Hakko FA-400 fume extractor mini tear down

[jimjam]

I bought a hakko fa 400 on aliexpress from china. Most likely a knock off. The labels don't stick very well. Here are some photos. Unless it's very close to the soldering iron e.g. less than 30cm, it doesn't really "suck" the fume. Even when it's close, it's not awesome.

As you can see it's very simple - just a switch and a 220-240V fan. It comes with a Chinese plug (which fits into Australian outlets just fine) and a European adapter. Maybe I can find a more powerful fan. This one came with a 0.14A fan.

Overall, it's better than nothing but had I known how it performs, I'd probably find something stronger.

Apparently there's an arm addon that I can use so that it can be positioned slightly above. It might make it work better as generally fumes tend to rise. I haven't seen where to get one though.

[ajb]

Out of curiosity, how thick/dense is the filter?

Looks like that fan moves about as much as you can ask from a 120mm AC fan (117CFM), but you can find higher static pressure fans that may have better performance if the filter is the limiting factor.  DC fans are available with  much higher airflow, if you don't mind a 72dBA screamer.

[jimjam]

The air filter... how do I describe how dense it is.... It is not very dense but dense enough... sorry it's hard to describe it.

The DC fan that you linked can move 3 times as much air, but 72dB vs 50dB. How loud is 73dB I don't know. What's the cleanest way to convert 240V AC to 49V DC?

I think the better approach is to better position the unit rather than using a stronger fan. IF the unit happens to be at the right place (right above the fume) then the current fan will be sufficient.

It needs this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/C1568-Hakko-Holder-Arm-Stand-with-knob-for-FA-400-smoke-absorber-NEW-PZ3-/131121559018

[djococaud]

To have 49V dc, you can use a little Meanwell PSU (they are great and fairly cheap).

Take the Meanwell RS-15-48 PSU that you can trim between 43 and 52V dc. 

http://www.meanwell.com/search/RS-15/RS-15-spec.pdf

[amyk]

The DC fan that you linked can move 3 times as much air, but 72dB vs 50dB. How loud is 73dB I don't know.

Annoyingly loud, like a vacuum cleaner. That one also happens to be a very, very powerful fan:

[jimjam]

LOL Thanks! I'll have to wear hearing protection just from the youtube video It would probably suck the filter, the components I'm trying to solder and the PCB along with it

[ajb]

A little Meanwell supply is a good idea, except that particular fan pulls 100W at 48V--so maybe a 'medium' Meanwell PSU.

That fan is also spec'ed to run at up to 60V.  I'd like to see that youtube video!

[Unordung]

Hello guys,
Sorry to revive a dead thread however I think I have received a fake / counterfeit Hakko FA-400 myself.
I have contacted Hakko US who in turn contacted an Australian re-seller, The re-seller contacted me asking for more information ie the seller and for pictures etc
however the re-seller has not gotten back to me after initially emailing me.

The item does not feel Hakko quality, it feels cheap and tacky which was the original reason I contacted Hakko. However after pulling it apart I am even more convinced I was scammed.
My fan looks identical to the one in the image above however its branded SUMOM not SUNON which sets off even more alarms, whilst SUNON isn't a great brand it is actually a noticeable brand, google image search for SUMOM however......


Like the image above the circuit is simply a 240V AC fan with a switch in series. There is no heatshrink on the switch and cable strain relief is minimal.


On top of that the sticker is falling off and badly aligned etc.


So does anyone have a known genuine Hakko FA-400 that they would be happy to show pictures of so that I can confirm if the item I received is genuine or a counterfeit?
I can't seem to find any images on the internets of a genuine Hakko FA-400 internals to confirm it myself.
Given I purchased it on Ebay I have Ebay buyer protection ensuring I would get a refund if I can provide reasonable evidence the item is indeed a counterfeit.
I intend to use this feature to ensure the seller refrains from selling fake goods in the future or at least ceases to pass them off as genuine.

Kind regards,
Unordung

[Unordung]

Thanking you very kindly Blueskull, It seems I did indeed receive a counterfeit.
I think Hakko needs to implement a way for the user to ensure their item is genuine.
Some companies have implemented scratch cards which you enter into their website etc to ensure your device is genuine.
It isn't perfect but it's a start.

If this were the first "Hakko" item I had ever used I would have thought it were indicative of the quality of Hakko items prompting
me to discount them as a quality item and choose another brand. I imagine it is very damaging to them as a brand yet they don't seem interested in doing anything to combat it?

Rant over but thanks again for taking the time to help me out.

[Unordung]

As someone who grew up in China, here are some hints on how to buy things from China I can give:

All very good hints, however I purchased the item from Australia not China, I expected it to be genuine Hakko as advertised. It did not immediately strike me in anyway as a counterfeit, if it had I would have done a bit of research and discovered it was being sold for about $60 less than retail. Naturally this would have raised alarm bells.
I tend to happily purchase my components from China and have for the most part had minimal issues. There was one issues regarding re-badged / counterfeit Opamps but that was a small hiccup which the seller was more than happy to rectify. 

My main gripe regarding the sale of the item is the safety to be honest.
Like you said it isn't magically going to be cheaper. The people who recreated the device use significantly cheaper components and assembly methods. Ie there is no
insulation on connections, no fuse, no insulation on plug, no strain relief dubious quality components etc.
With that said Hakko still needs to do something, it is insane to sit back idle while other companies destroy your brand image.

I have had a generic Jaycar (an Australian electronics store) one for a while which suddenly died a week ago. They (bench-top fume extractors) are not great by any token however they are significantly better than not having anything at all. Like you I only solder  for a few hours a week and can't justify the expense of a flexible hose extractor, however I would very much like one perhaps in the future. Given my reasonably poor eyesight I tend to lean very close to my work as such without a device to suck or blow the fumes I am in the direct path of them.

[mwalker]

Apparently there's an arm addon that I can use so that it can be positioned slightly above. It might make it work better as generally fumes tend to rise. I haven't seen where to get one though.

http://www.oritech.com.au/HC1568/Hakko-Arm-For-FA400-Smoke-Absorber/pd.php

No connection, just saw it the other day.

[amyk]

SUMOM

But apparently a genuine one costs >$100, and it's also not much more than a 120mm fan (not even a Japanese brand) with a cord in a plastic housing. No wonder people would rather get the clone. IMHO the safety is fine for something like this. You could probably make a better one yourself

...and the arm is $160, wow.

[SeanB]

Made one for free, making use of an otherwise unusable100mm cooling fan from a dead Optiplex, as the fan is really efficient but quite loud. Used an old PC power supply as the housing, and put it in place of the one fan there, so it has an inlet and outlet grate. Used the mains filter and switch as well, to act as power and just as a convenient way to attach the wires. Power is from an external 12V source, easy enough. Blows quite well and also is capable of removing solder smoke away very efficiently.

Fan was used as it has 4 wire connector that does not fit a PC easily, and I was not going to patch in the right one, plus it is a little thick to fit in the place of most fans.

[bigbear1398]

FA-400's fan replacement.

https://ok03e.blogspot.com/2019/06/hakko-fa400-smoke-absorber-fan-modification-nidec-ultraflo.html

[jimjam]

The fan in my extractor died. So I ordered a 12V DC fan with PWM / speed control, a small PWM controller board, all from ebay, and hooked it up to a 1.5A 12V Wall wart. It works sooo much better now and I can adjust the speed/noise level.