Does lifting your windshield wiper help extend the life of the wiper blades?

Hi there,

Do you lift your windshield wipers up when parking your car?

If so, I think the reason is obvious. Like what I use to believe, it helps extend the life of the wiper blades. But after some trials and experiments, I'm not so convinced it makes a difference.

First up, I think this practice is an adaptation of what is generally practiced on some countries that experience extreme weather conditions like cold (snow) or hot, dessert like conditions. But this does not generally apply here in the Philippines.

In some countries,  they use to lift the wiper blades during a snow storm to avoid the blades from sticking to the glass and for convenience scraping the ice buildup on the windshield - understandable.

On hot weather, some claims that extreme heat from the windshield can cause the wiper blades to brittle up and crack therefor ruining it - I don't think so. Ambient temperatures in the Manila during summer can reach up to 40-45°C. Blades touching the windshield (assuming the windshield is hotter at 50°) will not cause the "flexible" wiper blades to crack as long as it is not under any abnormal stress. A little bit of heat will cause the blades to flex and conform to the natural shape of the windshield which can improve its performance.

On the contrary, as you lift the wiper blades of the windshield , it changes shape as it relaxes. As it heats up during the day, it is fixated on this relaxed shape. Then as you  fold back the blades to the windshield, it needs to flex a little bit more to adapt to the contour of the windshield. This cycle happens each and every time you do this. And this extra stress might cause the blades to develop breaks and cracks that shortens the life of the blade. I don't have a quantitative or a microscopic evidence for this hypothesis but this is what I can conclude based on actual experience.

I used to do this religiously, especially when parking on hot open space under the sun. But after less than a year (4 to 6 months) I observed deterioration from the wiper blades already. I replaced the wiper blades and as expected it worked flawless. This time, I stopped the habit (or should I say, changed the the habit) of lifting the wiper completely under any conditions. Except of course when I clean it up - which I think is what made a difference.

This time around, I dedicated more time and attention on keeping the windshield and the wiper blades clean. As I see dirt accumulate on the windshield, I take the time to grab a squeegee, clean the windshield and the wiper blades. This can be performed in under 3 minutes before I  drive to work while the engine is warming up and I'm finishing up a stick of cigarette. This is also done every time I gas up (thanks to those kind gas pump attendants). On some weekends, I personally clean my car and I pay special attention cleaning the wiper blades with denatured alcohol or some WD-40.

Next up, I did not use plain water filling up the windshield washer fluid reservoir but distilled water. The lesson came from my old car (which I used for a good 12 years) that often has a clogged windshield spray nozzle. This was because of some calcium buildup on the nozzle. Tap water seems to have a lot of minerals like calcium that accumulates as the water dries up after spraying water on the windshield. Since water and dirt accumulates on the wiper blades as well, this can cause deterioration on the wiper blades if not properly cleaned up. Since I started using distilled water, no more clogged spray nozzles and nasty watermarks on the windshield from the water sprayer. This also means no calcification on the wiper blades that may cause problems.

Other helpful tips that worked for me:
1) If you see that the windshield is relatively dusty, and if the situation is favorable, don't use the wiper to clean it off. You might want to manually dust it off using using a feather duster or a soft cloth. Wipe the accumulated dust on the wiper blades. Dust are like abrasives that can scratch the glass, much more the rubber wiper blades.

2) Top-up the windshield washer reservoir regularly (again, I'm using distilled water). This will help the wiper blades clean the windshield effectively since water can help remove the accumulated dirt. Adding commercially available windshield cleaner is better. Always use this in combination with the wiper blades.

3) Be gentle when cleaning the wiper blades. Don't use too much force or stress since this can bend the retainers or springs holding the blades out of shape.

And so there it is, even without the habit of lifting the windshield wiper every time I park, I still get more than a year of good performance from my windshield wiper blades.

Still, the key here is keeping it clean and proper maintenance. And there are no shortcuts to this as easy as lifting a wiper blade.

Would like to know your thoughts, let me know what you think in the comments section.


***


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Is your iPhone Charging very slow? - Check your USB cables

Hi there,

I just want to share my recent experience regarding my iPhone charging very slow and how I managed to overcome this problem. I'm not saying this is a permanent solution but this works for me and my phone is doing just fine.

Over a month ago, I observed my iPhone is charging (or recharging) very slow. One night, the remaining charge is around 20% so I plugged it before before going to bed. And to my surprise, it only charged up to around 68% after a good 5-6 hours of sleep. All the while I'm only using the original lightning cable and supplied charger by Apple. If you're an iPhone user, you know how iPhones behave using other chargers and cables.

This is kind of unusual since I've been using my phone for quite a while and I'm used to getting a full charge in an hour or so. My first suspect was the charger so I tried charging it using another apple original charger (and the bigger iPad charger)  but still the same results. This started after a recent IOS update so this was another one of my suspect. Is searched online and found no direct connection with other users experiencing the same problem after the latest software update. The least of my suspect was the phone or the internal battery itself (my unit was recently replaced with a brand new unit after the battery of my old unit bulged out forcing the screen to pop out of the case).

To find out what really is the problem, I thought of doing some quantitative troubleshooting . I  did this using a simple test and a handy little gadget.

Recently, I got hold of this CHARGER Doctor.

I got this from Concord auto center for around 400Php ($8).Yeah, quite expensive already since you can buy these online for less than $2 but then I don't want the hassle of waiting and all that so I just bought a piece.

This little tool provides a reading of the voltage and current passing through the USB port and the device connected to it. The voltage and current is alternately displayed at around 5 second interval. This will be perfect for the test I have in mind. Looking at the voltage & current readings, I may somehow, get an idea if the problem is the charger, the cable or the phone.

Slow charging maybe a result of abnormal readings based on current & voltage. A high voltage or current reading might mean the protection circuit is just doing it's job thereby preventing a normal charging rate. On the other hand, a low voltage or current might mean there's not enough juice being supplied to the phone and hence, the same result. This, among other factors such as connector losses, poor battery contacts, bad electronic circuitry or just a defective battery might cause charging issues.

And so, after a series of simple tests, I found out the cause of the problem.

Using different chargers, all of them had a stable reading of around 4.9 to 5.1 volts which is the ideal USB voltage supply. But looking at the current reading, the difference is quite significant using different lightning cables (original & aftermarket cables). I only took pictures using my laptop usb just to demonstrate the results.

First test, the original (old) lightning cable.

Voltage reading is around 5.11V (not shown) and the current reading is 0.29A - this is very low, and will cause a very slow charge.

*the cable is so old that the outer plastic layer just flaked off so it is now wrapped with some plastic protective sleeve (purple in color) - apologies for the blurred photo.

*The phone indicates a charging icon during all the test with no cable compatibility errors.

Second test, an original (brand new) cable ,also wrapped in protective sleeve.

Voltage reading is about the same while the current is much better at around 1A. This maybe a bit high but this is normal for iPhones especially if the battery has very little charge left. That is why iPhone charges quite fast since the current is regulated depending on how empty or full  is the battery (this will be lower as the battery gains charge).


This rate of current is also within the capacity of the iPhone charger rated at about 1000mA or 1A.

Next test, an aftermarket lightning cable with some fancy flashing LED's.

The current reading is also low and this will not charge your phone properly.

Next, also an aftermarket cable but this one has better results.
Charging at the same rate as the new original cables.

I've been using this cable for quite sometime and this is doing very good job at quickly charging my phone, have no problems using my phone whatsoever.













Conclusion: The problem was the cable.

If you're experiencing the same problem, you might want to use a different cable just to verify if it is good or not. It doesn't matter if it is the original or aftermarket cable. After this experience, I don't mind buying aftermarket cables as long as it's doing it's job. Besides the huge price difference (I got my aftermarket cable for only $2 whereas the original is about $35) the aftermarket is also working fine as a data cable. I won't mind bringing this little gadget when buying a cable since most of the sellers allow you to test the cable before buying it. This also applies when getting a new charger.

If you find this helpful, please let me know in the comments section. You can also support my blog by sharing this to your friends.

'til next time, bye!


P.S.
I might also do the same for Android devices, will post once done. But then, the same principle applies.

Product Review, Teardown, Repair : Remote Control Fan - English

(Click here for Filipino - Taglish version)

Hello mate,

Technology, innovation and the internet has really changed our way of life. We can do things faster and efficiently for communications, news gathering and even in buying home appliances using the internet or what we call online shopping. And this article is about my recent experience shopping online for a cheap home appliance.

And since this is very convenient, I usually choose online shopping. Aside from free delivery, the price is almost the same (if not cheaper) and I don't have to go out, squeeze through traffic just to go to an appliance center.

One of the popular online store here in Manila is LAZADA. I already bought many items here from appliances to car accessories, audio, computer and personal gadgets. So far, I'm satisfied with the kind of service they are providing. No problems on delivery and the price is just right - based on the quality of most products I bought. I just want to share my latest experience as I bought a pair of electric fans (buy1 take1) which is seemingly a good deal. Hope this article will help others (especially my "kababayan") in deciding if they want to buy similar products online.

Here is how it was advertised online:

Since I this is suitable for my needs and within my budget, I decided to avail this offer. Besides my limited time to go and buy from an appliance center, this was delivered at home after a day or two.

It was delivered in a box with bubble wrap. Looking at the packaging, I already have an idea about the quality of this appliance.



Even if it is well boxed-in and wrapped with some plastic, this is not the usual quality of packaging I expect from similar products.

From the look and feel, the box alone is of very poor quality, and based on the condition of the box, the product was not handled properly. Not sure though if this was from the factory or just the result of poor handling during delivery.

At this point, I'm pretty sure of what is the quality of the product itself. Besides, we all know the reputation of quality from where this product was made.

I thought of returning this but I don't want to bother myself with the hassle of shipping, refund, etc. Besides, that's why I shopped online in the first place, convenience.


Below are some pictures of what's inside the box.



When I saw the parts closer and feeling it whit my hands, I confirmed the very poor quality and workmanship of materials used in  the product.

The plastic parts were so thin and could break with light pressure. The same with metal parts that can be bent out of shape using my bare hands. And so, I just assembled this with great caution.

Here is a part of the base serving as counterweight, provide stability and avoid the fan from tipping over..

You can see cracks, rust and no concern for quality whatsoever.

Here is a plastic part of the front grill to provide protection from the fan blades.We can see how thin it is and how it is so out of shape. I carefully attached this part to avoid breaking it.


Anyway, all the parts are complete and I was able to assemble it properly. At this point, I'm just hoping the product will perform well and will last based on normal use.

Here is the assembled fan.











This comes with a round prong (European) plug so I need to attach a  flat plug adapter.






After plugging it on the wall outlet, it worked. The gust of wind is not that strong compared to other electric fans I have but then this is only rated at 40W compared to others rated at 75W. The remote control works and is convenient to use. I used one unit for my office and the other on a bedroom.

Then, problems all started as a result of the poor quality of this appliance.

In less than an hour, a strong smell of burnt varnish or plastic filled the room. And this was coming from the fan motor. Though still running, the motor is quite warm. Due to the strong foul smell, I stopped using the unit. I just thought of letting it cool down a bit and since the unit is new, it should be normal for some varnish or plastic coating to evaporate while the motor is heating up. But this can also mean that burn test was not done for the motor itself. At first, I thought the foul smell will dissipate after some hours of use but even after a week of use, It is still "burning".

Until after 3 to 4 months one of the unit quits, I'm not surprised at all. Since I'm into electronics and electrical repair, I tried repairing this. This comes with no warranty (maybe a one week return policy) by the way, so a repair is my only option. I just accepted this as my loss.

Upon troubleshooting, the problem is the motor itself. A wiring or connection might have broken off due to heat and some moving parts. This can be easily confirmed by a continuity test using a multi meter. I didn't bother continuing to repair this since a motor repair (rewind)  or replacement is almost as costly as buying a new one. I just salvaged the working electronic parts.

After another 1-2 months, the other unit broke as well . Based on initial isolation, possible problem is a bad motor capacitor. A capacitor is an  electronic component needed by  AC motors for it to start and run properly.

Here, we can see from a capacitance test that the capacitor is out of tolerance already.  It is rated at 1.2uF (microfarad) but the test reading is  844nF (nanofarad) only.

I replaced it with the capacitor from the motor of the other unit.

Here, we can see the the other capacitor is still within tolerance at 1.02uF.

After capacitor replacement, that is when I confirmed that the motor is defective as well. Most likely, the low quality of the capacitor just caused the motor to overheat and burn to death.

Here's some shot of the electronic components. This controls the remote functions and other features like timers, etc.






I tested this and and it's still working so I just saved it on my stash of electronic parts. I might have some use for it doing other projects.


And so the story goes, after less than a year, these fans are junk. Lesson learned, product quality and durability has it's price. Don't be fooled by  "too good to be true" and cheap offers, especially online.


'til next time, bye!


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All the information written is based only on my personal opinion. These  information may not be used by any individual or organization as basis for their personal evaluation. All products & trademarks mentioned have no legal obligation to whatever is written on this article.

Product Review, Teardown, Repair : Remote Control Fan - Tagalog-English

(Written in Filipino - Taglish language, I will post the full English version later on)

Hello kabayan,

Iba na talaga ang panahon ngayon, lalo na yung way of life natin. Dahil  na rin sa technology, innovation at internet, mas mabilis at madali na gawin ang mga bagay-bagay lalo na ang communication, pakikibalita, libangan at pati na rin ang  pamimili gamit ang internet o "online shopping". And isa nga ito sa mga bagay na idi-discuss ko sa blog na 'to.

At dahil nga convinient ang online shopping, usual ko 'tong option para mamili. Bakit ba nman hindi, eh bukod sa free delivery eh halos pareho lang naman (kung minsan eh mas mura pa) ang price at hindi mo na kailangan lumabas, mamasahe at ma-trapik para pumunta ng mall or appliance center.

One of the popular na online store dito sa atin eh LAZADA. Marami na rin akong nabiling products at gadgets dito. I can say na maganda naman ang kanilang service. Mabilis ang delivery at wala akong naging problema sa price (based na rin sa quality) ng mga products na nabili ko dito. Share ko lang yung experince ko sa pagbili ng isa sa mahalagang gamit sa bahay nating mga Filipino, ang electric fan. Para na rin sa kaalaman ng ating mga kababayan at makatulong din para sa matalinong pamimili.

Ito yung nakita kong ad sa kanilang online store:

Eh dahil sa tingin ko ay tama lang  'to sa need ko at swak naman sa budget, I decided na bilhin ito. Besides, limitado rin ang oras ko para lumabas at bumili sa mall o appliance center. And after a day, na deliver ito sa bahay.

Na-deliver 'to na nakalagay sa isang kahon at may balot na plastic. Dito pa lang nagkaroon na akong idea  sa quality ng nabili ko.

Kahit  nasa kahon at may mga balot ng plastic, hindi ito ang karaniwan kong nakikitang kalidad sa packaging ng isang produkto.

Para sa akin, mababa ang quality ng kahon, may mga sira na at halatang hindi naging maayos ang handling ng produkto. Not sure kung ito ay mula pa lang sa pagawaan o dahil sa proseso ng pagde-deliver.

Sa pagkakataong ito pa lang eh alam ko na rin ang quality ng mismong appliance. At isa pa, alam naman natin kung saan ito gawa at ang reputasyon ng mga produktong gawa sa bansang ito.


Naisip ko na pwede ko naman ibalik 'to kaya lang para makaiwas pa sa dagdag na abala (at kaya naman talaga online shopping ang pinili ko) ay sinubukan ko na rin buuin at gamitin.

Ito yung mga pictures ng laman ng kahon.



Nung makita ko ang mga parts ng produkto ng malapitan, na-confirm ko kung gaano kababa ang quality ng materyales na ginamit dito.

Ang mga plastic parts ay napakanipis at pwedeng masira sa napakagaang pwersa lang. Ganun din ang mga metal parts na pwedeng mabaluktot at mabali gamit lang ang pwersa ng kamay ko. Kaya maingat ko na lang in-assemble 'to. May mga parts din na sadyang hindi binigyan ng sapat na atensyon at pansin ang quality.

Ito yung part ng base or stand ng fan to serve as counterweight at para magkaroon ng balance at hindi ito bumagsak o mabuwal.

You can see na may mga basag (crack), kalawang at talagang hindi pulido ang pagkakagawa.

Ito naman ay plastik part ng grill na ikinakabit para sa proteksyon sa fan blades. We can see kung gaano kanipis ang plastik at out of shape pa. Dahan-dahan ko na rin lang ikinabit kasi pwede 'tong masira ng tuluyan dahil sa maling paghawak o katamtamang pwersa lang.



Anyway, kumpleto naman ang lahat ng parts at maayos ko na assemble. This time inisip ko na lang na baka naman ok ang performance at durability nito.

Eto yung assembled fan.











At dahil bilog ang plug nito, kailangan pa ng adaptor bago maikabit sa wall outlet.






After maikabit sa wall outlet, gumana naman. Hindi gaanong malakas ang hangin kung compared sa ibang electric fan ko sa bahay dahil 40 watts lang  'to at ang iba kong electric fan eh 75 watts. Ok din ang remote control at mas maginhawang gamitin. Ginamit ko 'to sa opisina ko sa bahay at ang isa eh sa kwarto namin.

Then, dito na nagsimula ang mga problemang malamang eh dahil nga sa poor quality nito.

Wala pang isang oras eh napuno na ng masangsang na amoy ang kwarto namin na amoy na parang nasusunog na plastic. At ito eh nanggaling sa electric fan na 'to.Though running naman , naramdaman ko na medyo mainit ang motor. Eh dahil medyo masangsang ang amoy, tinigil muna namin ang paggamit. Ang naisip ko lang eh dahil bago, may effect ang pag-init ng motor sa varnish at plastik na ginagamit sa pagbuo ng motor and pwedeng mawala din 'to after some hours of use. Pero kahit after ng isang linggong gamit, still may amoy pa rin kapag ginagamit ( hindi naman kasing tindi nung amoy nung mga unang araw).

Until after ilang buwan lang (mga 3-4 months) eh hindi na tumakbo ang isa. Hindi na ako nagulat at nagtaka. Eh dahil hilig at hobby ko rin ang pag-re-repair ng mga sirang gamit sa bahay, sinubukan ko na rin 'tong gawin. Hindi na rin ako nag-isip na maghabol ng warranty bukod sa wala akong panahon at para makaiwas na rin sa abala. Tinanggap ko na lang 'to as my loss.

Ang unang problem nung isa eh nasira yung motor. Pwedeng may naputol na connection sa wiring nito dahil na rin sa init at low quality nga ang pagkakagawa. Madali lang naman malaman gamit lang ang multimeter at ilang mga test procedure. Hindi ko na 'to pinagkaabalahang ayusin dahil mas mahal pa ang mag-repair ng electric fan motor (o magpa-rewind)  kesa bumili na lang ng bago.

After 1-2 months eh nasira na rin yung isa. Based on initial isolation, possible naging dahilan ng pagkasira nito eh sirang capacitor. Ang capacitor eh electronic component na kelangan ng AC motors para mag-start at tumakbo ng maayos.

Here, we can see na hindi na tama ang rating ng capacitor from a capacitance test.  Ang nakakabit na capacitor eh may rating na 1.2uF (microfarad) pero ang reading eh  844nF (nanofarad) na lang.

Sinubkuan ko 'tong palitan ng capacitor galing sa unang nasirang unit. Pero bago ko ginawa, nag test din muna ako.

Eto, makikita natin na may reading na 1.02uF at maari pa 'to gamitin. Ikinabit ko 'to ng maayos sa 2nd unit.

Pagkatapos ko palitan yung capacitor, dun ko nalaman na sira na rin ang motor nito. Ang maaring nangyari dito eh dahil low quality din yung capacitor, nasira 'to kaya nag-overheat ang motor.

Ito yung picture ng electronic circuit na nasa loob. Eto 'yung nag co-control ng remote at iba pang function like fan speed at timer.






Na-test ko rin ito at ok pa naman kaya kinuha ko na lamang ito para magamit sa iba pang electronics project ko.



At dito nagtatapos ang kwento, after less than a year eh junk na lahat yung fans. Binigay ko na lang sa mangangalakal yung mga plastic at iba pa. Lesson learned, product quality and durability has it's price. Wag padala sa mga "too good to be true" na mga offers, especially online.


Hanggang sa muli kabayan, salamat!



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Weekend DIY - Keeping your Air Conditioning System cool

Hi there...it's Saturday, a nice day for some DIY.

This week I want to share some household maintenance tips on how to keep your Air conditioner (A/C) running cool. Of course, you may leave this to professionals and spend Php300-500 (about $10) but aside from the savings, this is kind of fun and you might learn something new. The only challenge here is you have to move quite a lot of muscle since an A/C unit is heavy. I have two 0.6Hp window type A/C and this weighs around 25 to 30 kilos. You have to lift that weight depending on how the unit is installed (height considerations). I can do this alone but of course, you can always ask for help. If you can manage this part, then the rest is easy and fun.

Read on, you might learn something...


About a week ago, I noticed that even if the A/C is on, the room is not getting cool like it use to be. Even if the front  panel indicates a good 20°C temperature, the room is quite warm. As I investigate, I noticed that the A/C unit is not blowing that much cold air, almost nothing, hence the warm room. Investigating further, as I remove the front panel and filter, there is a solid block of ice in the front aluminum grill. This explains the very little air blowing out since the ice blocks the flow of air. Also explains why the display indicates a cold temperature even if the room is still warm, the sensor is touching the ice buildup causing a false temperature reading.

At this point, I know what has to be done. You see, an A/C unit freezing up means the cooling system is out of balance and heat exchange is not being done properly. And the primary cause, dirt buildup on the condenser and evaporator units. Having mentioned these parts, and to have a good appreciation of how important it is to keep your A/C unit clean - I'll briefly explain the basic principle of how the A/C changes the ambient temperature of an enclosed space like your room (take note, it must be an enclosed space).

Scientifically speaking, it does not cool the room by just simply blowing cold air inside the room. As I've mentioned, it does this by a process called heat exchange. Basically, the A/C works by literally getting the heat from inside of your room  and dumping it outside. Same principle w/ the heater A/C, it takes the heat from outside and dumps it inside the room. It does this with the help of a chemical called a refrigerant like Freon. Refrigerants have the ability to change it's state from liquid to gas (it evaporates) or gas to liquid (it condenses) by simply changing the pressure of its container. Refrigerants are liquid when kept at high pressure and gas at lower pressures. That is why the parts mentioned earlier is called the evaporator and condenser. Heat exchange happens during the transition of this chemical between gas and liquid state.  From here on, just remember the principle that when a liquid evaporates, it takes the heat with it and when it condenses, it releases the heat. That is why you feel cool as the wind blows  while you're sweating - your sweat evaporates taking the heat off your skin. Same principle during water distillation process where the hot steam is changed back to water after cooling it - releasing the heat of the steam.

What the A/C simply does is change the state of the refrigerant from liquid to gas and vice versa in a cycle. Changes in  the pressure is being taken care of by the compressor - the part where you need electricity (along with the fan blowers). Since the evaporator is inside your room and the condenser is outside, as the refrigerant evaporates inside the room, it takes the heat from inside the room and when it condenses back outside the room, it releases the heat outside. The result, nice cool (or warm) room. The blowers, or fans just helps circulate the air around the condenser and evaporator for a more efficient heat exchange.

So it is important to clean the A/C particularly the evaporators and condensers to maintain an efficient heat exchange and ensure proper cooling. In my case, the evaporator is freezing up since it is filled with dirt blocking the flow of air and preventing proper heat transfer from inside the room, to the point it is cool enough to form ice. The ice formation blocks the flow of air further worsening the problem. I guess the condenser is much worse (since it is outside) the room. If the condenser cannot properly release the heat, it adds to the problem. This, aside from the fact that you are wasting electricity in the process.

Enough of the scientific stuff, let's start cleaning :)

The last cleaning was about a year ago, look at how dirty it is...

Here is the view of the evaporator with the front panel removed. The black wire sticking out is the temperature sensor.

This is the dirt accumulated on the evaporator. This prevents the proper flow of air coming from the fan blower.

Sludge and dirt spilled all over the place as soon as I'm able to pull it out from the wall

On the inside, more sludge, dirt and rust. 

Before getting the system wet, electrical connections must first be secured. Most A/C designs enable you to pull out the electronics and electrical box by just simply undoing a couple of screws and connectors. This must be removed to prevent the electronics from getting wet. I'm gonna clean it by spraying water all over the place.

I just snapped a photo of the connections so I can put it all back properly once done.

The rest of the electrical connectors going to the compressors and blowers are wrapped in plastic and secured in place. The whole box of electronics is completely pulled out.











Then I cleaned the whole block by spraying water on to it to remove the dirt and sludge. I gave special attention and caution in cleaning the evaporators and condensers by brushing it lightly and spraying some detergent for easier dirt removal. Have to be careful in doing this since these have delicate aluminum fins and can be bent out of shape with a light force. These fins must be kept as straight as possible to allow proper air flow. Using a water sprayer with a compressor will be a very big help in properly cleaning these vital parts.

After cleaning, here are the results.

The compressor.

Also, I sprayed some WD-40 on the metal and corroded parts to help protect it from further corrosion. Any break on these parts, especially on the copper tubes that contain the refrigerant means a costly repir or end of life for the A/C.

Here is the evaporator (front of the unit).



This is the part that facing inside of the wall. Also shows the fan blower to blow off air for heat exchange. Be sure to clean this as well. Accumulation of dirt on these blowers can alter the shape of the fins leading to weaker air flow.

 Closer view of the blower fan facing the condenser. This A/C has a common motor for the condenser and evaporator fan. Both fans are connected on a common shaft which is a very efficient design.This is common for window type A/C's.

Other designs have separate motors for these blowers particularly split type A/C. This is so called since the condenser and evaporator parts are split up into two units. The evaporator is inside the room while the condenser is completely outside connected by tubes where the refrigerant circulates.









And so, after letting it dry up for half an hour or so, I just reconnected the electricals and screw everything back in place. The last challenge is lifting this back up on the wall for a good six feet. I did this asking for an extra pair of hands.

The A/C is now operating like new, nice cool room and no more freezing problems. Physically demanding activity but rewarding as well. Had a lot of fun as always...

Have a great weekend everyone :)

If you find this helpful, please let me know in the comments section. Kindly support my blogs by sharing this to your friends, thank you.

Desulfator Teardown / Repair

Hi there,

I usually update or post a new blog during weekends but this one gets me excited. This is about another electronic gadget I have which is a battery desulfator.  For those of you who own a car, an inverter (from a solar panel system maybe), or just use lead-acid batteries for your power, machinery and electricity needs, well, you have to own this gadget.

A desulfator (or desulphator) is a device that restores capacity to lead-acid batteries, extending their effective life span. These devices are also known as battery re-conditioners. You see, lead-acid batteries, during use produces sulfate crystals on the battery plates as a product of chemical processes taking place for a battery to produce current at a certain voltage. Overtime, an excess accumulation of these crystals on the battery will shorten the battery life since it prevents the active parts of the battery to properly react with each other. Now, I'm not after the whole chemistry of how this happens exactly but for sure, this is a well known fact between chemistry and the science behind lead-acid batteries.

A desulfator works by sending high frequency pulses of electric current through the battery causing the sulfate to break from the battery plates and dissolve back to the electrolyte w/c is a  mixture of water and sulfuric acid. This ensures a proper balance between the electrolytes, conductivity of the plates, battery resistance and other factors affecting battery performance. For more information regarding desulfators and the principles behind it's operation, you may start from this link:(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_regenerator)

Now since you have an idea of what is a desulfator is, let me tell you of what happened to my unit just this week.

I've been using this Infinitum battery desulfator for about two years now and I must say, I'm satisfied with this product. I bought it online from the infinitum store for about $44 including shipping.

Had no battery related problems since I started using this. My old car still cranks very good and the battery maintains a stable charge even after more than two years of use. I'm thinking of posting a review of this product maybe after 3 years or so but then it broke (at this point, I'd claim that it's because of my fault). You'll know the reasons later on.

I've been using this on my new car for about 4 months now. Last weekend, as I was doing a routine checkup under the hood, I noticed that the indicator light is out, meaning, it's not working. So I took it to my workbench to take a closer look.

Initial tests confirm that the unit is out cold (It's just a matter of connecting this to suitable a power supply),
still no green light. So at this point, I decided to look inside and see if a repair is possible.

First up is the tear-down. The unit is very well made and is solid in construction (I mean really solid as you'll see later). It is enclosed in an aluminum casing and initial access is only possible on the aluminum covers on the side of the unit.





So I proceed by prying the sides off to take a look of what's inside. My excitement goes right out the window as soon as I'm able to open the cover on one side.

The innards were potted with some kind of epoxy. I think I understand why this has to be done by the manufacturer.  Since this product is used with a lead acid battery, a good seal is important to protect the internal components from a corrosive environment. A battery's electrolyte is a strong acid, and gas produced like hydrogen is very reactive as well. Besides, if this will be used in cars, boats or machinery, potting will help secure the components from vibration and other mechanical stress.

I wonder if manufacturers also do this to avoid tampering, reverse engineering and/or possible duplication of their electronics design. I've seen some electronic repair or tear-down that  prevents such because of some potted components. Well, at this point, I thought a repair will not be possible.


Since this will now be tear-down, I proceed to perform a total destruction or a 'postmortem' analysis on the unit (and hopefully learn something in the process).

By now, I'm sure of the reason why it broke.  First up, I noticed moisture and water accumulation on the unit. There's some form of corrosion already on the LED terminals. Since the copper side of the PCB is not filled with epoxy completely, I see much worse corrosion on the inside where moisture was able to penetrate deeper.

This unit is mounted under the hood of my car as close as possible to the battery.

*Desulfators need the shortest possible wiring to the battery to avoid power loss on the cable and ensure proper delivery of high current pulses to the battery. 

It is fitted on the side of the battery near the right side of the engine where some clearance is present between the hood cover and the chassis for engine ventilation. It's not very obvious at first but I can confirm that water is able to get in through this clearance during a heavy rain or a car wash. Since the unit is pretty tight (no screws at all), I thought a little bit of water spill will not do any harm. Maybe if have known earlier that the unit is filled with epoxy, then I'd be much more confident that moisture will not pose any problem. Anyway, so much for the wrong assumptions.

On with the tear-down, I opened the other side and this is how it looks. A solid completely potted block.
What else to do next but try to find another opening. I'm thinking of pounding the unit from one side hoping the innards will come out the other side but I'm having a little bit of thought that maybe the middle part of the block is not completely potted and might be destroyed beyond recognition should I pound it hard enough. To be more 'gentle', I decided to cut the sides of the enclosure with a Dremel cutting tool. I'm really interested to see the rest of what's inside.






This is how the cut was done from the side of the enclosure ( Dremel cutting tool works like a charm).

The top part of the enclosure came off and...voila!

The inside is a solid block of potting epoxy. There's a section were it seems a portion of a coil or transformer is visible.

At this point, I'm thinking that I cannot go on much further. This potting is so hard that the only way to know what's inside is to break it apart completely which will not make much sense at all.

Prying the sides of the enclosure, the whole block came out and now the bottom part  (copper side of the PCB) is visible.

Here, we can now see the extent of the damage caused by water penetration. The upper part of the pcb side is not completely potted and some kind of paper insulation is visible. This made the water penetration much more destructive.

Lifting up the insulator, we can see that water caused severe damage and corrosion to the PCB traces. As we all know, water and electricity usually don't mix very well.

I did some cleanup and saw that some of the copper traces are severely damaged, a portion just lifted off the board. But, a quick continuity test confirms it still is conductive.

With much doubts if cleaning the corrosion would help, I gave it a quick test to see if somehow it will come back to life. And as expected, for the time being, the unit is still out cold. Still looks like a no turning back tear-down at this point so I continued trying to break this thing apart.








Trying to crack this open, I placed it on a vise and cranked very hard. Then comes a different turn of events.

The whole bottom part of the potting came off in one piece, leaving the rest of the PCB and copper traces intact. Apparently, the corrosion caused the potting to crack and and weaken it's adherence on the PCB. Now we can see the whole extent of the water damage. Immediately, I noticed a portion of the PCB which is severely damaged. As this thing came apart, the smell of burnt plastic filled my workbench. This came from a portion on the side of the PCB with big copper traces going to the input / output terminals (right in the center of the picture above).

Continuing with the investigation, we can see that the PCB material was charred and is completely burned.

This maybe due to some shorted circuits created between the aluminum housing (attached to the car's chassis w/c is effectively the negative terminal of the battery) and the PCB trace. Of course, this would not have happened if the water did not cause the corrosion in the first place.

Here you can see the point of contact within aluminum case where the short happened.

Since the burned portion effectively cuts off the PCB trace(and the circuit), at this point, my hopes of this tear-down turning into a repair went through the roof even if I only have access on the PCB side of the board.





After a good cleaning and some reconstructive soldering, this is how it looked like.

Looking at the copper traces, I see a couple of IC's, a transistor and a transformer or some kind of coil. Typical components for a desulfator circuit.  Well, I'm not really into trying to reverse engineer this device so I did not pay much attention to decode the components and the circuit design.

After that, I performed a quick test and to my surprise, the unit came back to life.

* The green light is on and the unit is consuming about 20mA of current at 13 volts supply voltage.

But then, this only confirms that the unit is consuming power but is it really sending out those pulses of current or high voltages.

So I hooked it up to my scope and indeed, it is behaving as expected.

*The scope was set to 500us horizontal sweep , 5v/div vertical, peak detect acquisition w/ AC coupling.

Here's a closer view of the DSO trace.

At this point, I'm not very particular on the actual readings since this might be different when connected to an actual battery. The properties of these pulses depends also on the supply voltage and the battery's characteristics. As I've mentioned before, even the length of the connecting wires can affect the actual output pulses.









I'm gonna post updates as soon as I have the final measurements taken from a final installation.










Closer view of a single pulse @ 100ns horizontal sweep.










But wait, you might be asking what about that red LED?

Well, this gadget features a low voltage shutdown to prevent this unit from continually discharging the battery when this is left connected and the battery is not being recharged for quite a while. The red LED lights up to indicate that the battery voltage is low and the unit is in shutdown mode. To test if this feature is also functional, I just dialed down the power supply slowly until the red LED lights up.

And it did at around 11.4 volts. As you'll notice, the current consumption went to down to 10mA (which is 20mA during normal operation).

And so, since it's working fine again, all that's left is finding a suitable enclosure and re-installing this neat little gadget. Since I'm still considering of installing this on the same location inside the hood of my car, I just need to ensure it is water tight.

I really didn't expect that I will be able to repair this gadget given the circumstances but then I'm still glad I was able to do this.

As always, it was a lot of fun.

Any questions, comments or suggestions? please let me know in the comments section.
If you like this, please let me know by giving me your thumbs up and I will try to upload similar repair and or troubleshooting blogs & videos.

Til next time, bye!

Short video recap available on my youtube channel:
https://youtu.be/qjy5B6ECAz4