Trying to FIX a 13 Amp WiFi Power Socket

[@jreding132]

Very honest and common sense explanation about home automation and the overuse of smart devices and the failure of them. Simplify your life.

[@rondickson1491]

I know this socket will not go back into service, but what a great video. Love to see you tear something apart and get it working. Best wishes from across the pond in Virginia.

[@Blue-Crits]

Knowing that Vince compresses his footage to make it an appropriate time length, the fact this was 1 hour makes me think it must of been many hours recording live 😮. Respects to Vince 👍

[@janeclements317]

As far as infotainment goes, this was a perfect video. Thanks, Vince!

[@IanScottJohnston]

Electronics engineer here........I'm just not a fan of having electronics like this behind a socket and helluva close to the wall insulation etc. It wouldn't be so bad, but they tend to design these things cheaply and without a good controlled failure mode. Hmmm, I wonder how many failures and resultant house fires there have been?

[@chrish1398]

Agree. There seems to be an obsession to built things into sockets the were not designed to be built in. I'm looking at you USB sockets.

[@G1ZQCArtwork]

In addition to the safety factor, these devices tend to launch very bad noise and interference on to the mains wiring of your house, next door, and most of the street. Wiping out AM Radio. Bad, very bad.... Some are also noisy right up to VHF and beyond....

[@ijabbott63]

@@chrish1398 Not to mention the built-in obsolescence of USB sockets!

[@Rep2369]

Vince, I love you LO! Your outro was SOOOO spot on, I feel the same. Maybe it's an age thing? I'm 44 and imagine you're around the same age or at least remotely close in age. I LOVE electronics and technology, always have, but it's getting really ridiculous. How "easy" do we need to make things? It's like reinventing the wheel anymore as I often say. I have been disabled for a decade now, I don't get around well but thankfully I can get up and walk a little (albeit not well). ALL DAY I will get up and hobble to a light switch for ease, simplicity and reliability over using something like this. It's getting to the point for me (and again, maybe age, mid-life crisis junk lol) that "ease" now is just more complicated and difficult than doing it as intended!! lol. I got the same vibe from you here. Nice to see it working at the end and thanks again for your content, I enjoy the vids a lot! The simpler we keep things the less repairs we have to do (tho we both clearly enjoy repairing lol)

[@-dazza555]

I do think it is sad that people forget that you are not making an instructional video but rather just showing your thought process and what actually failed for entertainment. You usually mention this multiple times throughout a video and people still comment things like that's not safe and the like. I do repair electronics for friends and family but I'm here for a bit of fun not a how to. Do keep up the great work, it's nice and relaxing to watch your fixes.

[@fruitandnut]

You deserve a medal for that one. Love your vids.

[@beavis6363]

Simplicity. Yes. Give me back the old style tactile automobile controls and key lock set. I recently purchased a 2020 vehicle, and honestly the added tech genuinely makes the driving experience miserable. Anyhow, another interesting video. Always relieved to see you keep your wits about you regarding safety.

[@mrcodez]

Great video Vince! Love these long ones. I enjoy watching all the fault finding and seeing what can be done to find replacements and trying to get things working. Thanks!

[@mickcooper3070]

Absolutely spot on love your videos so entertaining i don't care how long they are just look forward to the next one keep it up Vince 👍

[@Mymatevince]

Thank you Mick!

[@chrisreynolds6331]

Wow you put some major effort into that. Well done! I've never bought one of those smart sockets because I'm not comfortable with having cheap electronics on a 32 amp house breaker. The instantaneous trip current on those breakers is enormous and the explosion would be rather large!

[@DGDan316]

Exactly, I am not a fan of sockets with built in USB/Wifi - there is always a risk it may catch fire - at least you can pull out a plug in USB power supply

[@bataviktor]

Rivets can be removed with a gentle drilling. normally with a well oversized drill bit and you easily can get a new rivet like this. keep up the good work!

[@intrax2tv]

Simplicity rules! Massive thanks for your vids and your awesome perseverence when fixing stuff! Cheers from nl....

[@harrygood4783]

The extremes you will go to for our entertainment, but sometimes the understanding how something works in practical dismantle is the enjoyment, putting it back into service is never an option, they are so cheap by new, good job so simple when you now how it works.

[@BrandalfTheGray]

Hey Vince! Just wanted to say that i thought it was a good video. Ive been watching for a few years now, and always look forward to your videos each week. Thank you sir! Have a good one!

[@sambatens5409]

I believe that the 2 diodes and the 2 relais are not one for neutral and one for live. But rather one is for each socket seperatly😊

[@perkulant4629]

You’d be correct.

[@hadesmcc]

That was an awesome fix! Congrats for the perseverance.

[@TD75]

I'm the same way for 10 years Vince. Keep it simple. Most new tech is unnecessary.

[@JemTheWire]

Ha. I enjoy your videos so much I find myself clicking the LIKE button before I have even watched it! Call me old-fashioned, but I really don't like these 'built in smart sockets'. To have something that sooner later WILL fail hardwired into my ring main (UK power wiring) really causes me concern. The only way to isolate them is at the consumer unit as the electronics are active 24/7. Don't get me wrong, I have lots, over 19, smart sockets, but the type that you can simply unplug. Great video as always. Thanks Vince.

[@GadgetUK164]

Super job Vince =D I agree with your points at the end there too! I think for hidden sockets, brilliant!!!

[@FireballXL55]

I wrote this before you tested it on the mains. You can see it arced over from the large track to the low voltage due to some contaminate. Which may have been introduced or from manufacture and took a while to break down. Even if the diode D3 failed all that would happen is the relay would fail to switch and maybe damage the transistor, the diode is the back EMF diode to protect the transistor from the voltage spike from the relay coil. This damage may also have taken out the controller and or WiFi module. The bridge rectifier would die with the 240V being connected to the output side of it. The 30V is the DC rating of the contacts. The relay has a 5V coil and contacts rated @16A 30VDC or 250VAC. The fuse as you called it is a fusible resistor quite common it also reduces inrush current. I personally would not use any of these smart plugs and or the inbuilt USB PSU's

[@pickholder6189]

As an electrician and electronics engineer since 1984 - I would tell everyone STICK TO NORMAL TWIN SOCKETS. None of this smart switching. Just plug an alexa/google socket into it. Much easier. Devices like this one can cause issues by tripping a complete ring main when they go faulty.

[@CasualSpud]

I assume 240v over 120 would create more issues or at least make them more spectacular

[@Arachnoid_of_the_underverse]

Not just that but they loose the connection settings when power goes off and back on.

[@dash8brj]

True this - I had 2 of these sockets and they didn't make it past my test bench. Besides its easier to replace a smart plug if it goes bang rather than a smart socket. Easy euough to keep a couple of spare smart plugs in a drawer for the day one goes bang, a lot esier to swap out and you don't need to turn off the house breaker to do it!

[@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co]

I just sit in the dark.

[@drcrusherdata]

W've Crabtree traditional sockets all round the house and never had a days trouble. installed in 1991

[@kblectronix]

A dim bulb tester might be your next video!! 😀😀 Saves a lot of hiding.

[@chrisreynolds6331]

@@kblectronix yes Vince please make a dim bulb tester. A bright bulb is better than a big bang!

[@cheapasstech]

Try to find some incandescent bulbs these days … I got lucky and found 6 200w ones in a thrift store. As the bulbs wattage needs to correspond to the power draw of the device hooked up to it

[@barrieshepherd7694]

Worth remembering that when you find a diode across a relay coil it is there to quench the back EMF current when the relay de-energises. A shorted diode will stop the relay working and possibly cause upstream components to overload. In the video it looked like there had been some flash over from the Power side of the relay to the low voltage electronics. Water ingress maybe. There really should have been some isolation gaps in the PCB between the low and high voltage side particularly in the vicinity of the relays. 😂 Home Automation is a good way of wasting time if you get hooked into the Home Assistant solutions - just like VoIP/Asterisk was a few years ago 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@bondubasher]

Interesting fix Vince! Personally I don't trust these wifi sockets beyond using them for systems that only draw a few amps. No matter the brand. Trying to squeeze components that are capable of switching high currents in these devices with limited space is always bound to create issues in my opinion. Also the types of loads might be an issue! i.e resistive vs reactive. But great teardown, always wanted to see what was in one of these... ;-)

[@petermetro4686]

A set of relay contacts in the path of high current devices is bound to fail over time. Troubleshooting (fixes) hones analytical skills, builds knowledge, self reliance and independence while educating others via videos such as these, IMO. Another win on finding the solution ! 🤩

[@spitfireraf1003]

Awesome video Vince, enjoyed every minute

[@Mymatevince]

Excellent, thank you😎

[@jrsc01.]

At last, another Vince fix! yay

[@joeyhemlock]

All your videos are instructive and entertaining. Love the channel!

[@ovalwingnut]

Like my granny use to YELL in church: ⒷⒾⓃⒼⓄ! and my stepdad us to say down at the mill: ⓎⓄⓊ ⓃⒶⒾⓁⒺⒹ ⒾⓉ!

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks Joey

[@The-Weekend-Warrior]

You're absolutely right about home automation in the sense of remote actuation of switches, etc. Where I find home automation is fine is things that do their thing in the background on their own like watering plants depending on the moisture level in the pots, etc. So not things that you could very well do, but things that would need measurement, monitoring from your side... that's where I think home automation has definitely got a place... Also when you use it to control multiple switches at one... setting scenes, etc. That's neat. But yeah, not the individual light switch...

[@thomasodonnell2191]

That song was insufferable lol. However, your dedication to make the repair work NO MATTER WHAT is awesome. I find myself emotionally invested in every repair. I'm the same way. It HAS to work 😂.

[@DanielGilbert86]

"Simplicity" - yes, I can relate. Had a bunch of home automation set up three years ago. But with every new bit, the "update/config/whatever" dance gets bigger and bigger. So the only thing that is still "smart" in my home are the lights. I recently started using Home Assistant again, because it's just easier for me to combine lights from different vendors and program some scripts and scenes. That's it. And I'm happy.

[@absolutely1337]

homebridge is better :P

[@OctavMandru]

Good job Mate! I too tried to fix one smart socket, spent way less time and it went with a loud bang 😂 Well, it was worth the entertainment

[@geertvanpee9935]

Hi Vince, great video as always! I'd like you to know that I totally agree with your opinion concerning simplicity. If you'd like to keep power consumption as low as possible, that's great, but just buy a socket with a simple physical switch (and not some smart device or even a device with a momentary switch to turn the socket on and off as they always consume power even when the socket is off). It's strange how even many devices no longer have physical switches to turn them on and off; in some cases this means that batteries (that may power them) are draining slowly even when those devices are not in use, causing them to eventually become useless due to lithium batteries that have been drained down too much. Anyway, there are even more examples I could give, but you get my point. I even think devices in general are too complex nowadays; it seems like everything needs software and a micro controller to operate instead of simple circuits etc which is much more reliable. Anyway, sorry for my long comment; you can be sure I won't unsubscribe if you do not reply this comment (you do great videos, you are very descriptive as to what you are doing, you are always very friendly and calm, that's exactly what it takes to keep me subscribed; it is strange that some people don't understand that you simply are not suposed to answer every single comment, you still have a live outside of the videos you do, haven't you?).

[@TheBronk9]

I do enjoy your videos, especially when things dont go right.

[@josephgittos3787]

So how to make a reliable socket to a unreliable socket by adding a smart board 😂

[@309electronics5]

Its not just by adding a smart board but rather dodgy chinese cheap non safety standard electronics

[@user-mv5bu2kk8b]

Non rhos​@@309electronics5

[@perkulant4629]

Yup. Over complicate and introduce more points of failure.

[@Mobin92]

And that's why you don't permanently put electrical devices into your walls.

[@ninaevans4501]

@MyMateVINCE We've now watched the video from start to finish, while burning early morning oil. We run a small repair business, hence awful hours. We both quite agree with your last comments on this video. Use your legs, arms and ability to still be able to move around. There again, we are both 53 years old, no real problem with movement yet. However, these remotely opperated sockets are of more value to the old and frail. But they seem to be both unreliable, and a potential fire hazard. In our opinion (only) the pcb's lack any form of short circuit protection. No spark gaps seperating high, and low voltage components. No spark gaps between the two relays, all components jammed tightly together. As for a "Smart House", it can safely be achieved, but only with electrically safer pcb design.

[@MrMannakin]

I have bought smart extension leads that plug into a standard socket. I've some of these for 4-5 years with no problems. The great advantage is sockets in awkward spots can now be used and I can switch stuff off/on from anywhere I have a mobile phone signal. I switched some lights off/on from the FA semi-final at Wembley one time!

[@Nevakonaza.]

Fantastic video and fix, I love that even though its really not worth fixing he had a bash at it anyway :)

[@Popeyes66]

For somebody so scared of 240 volts A/C ,i think Vince should stick to working on low voltage D/C stuff. I actually cringe when Vince stands 6 feet away holding a hopefully insulated on/off stick .😂 Still a great channel though Vince,and i have continued watching for the last 4 years 👍

[@Godzilla941]

Condensation or water leak somewhere had gotten into the unit...looks like some solder joints had corrosion, then the 240V flashed over the wet PCB from live and went wherever it wanted chasing its way back to neutral in the resulting plasma.

[@ralphj4012]

Epic, well done. Although there was significant burning, the charring on the live entry parts of the shutters was interesting to me. My guess is that something or someone caused the live on one socket to track over and blow the relay coil trace and other components. The diodes looked to be steering rather than flywheel and I suspect one or both relays are partially damaged internally (as always, all my opinion only).

[@MattFixesStuff]

Awesome :) Just a tip for safety. You can actually often use like 50V DC and many of these circuits will start working. It's a safer way for just testing if power gets output and measuring mosfets ie.

[@slaphead2965]

Hitchcock could never make up this level of suspense. ...As I'm hiding behind the sofa waiting for an almighty bang!

[@Mymatevince]

😅😅👍

[@RobTaylor-HiTech]

Vince, Vince, buddy I'm about 33% of the way watching the video and shaking my head saying no no no please! I like your videos and don't want to see you lose your life for one of these videos. I haven't watched the end so I could be way off but these devices are death traps. There is no isolation on the low voltage side so the "Low" voltage is live with respect to the high voltage. It looks like they made an effort to provide significant distance on the high voltage side with traces. But they neglected to do the same on the "low" voltage side. And what happened here is that a spike (lightning, surge etc) momentarily raised the line voltage. This exceeded the electrical isolation between the low voltage to the high voltage side which created a spark where you see the initial burn. This in turn put high voltage on the low voltage side creating a chain reaction all the way back through the power chain. I suspect many more components are either fried or very close to death. For one those non-isolated supplies are dangerous especially if it's wired wrong. Second the fact that there is no MOV suppression and fuse is even more insane. I'll finish watching but I fear for your safety.

[@RobTaylor-HiTech]

I should have watched a bit more. I see there was a fuse and I see that blue thing that looks a lot like a tiny MOV. So they did have some minimal protection. But those values are just too small to provide any real protection. Usually there is a sizable MOV, a choke (inductor) and a fuse. Together they form your surge protection.

[@philsinclair]

Wife - "Babe, can you turn the TV off?" Husband - "I can't my phone is in the kitchen"

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

Wholeheartedly agree with you on this one. This is a terrible gimmicky device, probably made in China and a recipe for disaster. You could see how it had originally shot flame out of it , now imagine this hidden behind a bed. This is an incendiary device.🔥🔥

[@stevedawson5844]

I think you nailed it with tracking through the board from the mains side of the relay to ground side of the coil. The large pad under the relay with sharp corners positioned so close to a ground path is a bad design.

[@paultasker7788]

Yeah. Agree. Definitely would not use that again. That looked like a pretty bad failure. Could have started a fire! I guess that fuse blew just in time. Could something like a slug have slid inside and caused a short? If powered on with nothing in it that is a possibility. I've got numerous smart plugs which would probably have the same problem eventually.

[@Mymatevince]

Cheers Paul, I'm looking forward to the comments to see what viewers think is the actual failure, that burn mark on the board looks like it was tracking from 240V AC trace to the low voltage DC trace. I wonder if that was the initial cause via some liquid damage.

[@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co]

@@MymatevinceCould it have been condensation in the walls? If the humidity's high enough you don't need to pour liquid into a device to have liquid damage, and inside a wall in an old house in a humid area...

[@davidcole6236]

Vince: Looks like a lightning strike to me. That much vaporized copper is the clue... Dave

[@steelcityreseller8170]

Nice video! So many things that are supposed to make our lives easier just make things more complicated. Kinda reminds me of when my GF wanted me to pick up a bag of pretzels and I get to the aisle and it seems like there's a hundred or so different kinds of pretzels. I just want an f'ing bag of pretzels.

[@michaelstopp8267]

Great job Vince

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks Michael

[@andersmmvfc.8376]

I really do not like the colour of that red and green light, it should be opposite! I would plugg some thing in when it was green and expect the thing be live when it was red (dangerous). I would definitely not use this one... Brilliant content as always thank you!

[@Mymatevince]

Cheers Anders 👍

[@john62841]

Glad to see these videos, always interesting to watch. BTW, do you have a link (or recommendation) to the camera setup you have? I LOVE how you can easily zoom in and out and keep focus and am in the market to do my own fixing at home. Thanks in advance!

[@LoveToGameOfCourse]

The music is back! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@perkulant4629]

I love how you think things blow, it’s not gonna go off like a hand grenade 😂. Makes for a more entertaining video either way.

[@tobi8496]

The diode is used to clamp the voltage skpike that occurs when the coil of the relay is turned off. In this case it should protect the switching transistor agianst these voltage spikes, you can put there almost any diode.I think a 1n4007 is the best choice in this place because it is capable of up to 1000V and can handle 1A.

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks Tobi👍

[@NeilAinsworth-ev1rm]

Hi Vince - forget all the negative comments from the flat earth people. Keep doing what you’re doing and having to explain it to them is a waste of your valuable time

[@abdouabdou-hg6rg]

You really deserve a thumbs up

[@TheRepeatloader]

another great video vince :)

[@brody6634]

This is not like you vince. Normally you would have swapped the chip, rather than the entire module. I am a bit curious if the chip was the only fault in that module. Regardless, this was an awesome fix!! Well done!!

[@Mymatevince]

Hahaha, I think I was just too tempted by the easy swap. I'm nearly 100% sure the chip was to blame by the heat spot when using the IPA and the 1-2 ohm reading on the resistor. The caps weren't shorted which I think I cut out or fast forwarded though 👍

[@marjon1703]

1:02:10 - You and me both. So much tech is now tech for tech sake. I specifically bough an LED torch as it had two modes - on and off. Not fast flash, slow flash, hi mode, low mode, SOS and disorientation strobe?! It's a torch. It lights things so I can see them.

[@HankPanky]

I got one that runs on 18650s. So many of those old batteries laying around now.

[@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co]

What I love is how these things are marketed as "tactical", to appeal to the insecure and cowardly. No, Dougie; just because you own a "tactical" flashlight, or razor, or pair of cargo shorts, doesn't mean you're suddenly a US Navy Seal. All it means is that you overpaid.

[@Sparks0001]

The diodes looks to be across the coil, if so they are a snubber diode so when the relay goes off, there isn't a load of energy thrown back in reverse from the coil into the transistor Definitely looks like it has tracked the live across to the coil trace there, and cause mayhem, maybe it was on an outside wall and got damp, or splashed! I doubt the diode going short should cause that, if anything it would just blow the fuse or the transistor The bridge rectifier is just 4 diodes, so you will see a short from one side to the other Get yourself a cliff quicktest, they are great for testing stuff!

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks Sparks, I'll Google the Cliff quicktest to see what it is 👍

[@Mymatevince]

Ohhh, I've seen Big Clive use them 👍👍

[@andymouse]

Another EE here, and I agree in total with Ian !

[@jonsworkshop]

That's the problem with 'smart' tech Vince, the only 'smart' thing in the mix is the fat cats taking the cream when you purchase them. Just like my electric meter, 50 years old and working fine, let's see how many disappointed people there are with smart meters in 50 years time......I think I already know the answer. Great fix, one of your best.

[@mark-andrews]

The majority of SMART meters rely upon a 2G phone signal to function correctly, and that's due to be switched off next year, so yes you're entirely correct.

[@jonsworkshop]

@@mark-andrews And the saddest and verging on criminal thing, as I kept resisting my energy supplier (EDF's) repeated attempts to force me to have one, their final attempt was to send a letter by post using the persuasive language "we are legally obliged to fit a smart meter in your home". Yes they were, not an untrue statement, but how many people misinterpreted that as a threat I wonder. Shocking tactics to hit their own metrics.

[@mark-andrews]

@@jonsworkshop I got a letter saying my meter was past it's BBE date, apparently meters are typically only guaranteed to be reliable for 10-Years, or at least the meter in my property, fell into this category. I recently read about other electric meters that require a Long Wave (AM) signal to function, those AM signals are due to be switched off soon, too.

[@bellytripper-nh8ox]

that circuit board is baked, **BaKeD, BAKED!!**

[@squeakmillward]

I would have used a drill bit to take off the back lip of the rivet and soldered it back on to the bus bar afterwards

[@Crumbleofborg]

Hey Vince, please could you remind us what that outtro track is? I love that lady's voice... Nice fix as usual, I quite agree about too much automation. It's great when you actually need it but it just gets in the way otherwise. Simplest is best.

[@Mymatevince]

Cheers Crumble. The end song is Queen Of Hearts - Velvet Moon😎

[@caroleuktv]

@@Mymatevince Another great watch but what was that music during the slow mo section, so haunting but lovely I need to gat a copy

[@Mymatevince]

@@caroleuktv Yeah I love that song too! It is The Trick - Sleepaway Camp 👍👍👍

[@perkulant4629]

If you use rel mode when measuring resistance Vince, it will take your meter leads resistance into account.

[@adiposerex5150]

Excellent work.

[@fenceup07944931177]

I noticed the chip had broad link on it, they have there own range of devices. Many brands use Tuya. There is a place for home automation, but I definitely prefer to use a plugin smart socket.

[@TheCod3r]

Honestly I hate those sockets. I had a USB socket from BG which over volted the USB ports. Luckily it was only connected to a cheap vape but it caused the cable to catch fire!

[@marjon1703]

I nearly lost my mobile phone through a similar fault where the USB voltage was fluttering all over the place. For some reason the phone drained the battery dead flat with no other damage. Got a second use battery and a small tube of sealant from Ebay. Phone rescued.

[@Mymatevince]

@@TheCod3r Luckily it wasn't your best MacBook either...MacBoom😅 I still love that typo of yours, still makes me laugh all these years later Phil. Hope your keeping well buddy!

[@TheCod3r]

@@Mymatevince Indeed buddy 🤣 oh by the way it wasn't a typo, it was intentional 😝😎 yeah I'm good buddy, you?

[@Mymatevince]

@@TheCod3r 😅😅 Yeah yeah yeah, I believe you! I'm doing alright, so busy as I'm trying to sort my house out and do videos, and lately every video seems to be going against me. The luck has to change soon though and I can get some content out. Been really slacking on content even though I seem to be putting in loads of hours. I been neglecting your vids too, haven't stopped by in well over a month. Sorry man, I'll look forward to catching up in the next month. I used to love having a late night cereal and joining your streams an hour or 2 after they started, then watching on 1.5x or 1.75x speed and then catching up to real time nearer the end. I just need about 6-10 more hours each day and my life would be sorted!!!😎

[@rabmillar7471]

I think that creaky door could use a My Mate Vince Video 🤣😛

[@Jack-nb1zx]

I agree with you. It’s a sad commentary on the modern age that an able-bodied person can’t be bothered to get up and turn a switch on or off. Simplicity also means fewer potential points of failure.

[@vk3hau]

The relays are for each socket, switching the active ( live ), 2 sockets = 2 relays.

[@AndyDo]

S-A-TUR-DAY....NIGHT. Dunno if that's what you were playing, but that's what ended up triggering in my head.

[@jamesearl5071]

few shocks in the 80s n 90s off big TVs and Hi-Fi transformers ? cant remember a nice shock though, but love the "Terminology" all ads flavor to the video Vince m8 (",)

[@dg1294]

Blimey, the artist on the backing track sure sounds like Coldplay!

[@wisher21uk]

Great fix Vince, I would of thought everything after the bridge rectifier would of been toast, especially after the bridge rectifier going short but luck was on your side, glad you sorted it 😊

[@Mymatevince]

Cheers Gary, not worth fixing in the real world, but definitely fun for video purposes😎 Hope you're keeping well

[@wisher21uk]

@@Mymatevince hi Vince I wouldn’t trust those sockets full stop to be honest, yes you’re right it made a very interesting video, I really enjoyed it! I love your safety measures of a stick, make yourself a series light to test things but you need a 100w incandescent bulb (not led) in series with the item you are testing, if it glows bright there’s a fault, if glows dimmed or flashes you’re ok 😊 I’m great here thank you hope you and the family are all good too!

[@309electronics5]

Probably some liquid damage or some conductive debris got inside and caused arcing between pins and components to die and the low and high voltage arcing or shorting killing that wifi module. And yes 56:47 Those wifi chips are programmable and can be kind of compared to the esp8266 chips you also encountered, just that this is not an esp but some chinese manufacturer. Usually the Manufacturer loads tgeir firmware onto the chip and the firmware is the real magic sauce here doing the comminucation with the cloud and handeling the functions of the device

[@Mymatevince]

Thank you 👍

[@marcellipovsky8222]

Hmmm who would want to fix such waste... Let me think, I may know a guy! Oh yeah Vince! He would do it for sure 😀 Side note - these things might be useful for people with disabilities.

[@DracoMcGuyver]

Vince, Those relays are rated at 16 amps. Looking at the burn marks under the relays it appears that something was plugged in that drew more than the rated current.

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks Draco👍👍👍

[@DutchDeveloper]

You could swap the wifi chip. and simply reprogram it with something like ESP Home where you just say which pin is a button to toggle the relay and which pin sends the signal to the relay. then you would have 2 working smart sockets.

[@bones1225]

You need a series lamp to check for inrush current. It will tell you immediately if something will go bang. A globe, a bit of wire, a plug and an electrical box, is nothing compared to the injuries that could be sustained by dodgy gadgets.

[@badeadrian]

Probably that socket was in the kitchen with people cooking and plenty of steam inside the kitchen...Did happen to my normal socket...was full with water inside when I plugged the kettle on... Now i did put silicone around the socket...I do have tiles on the wall so probably was leaking from the tiles inside the socket... Now i do have a dehumidifier and the kitchen hood on all the time when i cook... and it's getting steamy...

[@MrPinball1980]

Neutral is never switched as it can become a live when disconnected from the neutral side. These are both Live, You can receive a full voltage shock from a neutral wire.

[@rfr653]

Good job mate 👏

[@nhand42]

I totally agree with you about wanting simplicity. The home automation fad has exposed how this technology is all fragile and unreliable. I've ripped out all the home automation things from my house. The constant software updates and things not working drove me mad. Physical switches just work.

[@DodgyFPV]

As Big Clive would say, left a massive skidmark

[@grahamwise5719]

Most likely moisture started it. The power to low side should have big gaps, they could had better layout. A slot would have helped so to stop moisture and increase the isolation. I have never wanted to fit these as always on and likely to fail.

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks Graham 👍

[@SumWun-Else]

I can almost guarantee you these sockets are not designed to last 5 years and certainly not 20.

[@solospirit4212]

The main reason I use smart sockets and lights is because im disabled..and i use the ones i can voice control...and they make it so i can actually safely use my living space...so yeah, they definitely have some very good applications 🙂

[@Mymatevince]

Yes that is a great use for them 👍

[@TattsDragon]

Can't wait to get one of those.

[@durtysouth3235]

are we ever gonna see another car laer on your channel i like those videos better being a car flipper and restoring guy and a nascar certified mechanic and classic car restorer ? thanks love the vids mate

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks, I did spend about 2 months looking after finishing the RR, but nothing came in that ticked those same boxes that the RR did. I was very very tempted by a Nova Kitcar that was used in Canonball Run film (not the actual car), but the listing got pulled on eBay before the end. I still look every couple of weeks on eBay, but it has to be right. I don't want to commit to another project if my heart isn't in it. I might as a stop gap buy a Sinclair C5😅, not quite a RR or a car, but could be an interesting mini series

[@TD75]

@Mymatevince Lotus Espirit would be fun. From a luxury cruiser to an 80s compact sports car.

[@Mymatevince]

@@TD75 I would love a Series 1 of that car, but they go for big money now. The Series 1 looks soooo clean without the added skirts etc. A real piece of excellent design

[@durtysouth3235]

@@Mymatevince too bad couldnt find a cheap Austin healey would also be great project or maybe the Austin Powers shaguar/Jaguar from the movies and paint it like y'all's flag lol 😂

[@paulwinstone4825]

It makes me think of a socket in my daughters room that had some moister leaching it's way down the wall cause some dark jam like substance to end up in the socket and cause things to randomly switch off. It took a while of removing sockets to find the actual cause but quickly fixed.

[@FlavioCasimiro.dancer1983]

You should have a 65w incandescent lamp In series so it won't go bang and trip the differential if there's a short. If the light goes on, there's a short. There's plenty circuits online you can replicate so you can safely test shorted mains circuits

[@jestempies]

Definitely a very good video, thanks :) For the future, a small nightlight you plug directly into a socket could be useful in testing this for the camera. They're cheap too, in case one breaks. Also, a big power bank with a mains socket on it would probably be a safer device to connect something like that to.

[@El-Ritmo]

Vince, mate, stop putting yourself down (59:04) - your videos are not just "slightly entertaining". They're very entertaining: that, after all, is why we're all here (well, most of us, anyway). As to the product, though, these seem like such a poor, or at least unnecessary, idea. And my heart sank when you mentioned an app - way too many things nowadays require an app, guaranteeing whatever it is becomes e-waste when in a few years the app inevitably stops being supported and updated. At least this has physical switches allowing it to operate like a normal socket - the nightmare version would be the one that you can _only_ operate through an app.

[@HankPanky]

After seeing that, not sure I'd want to take a chance on it again.