ON THE BENCH :KEURIG K35

ANOTHER BLUE MAT GROUP SERIES

CONTINUOUS RUN, INTERMITTENT RUN, INCORRECT CUP SIZE WATER OUTPUT

PUMP PROBLEMS?

SOMETIMES KEURIGS CAN BE FUSSY MACHINES ALWAYS HAVE HAD ONE. CONSIDERING THAT THIS IS THE MR COFFEE MACHINE MODERN REPLACEMENT AND IS USED AT LEAST ON A DAILY BASIS WHEN THEY RUN THEY ARE RELIABLE. SOME HAVE THE FEATURE TO INDICATE DE SCALING PROCEDURES NEEDED WHICH SHOULD BE DONE ON A REGULAR BASIS LIKE ESPRESSO MACHINES AND SOME TYPES OF WATER HEATERS FOR DOMESTIC HOT WATER.

THIS K35 ONE FROM A FAMILY MEMBER. DECIDED TO DO A TEAR DOWN OF THE PUMP JUST TO MAKE SURE IT WASN’T CLOGGED ETC.

ALSO THOSE INTERESTED IN MODS AND UP CYCLE CAN TAKE A LOOK

A YOUTUBE SEARCH REVELED HOW TO REMOVE THE CASINGS, JUST SOME SCREWS AT THE BOTTOM AND THE USUAL CLIPS

THE MAIN CIRCUIT BOARD. NOTICE THE 4 PINS IN THE LOWER RIGHT CORNER FOR ? ACCESSIBLE THROUGH A REMOVABLE COVER ON THE BOTTOM OF THE UNIT. DIDN’T DO AN EXHAUSTIVE SEARCH FOR THIS. NICE ! JST TYPE CONNECTORS ON THE CONNECTIONS

THE PUMP UN CLIPS FROM A MOUNT AND TUBING EASILY REMOVED.

CONNECTOR IS FOR SENSOR INSIDE THE PUMP , RED/ BLACK FOR 12 VDC POWER TO THE MOTOR NO PICTURES OF THE PUMP DIS ASSEMBLED, AN INTERESTING OFFSET DRIVE AND A SERIES OF TRI SPACE DIAPHRAGMS THAT DO THE PUMPING ACTION. I CONNECTED 12 VDC TO PUMP TO INSURE IT WASN’T STALLED OR DEFECTIVE.

DIDN’T APPEAR CLOGGED AND EASILY RE ASSEMBLED. CLIPS HOLD THE PUMP TO THE SEALED MOTOR.

_{^{TYPICAL WORK BENCH ENVIRONMENT}}, _{^{NOT A PROBLEM FOR ME.}}

THE PUMP IN PLACE

RED BLACK 12 VDC POWER

REASSEMBLED AND CUP SIZE WAS STILL OFF , LARGE WAS ALMOST 2 CUPS WATER OUTPUT. RAN THROUGH THE ABOVE PROCEDURE AND NOW THE KEURIG WATER OUTPUT IS WITH IN SPECIFICATIONS WILL CONTINUE TO BREW A FEW CUPS TO TEST.

THANKS FOR VIEWING, HAVE A CUP OF COFFEE.

on the bench: the robots have arrived: SCOOBA 450

CONTINUING BLUEMAT GROUP MEMBER SERIES , Blue Anti Static Silicone Magnetic Repair Mat with Heat Insulation, Scale Ruler and Screw Position for Soldering Iron or Phone Repair Work Station

OF THE VINTAGE SERIES OF IROBOT DEVICES THE SCOOBA 450 IS THE LAST SERIES OF FLOOR WASHERS COMBO VACUUM MADE BEFORE IROBOT WENT WITH A DEDICATED TYPE FLOOR WASHER/MOP PAD STYLE. SEVERAL OTHER SCOOBA MODELS PRECEDED THE 450 AND MIMIC THE SIZE AND SHAPE OF THE ROOMBA (VACUUM SERIES) WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE SCOOBA 200.

THE ROOMBA 450 HAS A ROTATING BRUSH, WATER JETS, AND A SQUEEGEE WET VAC. THE UNIT EMPLOYS 2 TANKS IN ONE , ONE FOR CLEANING WATER AND ONE FOR WATER THAT GETS VACUUMED UP FROM THE FLOOR, COMPARED TO THE NEWER MODELS THAT CLEAN THE FLOOR BY APPLYING CLEANING FLUID AND USING A REMOVABLE REPLACEABLE MOPPING PAD (OR DRY MOP PAD).

THE SCOOBA 450 UTILIZES THE SAME BATTERY PACK AS THE VINTAGE ROOMBA VACUUMS THE PREVIOUS MODELS OF THE SCOOBA UTILIZES NICAD CELLS THAT ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH THE ROOMBAS.

THOUGH IT’S PRIMARY USE ITS TO WASH THE FLOOR THE SCOOBA 450 ALSO VACUUMS UP DIRT, DUST AND SMALL DEBRIS WHILE IT WASHES THE FLOOR.

SERVICING AND TEAR DOWN OF THE WHEEL MOTORS

THE SCOOBA 450, LOOKS VERY SIMILAR TO THE ROOMBA SERIES

PHILIP HEAD SCREWS SECURE THE WHEEL, TIRES AND DRIVE RINGS

SIDE PLATE SURROUNDING WHEELS ARE EASILY REMOVED BY ONE SCREW

THE WHEEL MODULE REMOVED, THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR IS WATER PROOFED BY A GASKET , SIMILAR TO THE ROOMBA SERIES DESIGNED TO BE REPLACEMENT FRIENDLY.

THE MOTOR WHEEL DRIVE ASSEMBLY.

THE WHEEL MOTOR ASSEMBLY IS MOUNTED ON A PIVOTED SPRING LOADED SWING ARM. DRIVE OUT THE AXLE TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE GEAR TRAIN COVER

A FEW SMALL SCREWS SECURE THE GEAR TRAIN COVER. ONE OF THE SCREWS IS A TORX. USUALLY A SIGN THAT ONLY PERSONS WITH SPECIALIZED TOOLS SHOULD PROCEED.

THE GEAR DRIVING THE WHEEL HAS A METAL BEARING , A SIGN OF QUALITY AND LONGEVITY OF USE.

NORMALLY ONE WOULD NOT HAVE TO DISSEMBLE THIS, IT’S REPLACED AS A MODULE , VINTAGE PARTS USUALLY CAN BE SOURCED FROM AUCTION SITES IF THEY ARE NOT PRODUCED BY THE MANUFACTURER.

THE ENCODER OF THE MOTOR.

GEAR TRAIN COVER, WITH GASKET , AS THEY SAY, REVERSE THE PROCESS TO ASSEMBLE. THE SPRING TAKES A BIT OF FINESSE TO GET INTO PLACE WITH THE AXLE THE FIRST TIME.

WHILE ON THE BLUEMAT, CLEANED THE SQUEEGEE . UN-CLIP THE SQUEEGEE COMPONENTS AND CLEAN.

THE OTHER WIPER BLADE IS ATTACHED BY SCREWS.

RE ATTACHED TO THE HINGED PORTION , (GENTLY UN-CLIP FROM THE HINGES_ THE BRUSH SITS INTO THE ASSEMBLY , ONE SIDE HAS A SPROCKET TO MESH WITH THE BRUSH MOTOR.

THE COMPLETED 450

STILL REQUIRED TO HAVE THE BRUSH MODULE RE SEATED THE BRUSH WAS NOT FULLY MESHING WITH THE BRUSH MOTOR , WORKS WELL NOW.

on the bench: the robots have arrived: Roomba 690

irobot 690 (alpha)

goodwill $9.99

total with shipping and handling 29.17

As of this writing a fleet of irobot products keep my floors clean

This is the first one. Was lucky to attain this one working, but needing a good clean.

Disassembly is easy, many of the parts are modular and meant to be replaced. The 690 is a WiFi model compatible with the iRobot app. Also the irobot product is popular, parts are plentiful as also the on line resources to repair and service these.

One feature here is that I assumed that the robot simply swept dirt, dust, excetera, into the dust bin. But these are a true vacuum as the dust bin has a small fan motor providing suction and a filter, the motor gets power from contacts to the main chassis, allowing easy removal for emptying.

The brushes are easily removable without tools for cleaning

The bottom cover removes with 4 screws and the removal of the side brush , one screw for that. The battery is exposed and removable. The battery was also able to hold a full charge.

The battery, contacts and swivel wheel.

as with the wheel and motors, the brush holder is removable with a few screws. All powered modules are plug in, no soldering needed. The circular metal disc is the “dirt detector”

rectangular connector for the wheel/motor assembly

The removable wheel/motor assembly

same with the side brush motor

IR emitters and receptors are for edge detection, so the robot doesn’t jump off a cliff (or stairs)

Front bumper retainer removed

detail of the front bumper spring steel and IR beacon that attaches with 2 small screws

front bumper removed, and front swivel caster, note more ir emitter and detectors along the front edge

front swivel caster socket again easily removable

top trim panels simply unclip

making our way to the motherboard

all plug in connectors to the motherboard

Top cover fully removed

WIFI module and antenna connector

bottom view

Parts after tear down and cleaning

ready for assembly

ready to roll !

new side brush installed

charging base cleaned up also

close up of the cleaned unit

At home base awaiting commands

According to my time stamps, The robot has been on duty for slightly over 10 months at time of this writing. preforming flawless as far as operational. The only bugs are robot proofing your home. Such items are thick shaggy carpets and throw rugs , some are small rugs , not wall to wall, that the robot may faulter on , that is drive on the rug , and then off becoming stuck in a small area because it will not climb back on the carpet. Cords are the worst enemy that will cause a jam or worse, snagging some knitting yarn and entangling itself hopelessly in the processing causing the knitter to shout expletives after the robot digests the latest knitting project. (though the robots can be linked to voice controlled devices like Alexa, shouting at them will be fruitless.) Sneakers and shoes may be dragged across the room also. Small tables like on hardwood floors may be moved or jostled so those knick nacks may be damaged by the relentless contact of the robot maneuvering about. Lower kitchen cabinet kickpanel areas may be just the right height to jam the device, 690 can be a brute negotiating some thresholds, closing doors that are easily moved, shutting itself in the bathroom as an example and can move small light weigh furniture on hardwood and tile floors from it’s impact. Though the IR “eyes” work on some barriers and slow the robot, some don’t.

Since all of our floors are either hardwood or tile the robot tirelessly bounces around the areas relentlessly in some cases till it returns home to replenish it battery , all automatically. Currently I have 2 Roomba 960’s, scheduled to sweep and vac daily running alternating days of the week. It’s surprising to see the accumulation in the dust bins, hair, dirt and dust with occasion onions skins etc. These are not made to pickup large debris but once used on a daily basis here the floors are kept very clean. ( Ive also employed Scoobas and Braavas for wet mopping.) rarely you will need the broom and the dustpan again just once in a great while to touch up some spots unreachable by the robots side brush. Overall cleaning is excellent with a obsession sometimes with the edge cleaning pattern. Not all ares are covered daily, sometimes a room will be missed but cleaned the next day. The run cycle is about 2 hours, way more than you would do it manually, the noise level is acceptable to most and of course can be scheduled to clean while you out. Suddenly need a mess swept up? Instead of grabbing the broom, place the roomba where needed and hit the spot clean button. The robot will do a circular spiral dance in the area and stop.

The app will give you feedback on progress and errors requiring human intervention. The robots firmware can also be upgraded if necessary and keeps statics with the mothership like number of cleaning jobs (479), total job time (503 hrs and 58 minutes) and a dirt event count (19795 events) A “dirt detector” is located in the brush compartment and will cause the roomba to spiral an area before proceeding ahead.

While these are used and discontinued models, they are inexpensive compared to the newer ones. On a daily basis or so simply empty the dustbin and periodically clean the roller/brushes. Several more iRobots have crossed the bench with the Scoobas and Braavas and should be posted later in the blog. it’s one of those chores you never want to do again, sweeping and cleaning the floors. Now reduced to periodically servicing these machines.

ON THE BENCH: INSTANT VORTEX AIR FRYER OVEN

SOURCE EbAY

1 item$37.48

Shipping Free

Tax$2.62

Order total$40.10

FOR PARTS OR REPAIR

LETS FIX IT!

CAN YOU SEE PROBLEM ?

SMOKED WINDINGS ON FAN MOTOR

ALSO SMOKED OUT THIS TRIAC

ORDERED FROM MOUSER

ALSO THESE

REPLACED COMPONENTS

NOW WE HAVE POWER TO CONTROLS, STILL FAN MOTOR NEEDS REPLACEMENT. NONE TO BE FOUND AS A SINGLE ITEM , WILL CONSIDER ANOTHER PURCHASE OF A OVEN AS A PARTS DONOR.

AS MY GOOGLE PHOTOS FILL IN THE HISTORY, ALSO FUSES WERE REPLACED. ALI EXPRESS

NOW FOR THE DONOR OVEN, HOPEFULLY WITH A WORKING FAN MOTOR

1 item$38.47 SOURCE EbAY

Shipping Free

Tax$2.69

Order total$41.16

THIS ONE WORKED FROM THE BOX, A PRO MODEL WITH STAINLESS STEEL SIDES AND A FEW MORE OPTIONS SUCH AS PROOFING CYCLE ETC THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THE CONTROL BOARD AND FRONT PANEL. IT DID NOT HAVE ANY RACKS, SPIT OR BASKET.

SINCE THE DONOR OVEN WAS A PRO MODEL , I USED THE ACCESSORIES FROM THE FIRST UNIT, THE DONOR (2ND OVEN) DID NOT HAVE ANY OF THE ACCESSORIES, SPIT, RACKS, AND FRYER BASKET.

THE REMAINDER OF THE FIRST OVEN, LESS FAN MOTOR, WAS LISTED AS INDIVIDUAL PARTS WERE MADE AVAILABLE FOR SALE, RECOUPING SOME OF THE COST. FOR INSTANCE , THE DOOR SOLD, ROTISSERIE MOTOR, CONTROL BOARD, FRONT PANEL, ETC. NOW YOU CAN GET THE SAME FOR 80.00 TO 100 DOLLARS BUT THE SATISFACTION OF THE REPAIR AND EDUCATION IS WORTH IT TO ME.

HOME ON THE RANGE

The New

possibly will be doing some blogging about this range soon.

The Old reblogged

You take it for granted, A twist of the knob and the flame or heat appears. You can do a lot of cooking outdoors on a grill during good weather, but when it comes to baking, unless you have a fully equipped out door kitchen, and agreeable weather, your kitchen range is indispensable. “They don’t build ’em like they used to” is what I would say about our stove.

The Ol’ Magee Range, you may have seen pictures of this range in The Metro Blog in a little less than clean condition, but it’s an actual working appliance used on a daily basis.

Many years ago I happened to work at a location where a part of my employ was to service appliances. Over the years the decision was to eliminate the gas ranges and I was in a position to purchase one of the ranges for a real good price. Of course I look back and wish I would have bought more but didn’t have the storage space for them. So I have been cooking on the range for over 30 years. It gets moderate to heavy use and from time to time I pull it part to clean it. Not the sharpest looking appliance but none the less functional. You won’t find too much if any plastic on this piece of equipment. Very reliable and well built, the only real maintenance required is that the oven door hinges have to be cleaned and lubricated more or less annually. Also the burner valves can be disassembled and greased every few years. Original harvest gold enamel paint which gets a over coat of silver paint from time to time on the door and lower panel.
An old time feature is the use of standing pilots, today considered and energy waster, but provides a slight heat to the oven good for drying and proofing of dough if necessary. One of the best features is a separate broiler burner in the oven. No bother to switch from the oven to a lower broiler like old school ranges. One of the other options that was offered on this model was the “Burner with a Brain” a thermostatically controlled burner, now that would be real handy for mashing grains for beer! Another feature offered was a rotisserie motor mounted in the rear wall of the oven and with a special rack and spit with the use with the broiler burner allowed spit rotisserie use. Unfortunately mine has neither option. The clock module in the console has been upgraded from the original triple analog as pictured on the installation guide.

all cleaned up, the burners have “simmer centers”. FYI burners are rated at 12000 BTUs for you techie foodies.

under the hood, looking into the belly of the beast.

2015 Update:

A PID  controller  was added to control the oven temp. The original thermostat’s thermocouple broke off. A PID controller wired to a Red Hat valve was installed the the gas line (  3/8″ size) from the thermostat output to the oven valve. A bit of fine tuning and finish work is needed. The controller will be mounted in a enclosure.

PID wiring

valve install , needs sound/ heat shielding insulation, thermocouple wires will be routed.

documents etc.

so far so good …..