Interesting, but they have to be designed to do that, and here it clearly isn't the case.
Well, it didn't looked like the smoking transformer in Dave's video was limiting the current, right?Didn't it? Did you ever poke a shorted wire in the mains and did it fail as safely as this unit at twice its rated voltage?
Clearly it didn't, or it won't be smoking like hell.
Clearly it didn't, or it won't be smoking like hell.Why do you suppose it hasn't if it's smoking? One doesn't follow from the other.
At this point it'd be interesting to sacrifice a couple of units for science. Plug a 110V unit into 230V mains and let the fault run its course until it's properly broken or one of the mains safety devices kicks in. Add a fuse to a second unit and do the same. Compare results. I assume most people debating the possible dangers would be willing to chip in.
Because it doesn't smokes in normal operation, under the designed current, of course.
In any case, a fuse would have done a much better job at failing under higher currents than normal.
Are you doubting the fuse will make a difference?
Fuses are widely used as safety devices their efficacy isn't usually doubted.
Clearly it didn't, or it won't be smoking like hell.
In all fairness, the arguments for fusing presented so far seem to be increasingly unlikely scenarios requiring multiple failures or massive fuck ups. Apparently 380V coming from the mains did happen, but I can imagine that being a bit outside of what Weller can be expected to reasonably deal with.
What are fuses but thin pieces of wire.
So why do they bother fitting primary fuses to any of their other gear?
Just forget about the 240V thing, that's such an unlikely real world occurrence that it doesn't matter.
The real reason that a primary fuse is needed (I had assumed it was a mandatory safety requirement) is that transformers can and do fail. The turns are insulated by an incredibly thin layer of enamel, all it takes is a thin spot or a nick, or vibration of the wire due to magnetic forces to create a shorted turn or section of turns. No form of protection on the secondary can protect against this, a fuse on the primary whether built into the transformer or wired as an external part is an absolute necessity, there is no reason not to have one, even if there is absolutely no chance of the input voltage being out of range. With a single fuse on the primary you can protect the transformer itself and provide reasonable protection to loads on the secondary.
Because it doesn't smokes in normal operation, under the designed current, of course.
In any case, a fuse would have done a much better job at failing under higher currents than normal.That doesn't mean the current wasn't limited or limited to the point of failing safely, instead of violently.
Are you doubting the fuse will make a difference?
Fuses are widely used as safety devices their efficacy isn't usually doubted.Considering the far-fetched examples discussed here, it'd be good to see the actual difference it makes. Not only whether the device fails safely, but also whether a fuse with the wrong current rating saves the device completely.
Because it doesn't smokes in normal operation, under the designed current, of course.
In any case, a fuse would have done a much better job at failing under higher currents than normal.That doesn't mean the current wasn't limited or limited to the point of failing safely, instead of violently.It didn't fail safely. That's a massive amount of smoke, and that means heat, and that means something is burning, and that something is the enamel, which is the only isolation of the windings inside the transformer. That amount of smoke can trigger a smoke detector, and with good reason.
May we safely conclude and advise anyone with any Weller product that has not been inspected and 'upgraded' (aka fuse/s)
should not leave it powered up during:
a tea/coffee making exercise,
visit to the latrine/dunny,
or whilst answering the front door to insult drivelling door knock sales knobs
Because it doesn't smokes in normal operation, under the designed current, of course.
In any case, a fuse would have done a much better job at failing under higher currents than normal.That doesn't mean the current wasn't limited or limited to the point of failing safely, instead of violently.It didn't fail safely. That's a massive amount of smoke, and that means heat, and that means something is burning, and that something is the enamel, which is the only isolation of the windings inside the transformer. That amount of smoke can trigger a smoke detector, and with good reason.
Do we have to keep spelling it out to you? YOUR SAFETY. Not the safety of your iron or smoke detector. I don't think the the transformer got much hotter than a soldering iron tip.
I'm talking about personal safety and fire hazards here. That's no so hard to understand, i think.
A transformer burning it's enamel and smoking like hell isn't spelling out "security".
I'm talking about personal safety and fire hazards here. That's no so hard to understand, i think.
A transformer burning it's enamel and smoking like hell isn't spelling out "security".That's because they're spelling out "safety". What personal safety hazard are you talking about? There were no signs of significant danger or damage on the inside of the device, so there definitely weren't any on the outside. Smoke is to be expected when you grossly overload a device.
Safety standards are meant to keep you safe, not the device. It's no more complicated than that.
I thought everybody knew it's the smoke that kills people, not the fire.