Sunday, January 13, 2008

Blown PCB electrics - bad manufacture

This little piece is aimed at all electrical equipment installers [ white goods included ] and just goes to show you what sort of perpetrated bullsh*t goes on in the industry. We bought a 'MODERN' group roller door about 2 1/2 years ago and has given trouble free service [ chalk one point up for modern ]. But the 'MODERN' roller door is really made by 'Centurion" - that is, all the hard mechanical bits. The electrics are made by 'BOSS' electrics. All very fine and dandy, dandy and fine UNTIL something goes wrong and your out of warentee. The Motor PCB died a half death [ it lowers the door but won't reverse ]. .MODERN' only instal the thing through independant contractors with the kit from Centurion [ MODERN only put their badge on it ] so they recomended one of their repair contractors [ fair enough ]. Mind you I did take the thing apart [ motor assy ] and know it's the PCB. The PCB by the way is not laquared against weather or rodents or moisture [ kick in the arse to 'BOSS" ]. The local service agent TELLS ME that this model controler has ALWAYS given trouble with burnt out PCBs because of weather.
Ohh thats great, so every one who services these units [ including the people who make them ] has always known of the problem. The service agent told me I would be looking at $250 to replace the board [ presumably with an identicle one - Oh yea ] BUT I would be better off if I went directly to 'BOSS' and bought the board over the counter and fitted it myself because he's sure [ from my description of the fault ] that's what the problem is.
What are the chances of me going right up the arse of 'BOSS' for shitty manufacture. Nobody in their right mind makes a PCB board without laquaring it if it's prone to weather and this unit is NOT rubber sealed. In fact, it has more vent holes in it than a sieve. Stupidity personified or is it cunning ????. I should take the old board back and point out that it ' Musta missed the laquar stage , so it's faulty manufacture and I want a new one - LAQUARED!! - for free.' my chances ?? J.S. and F.A.
Following on from this story, I decided to buy the board myself - GOOD NEWS STORY

The 'BOSS' company was more than helpful, the PCB board is cheap and in abundance [ so much for prevoius bullsh*t about the cost from an instaler ] what's more I have identified the part that can itself be easily changed for [ wait for it :) ]
the princly sum of $7:55. I have decided to buy another board and keep the old one as a spare since the dodgy part is easily removed [ and there are 4 identicle ones to each board ] and placed on another board. I win.

A pont to ponder here, I found out, is that the part is exclusive to 'BOSS' so any old electronics store may be able to supply a near replacement but not the exact part. This is not a problem yet as I have 3 spare on the old board. I will be sure to lacquar the new board before fitting and eliminate the moisture problem which prabably caused the initial failier.