On 2020/02/25 7:48 a.m., legg wrote:
I had a Baku 601D hot air reflow soldering station smoke
on my bench over the weekend, with all switches 'off'.
It's not CSA or UL (or anything else)

It was a transformer failure. None of the front panel
switches actually disconnect the line. Only protection
was an 8A fast blow fuse. It had blown sometime before
the plug was pulled, so I guess it did its job.

The hot air gun is directly live through a triac circuit
at all times that it's plugged in.

I've rewound a new transformer, with a thermal link, higher
temperature bobbin/wire. It will have its own fuse.
Will also repurpose one of the front panel switches to
disconnect the AC line and add a ground wire on the line
cord.

.. . . . of course it's still not CSA or UL.

RL


Typical Chinese junk - Amazon or eBay sourced I'm sure. You can't assume
that even if it has a CSA or UL imprint/label that it actually is
electrically safe as many of the labels are faked. Neither Amazon nor
eBay are responsible for the safety of products sold through their
portals, how did that happen?

This is just a (cheap) time bomb waiting to go off - all the countless
Chinese (etc.) made electrical junk.

Back in the late 40s CSA and UL got their main boost from commercial
TVs that exploded into flames.

It shouldn't be too long now before it all starts happening again.
Deregulation at its finest!

John :-#(#