tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post8727414117416702842..comments2024-03-27T19:38:49.490-04:00Comments on The Silicon Graybeard: New Frontiers in "There's Never A Shortage of Things to Fix" SiGraybeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-48558348560775839822018-05-14T22:49:13.254-04:002018-05-14T22:49:13.254-04:00Short answer: I didn't think of it.
Puttin...Short answer: I didn't think of it. <br /><br />Putting anything where Shop-Vac put the fuse sucks, because you have to take the vacuum completely apart to get to it. The answer is to drill holes in the motor cover and run wires to a fuse block, or a resettable breaker on the outside, where I could get to it, just by popping the cover off. Or maybe somewhere that's accessible from the outside.<br /><br /><br />SiGraybeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-46197832066384670872018-05-14T21:06:10.673-04:002018-05-14T21:06:10.673-04:00Question from the ignorant reader section (waving ...Question from the ignorant reader section (waving hand in the air, teacher! teacher!) Why don't you put a proper fuse block in it's place? You probably know the safe draw? Just don't sell it when you're done wanting to own it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-7470208726867654072018-05-13T00:27:35.564-04:002018-05-13T00:27:35.564-04:00Yeah, I've had to give the "it's not ...Yeah, I've had to give the "it's not going to the Moon, BUT..." talk a few times in my career.drjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-57582359685385704202018-05-12T14:04:35.284-04:002018-05-12T14:04:35.284-04:00But those fusible links in the battery cables are ...But those fusible links in the battery cables are also not replaceable without replacing the entire cable...Mark Matisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-79228836035845930272018-05-12T10:32:12.512-04:002018-05-12T10:32:12.512-04:00Save a penny per part on something you buy 10,000 ...Save a penny per part on something you buy 10,000 of and you save $100. Save a penny per part on something you buy a million of and you save $10,000. <br /><br />If they're both over the same time period, nobody questions saving the $10,000. <br /><br /><br />SiGraybeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-38268674241457016082018-05-12T10:29:24.001-04:002018-05-12T10:29:24.001-04:00A fusible link on a battery that big is really a g...A fusible link on a battery that big is really a good idea. Those things will melt a wrench in half - if they don't explode first. <br /><br />When you consider that a shop vac is picking up dust, and sawdust, which is not just flammable but explosive, it's a good idea there, too. <br /><br />A fusible link that's not replaceable is bad idea anywhere. <br /><br />SiGraybeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-50683247005012728432018-05-12T10:26:39.255-04:002018-05-12T10:26:39.255-04:00Jim - BTDT. I never worked in high volume commerc...Jim - BTDT. I never worked in high volume commercial, where saving a fraction of a cent on a part you buy millions of adds up to real money, but I've sat through the "we're building a Chevy not Rolls Royce talk" many times. (There are some moderately funny stories down that road, too, but not today). <br /><br />I suppose their answer to the $1 part is that they'll sell you a "service plan" that replaces your appliance if it dies for another $25. <br /><br />FWIW, and for posterity, I read that Ridgid's wet/dry vacuums use an actual thermal cutoff fuse, Thermodisc brand. Even found a part number (although I don't know what model it's for). It's actually designed to be replaced. If this one goes, I'll probably replace it with a Ridgid.<br /><br />LL, considering the place I go first to figure out how to fix stuff is the web and YouTube, that's a good idea. This info is there, but it's hard to find the information you're looking for. <br /><br />SiGraybeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-16646208787302505262018-05-12T10:24:21.959-04:002018-05-12T10:24:21.959-04:00Not sure if they still do so, but cars have tradit...Not sure if they still do so, but cars have traditionally had fusible links in the wires leading from the battery. And those are even worse than your ShopVac. Especially if one gets funky whilst you are in the wrong part of town...Mark Matisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-91589038826775585202018-05-12T06:47:27.751-04:002018-05-12T06:47:27.751-04:00Maybe a YouTube "how-to-upgrade-and-fix"...Maybe a YouTube "how-to-upgrade-and-fix" video would be nice for the zillions of us out there who lack your knowledge base and talent. I know that I would personally benefit from something like that. Unlike DRJIM and you, I'm a solid dunce in such things and need tutorials to bridge the gap between desire and capacity in setting such things right.LLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05538854359365988863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-42996992350159463642018-05-12T02:36:30.577-04:002018-05-12T02:36:30.577-04:00From observation, it's obvious that the higher...From observation, it's obvious that the higher volume of production, the more they look at the total cost, and not to the cost of the item itself. Auto producers are notorious for this type of thinking, arguing over a 25cent part.Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00722792638246578812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-90255169753726347152018-05-12T00:31:40.452-04:002018-05-12T00:31:40.452-04:00I fully understand the 'shortcuts' taken i...I fully understand the 'shortcuts' taken in high-volume are appalling to you. I've been on both sides, and sometimes the things seen in "consumer electronics" make me cringe, too. As you surmise, there are better solutions that only cost a buck more, and that's what *I'd* use in a product like that.<br /><br />BUT.....if they sell 500,000 shopvacs, that's $500k added to their bottom line, and to some companies, that matters more.drjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-89427823180147562532018-05-11T23:03:14.845-04:002018-05-11T23:03:14.845-04:00Well,look at it like this- who ever leaves a vacuu...Well,look at it like this- who ever leaves a vacuum cleaner running unattended? So smoking the vac is an isolated disaster-not like it will burn down the farm or something.ravennoreply@blogger.com