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Beware the cheap ultrasonic cleaner!

Vinylmasters

Vinylmasters

Super Member
Word of warning to you all....

One of the transducers on my ultrasonic cleaner stopped working, and I need to return it. Although it was shipped from LA - I have to return it to CHINA - and BACK - on MY DIME. :thumbsdn:
 
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I believe I addressed that here and I tried to give you all tips in keeping your machine running longer. The goal would be to clean as many record you can before the unit dies on you. Getting it to clean each titel at 25 cent would be a good bargan.
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showpost.php?p=8605046&postcount=350

Let me just point this out to the thread followers, don't expect your tank to last forever.

I think, at least in this thread, I have the highest volume of records cleaned, as such I'm on my second tank. The first tank died on me after cleaning 1600 records, and here is what happened that I know of since I could not fix it.

8 records at a time running 10 minute cycle, completing 1600 records is around 36 hours run time on the motors.

The internal fan only runs while the sonic motors are on. Since there is a fan inside something needs to be cooled, kept cold. The heater and motors are on two different switches and the fan shares the motor switch.

Although it seemed my motors were getting weak what finally killed the unit IMHO was the high heat. I was preheating the tank, and normally don't have the lid on for this. However, one night I did leave the lid on and walked away, I fell asleep for about an hour or so. When I got back to it, the tank, lid and water were super hot. After cooling a bit and cleaning some records the next day I noticed that the motors were not working anymore.

My deduction is...

I don't use the tank heater to preheat the tank.

I don't run the motors unless I'm getting some records cleaned.

When I start my cleaning I take that time to filter the water into a big pot, I heat it on the stove, clean out the tank and ready it for my cleaning session. If I stop for a while I turn the unit off so the heaters are not running.

You all can do what you want, but just remember you want to get as many records cleaned as you can with the tank. So if you burn it out early because of running the heater or motors without any records.... it adds to the per record cleaning cost.

I'm at around 3200 discs and my second tank and this tank is still running very strong. It took me one tank and at a cost of $350 to learn what not to do, and to realize the tank is going to have a life span.
 
Thank you 4-2-7! That is all great proactive information for me as I venture into my first such purchase and endeavor.
 
The transducer(s) are usually bonded to the tank as an integral part. Repairs include replacing the tank and any parts damaged by the failure.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
 
Pio1980 said:
The transducer(s) are usually bonded to the tank as an integral part. Repairs include replacing the tank and any parts damaged by the failure.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

It might not be the motors Steve but what controls them. The motors are just electromagnets what can brake on them?

I'll post photos of my dead tank and thread I started on it eventhough I didn't understand any of it.

This was sent to me to try and fix it.http://s1171.photobucket.com/user/4...PowerOutput_zpsefc7f6d9.mp4.html?sort=3&o=113

Ultrasonic Cleaner Repair Help
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=608579
 
Vinylmasters said:
Purchased via Fleabay.... Seller was "97k-cube" - who no longer sells ultrasonic cleaners btw.... And this unit is less than a month old.
Click to expand...

In a month I cleaned 1600 records with one tank till it quit on me. The points I have been trying to make is the tanks will not last forever. So knowing this are we going to burn them up on 25 cent records, running them cleaning one or two records at a time, heating the tank with the heaters, running the motors to heat the tank?

The fan turns on only when the motors are running. So if your going to heat the tank with the internal heaters the component that need cooling will get hot.
 
I don't expect the tank to last forever - but 3 weeks is a bit ridiculous.

And I'm not about to carry boiling water through the house, or buy a burner to do so down here. You don't need boiling water anyway - about 40c is hot enough, and you don't have to worry about damaging your records either, which, per someone's suggestion on here to use 50c, did just that. I run a 15 min. cycle with the transducers and heat on and it get's warm enough to use, providing you don't put REAL dirty records in there, so it's not like the unit is warming up for an hour or more.

Not trying to be argumentative here, but rather just pointing out my 2 cents is all.


4-2-7 said:
I believe I addressed that here and I tried to give you all tips in keeping your machine running longer. The goal would be to clean as many record you can before the unit dies on you. Getting it to clean each titel at 25 cent would be a good bargan.
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showpost.php?p=8605046&postcount=350

Let me just point this out to the thread followers, don't expect your tank to last forever.

I think, at least in this thread, I have the highest volume of records cleaned, as such I'm on my second tank. The first tank died on me after cleaning 1600 records, and here is what happened that I know of since I could not fix it.

8 records at a time running 10 minute cycle, completing 1600 records is around 36 hours run time on the motors.

The internal fan only runs while the sonic motors are on. Since there is a fan inside something needs to be cooled, kept cold. The heater and motors are on two different switches and the fan shares the motor switch.

Although it seemed my motors were getting weak what finally killed the unit IMHO was the high heat. I was preheating the tank, and normally don't have the lid on for this. However, one night I did leave the lid on and walked away, I fell asleep for about an hour or so. When I got back to it, the tank, lid and water were super hot. After cooling a bit and cleaning some records the next day I noticed that the motors were not working anymore.

My deduction is...

I don't use the tank heater to preheat the tank.

I don't run the motors unless I'm getting some records cleaned.

When I start my cleaning I take that time to filter the water into a big pot, I heat it on the stove, clean out the tank and ready it for my cleaning session. If I stop for a while I turn the unit off so the heaters are not running.

You all can do what you want, but just remember you want to get as many records cleaned as you can with the tank. So if you burn it out early because of running the heater or motors without any records.... it adds to the per record cleaning cost.

I'm at around 3200 discs and my second tank and this tank is still running very strong. It took me one tank and at a cost of $350 to learn what not to do, and to realize the tank is going to have a life span.
Click to expand...
 
4-2-7 said:
It might not be the motors Steve but what controls them. The motors are just electromagnets what can brake on them?

I'll post photos of my dead tank and thread I started on it eventhough I didn't understand any of it.

This was sent to me to try and fix it.http://s1171.photobucket.com/user/4...PowerOutput_zpsefc7f6d9.mp4.html?sort=3&o=113

Ultrasonic Cleaner Repair Help
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=608579
Click to expand...
Thnx! Missed that thread.
The cleaners I'm familiar with used ceramic barium titanate transducers, which might have limited life under stressful use and susceptibility to abuse damage. These are always bonded to the tank.

The other type are coil-and-core magnetostrictive transducers, which are generally far more robust than the ceramics. These in the pix definitely appear to be the magnetostrictive type, so, if there is no burned transformer odor, I'd suspect a drive circuit failure somewhere if its an ultrasonic agitation loss. If it's a driver failure look for a blown fusible element somewhere first to include fusible resistors.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
Pio1980 said:
Thnx! Missed that thread.
The cleaners I'm familiar with used ceramic barium titanate transducers, which might have limited life under stressful use and susceptibility to abuse damage. These are always bonded to the tank.

The other type are coil-and-core magnetostrictive transducers, which are generally far more robust than the ceramics. These in the pix definitely appear to be the magnetostrictive type, so, if there is no burned transformer odor, I'd suspect a drive circuit failure somewhere if its an ultrasonic agitation loss. If it's a driver failure look for a blown fusible element somewhere first to include fusible resistors.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

LOL thats all greek to me...:D
 
4-2-7 said:
In a month I cleaned 1600 records with one tank till it quit on me. The points I have been trying to make is the tanks will not last forever. So knowing this are we going to burn them up on 25 cent records, running them cleaning one or two records at a time, heating the tank with the heaters, running the motors to heat the tank?

The fan turns on only when the motors are running. So if your going to heat the tank with the internal heaters the component that need cooling will get hot.
Click to expand...

OR - we find a way to cool them down more efficiently. Hmm......:scratch2:
 
Vinylmasters said:
I don't expect the tank to last forever - but 3 weeks is a bit ridiculous.

And I'm not about to carry boiling water through the house, or buy a burner to do so down here. You don't need boiling water anyway - about 40c is hot enough, and you don't have to worry about damaging your records either, which, per someone's suggestion on here to use 50c, did just that. I run a 15 min. cycle with the transducers and heat on and it get's warm enough to use, providing you don't put REAL dirty records in there, so it's not like the unit is warming up for an hour or more.

Not trying to be argumentative here, but rather just pointing out my 2 cents is all.
Click to expand...

Please do show me anywhere I said to boil water? Just because you preheat on the stove does necessitate boiling:no:

I know it sucks and your unit should have lasted longer. It sucked for me also and my unit came with a $1,500.00 ready to run kit form V8 Ultrasonic Cleaner.. But I bought it slitly used for $1100 so I had far more invested in my setup.
However nothing cleans better or faster with little effort IMO. When I first started looking for the same tank 10L Trusonic it was $900, I did find one for 325 on the bay.

So now Im up and running cleaning 1000s of records again at around 10 cents a title with little efort. Hell I have a $600 Oki Noki and maybe cleand 20 records on that. So if I have to throw away a $300 machine every 1500-2000 titles it's a bargan, at least my records are clean.
 
The water should never be more than hand dip warm or there is risk of damaging records. Hot water is not necessary or advised.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
 
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