Cheapo Solder Pot of Failure

[@bigclivedotcom]

Intriguing. I have one of these sitting in the pile of "stuff to be videoed". Annoying that it uses a shunted dimmer type circuit for the temperature control, but then again, the Antex unit is thermally balanced too i think. Even if the triac was in circuit it would be quite a high load for continuous use and also generate a lot of electrical noise due to the lack of a filter choke..

[@phils4634]

There's enough space in there to accommodate a DIY decent 2 inductor, three capacitor filter. Or be lazy (like me) and get a preassembled module from AliExpress! :-) That Triac could benefit from a small heatsink too (might help with life expectancy)

[@iamdarkyoshi]

That blue diode thing is a diac. It should do nothing until it reaches a certain voltage (my guess is 32v) and then it conducts. Using a capacitor and variable resistor, you can set the delay until the triac fires, and it does this through the diac.

[@SteveBrace]

Did anyone else notice that the poor solder pot seemed to be screaming "KILL ME!" in Morse code when +John Ward was testing the earth? :)

[@add-tn4oc]

no just you, haha :-)

[@SteveBrace]

I'm still having nightmares!... Poor passives :(

[@Deebz270]

Actually, being a morse operator myself I managed to 'resolve' the Fluke message... See above.

[@JRJ1979]

I don't think the adapter is "to satisfy the law", isince it doesn't achieve that at all, t's just to satisfy customers because it technically works.

[@petehiggins33]

I deciphered the Morse code at 15:40, it said "Help!, I'm being held prisoner in a Chinese low cost solder pot factory and beware, you get what you pay for".

[@ericgee6585]

You can see the heater wire has been put into the wrong hole! it should have gone into the hole next to it. (from the triac). Great quality control! Also the "diode" is a diac.

[@frankief7111]

yes if they'd kept with the fuse on the board there would have been less chance of making a mistake

[@mikeselectricstuff]

I bet that mains lead isn't actually 0.5mm2

[@jwflame]

It's much smaller, and not solid copper either, probably plated aluminium.

[@simontay4851]

Probably more like 0.1mm

[@nevilleborg5031]

John if you change the power cord, add a proper UK plug, touch up the solder points and re-wire the earth connections and the circuit board you might actually get a usable solder pot for say 1/10 of the price of the Antex unit. The circuit board seems to have what's needed for a triac circuit to work. Give it a try and upload the job =)

[@Ogma3bandcamp]

This is exactly what I was hoping he was going to do, rather than spend 17 minutes complaining about it.

[@tbbw]

Dont you mean spending 17minutes mumbeling about it :) I was also hoping he'd do something about the issues i mean there is nothing wrong with the heating element as far as i can see of what he showed in the video so it is still usable with abit of work and tinkering is what makes things fun.

[@Ogma3bandcamp]

I've no problems with John's style, it is what it is and I'm grateful he makes videos. BUT.. I wanted a bit more bang for my buck for my 17 minutes investment. Well, you wouldn't watch a porn film with 17 minutes of foreplay would you?

[@tbbw]

Well ofcorse you can since you can always take matter into your own hands if your dissapointed after watching 17min of foreplay. The diffrance is with the solder pot is we would have to wait 2-4weeks to get one ourselfs to play with considering the avrage shipping time from china.

[@muppetpaster]

It does work in some cases (like mine)....

[@tinytonymaloney7832]

At point 13:50 I noticed on the top right side of the Pcb an unsoldered pad, as though a wire had been in it and unsoldered and taken out, possibly to be put in with the other wire????

[@SimonParkes]

Love the adapter, I like the name bigclivedotcom has given it the "DeathDapter", great channel JW, keep it up..

[@BogusNotions]

Is the little blue diode thing is actually a Diac?

[@burntkat]

Thanks very much for this. I bought a similar pot off of Amazon, it worked for about 30 minutes and died. While it wasn't identical to this unit, I was able to take it apart, reflow several joints on the PCB (adding quality solder) and get it working. Many thanks!

[@Chris558576]

Apart from the horrible things you found to me that pot is huge. When i was young & doing electronic assembly i used a little pot attached to a weller soldering iron.

[@stefantrethan]

Looking forward to the part where you finish building this kit and test it. I was looking at them recently, might get one.

[@jackking5567]

A swear word haha! Very good vid John. Since watching yours and other channels here I now dismantle and check that what I'm buying is safe to use. Cheers!

[@bobweiram6321]

I made the same observation!

[@JUANKERR2000]

You rarely, if ever, get what you pay for; what you mean is that you do not get what you do not pay for!

[@EngineMismanagement]

I bought one of these solder pots some time ago for a laugh and there was a direct short inside the potentiometer to earth. After replacing the pot with a plastic bodied one and a rewire it appears to work quite well.

[@Strider9655]

Lowest price doesn't always mean lowest quality, very often "cheap" is the same stuff you end up seeing retailed by Maplin, Rapid, Farnell/Newark for 3 - 4 times the price. A lot of the gear I use at work, which came from the above mentioned retailers, with a bit of searching I can sourced direct from China for next to nothing and indeed my workshop at home contains a lot of this unbranded stuff. You just have to be careful, take it apart and make sure it is what it should be.

[@vink6163]

It's very true, apparently if you get your product made in China then often when the run is finished they will use your molds and tooling to make a bunch for themselves in secret, often using cheaper components they source themselves which may or may not work as well as you intended when designing it. Since they don't have to pay for any R&D they can sell it a lot cheaper than the original manufacturer as they don't have to recoup any of those costs.

[@bentumbentum]

Thanks for video. Did you see a little damage on the blue wire in 10:47.

[@staticfanatic6361]

I guess all of us who decide on buying one of these can thank you for the heads up on the quality and operation. Some star washers and filing of ground points will take care of ground connections. Perhaps some fibreglass insulation around the heater will improve it's performance. A comparison of and re-enginnering of the unit should get you what you initially wanted. Then to see if the coating stays on when heated and hope it doesn't contaminate to solder. Lots of luck.

[@jusb1066]

what is the oldest electrical wiring you have seen still in use? any house wired with sockets pre BS1363, old wiring, no sockets etc?

[@milesbancroft]

It would be interesting to see if you can get it to work properly

[@gorillaau]

Say, what do people used for the solder to fill the pot? Surely you don't use a clump of resin cored solder.

[@jwflame]

Solder can be purchased as solid bars or pellets without any flux in it.

[@tastenheber]

Bought the same thing a few weeks ago. Mine was even worse. There was no grounding at all, only a neutral and live wire in the cable. No cable ties, no fuse holder, just the bare PCB with a fuse soldered in. Case metal was thin like paper, except for the pot mounting part. Also replaced the mains cable, grounded the case and put some insulation in. It works fine, but I‘m not trusting this thing any farther than I can throw it. I‘ve seen many cheap Chinese devices, but this one was the scariest so far. Interestingly the main cable was actually real copper and the Euro plug was also made like it should be (only the tips being conductive, not the whole pins).

[@jasejj]

I dunno, at this price I'm only really bothered with: will it work, and will it electrocute me. Being the sucker for Chinese landfill that I am I've just bought the £6 100w one... I'll take it apart and see if it's the same as this. Could be useful for occasional use.

[@kylehazachode]

Mine lasted three years. The wire leads to the pot basically burned away over time. I’m investing in a taller mini solder pot.

[@xKatjaxPurrsx]

at 11 pound maybe still useful as a component for a DIY solder pot project?

[@frac]

For the price I suppose it makes a good "fixer-upper". Trash the cord and board, and whip up your own. A case, heater, and a few parts for less than $20 Cdn isn't bad :-P

[@LovelyKauai]

J.W. Thx. What kind of work mat are you using?

[@warrengray610]

Hi John. I believe the little blue thing in the circuit is a diac. used for firing a triac

[@kentbetts]

The small blue diode is installed backwards, at least per the labeling on the circuit board.

[@callumBee]

Bang good are hit and miss. Some of the stuff is great, others seem to be thing that have failed QC and sold for pennies.

[@vink6163]

Makes you wonder whether they sell it at a loss rather than throw it out, or whether they are still making a profit on it at that price.

[@hughsgarbagetrucks]

The plug is a Australian plug and it’s pins are not sleeved (not to code)

[@Graham_Langley]

Looks to be easily fixable by moving the element wire to the correct pad on PCB - the one going to the triac centre lead.

[@jonessg3]

Isn't the lack of some sort of thermal cut-out a problem? It might just be that it can't get above 400C, but I wouldn't like to bet on it, especially if that pot is empty. Even 150W is quite a lot of power.

[@eidbi]

I bought one of these recently and found that the conductor for the earth wire is faulty. The wire disintegrated into a peculiar dust in multiple places in the mains cable. I complained forcefully to Banggood saying that it wasn't safe but they just offered me a refund and wouldn't publish my comment.

[@muppetpaster]

Neutral/live is not off any concern over here in Holland since we can plug in either way....Just like "Europlugs". I highly doubt most users over here would even know there is a difference.... With mine the triac is wired in and I have been using it for about 3 yrs now, without any problems...My board is fully populated, so the fuse is also inside , instead of on the front/back outside...I paid a hair under 10 euros for it ...

[@riekiestrydom8098]

Could you melt any other metal in this solder pot? I need to melt White Metal?

[@jwflame]

Probably, as long as it melts in a similar temperature range to solder.

[@tinytonymaloney7832]

You could probably melt the flex and plug that it came with just by plugging it in

[@NxthannHD]

Can you remove the Chinese plug and replace it for a UK plug? Probably a dreadful question.. Just gotta ask.

[@jwflame]

Yes, although the flex on some items is of dubious quality so it may be better to replace both the plug and flex.

[@NxthannHD]

***** Thanks John, how long have you been in the electrical game mate?

[@alancordwell9759]

14:25 it's probably a diac; the symbol on the screen print would confirm this and it's in series with the triac gate as it would be.

[@drkastenbrot]

It definitely is, because thats a fairly common phase angle fired dimmer circuit.

[@drkastenbrot]

It definitely is, because thats a fairly common phase angle fired dimmer circuit.

[@pleappleappleap]

This was designed by the Chief Engineer of the Failboat.

[@NullaNulla]

That's an Aussie plug on it which is MOST unusual. Most CN stuff I get has only the 2 parallel spaces and the dreaded adapter of which I've had to put a few on my charger bank/bench :(

[@opforwarrior]

The irony of complaining about quality when your nations largest export is literal container ships of garbgae...

[@colincrooky]

Hi! John, thank you for your reviews. Could I ask you to first check the plug pins to confirm that they are wired properly because, as you said, the switch was wired to the blue ( neutral we think ) wire? They could also have wired the plug the same way - blue to live! This would almost make this a little safer!!! Thanks again, Colin

[@jwflame]

Plug is wired correctly, so the switch was in the neutral.

[@andrewhowden5826]

I love your videos John,you wud make a great news reader!!!

[@guitarplayer1071]

He would sound so bored reading the news out matter of factly like he does.

[@MrDubje]

From a safety point of view, I think those round ventilation holes are a bit to big.

[@felixcat4346]

In reality, the people who make this thing probably know at that it wound´t do anything on the lowest level, it need to be fully powered to melt any solder. No harm no foul.

[@benbaselet2026]

That "power controller" certainly looks to be not only Chinese built but Chinese designed too...

[@BrilliantDesignOnline]

L200=L11 pot + L189 Health &Safety. The earth is special chinese engineering when shorted it is delayed while paint burns off. :-) I cannot believe the pot is not connected.

[@Deebz270]

The Fluke 'Morse Code' on the EPC check basically said - ''... Lis is velly clap masheen '' . . Thanks for the heads up (warning) JW. I was toying with getting one of these. I think I'll make my own instead. . Yeah and what *is* it with *Antex* and *Weller* , that they feel justified in hawking their kit at such ridiculously extortionate prices? Which then gives sellers on 'The Bay' the misguided reasoning that they need to hike the second hand price for these stations, irons and heat guns. . Tis all just a racket!!

[@insylem]

The meter was giving Morse code

[@grapsorz]

lol they solderd the heater on the input and not the output ;)

[@bobweiram6321]

You present yourself in a prim and proper manner with a staid expression, but then unexpectedly, you mutter the F-word while describing something mildly irritating. 😂

[@AdammP]

holy moly.. that is a disaster. it's amazing they even put a circuit board in there they may Aswell have just bolted a novelty potentiometer to the case. it's like they try to make it seem like it does something to an less experienced user. sleezy if you ask me.

[@ShokaLion]

I'd say it's more likely that they designed this thing with the intention of having it work and then didn't have the necessary quality control with the people who assembled it. Testing probably went as far as "Does it warm up when I switch on?" If it does, great. They wouldn't bother putting all the necessary components for a dimmer circuit in there and then just not connect them up just to scam the consumer. If they were going to try and do that they'd just put the dimmer switch itself on the case, and nothing inside.

[@DrQuadrivium]

These things could be made safe by pricing them at about £2,000 each so no one would buy them or ever try to use one. .

[@lezbriddon]

not seen a dimmer like that since 1980......

[@JonWhitton]

Nasty. As always you get what you pay for. Thanks for sharing JW, yours also JW

[@michaeltempsch5282]

I'd modify that saying to 'You very very rarely get more than you pay for. Quite often you get less.'

[@bdf2718]

I assume the Antex equivalent is a lot better, but I wouldn't buy it unless they dropped the price a hell of a lot. I dislike Antex kit intensely. Compared to Weller, Antex doesn't qualify as professional kit. Antex barely qualifies as hobbyist kit, and then only if you're not a very discerning hobbyist.

[@TheMaster6411]

its mess up work! damn.....

[@jhbur558]

China uses the AU/NZ plug and the USA/Canada plug

[@Graham-ce2yk]

Correct, but in Australia the live pins are partly-insulated, since 2005.

[@BenjaminEsposti]

Graham, they need to do that in the US! (Where I currently am) I've been zapped a few times just by accidentally having my fingers on the blades as the plug gets plugged in.

[@Graham-ce2yk]

I agree it's a good common sense idea. But it if was proposed in the US you'd get a perfect storm of protest from people ranging from Libertarians who think people should be able to sell whatever they want with no restrictions to Social Justice Warriors who think that such a move would disadvantage the poor by forcing them to buy new stuff to conform with the new safety standards.

[@BenjaminEsposti]

LMFAO, yup, exactly! And now we are likely to get a stupid, corrupt asshat as a president ... ugh! This world is fucked lol. I'm not usually that pessimistic, but it really does worry me. Picking a leader for a country is not to be taken lightly!

[@AlonsoRules]

Good to see those dreadful adaptors again.

[@phils4634]

Yes - Big Clive's "DeathDaptors", with (or without) functional earthing . .:-)

[@kevinscollan8293]

It's a diac the blue diode looking ting 😉

[@johnschlesinger2009]

Thanks for tearing down another nightmare item. Scary stuff....

[@stefanlausch2474]

Hello it,s an nice Organ in the Background!

[@denno021]

Your videos are very informative, but I personally find it hard to listen due to you ending every sentence with increasing volume, as if the end of every sentence has an exclamation mark..

[@Mentorcase]

It's-like-a-continuous-sentence-with-a-loud-bit-at-the-end-to-WAKE-you-up.

[@add-tn4oc]

just need to turn your volume up, and then down ...and then up again. then down... :-)

[@Mentorcase]

Ha ha that is quite FUNNY.

[@yony120]

Yeah, he needs to normalize the volume so it doesn't fluctuate as much.

[@Deebz270]

Typical 'KZbin whingers'. JW speaks perfectly clearly in a BBC accent (like me). Go and get your ears syringed!

[@kuhrd]

Looks like a clone of a clone. I have a similar unit although a bit more expensive around $30 US and the temperature control function is fully working. It was built with a decent 10A rated power cord that was grounded well. The fuse connection on the board also actually goes to the fuse holder. Still a china built device, but you could tell more care was put into the assembly. Seems to be a common theme with many of these Chinese products when you buy the cheapest possible.

[@NxthannHD]

kuhrd you got a link mate?

[@markmahieu1622]

I bought one of these in 2013 for £10.99 including shipping, but I hadn't even taken it out of the box until now. It has a beige rather than blue case but looks like the same box, model number and internal components, except for a different circuit board with a layout that looks more sensible at first glance, and doesn't jam two wires into one hole.

[@helioshaul3924]

Quality.

[@MrJohn1966elliott]

Rip off !!! throw into bin !!!

[@bogywankenobi3959]

You really have to learn to speak in a more constant volume. You say the most important stuff so quiet that we can't hear it and then finish your sentences with the most trivial drivel at 40 dB above the important stuff. Really, work on your presentation unless getting only 6500 hits in two weeks is your goal.

[@Mr_Joseph979]

Bogy Wan Kenobi I was thinking the exact same thing. this is my second video by him I've seen and I really like him, but the volume inconsistency made me not finish the video due to falling asleep. thanks, I'm glad I'm not the only one. no insult to the presenter.

[@jamescolby3956]

Great info but you also do a great deal of rambling if you scripted a bit I think I'd have even better content

[@mwc66]

If he spent less time trying to be smug and just got on with it. the world would be a happier place