FS EU: Solder Fume Extractor FE140A [Homemade] - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: sn4k3
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2018, 07:06:26 pm
content: Some months ago i have made my own fume extractor for solder, you can read here:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/(my-diy)-smoke-absorver-filtering-for-soldering/msg1416301/#msg1416301I made it because i refused to pay 700 to 1000EUR for a proper solution with a such simple concept, i end to choose only quality parts which cost near 450EUR total, with all handworking and time i've spent is like buy the comercial product of 700EUR. The wood box is heavy and time consuption to build by hand.With that experience i've learn many things about the nature of this product, with that in mind i started to build a easy concept and cheap to help people like me, who want a functional thing for a fraction of the cost which can be built in home easy. Also this will not spread the smoke like other cheap products.So i made many designs, and some waste in plastic up i get here. Now i have perfected the system with near complete isolation and no air leakage. The enclosure is the smaller i can in order to spare time, plastic and costs but keeping the good working form.The system uses a combination of filters which i will explain latter here.This allow you to use the head under a microscope, and the hose can be removed for portable application or wide areas without a microscope.The FE140A uses premium high performance Noctua Industrial Fans with 5 year warranty from brand.The enclosure and plastic parts are all self 3D printed in PETG and ABS, visual quality might not be 100% smooth or perfect, but that will not affect the performance.FE140A SpecificationsBrand: PTRTECHModel: FE140AMade in: PortugalPower Source: DCWorking Voltage: 12V 1A (Use 2A or 3A power adapter for best use)Power Consuption: +/- 11WFilter: Double composite combined filterFans: 2 x Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWMHose: Diameter: 2 ½”, Length: 1m, Color: BlackHose Head: Square head 6” x 3.5”, Color: OrangeFan speed control: No, always at 100%, but can be reduced if use 9V or 10VCan pause fans: No, only by cutting power with the DC switchLCD: NoDigital features: NoneSize: 160x160x175mmWeight: 1010g without the hosePackage Included:FE140A with 2 fansDouble composite filter + pre-filter1m stay put hoseHose headFE140A DatasheetThe 12VDC adaptor is not included and you must use your own, please use only 12V with at least 1.5A.Warning: Using more than 12V will damage the fans permanently! Do not use more than 12V!Fans are covered by Noctua warrantyMore photos can be seen here:https://www.facebook.com/pg/PTRTECH/photos/?tab=album&album_id=373447749806071Article and prices:eBay article is here:https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/183201678207For eevblogger who want to buy directly the cost is210€ inc. shipping to Europe, i accept bank transfer or paypal (Fees must be covered by buyer), thats +/- 50€ discount over eBay.I also will keep spares and they can be buy together if you want spare filters for example.Best used with a remote socket for trigger on and off.The print time for a complete system is 1 dayFutureI'm building a FE120A version with double airflow, much more powerfull 50W single fan with 250CFMs to cover more tube metters and distance. As downside will be much more louder but will able to feed two working spaces.The FE140A and FE120A already include speed and foot sw holes for future upgrades (Digital version) or simply toss a PCB under the box and you can DIY speed ajustable or foot sw

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 29, 2018, 07:49:26 pm
content: Not to offend, but what a joke. As of fans used, they are completely unsuitable. There can be many CFMs but as they can only provide low static pressure, airflow drops dramatically when you try pushing the air through the hose and filter. Not to say that filter is a joke as well.

author: sn4k3
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2018, 08:16:38 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on April 29, 2018, 07:49:26 pmNo problem, i accept all critics if they are to help people, so i appreciate your care.About fans they are Static Pressure 10,52 mm H₂O, they are not made thinking in that operation but they work, one did not do the job well so i have included two, they can suck solder fumes up to 15cm from the head of the hose over 1m of the tube, which is the same as my huge turbine motor i used on wooden box, with the bonus of be more silent and small. They are powerfull enough to suck the air through the filters.This is of course tested by me and way better than anyother cheap smoke spreaders were you need to have your iron near the box with just one carbon filter.The 120 version use Delta PFC1212DE which may look better for longer head distance operations and is cheaper (Max CFM : 252.85CFM, Max M3H : 429.6M^3H, Max Static Pressure : 35.89 MMH2O / 351.7Pa)As filters they do the work and are much better than a simple carbon filter like cheap wide avaliable solutions, but of course they are not the best compared with comercial filters like ERSA, in order to cut prices down i have decided that way, but i can build a version to fit ERSA filter which is square and make a good for fit here (https://www.ersa-shop.com/ersa-kombifilter-partikelfilter-gasfilter-aktivkohle-f%C3%BCr-easy-p-12035.html)But i'm also open to suggestions and modifications, together we can build a better product.As a precaution for buyer satisfaction i accept the return and full refund if not happy.EDIT: I tested the 120 version just now with only one delta fan, fumes are suck up to 20cm with a very aggressive speed, almost instant but the noise is very high, if use two of this fans maybe the distance will double but power consuption and noise as well (10A), so i think 1 fan with 20cm of working space is already good. What are the working distance from other brand products like ERSA, Weller, Hakko and others?If anyone know a better fan that fit please advice

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2018, 10:16:19 pm
content: Putting your money where your mouth is. I like it.Did you do any quantitative tests how well the filter does its job? Admittedly, it's not an easy thing to test and it will invariably be better filtering than a fan just blowing fumes around.

author: sn4k3
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2018, 10:33:48 pm
content: Quote from: Mr. Scram on April 29, 2018, 10:16:19 pmThats right, i belive in the effort and by trying we all can build great stuff, if that fail we learn with the erros and rebuild a better product. Build is also learn, and i'm selling this to try help people and not lie about a fantastic or best product ever. By buying the 25Eur hakko clones or similar you are not helping your health, just hidding the dangerous in a spread air. Even the original cheaper hakko solution seens bad at my point of viewAbout tests i don't have any proper method or environment to test it properly as you may know. All i have is my olfact and i'm a bit sensitive to solder smokes, before i was used to the solder smell, but since i use a fume extractor, a tiny bit of solder mess with my head. If i put my nose at output and do a flux barbecue with the iron, the output it seens clean to me breath that air. My TVOC and co2 sensor also report normal air values, but of corse that's a very rudimental test and is the best i can do. The filters are: pre filter, HEPA, carbon filter, active carbon filter and a catalyst filter. Like other product of this nature they use pre filter, hepa, and other filter which is what make the difference overall. I belive my product is something on the middle, better than any other 20-200EUR product but worst than 1000eur solutions. About suction power i think it can compete with high end products for just one working station. If anyone have high end fume extractors please report the performance.If anyone interested in test this out, please contact-meI belive i can build something good, for example:https://www.ersa-shop.com/ersa-filterger%C3%A4t-easy-schnittstelle-f%C3%BCr-icon-vario-p-12021.html1) Ersa filter costs for us +/- 120EUR2) Enclosure is cheap to fabricate for them3) Motor/fan lets give them 200EUR which is already very4) Hose and head not included, need to buy at spare at a very high cost... 40EUR for a head, if ABS made no sense... If they are carbon, PC or nylon made is ok for the price.5) other small expenses for electronics and cablesSo thats: 320eur + other expenses (Give them more 200EUR) = 520EUR847,88 € - 520e = 327.88€ profit and renember, hose and head not included! and i don't belive the fabrication value is so high as i've calculated.So i think overall the fume extractors are a overpriced product with huge profit due the lack of products on the market, and filters costs alot! They recommend to exchange filter even if filter is good, but money is king. I talk about ERSA, but other brands are in the same price range, the QUICK fume extractor is the cheapest we can get, i think.Thier airflow is not so special, and if i fit thier filter into my homemade machine i will have a 1000EUR grade fume extractorFume extractors are all about: No air leakage, good filters and strong suction

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 30, 2018, 01:35:52 am
content: Quote from: sn4k3 on April 29, 2018, 07:06:26 pmIt's 6 years, but they will give you ZERO years warranty. You need a receipt from a valid supplier and the warranty covers PC/Electronics cooling not filtering hazardous fumes.In reality if you're commercializing this product you have to provide the warranty not Noctua.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 30, 2018, 01:57:58 am
content: Top fan will be covered in sticky hard to clean dirt in no time if any serious soldering will be happening. That's based on observation of what happens with prefilter and inlet tube in my weller fume extractor. As of looks of "activated carbon filter", it looks just like anti smell filter for consumer air purifiers. There is barely any carbon in them and granules containing it are so sparsely put in those honeycombs, there is no chance even half of the air passing through them. I bet light can be easily seen through it.

author: sn4k3
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 30, 2018, 02:24:04 am
content: Quote from: Shock on April 30, 2018, 01:35:52 amI can send a copy of receipt from amazon without problem which is valid, also people can buy the fans on thier favorite or local store and i will discount the price. But these fans will not break easy and if break 30 eur will not break people bank for a replacement within years.I have blow two of these fans with 24V by mistake and noctua sent two replacements without any trouble, and i said that was my fault by apply 24V source, they smell bad, burn... So it have good warranty but also comes with a premium price.About fumes there are methods to clean, like IPA wash and still get the warranty, but fumes itself shall not damage the fan. I don't see a problem here at all (Warranty is good and replacement price is not huge if you don't want to wait)About me providing the warranty that would be worse, here the warranty are 2 year by law, no matter if a manufacture give 10 years, stores will only care about that within two years, if you want that coverage you will need to contact the manufacture and open an RMA, on my country go to store is just a waste of time because they send the product to the manufacture company (RMA) in a long and delayed process, and you only get your product when it arrive again from warranty, so i like to manage the warranty by myself when needed, much faster.Quote from: wraper on April 30, 2018, 01:57:58 amGood point, didn't renember that, in fact i have included a grease prefilter on top of filtering system, but all above is unprotected. A solution can be move that grease filter on junction with Top and Hose, or just fix it on head.The 120 version only use a bottom fan which also fix that problem.

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 30, 2018, 03:50:07 am
content: Noctua specifically states overvoltage is not covered under warranty. Regardless of what you say these are facts, the fans are not covered under warranty for this use by Noctua.You can make up any stories here and argue all you like but it's in black and white on their website. I think soldering fumes falls under "hazardous substances" and "environments other than electronic devices".I believe you when you say people in Portugal have problems with warranty. In many countries they try to push warranty onto the manufacturer yet the retailers make huge profits for little or no work.In this case you are both the manufacturer and the retailer. I think you might find you are liable for everything including any legal responsibility.

author: sn4k3
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 30, 2018, 04:47:47 am
content: Quote from: Shock on April 30, 2018, 03:50:07 amI know, every product have that state, if customer broke is not covered, thats normal. I also repair stuff, one day a customer drop his repaird iPhone, LCD broke within two days by his hand, and come angry to me requesting for warranty over the new LCD, and he wants a new one for free, guess what, i didn't give him another lcd, i tried to be polite and explain but he didn't understand, or maybe he is just trying his luck like i did with the fans,.So that statment to me is more a commun sense, theres no point to reclaim a warranty over something that someone broke for bad usage, and i have said that on return note, it is my fault.Quote from: Shock on April 30, 2018, 03:50:07 amI'm sad to say that i'm not making up stories here or anywhere else, no point, not my kind and will win nothing with that, i dont waste my time with lies. That happen and they delivery two news, don't know because if amazon prime, protection time or other policy that i'm aware but i do get them.About warranty i can also tell you that i already seen people do not get warranty when they are in the right of it, and also seen the otherwise, but also people who "cheat", so thats not always black in white, i think it will also depend on the person factor, people who decide this is valid or not to accept.Quote from: Shock on April 30, 2018, 03:50:07 amSorry i didn't understand, how retailers make huge profit with warranties? Here we don't pay for warranty handling, and if you deliver by hand to the store you will pay nothing, not even the shipping.I'm not trying to make a comercial product, this is more a DIY product, it have 4 plastic parts, two fans and some other components, the only component that can fail is the fans.With this i'm tring to create something that work and inexpensive for people, i even can give the project files for people print and DYI in home, they just need to print and toss the fans and filters inside. I don't want or win a huge profit over this. This is more a project that i'm sharing, but ofcourse i cannot give it for free, because all parts cost some money and i'm not rich to make such offers

author: PartialDischarge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 30, 2018, 05:50:53 am
content: Congrats on your initiative and effort sn4k3. I like the idea and overall solution. As a suggestion make a video where one can see the smoke being sucked over some distance.Also for a future version, activated charcoal filters are expensive and contain little charcoal but it is quite cheap if you buy it in bulk as granules. With your 3d it would be easy for you to design a can filled wih charcoal and all the airflow passes through. Find a local suppler for that. Besides I believe this kind of filter ( a chemical trap/scavenger) is best suited in this applicationAlso if you want to add carbon monoxide filtering capabilities I can supply you with formulas

author: sn4k3
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 30, 2018, 03:30:43 pm
content: Quote from: MasterTech on April 30, 2018, 05:50:53 amThank you, yes i can do a video to show that, noise and the overall aspectThis combined filter includes a section with activated charcoal granules, the granules are small and if you shake the filter you can hear them and they can be seen too. I have large granules that i order for that porpuse but i didn't use, the idea was put one layer of that granules between the filters so: Pre filter -> Filter 1 (Hepa) -> granules -> Filter 2. That would trap the granules and don't need mod anything else than the parts height to accomodate that layer.What do you think? I didn't add that layer just because the combined filter had it, but if they seen not enough i can add a layer of granules"Also if you want to add carbon monoxide filtering capabilities I can supply you with formulas"That would be cool! Please advice

author: PartialDischarge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 30, 2018, 04:01:01 pm
content: Quote from: sn4k3 on April 30, 2018, 03:30:43 pmIf the filter is fine keep it, my suggestion was only for cost reduction if that filter is expensive and contains few charcoal like most pollen filters from cars.