EEVblog

[@r3bers]

Is it with new audio?

[@EEVblog]

Brand spanking new fangled dual channel mono

[@EEVblog]

For those that need to know what happened or they'll burst, the vegas balance control was set all the way to the left.

[@userPrehistoricman]

Whatever you did, it also changed the audio of your outro.

[@dtiydr]

"In stereo where available"

[@SudosFTW]

He's there in sydney probably, so you should see if you can get him in the lab and interview him or something. he seems like a bright fellow to have come in and do a sit-down with.

[@punker4Real]

Ahh the infamous 250 Volt USB charger

[@legolegs87]

And it says 15 amp out, so you can can take it on a camping and plug 2kW heater in it! That's very useful!

[@milenedejong1400]

very handy device yes.. i use it on small vacations and fishing trips.. a pocket 220 mains pure sin inverter... ;p

[@robywankenobi32]

@@legolegs87 15 amp socket i think is up to 3600 watts, so u could plug a welder in haha

[@D4no00]

oh my, now I can take my concrete mixer with me on a camping.

[@punker4Real]

gotta super change the tesla

[@platypusfrenzy]

I too, approve of this product. Platypi are known for their sensitive electromagnetic bill-sense and thus are an ideal source inspiration for EE measurement equipment.

[@sanches2]

Mate, i never gave a thought about the plural form of the word Platypus. Though it makes sense to be formed like that but thanks for the free lesson anyway:) Have a nice day :)

[@iwantitpaintedblack]

@@sanches2 Platypusses

[@PhilipLeitch]

Yeah. The i plural is for Latin nouns (e.g. as alumni) while platypus is Greek. The plural is platypuses - even if it doesn't sound right.

[@anthonyshiels9273]

Per Grammarly the plural form of "platypus" is "platypuses". If we follow the Greek roots of the word it should really be "platypodes".

[@ophello]

That guy badly needs some proper marketing.

[@goose300183]

Absolutely. I couldn't understand what the product was, what it does, who it's intended for etc. from the advert alone. Plus it looks like it was filmed on a 90s webcam. I don't mean any disrespect to Trevor though, he has designed and manufactured a decent piece of kit. It just needs to be distilled into a clear, to-the-point, and simple advert.

[@BillAnt]

Smart people might come up with a nifty devices, but lack the marketing skills. That's why Marketing Companies exist, to market great products. ;D

[@Roflcopter4b]

@@goose300183 No offense, but I could easily tell what it was for. It's an inverter to test RCD testers without needing the mains.

[@johnfrank6302]

It is not a PAT Tester Tester. It is a PAT Tester portable power supply for RCD (and possibly leakage) Tests. The PAT Tester does the test the Platypus provides the power for it without needing a mains supply. Nice idea, I wonder how many tests it can supply power for before it needs recharging.

[@Hammerjockeyrepair]

its funny, I actually made a similar setup with a cheap 250w inverter and a battery from a pocket jumpstarter for when I go to hamfest's or flea markets buying old and antique ham/cb radios to test if they power up.

[@shaun1987ify]

Yes would be interesting how long it lasts, it would last a while just doing portable rcd testing as it's over in milliseconds but the leakage test product needs to run at full speed for 30 seconds

[@miragept]

I love the fact than my test leads are being frequently used, was not expecting that when i sent them.

[@BavarianM]

Tugaaa

[@miragept]

Ainda somos pouco representados na internet, talvez mude....eventualmente. (we still aren't much represented on the internet, it might change...eventually)

[@miragept]

@@Okurka. My thing is the one that appears at 16:30min to the end, from the power supply to the inverter.

[@godarklight]

That's an interesting form factor for a normal inverter - It looks like someone got angry having to carry stuff back to an outlet to tag and test it (including the portable RCDs that are ubiquitious)

[@trevorjansen4102]

The device is from 2017 and the video is from the 80's.

[@eduardoavila646]

Yeah, they invented time travell before the tester

[@robertw1871]

LOL

[@yoppindia]

electronic engineers are not paid well

[@chriskay4859]

It’s NOT a PAT Tester, it’s a power supply to drive PAT’s that test RCD’s. Its main purpose is to do away with the Isolation transformer.

[@tx5brent]

Awesome idea! I worked for an Equipment Hire company and we needed to test the RCD on equipment that had a built in RCD, such as access equipment like scissor lifts and cherry pickers that supplied 240v to the basket. The RCD and tester needs a 240v supply and plugging into the building power could trip the RCD for the building, so I would lug a generator around with me. Considering this was done every single time the equipment was returned from hire it was a daily task. A gadget like that would have been awesome to have sitting on the work bench .

[@shaun1987ify]

The new metrel pat tester has the isolation transformer built in no more tripping the rcd in the building

[@jovangrbic97]

Did you reconnect the thermistor of the battery pack when applying the external voltage, maybe there is a lockout if no temperature signal is received?

[@iwantitpaintedblack]

Judging by the puffed battery i think he didn't put any thought towards temp, and btw hobby packs usually dont have thermistors, just balance leads

[@VerstehenSieMathis]

The 3-pin connector should be 0V - 3.7V - 7.4V for charging and the 2-pin 0V and 7.4V for power. Maybe it has a undervoltage protection for both cells... then it would shut off because there isn't 2*3.7V (ish) on the "charge" connector.

[@jovangrbic97]

the two pin thin wired connector is the temperature sensor.

[@zaprodk]

@@jovangrbic97 No it is not. It's the main discharge leads. The 3-pin lead is for balancing. Go educate youself on hi-drain hobby packs and try again.

[@jovangrbic97]

@@zaprodk main discharge leads usually use a thicker wire gauge than the balancing leads, not as in this case angel hair thickness wires, as used usually for thermistors. No issue in using one set of 3 leads for both charging and discharging...consider yourself educated

[@randomscience4k]

Lol! From the thumbnail I thought some one sent Dave a platypus for mailbox surprise

[@xxportalxx.]

I'm no expert, but I don't think Ups offers boxes for that...

[@randomscience4k]

@@xxportalxx. Buy he is in Australia.

[@xxportalxx.]

@@randomscience4k I stand corrected

[@funkyironman69]

12:35 Fun fact, that's also how some Breville coffee machines work, live mains is the gnd reference for the controller circuits etc.

[@funkyironman69]

16:15 Maybe the micro switch wipes the firmware? :P

[@StreuB1]

Ohhhhh, didn't think of that one!!! My thought that it wasn't working because the earth was left disconnected so it was essentially floating and not bonded.

[@redsquirrelftw]

That would be evil. I could see Apple do that. lol.

[@AttilaAsztalos]

Or someone who thinks a pocket-sized full-sine UPS is "patentable".

[@teuton8363]

its always funny when they say it's made in a certain country claiming high quality and in the same sentence they give 12 month warranty, which is the legal minimum (except in the EU where its 2 years).*facepalm*

[@StreuB1]

Its a piece of industrial test gear thats designed for use in the field. There are few companies that will go more than a year and rightfully so. I wouldn't expect them to.

[@MetalheadAndNerd]

It's the same for German Miele washing machines. They train all sales personnel to tell the customers their machines were designed and tested to last at least 20 years but they only offer 1 year of manufacturer warranty. The 2 years are a warranty that the seller has to provider to the customer, not the manufacturer.

[@YTANDY100]

@@MetalheadAndNerd the uk is (at the moment) part of the eu and as far as i know the retailers dont offer any warranty of there own , you only get the manufacturer warranty and the retailer will replace or refund based on that :-)

[@MetalheadAndNerd]

@@YTANDY100 I can only tell how it is in Germany. Every EU country is free to have stricter laws than the minimum the EU requires.

[@redsquirrelftw]

If you plug a phone charger into it, you can now have it charge itself. :D

[@yoppindia]

discharge would be the right word, inverters have efficiency rating.

[@dhpbear2]

9:30 - He's 'green-screened' ! With him wearing a hardhat, I thought he might 'blow something up' :)

[@88djdmepfdnkjf94]

did you press the reset after you closed the case and applyed power.... remember that big (safety?) micto touching the case

[@EEVblog]

Yes

[@SarahWattCA]

But what do you use to test the tester for the tester?

[@BruceNitroxpro]

One of the most inscrutable tear downs, ever! Good job!

[@88njtrigg88]

Love you Dave with all my heart. I'm glad to be back. You are a true Australian legend.

[@dhpbear2]

1:40 - Hmm. It's equipped with a self-stripping screw :)

[@wktodd]

Try loading it Dave (as per patent , it's looking for a low impedance)

[@SidneyCritic]

I would also like to see what it does.

[@StreuB1]

I think it wants to see a bonded earth before a load. The earth was floating during test so it likely wasn't even starting the test for that reason.

[@iainwalker8701]

Darn i was one tester off. I was thinking PAT tester as soon as i saw the USB ports. Only thing that gave me doubt was I hadn't seen one that small before.

[@dhpbear2]

1:12 - What is the purpose of those two long screws attached to the case?

[@jamesmichie7980]

They come with the power outlet for install. A shiny smooth cover is usually clipped over them so you don't see anything but the switch and power socket

[@renno007]

Battery that comes with this devices also includes balance connector. Looks like this device has safety feature that prevents powering on if balance connector is not plugged in.

[@Machineius]

Cool device and well built. Just a super niche market. Great video. I'd make these videos too but, Bob's your uncle, not mine.

[@Sixta16]

So well, they in fact could not even use a proper connector for the 200something output voltage wires you say?

[@fanplant]

IDK if this was mentioned but it's like a Fluke PRV240 Proving Unit. Cool!

[@IDoNotLikeHandlesOnYT]

That, IIRC, is to test your tester/meter to make sure it's working before you use it to check whether a mains circuit is safe to work on. This thing is for powering an RCD (GFCI) device under test from a battery, so that you don't have to connect it to mains (which would be unsafe if done directly or inconvenient if done via an isolation transformer).

[@toshirokardevaand2772]

So it's for keeping the device being tested insulated from the grid.

[@caodesignworks2407]

I like how the platypus bill and such is just a silhouette of the guys hat in the video. Interesting and clever(?) logo design.

[@outputcoupler7819]

If you take that platypus apart, I'm going to be very upset.

[@tomservo5007]

I thought Dave was going to do a roadkill teardown. A new series.

[@josephcote6120]

Neat design. Hard to guess an inverter could be built that small. Hope the heat isn't getting to you.

[@toddberg3892]

Interesting true sine inverter- nice to see those PICs in there too!

[@IrishSkruffles]

Does it need a minimum load or something before it provides any output maybe?

[@macieksoft]

When i saw what's inside i was guessing that this is gonna be some sort of battery powered inverter. But i would never suspect that this was meant to be used for RCD testing.

[@GaryMcKinnonUFO]

No link to the big dumpster dive or the mystery tech company ?

[@ableite]

Dave, did you connect the lipo battery sensor while plugged the PSU to power it on? This might be the reason it did not turned on..

[@chaos.corner]

So the ground is on the bottom on Australian outlets?

[@user-vn7ce5ig1z]

Why did you delete this the other day?

[@EEVblog]

Some idiot set the audio balance control all the way to the left before rendering

[@jeevajp2574]

@@EEVblog you are the one who edits right?

[@EEVblog]

@@jeevajp2574 *eyes darting*

[@jeevajp2574]

@@EEVblog 😆😂

[@mattmoreira210]

@EEVblog Oooh... now I know why you've hired David. You wanted an intern to blame when you goof things up, didn't ya? Lol

[@robot797]

i think the lithium protection is on because you dont have anything pluged into the balance port

[@Seegalgalguntijak]

The e-mail of the inventor was in the video, but it was @ the domain of the website which is now gone, so the e-mail won't work any more either.

[@Joel-st5uw]

It might, James Webb is still listed as the owner of the domain (check whois records). Interestingly, the www name is pointed at a generic BlueHost IP, which doesn’t serve anything useful. The domain’s MX (mail exchange) records point at the exact same BlueHost IP, which makes me think the email is no longer going anywhere useful, but that’s just a guess. The email might still go to the guy.

[@noakeswalker]

Have I misunderstood massively ? It's a portable inverter for use with a PAT tester then - not capable of testing anything itself...:o)

[@YTANDY100]

@ noakeswalker yes , it is the power supply for the tester , it would do "go/no go" tests such as connect an rcd (with no load or very small load) and push the test button :-)

[@TransRightsMatter]

Did you even jump the batteries thermal protection (this side up)?

[@johnwest7993]

HV leakage tester? Power cord pinout wiring verification for newly assembled product?

[@chodnejabko3553]

THe safety switch on the ground pin Dave, you've seen it inside. That's why it didn't work. [facepalm]

[@fardellp]

The clipsal brand was marketed by screwfix etc in the UK. Consumer units and convertors (2 gang mains sockets to 3gang. I recognised the switch as a type that fails regularly.

[@acalthu]

Turnigy Lipos, yay! From hobbyking.com, we use them in our model aircraft.

[@pypes84]

It's not a PAT-tester-tester It's a portable supply for RCD / GFI testers. You need to measure trip times (sub 20ms at 50ma ground leakage in the UK IIRC) for them to be signed off as safe. This thing lets you do it in the field (literally) and is something that's not going to blow your bollocks off if something goes wrong. Similar to how insulation resistance testers (aka "meggers" or mega-ohm-meters) have a severely limited test current so you don't kill anyone when you shove 1000v down the lines to test for arcing.

[@TheGhungFu]

I spotted it as some king of little inverter early on. Funny that the LiPo battery seems to have failed in less than two years. Maybe that's what did this startup in; crappy battery supplier?

[@exportation]

That Platypus though 😍

[@philiphighe1858]

Cool stuff - I wouldn't keep that Lithium Ion cell in the office though...

[@SianaGearz]

Your forum is doing the 502 thing, it's broken. Which is sad when there happens to be useful info to be had there.

[@network_king]

What is this like a portable HIpot tester? I don't get it or for testing GFCI on like generators, etc.?

[@parentteachernight]

Your review of it wasn't exactly glowing, but it seems like you're getting a lot of use out of your electric screwdriver. Now that you've more time to get to know it, would you consider it a worthy purchase?

[@vejymonsta3006]

From that dumpster raid of a business that I shall not disclose 😂

[@Sixta16]

There are few obvious clues I think, that the device is not designed properly.

[@bittechslow]

I thought he's going to tear down a Platypus?this will get ugly.

[@timballam3675]

It's for tesring plug top rcds etc without mains...

[@FXGreggan.]

Such a vintage ad for such a new product :)

[@3dlabs99]

So how do you test if it works?

[@Broadcast1Channel]

Could it be that it did not work for you because you put only 2 of the 4 screws that holds the faceplate allowing a gap that may have ment that the interlock micro switch was not depressed?

[@twocvbloke]

I was loosely thinking of it being a form of Hi-Pot PAT device, or just some bored guy's attempt at a compact inverter, guess I was sort of right in a loose kind of way... :P

[@christopherguy1217]

I had to check the calendar to see if today was April 1st.

[@garbleduser]

Press the reset button after changing the battery!!!

[@UmbreWolf]

as soon as he showed the lipo I knew it was an inverter module of some kind. . Photonic induction built a similar DC version of something like this with a bunch of disposable ecig batteries.

[@neptunevibe]

Misleading Platypus in the thumb. He he.. I noticed also the logo. Is very sweet. High end logo.

[@metallitech]

The microswitch is so that people who do take it apart don't turn it on.

[@numixschongeist3509]

I really thought, it was a power bank with 230V AC output.

[@Fifury161]

It looks like an ideal and well engineered solution, however I'd imagine it's incredibly niche as anyone doing PAT tester testing would more than likely be doing so in a lab environment. I can understand it being used privately, I can't see how it could be made commercially profitable...

[@YTANDY100]

@Fifury161 it is only a power supply for the tester :-)

[@Belznis]

I wonder how many spiders can you find during teardowns and when finding new electronic devices for teardowns. Australia after all. I would be scared.

[@trevorjansen4102]

You just need to plug a USB charger into the socket and then charge the device. Boom, free energy. 👊

[@tomschmidt381]

First guess without looking past the 3:25 mark it is a hipot tester.

[@ws_stelzi79]

Hey but what and who is testing the tester of the tester?

[@companymen42]

Dave's last words lol "OOOOOo, dangerous voltages inside, do not open (Chuckles). It's OK, I'm a professional"

[@beatadalhagen]

Interesting, big package with small package at its feet, like parent protective of its offspring.

[@robertw1871]

Not sure why one would even bother with a patent, I can think of dozens if not hundreds of inverters that are portable, surely there are millions of examples of prior art in the universe... I was thinking it was a hipot/ground bond safety tester at the beginning... that would be pretty cool if it was... would be hard to fit that in there though, which is why I thought I was about to learn something...

[@HesselAnnema]

Why unscrew .. just pull the plug. On the brown bleu green/yellow wire

[@electronicsNmore]

I think he has a brother that owns Dingo Instruments.

[@XOIIOXOIIO]

So these guys just totally vanished for some reason? Can't barely find a trace of them anymore. Strange.

[@petehiggins33]

It all seems a bit 'how ya doin' to me. Surely all you need to do to test an RCD is to push the button and see if it turns off. Why would it need an isolation transformer in the first place?

[@PartTimeLaowai]

I suspect some (most?) RCD's are self-tested by applying power to their internal trip mechanism when the test switch is pressed, rather than by testing via a mechanical button. My guess is this makes for a more reliable indication that it will trip on an actual ground fault.

[@petehiggins33]

@@PartTimeLaowai The test button on an RCD connects a resistor which passes a 30mA current from the line input side to the neutral output side hence creating a current imbalance which trips the circuit. Actually I was being a bit sarcastic because the RCD testers are required to check the response time at various fault currents. I genuinely don't know why an isolation transformer is required.

[@shana_dmr]

I also have a problem understanding what problem does this device solve.

[@RobertSzasz]

@@shana_dmr it lets you run tests without plugging into the grid. You don't have to worry about tripping upstream RCDs, or if you have a fault, letting out a lot of magic smoke since the little inverter can't source much current.

[@TeslaMaxwell]

Free Energy Confirmed

[@DVSProductions]

Does the Portable Appliences Tester Tester Test Alternating Current Current?

[@YTANDY100]

@Valentino Saitz no , i think its for testing lunar gravity on the moon :-)

[@RobertSzasz]

Battery, socket, and data port? I'm guessing insulation or some other compliance testing.

[@alunroberts1439]

So this is just a power bank low power output just to power a tester. I can not see any point to this as for RCD testing were is the ground ???

[@travis4798]

The device you have looks different and the back casing looks like it was 3d printed or something. Maybe you got your hands on a prototype? Very cool what is does. I imagine they tossed a lot of hidden gems in that dumpster just from the photo's.

[@AstAMoore]

Now all the dangerous voltages are going to fall out . . .

[@DanielVidz]

So this turns your mains powered PAT into a battery operated unit. cool concept, nice form factor.

[@stuartcoyle1626]

RCD tester is my guess at the start of the video.

[@garbleduser]

Is this a USB readable, ground resistance and current leakage meter? Posted while watching @3:15

[@zn4rf]

Mh, did you check the copy machine from the junk? there should be an hdd in there with all the scanned pages :c most ppl never remove the hdd before thworing away their copy machines

[@sydmichel]

When you first showed it, I guessed that it was some sort of spying device containing a camera and transmitter.

[@EEVblog]

i had a similar thought

[@dtiydr]

0:16 Holy shit! That's where I want to go for sure!

[@npphil]

Tearing down a platypus?! You monster!!

[@muppetpaster]

For the first and final time I would like to state that I have NOT got an uncle called Bob!!!

[@rosshollinger8097]

"Mind me platypus duck, Bill, Mind me platypus duck. Don't let him run amok, Bill, Just mind me platypus duck." Apologies to Rolf Harris

[@PatrickPoet]

What brand electric screwdriver do you recommend? Doh! Before I got to the part where you said don't look it up I already had. Fail. If you want us to not look things up, tell us at the beginning, lol!) That Wurth transformer is a isolated flyback converter, essentially a switched mode power supply in a transformer format! There's another mosfet inside.

[@agenericaccount3935]

Ok that is pretty neat. Genuinely.

[@vk6xre]

Devices like this are often used to tickle the mains side of the DUT. You need 2 test tickles as one test tickle is often lower than the other test tickle and you need to average the drop of both test tickles. Another KZbin blogger AvE recommends 3 test tickles, but he is Canadian and keeps a rooster in, as Stephen Gottlebsien (SP) would say, his wise. ElectroBoom on the other hand recommends 1 as if it is good enough for eyebrows, it is good enough for test tickles. ;)