My new sofa FAILED after 1 day! | Can it be fixed?

We took the plunge and upgraded our old sofa with one of those fancy reclining ones from DFS.
We waited 6 weeks for it and all was fine, for 1 day at least. Then one of the chairs stopped reclining. There were no signs of life at all.
An engineer quickly came out and swapped over one of the motors, and it is now fully working.
But why did it fail? I got hold of the old faulty motor and in this video I'm stripping it down to find out! Can it be fixed?
Hope you enjoy!
Steve
PS. I'm not an expert in repairs at all. I do this for fun, and it may not be the best or safest way to go about repairing broken stuff. I'm pretty good at melting plastic though. Please don't copy me - I'm an idiot.
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[@russellhellyer4957]

Such an underrated channel. Easily worth 500k subs. Excellent production quality and very entertaining.

[@daveka5451]

He does a really, really good job, doesn't he?

[@ianrusso8790]

yeah,

[@hemigod427]

And he's a really good singer

[@CRAVEN79]

He’ll get there

[@meh78336]

I agree though I thought there were no new videos as even though I have the bell ticked, I have had no notifications until this one since the Atari Lynx 2 and that was 6 months ago. On the plus side, got a few to watch now :D

[@zedcarr6128]

My friend had EXACTLY the same problem with DFS. It took ages for it to be delivered in the first place, and then ages for them to come out and sort it when it broke. I think that DFS stands for Deliver Fucked Sofa.

[@abtrooper82]

I rember the company MFI - Manufactured For Idiots.

[@handsomedave1875]

Yea, I remember thieves breaking into MFI and returning 200 kitchen cabinets 😏

[@thelemmonschannel677]

Dodgy furniture Supplies!

[@paulmcg8237]

Yup, they're hopeless.

[@curlygreen69]

@@paulmcg8237Damn it,ordered a sofa from them a month ago!

[@p3147-u9d]

Was told an interesting fact years ago by a friend who designed the folding mirror systems for a car make, basically the worm gears are always plastic, and this is not to make them cheap, its so that should a safety component fail that instead of the motor labouring and potentially catching fire the plastic teeth of the cog or worm gear will strip thus enabling the motor to still spin and not burn out or continue to injure the person or item being trapped. Obviously its useless once this has happened, but many items with motors seem to have plastic cogs or worm gear and this is the reason why, they are designed to strip the teeth and fail as a fail safe for the motor. Its my pointless fact of the day post.

[@daymobrown]

It did stop, but the motor was still drawing (max) current. Stall current is the maximum current drawn, when the motor is applying its maximum torque, either because it is being prevented from moving entirely or because it can no longer accelerate given the load it is under.

[@wyxchari]

14:39 If you have bypassed the switch, the motor will continue to push even if it does not move if the button is pressed. If the button is pressed for too long, such as by a child, there is a risk of fire as the motor will heat up.

[@TechTinkerWorks]

The reason it stopped for him is i believe it is a double limit switch for added safety

[@paulmcg8237]

@@TechTinkerWorks Nope, it's because he was using 12v instead of the PSU 29v, so he couldn't here the motor labouring.

[@DTGuitarTech]

Sofa, so good.

[@paulmcg8237]

Ha

[@1Stormrider1]

Sofa king, awesome!

[@eddietowers5595]

Also, if you have an old mouse, you can temporarily use the micro switches from one of the buttons.

[@NicStage]

"Do you want the old motor?" is the clearest indicator that that tech has not seen your channel. 😂

[@Split-Tongue]

That is some Epic wallpaper!

[@michaelcorvin4330]

You've inspired me to fix my couch, as well as to flail wildly while listening to your killer grooves. Subbed.

[@devttyUSB0]

Aww, there goes the molten plastic counter, and it wasn't even with the hot air! Nice to see the innards of this thing though. Fairly simple.

[@paulmcg8237]

It was a moment of extreme clumsiness. 😄

[@EltonMcManus]

Definitely worth keeping as a spare. The most likely part to fail is the nylon spider wheel. That will wear out and you won’t be able to move at all. I have two that are worn and only have the option of replacing the whole unit.

[@paulmcg8237]

They should supply the gear as replacement part, in a decent world they would.

[@darkxceed]

2 diodes and 2 micro switches. diodes are placed so that when reaching the end switch by reversing the polarity to travel back the diode will conduct and only stop when the second switch will be triggered. The linear actuator will pull maybe to much current when not stopped by the end switches and may overheat or something.

[@technoman9000]

But it only worked once! I think it was just a mechanical failure

[@TheScotsmanTechReview]

Hi Steve, the micro switches are there to stop current draw at the end stops. Without them, the motor will continue to draw current at the end stop and will essentially be a heater. This is likely only an issue if the end user switch is held in position, but it’s something to consider. Don’t want you burning your house down

[@Mopatops]

The diodes are actually part of the limit stop circuit. When the actuator reaches the end, and the switch opens, the motor stops. The diode will allow a reverse polarity through to allow the actuator to move back in the other direction. This happens both ends.

[@Lumibear.]

I’m always interested to see how things work and that’s quite a fascinating little device so thanks for that!

[@PrematureEnlightenment]

You tell yourself, this is the last sofa I will ever need in my life. No matter what goes wrong, at least you've got your sofa issue handled.

[@SkyfighterZX]

Outro song is totally a "Best of StezStix Fix"

[@froshboitv]

I was looking for this comment

[@ppartsx]

That room looks really cozy with the color scheme you got going on.

[@eddietowers5595]

I was given a recliner whose structure failed so I removed everything that made it reclined, attached the longest linear actuator and attached it to the two feet in the keyboard stand added roller blade wheels and now I have a lift. I gave it to my wife for her craft room, every time she needs to raise any heavy craft project she’s working on she slide it of her cart and onto this lift. This lift has a 300 pound [lift] limit.

[@joestiff3689]

This is why I absolutely adore your channel Steve because you never know what you’re going to have a go at fixing it’s a surprise every week great work mate

[@Billis75]

And that he is a Barbie girl.

[@joestiff3689]

@@Billis75 lol

[@chottom]

I worked on a very similar motor(linear actuator to be precise) that came from a lawn mower/front mower that raised/lowered the mowing deck. It got power through a switch(up or down) which swapped 12Vdc polarity depending in which way it was pressed. Somehow the motor changed on its own which way it turned so the end-stopping microswitches worked backwards. Both microswitches and diodes were fine. The solution was swapping both diodes polarity in opposite way. Then the actuator started working again. This still bamboozles me what could do that to this kind of motor. No changes in the connections or supply power polarity and every plug that it had was keyed so they could not be plugged backwards.

[@nikkiofthevalley]

Are you sure it ever worked in the first place?

[@chottom]

@@nikkiofthevalley Pretty sure, it was my friends mower that was fixed and i saw it used before it "broke".

[@stevecann3394]

The diodes in parallel with the microswitches was a real light bulb moment for me... couldn't figure how limit switches were wired until now...turns out it's far simpler than i imagined!😀😀

[@D.J._S]

Loving the wallpaper. Reclining couches always break by the way.

[@JayWelchy]

Blue jungle scene with white big cat wallpaper?? BOLD choice sir, gotta say im here for it! :)

[@ovalteen4404]

i'm pretty sure it's the extending side switch that failed. The motor stopped because you literally hit end of travel. And those ARE diodes, so that the switch that is relevant to the travel direction is able to shut off the motor while the other switch gets bypassed by its diode.

[@johnpotter4750]

Back emf. There's a motor (Inductance)

[@paulmcg8237]

Nope, he was using 12v instead of the PSU 29v, so simply couldn't hear the motor labouring, apply the correct voltage and he would've heard it just fine.

[@coyote_den]

Two limit switches and a diode across each to bypass one switch depending on polarity. At the start of travel, the switch you don't care about will be open, but the diode will allow current flow. At the end of travel, the other switch will open and the diode will block. Don't be surprised if you get a failed diode sooner or later, the voltage drop while the diode is conducting plus the locked rotor draw of the motor at the start means it is handling a LOT of current.

[@michelsauve6264]

Congratulation. 175K... You deserve it. 😀

[@sorakat42]

This thing where a tiny little part breaks the whole thing reminds me of a fix needed for my 2008 Jeep Wrangler several years ago. I had one of my windshield wipers stop working and needed a new $325 wiper motor to fix it. But in reality, the only thing broken was a dirt cheap plastic grommet. He said that over 10 years ago he could have just replaced the grommet. No luck by the time my Jeep was out as he couldn't even get the tiny part to pop in. So yeah, I got a new motor like you did (and not free for me). But great on you that you could fix yours!

[@StezStixFix]

Wow, that's pretty crazy. It just seems so wasteful, but it's obviously better for the service company to just swap things out and move on to the next one. Not good when you have to foot the bill though!

[@sorakat42]

@@StezStixFix I didn't fault the garage as they were awesome. It was just the parts availability and the design of the motor. My mechanic was really bummed for me that he couldn't do the cheap fix for me anymore.

[@samuraidriver4x4]

Could be more wasteful, there are cars out there you can't even change a simple lightbulb if it's broken. You can however buy a new light unit for about 1000-1500 bucks. Getting ridiculous these days.

[@TheCustomFHD]

Yall should get 3D printers! They help tremendously fixing broken plastic stuff

[@johnpotter4750]

Thank for the chair fix (one of my concern's about these chairs) an easy fix (just rubbish/cheap micro-sw) and No chips, just a weak PSU (under cooled (or nil grandchildren)) Switch module reminds me of my Spectrum (pcb contacts) 😎

[@shirobrathwaite656]

Hi steve I love your videos and watch all the time. Imo I think the switch is there to cut current flow so without it you will always have a steady current flow. And you also forgot to say "stupid switch". 😂

[@matarua]

Thanks for your perseverance it gave me hope and I won :)

[@paulturner849]

I have seen other theories regarding the diodes, but my first thought was that they are there to prevent damage to the microswitch contacts due to possible back EMF from the inductive load (the motor).

[@thomasw2509]

I have a similar lifting the head portion on my bed, german made product works since 35 years with no problem.

[@monarch73]

The parts that fell out of the switch looked burned to me. It could be that the switch failed because of a failing (const open) recovery diode, causing the currents to discharge from the motor coil over the microswitch.

[@paulmcg8237]

No, it failed because DFS use cheap components and the spring return arm, which will be made from cheese, snapped under the strain from the spring.

[@markoolujic5471]

This got to be the first time ever that you didn't put it all back together before testing! :D

[@Daffydubs]

I'm glad to see your channel growing my dude! Came a long way since finding Dave the legend! Lol

[@kingofgreed1992]

I get these things in at my work all the time

[@resoldab]

Nice wallpaper Steve

[@TallGamer111]

Canada 🇨🇦 Shirt . Whoop whoop . 😊

[@allangault9500]

best shirt you have worn ever!

[@nathansmith-neuert4208]

Once again good sir. Great video, great shirt. 2 for 2

[@chrisgebben2043]

Nice wall paper steve and this is a first that its both a fail and successful fix from what i know basically the switch is not fixable but you can simply replace it and it will work again

[@paulmcg8237]

That DFS recliner will give you lots of content, so a wise purchase for you, not so much for anybody else. Be prepared for the 5v USB charging circuits to constantly fail, my DFS recliner is out of its warranty and I've had four 5v circuits fail and I've recently had to repair a motorised ram. In the end up it was just easier to remove the 5v circuitry and allow the 29v circuit to work separately. I'll never buy DFS again (although I've got a feeling all the manufacturers use the same dodgy components).

[@seanlotr]

Another great video!

[@Gary-Seven-and-Isis-in-1968]

Yes you need both Micro-switches. Those diodes are acting like a half wave rectifier which controls the direction from the switch.

[@philtrauferson]

Recently my Secretlab had one of the wheel pegs lodged in the socket, and I couldn't get it out. So they replaced the whole bottom half of the chair. Over a small bit of stuck plastic.

[@spacewolfjr]

The sofa king!

[@imaginitivity7853]

Sofa king cool 😂

[@hadibq]

Those switches are very common in sat dishes actuators with their diodes. Mostly NC and open when their little button pushed.

[@larky3]

Now! Thats some wallpaper

[@Popeyes66]

Barbie Steve,... . . chuckles & bubbles from my Snozzle 👍

[@magicpigfpv6989]

That switch might be less than a pound, but the time it takes for people to properly r&r a device like that it’s less of a labor charge and a revisit if you just replace the whole assembly. Automotive mechanic here for reference.

[@ShR33k]

Maybe 3D print a new rail or find something similar - maybe some kind of plastic decorating edging. Not sure how you'll get those components off without causing more melting of the plastic. Clearly not made with repairability in mind! Great video though. Shows how an expensive part can be tested, and repaired if the time and effort is put into it!

[@MyRegardsToTheDodo]

The lid of a plastic cable channel should fit, but you'd have to solder the components on that one too, so you'd melt it anyways. And it seems to still work, even partially melted, so not sure if it has to be replaced.

[@basouwens]

Same thing here, also fixed from the factory, Stupit switch

[@wilfvissenga5445]

Cracking video Stez! It’s been a wonderful journey watching your videos from when you first started to present date, your confidence and knowledge is growing all the time which is wonderful to see, keep up the great work man! Top tip get yourself a can of DeOxit D5, it’s about £25 per can but 1 lasts me a year, great for revitalising potentiometers and switches, also cleans up corroded PCB’s a treat.

[@johnpotter4750]

Don't know it as you say great for patchy potentiometers etc, (I use R.S. Component version) but sound like a contact cleaner/LUBE - be careful around 'unsealed' Telemetry gear (99.9% safety/control usage concerns)

[@wilfvissenga5445]

@ hi John, I’m no familiar with the RS product but I’ve used Deoxit for the past 14yr, I manufacture pickups for electric guitar and bass however alongside installing them I repair instrument electronic failures, effects units and amplifiers. The D5 is pretty much an all round contact cleaner revitalising scratchy pots and corroded circuits without leaving any residue, the other Deoxit product I use is H6 which is more of a high quality lubricant for faders and pots after they’ve had a blast of the D5, I highly recommend it.

[@johnpotter4750]

@@wilfvissenga5445 Hi, ref. my comment it was issued to our Elec. technician's and had to give out pure cleaner to get it out of their hands! It is marvellous "initially" (a bit similar to spray-on furniture polish (a lot of 1935 Black Cubicles))

[@ripsnort8194]

Send it back ❤

[@scorchio70]

I very wrongly said last year or could have been the year before that My Mate Vince was better, well I have to take that back, I love the channel, even the cheesy song at the start 😁

[@ThisPossumKnits]

love the Worms stuff during the Patreon song!

[@texmexgod4002]

You can find a similar microswitch on a microwave door lock. I always salvage them. It's an easy part to stop the whole thing feom working.

[@ygstuff4898]

The classic case of technology where, "a 20cent part causes a thousand dollar component to fail."

[@FiveStringCommando]

You’ll fix anything, will you? And I’ll gladly watch you fix whatever it is. Awesome video, even if the counter is reset.

[@wisher21uk]

Nice fix Steve shame about your plastic counter 😊

[@ShALLaX]

I bet in the outward direction, the current shot right up when it reached the end of travel and the windings started to get hot. Those components on the back of the switches are diodes to prevent current flowing back. They’re oriented in such a way that allows the motor to only reverse when the limit switch is opened. E.g. for the extension limit switch, the motor can always be moved in the retraction direction regardless of the switch state because the diode bypasses the switch for current in that direction. It’s a bit of an odd design, it seems like it’d be easier for the power to go directly to the switch board then only the switch board plugs into the motor unit. Maybe they’ve done it this way because it’s something to do with modularity between models.

[@DeadalusShadowduck673]

This component looks like a diode. I guess a 1N4004 or 1N4007. Keep up this entertaining channel! Its so much fun, i love your videos! :)

[@chrisprobert6]

Haha. you overloaded it and made switch contacts explode😂

[@Lord_Joeldemort]

Fitting end song 😂😂

[@dublea2]

That broke because the metal was too thin! There is far too much going through those switches. My mom's chair did the same thing. I replaced the micro switches with ones used on industrial machines, and it still works today

[@Jeroen_a]

It would stop because it cannot travel further. The switch is probably there to stop the motor anyhow and stop the current flowing.... in case the button fails or you just keep pressing it., probably preventing the motor overheating. something like that 🙂

[@7b0ne]

Good to know , a repair looks easy. And it's really penny item...or cents. Thanks 👍🏾

[@simonclothier9939]

SOLID video

[@schmitty1944]

Best wallpaper ever!!

[@JonSauter]

Had to go back and check it out again.

[@Swumhole]

That is awesome wallpaper, where did it come from? Want!

[@DDDSprayshop-v2r]

Yeah, to state it simple, the first one outwards was a mechanical stop, if the power stayed on, the motor would overheat and burn. You shorten the diode, meaning the motor keeps getting power. The microswitch shorts the diode as long the telescope is going out until the microswitch is activated and the power runs via diode, wich it can't, the diode blocks the circuit. So both diode's are soldered opposite from eachother, just check the silver rings on them.

[@StezStixFix]

Spot on, the diodes were wired opposite to each other!

[@nbaua3454]

That come come Barbie was better than the entire video I guess 😅😅😅

[@bertrandep]

Thanks for all of your videos ! No sure about the default-activated computerised audio translations. I love your original voicie and would rather have these translations optionnal when I look at one of your videos 🤔(french)

[@Maxel.F]

yes it stoped when it got back but did it stopped because it cant go no further or did it cut the power to the motor? beter check if there isno power to the motor or els the motor burns, how does it cut the power to the motor when its all the way back if you bypass the end switch?

[@chrisrobson8540]

Great title to see when you're expecting 2 new sofas from DFS any day now 😂😂

[@catharperfect7036]

AstroAI FTW!!1

[@steventouchton2508]

The switch is to prevent fire/damage to the motor. It stopped because it was bound up. Still drawing power the motor would be damaged in no time.

[@Tinman598]

I’m a furniture tech. This gave me flashbacks from work. I bet I have about 30 broken motors laying around the shop.

[@notsofastener]

The leads of the diodes soldered across the microswitch are pushed through the holes in the switch terminals. You will need to use a desoldering pump or desoldering braid to remove all the solder so you can free the diode from the switch which will allow you to remove the switch from the plastic rail. If you had removed the solder in the first place, the plastic strip could have been left intact while removing the switch. It shouldn't have been using plastic like that, but that was obviously a cost cutting measure on the manufacturer's part.

[@johnpotter4750]

Confirm desoldering piston + braid (has flux inboard) are a must, complete with a small long-nose pliers(a heat sink), and further the desoldering hot air gun module is more for flow pcb's

[@ShadowTheHedgehog85]

The plastic part where the switches are mounted, looks like the cover of a cable duct. Maybe you can replace it with some cheap cable duct covering.

[@soviut303]

Replacing the motor seems reasonable; it's a self-contained part and the repair guy's time is probably more valuable than the part. There is the possibility of it being taking back and refurbished. Really though, I feel like if this had been in North America, they'd have replaced the entire couch since something would be extremely propriety about it.

[@justanotherdave.]

They switch the motor out so you’re not waiting around for days on a repair I expect. I’m surprised they didn’t take the old motor away though.

[@ForsytheGaming]

As an ex-Guitar Hero/Rock band guy, I can attest to how prone to failure those switches are. I became very very good at toy guitar repair for all my friends)

[@tirokopita]

PURE

[@keithmcgerr3056]

FDS. fix done, Steve!

[@paulallen6915]

Ours also failed after a couple of days, they came out and swapped it.

[@sariflips3955]

You would be surprised how cheaply expensive furniture is made. I spent a few months gluing foam together sofas costing 8-10k€. I had no real training, just an introduction. The sofas and armchairs I made are used in TV studios, for example - I've seen a few on German TV. I would never buy something like that because I know how they are made.

[@CPG14]

Please try and find a furby to fix this christmas in honor of it being a popular christmas gift in 1998

[@stevenwheat3621]

That wall paper.. 😂

[@musapmartin]

Hi Dave, love your videos. Who is that guy that is always in your videos fixing things? Anyway, I have to go back and do my STUPID WORK.

[@AlphaMachina]

Those switches are the main reason these actuators fail, and millions of them end up in dumps every year instead of being recycled like they should. That's why they have to ask if you'd like to keep it.

[@BarryKnaak]

That is technically called a limit switch, a form of microswitch. More specifically it is a normally open limit switch. When the switch is pressed in, the circuit is closed allowing current to flow through. When the switch is out or released, it opens the circuit, keeping current from flowing through. They are VERY common in the industrial world. Most replacements will have 3 terminals on them, so you can wire them "N.O." (normally open) or "N.C." (normally closed).

[@vinny142]

" More specifically it is a normally open limit switch. When the switch is pressed in, the circuit is closed allowing current to flow through. When the switch is out or released, it opens the circuit, keeping current from flowing through." It's the exact opposite; limit switches tend to break a contact when the limit is reached, for obvious reasons :-)

[@paulmcg8237]

No it's not, its NC, a NO limit switch isn't a thing.

[@BarryKnaak]

Okay, I've been an industrial electrical engineer for about 20 years. You should probably do a bit more research. Give google a try.

[@paulmcg8237]

​@@BarryKnaak Well, seeing as you're so experienced, explain how a NO limit switch would work?🤔

[@BarryKnaak]

@paulmcg8237 A normally open limit switch is a mechanical device that remains in an open circuit at rest, (meaning no electricity can flow through it until it is physically triggered by an object), at which point the switch closes and allows current to pass through the circuit, essentially it only completes the circuit when activated by an external force. I work in Industrial refrigeration, we use mechanical float switches to control various aspects of the refrigeration system. Mainly in the way of redundant safety's. In industrial applications laws require us to have more than one way to safely shut a system down in case of a runaway chemical reaction. Unfortunately those ways were usually discovered because of deadly accidents. So yes,"normally open" limit switches do exist, and that is exactly how they function. Bezinga

[@barthanes1]

When you put the new microswitch in replace the grease that was removed. It doesn't really matter what kind you use.

[@JonSauter]

Bacon?

[@barthanes1]

@JonSauter Well, you could. It would develop an unplesant odor, but it would work just fine. I was leaning more toward a mineral grease, but if you don't mind the smell of rancid fat, then go ahead.

[@rick5078]

3:35 the wire windings do look ok, but those contact surfaces abolutely do not. They have huge deep gouges in them like something broke loose, tumbled around within the housing and getting stuck between the housing and the contact surfaces causing the gouges.

[@terryhiggins9700]

There must be a proximity switch in the long thing. So in and out extremes cannot go beyond.

[@michelsauve6264]

SOLID.

[@pallsmortion4750]

I thought it was Nokeric from the thumbnail! 😂

[@petemiddleton64]

These good for mini shredders

[@franckozon]

Nice