even for small things like replacing a holder they are asking 100 rupees instead of the 50 earlier.
So our economics of repair / replace are still in favor of repair, may not be the same in more 'advanced' countries, where the rates will be higher, so not worth spending on repair, a $10 part will cost $100 to replace in the item at times, better to put a $200 item, pay $50 for changing it out...
In worn out starters, usually sleeve bearings and carbon brushes, and commutator cleaning are all that is needed, after cleaning, and lube at assembly. Rebuilt armatures are available, and the ones you have can be rewound if needed (they are traded in by the winding people).
Alternators: regulator, diode plate, slip rings (rare), carbon brush sets, and at time bearings, as per requirement. The windings are rarely damaged.
I once changed the regulator on my old alternator, it was an obsolete 15A type, got a good quality equivalent for 300 Rupees, less than $4, so it was back in business after a couple of hours work by me.
As an aside, I needed a Brother typewriter daisywheel, not found in the USA even, but got one made by Rarotype (Berlin) in Mumbai...he asked which font and how many...even had IBM 'golf ball' type elements for 1962 Selectric typewriters...
We are not a people who throw things away.
So our economics of repair / replace are still in favor of repair, may not be the same in more 'advanced' countries, where the rates will be higher, so not worth spending on repair, a $10 part will cost $100 to replace in the item at times, better to put a $200 item, pay $50 for changing it out...
In worn out starters, usually sleeve bearings and carbon brushes, and commutator cleaning are all that is needed, after cleaning, and lube at assembly. Rebuilt armatures are available, and the ones you have can be rewound if needed (they are traded in by the winding people).
Alternators: regulator, diode plate, slip rings (rare), carbon brush sets, and at time bearings, as per requirement. The windings are rarely damaged.
I once changed the regulator on my old alternator, it was an obsolete 15A type, got a good quality equivalent for 300 Rupees, less than $4, so it was back in business after a couple of hours work by me.
As an aside, I needed a Brother typewriter daisywheel, not found in the USA even, but got one made by Rarotype (Berlin) in Mumbai...he asked which font and how many...even had IBM 'golf ball' type elements for 1962 Selectric typewriters...
We are not a people who throw things away.
Last edited:
My boiler. And perfectly timed, as it's been in the single digits here overnight and teens during the day. Woke up Saturday morning to no heat and the burner tripped off. I then realized it'd been about sixteen forevers since it had been serviced (where does time go? Wherever it is, it's heading there at a pace not to my liking!), so figured I'd start with the filter at the tank. It was, as expected, pretty gummed up. Replaced it, then pulled the nozzle assembly and cleaned that as well. Checked the spark on the ignition transformer and thought it might be a bit weak, but it'd been so long since I'd done that wasn't certain. Put everything back together and it started and ran. For about six hours.
It started getting cold again around midnight, so I was back poking and prodding at it once again. Decided to try replacing the ignition transformer and spent a half hour digging in the crawlspace to find one. Which turned out to be no stronger than the electronic one that was already on the burner, so bagged that and hit the sack around 3 am planning to get a replacement when the stores opened in the morning. Went and got one (along with a new nozzle; miraculously they had the correct one in stock), figuring it would be a quick and easy fix. Guess again. The boiler has a Carlin burner and Home Depot carries Beckett parts. Of course the Beckett mounting plate doesn't properly fit the Carlin burner housing, nor does the transformer easily swap over to the Carlin mounting plate - wound up having to drill new holes for the transformer mounting hardware and wires. Installed the new nozzle while I was in there to eliminate it as a potential further issue too. As of about three this afternoon it's up and running again.
Never a dull moment...
-Pat
It started getting cold again around midnight, so I was back poking and prodding at it once again. Decided to try replacing the ignition transformer and spent a half hour digging in the crawlspace to find one. Which turned out to be no stronger than the electronic one that was already on the burner, so bagged that and hit the sack around 3 am planning to get a replacement when the stores opened in the morning. Went and got one (along with a new nozzle; miraculously they had the correct one in stock), figuring it would be a quick and easy fix. Guess again. The boiler has a Carlin burner and Home Depot carries Beckett parts. Of course the Beckett mounting plate doesn't properly fit the Carlin burner housing, nor does the transformer easily swap over to the Carlin mounting plate - wound up having to drill new holes for the transformer mounting hardware and wires. Installed the new nozzle while I was in there to eliminate it as a potential further issue too. As of about three this afternoon it's up and running again.
Never a dull moment...
-Pat