15 May 2015

Changing battery in a Braun Oral-B electric toothbrush

The motor seemed to be fine but "lazy" due to a poor battery.

I've always had the idea to try to repair "things" before I throw it away. It is more or less a challege I've given myself. This was also the case this time :)

I used a big flatheaded screwdriver to turn the bottom of the thootbrush 45 degrees counterclockwise.


Push the motor/battery assembly out like its shown on the photo (red arrow).



Unsolder four points. 3 x for the motor (green circle) and 2 x for the battery (red circle).



Lift the pcb away and pull or lift the battery out of the plastic holder. Notice where the thin wires from the charing coil is running!



The order of the bottom assembly is coil spring, chipboard washer, coil, rubber washer, plastic cover


The battery I used is a Sanyo 14x50 mm. 1,2V NiMH, 1500 mAh rechachable.


Notice that the + on the battery should be towards the motor. Use a multimeter to find +/- on the battery.

Put the battery in place and solder the motor and the battery to the pcb. Make sure the thin wires from the coil is ok.

6 May 2015

Only 4 of 45 woodpaint products get approved in Swedish test.

And half are so full of mold and algae that they discouraged.

I wrote about Jotun wood paint a couple of years ago.
http://jb-service.blogspot.se/2013/05/jotun-wood-paint-and-wood-cleaner.html

Now the Swedish insurance company Folksam has tested 45 paints over two years.

The aim was to test the quality of products, so that consumers can make good choices. The results are discouraging: Only 4 of 45 products get approved. - This is the worst result ever since Folksam started testing outdoor colors, writes Folksam in the test report.

This is the fifth test in a row from Folksam , and the 45 types of paint are tested at four locations in the country for a period of two years. All products are evaluated on both function, as well as environmental and health aspects.

There are so few products that meet the criteria for function and environment which is a dissaster for manufacturer. Painting a house is an expensive project and choosing a bad product makes it even more expensive, writes Folksams paint expert Stefan Hjort in the report. More than half of the products are so full of mold, algae or other problems after two years, that Folksam completely discourages purchasing them. Three of the products were already halfway through the test over the limit of acceptable mold growth. Folksam states that the reason for even poorer performance compared with previous years, may have been a more favorable climate for microorganisms, and that this test includes multiple low colors than before. Here you can find the entire test with test results, and you can check if the paint you use is included.

The best products

The test was conducted in the period 2013 to 2015, and each product is tested on 24 panels divided into four test stations from south to north, as well as a reference panel per color stored indoors. The products were rated "good choice", "doubtful choice "or" not recommended." The test winners are classified as "good choice" for function / durability and the environment:

Beckers Akrylatfärg Max

Beckers Perfect Akrylatfärg

Falu Vapen Fasadfärg

Alcro Consist Täckfärg

The four listed products are the only ones that passed both the function / durability and environmental / health test, but there are several that get passed the function / durability. Nine products are overall good choices when it comes to durability. In addition to the ones mentioned before, these are good choices when it comes to durability.

Falu reds (linseed oil-based paints)

Flügger 100 Aqua (top coat)

Flügger 98 Aqua (deck stain)

Gjøco manor Maximal (top coat)

Hornbach / Schulz uteakrylat (top coat)

The list of paint and stain that gets stamped "not recommended" is long. Note that many of these products promise things like "Protection for up to 15 years" (ex. from Rustas Premium Fasadfärg/facade paint). These products are the same which have so much mold and algae growth after two years that you are discouraged from buying them.

Here are products that are not recommended by Folksam, after two years of testing.

 
Manufacturer
Product
Cuprinol
Fasadlasyr
Beckers
Perfect Oljefärg
Rusta
Premium Fasadfärg
Teknos
WOODEX Aqua Solid
Alcro
Modern Oljefärg
Beckers
Perfect Täcklasyr
Teknos
Tranemo reds
Alcro
Fasad Täcklasyr
Beckers
Tradition reds
Beckers
Fasadfärg Easy
Rusta
Oljefärg V
Kulturhantverkarna
Linoljefärg Fasad
Caparol
Carat Oljefärg
Engwall & Claesson
Fasadmatt
Ottosson Färgmakeri
Linoljefärg
Flügger
95 Aqua trälasyr
Teknos
Nordica Eko
K-rauta / Cello
Wintex
Jotun
Ultimate
Sigma
Sigma Life DÆK Extreme
Cuprinol
Fasadfärg Plus
Nordsjö
Tinova VX +
ÖoB / FärgLab
Housing color
Bauhaus / Swing Color
Oljefärg V
ÖoB / FärgLab
Oljefärg
Jula / Färgstaven
Träfasad / oljefärg