I think using a dropper to add tiny drops of water to the brake fluid would be interesting, just to see how much water is needed before it spoils the brake fluid. Very interesting product. 2x👍
@@khalidacosta7133 Did you use distilled water? distilled water would better simulate water absorbed from the air, which has much higher resistance than any tap water.
I have two of these both from the same vendor on AliExpress. When I had the contract for maintaining/repairing motorbikes for a postal company. The first got a bit damaged which happens when a bike is on the stand and the tester falls off as another bike is being wheeled out and over the tester. After the second had been used a bit, I glued up the original and it worked. Just for fun I added, drop by drop, water to jar of brake fluid and used both testers to see how close the calibration of the testers were to each other. They were surprisingly close to each other; just a drop or two. They were the same brand and model, but bought about two years apart. They appear to be much better made than the one you have.
After a bit of OCD Engineer googling, it came to my attention, and made perfect sense, that brake fluid should be tested by determining it's boiling point. Found a video by Bendix. Bendix has made a few brake components in their lifetime, so I tend to agree! The "voltage test" pervasive on the Tube is total BS. The resistance test is slightly less BS but I am sure can be highly variable with different fluids because of probe surface area, separation, and test voltages, etc. Of course in the end, just flush and fill per mfr's recommendation and don't sweat it!
The idea of the second comparator is that you hold in the button when turning on the tester, and during this time the LEDs will indicate the battery level. The instructions say that the red LED lights to indicate low battery.
My dad had a brake fluid tester that was based on a piezoelectric igniter. You would stick the end into the reservoir and click it, and if you saw a spark in the window, the fluid was good. If the fluid was bad, the spark would jump across the electrodes at the tip instead of the ones at the window. He lost his sometime after he retired and I haven’t ever been able to find another one.
Remarkably more complex than it seemed! I could have used it, some 3 decades ago, when I had spongy brakes in my old Seat and couldn't figure out the problem (I had installed almost everything new), until an old mechanic told me "change the damn brake fluid"!".
" *_reverse_** egineering is complete* ": That's the moment I'm always waiting for 😁 I am tempted to take mine apart now and see if this one is different. Quite a lot of thought and detail has gone into this tiny tool though.
I have one of these. I got it about 20y ago! It’s identical but bears the Gunson brand. The red led is very bright on mine. Have used it many times. I even found some brand new just opened freshly bought fluid which showed Amber! It’s still works fine. Battery lasts forever. Keep checking for battery leaks but ok so far. Important to keep the probe tips scrupulously clean and oil free. Clean with IPA.
I was impressed that you knew the effect water had when DOT was contaminated. (boiling to gas creating spongy braking.) Very much enjoy your channel and your teaching intelligence.
The "pink" input/comparator either checks the battery voltage or calibrates the set point timer/counters using the battery voltage as a reference. Capacitors are high tolerance components, so this is possible.
Edwards High Vacuum used to make a very similar gadget for assessing water contamination in their vacuum pump oil. Theirs was analogue, with a tiny moving coil "battery level" type meter. Ran forever on a PP9 battery. Far simpler internals, and they recommended cleaning the probes before use, which suggests a d.c. rather than a.c. measurement system.
DOT 3 4 and 5dot1 are Glycol based but because of different formulas for each number many 2 probe testers have to be calibrated for the type to test. Wet Boil Temp spec is a Fluid with < 4% water. Many brake systems have way more then 4% and Fluid often Boils near 100C. These are cheap "tools" that are often inaccurate and Fails soon. There is a tool originally made by Alba Diagnostics in Scotland that actually Boils a small test sample and no need to calibrate for DOT number. ⚠Do Not confuse with DOT 5 Silicone that have different problems and not compatible with glycol brake fluid systems.
It's a tricky area, as the DC current flow can cause weird electrolysis effects depending on the probe's metal composition. If it was that simple these testers would just have a transistor and an LED.
@@bigclivedotcom yeah when you started dissecting that thing I went the Google machine and there is multiple people claiming they can test brake fluid using a voltage drop method. Never done it myself and don't know anything about it. If people ask me if I think their brake fluid needs to be changed I just simply say yes 😅
I convert the brake and clutch activation systems of all my vintage cars to DOT5 fluid which is not hygroscopic...more expensive, yes, but increases the time between rebuilds immensely, no periodic changing or moisture testing required...DONE!
I have a set of kitchen scales which I've replaced the power/tare button on several times. When the button approaches the end of its life, I tend to get rogue presses which sometimes put it in a calibration mode waiting for a 5kg reference weight. I'm amazed I've not accidentally screwed the calibration after all these years.
The calibration modes are expecting somewhere in the region of the calibration weight. If the current weight is nowhere near that they will not calibrate.
I had the agency for such a product in 1989, to sell to garages. It came with a large motorised pump and pipes to change and bleed the fluid if necessary. As an agency, It was not a success but I came away with an idea to make a pocket green/amber/red tester to dip in the brake fluid reservoir. I actually made a working prototype... but then... like so many other bright ideas... I never did anything with the idea. Regrets? I've had a few... 😀
I haven't even watched the video yet and I haven't even skipped the ad, but I am going to tell you this little story about the state of global trade and affairs. I just bought a new mattress from Amazon and it arrived promptly. However the warranty paper is worded like this. "We always has your needs and wants in mind. We products are manufactured to us highest quality and are warranted for a period of 1 year against manufacturing defects... ...with the exception of upholstery materials, foam, ..." This is a mattress and is made of foam. Sigh.. Oh well at least the piece of paper is good for 2 things: lining our budgie cage or making a paper airplane. I will choose the latter. And now to skip the ad and watch the video. 🙂👍
I bought a memory foam topper from Amazon. With the increased height, it wasn't as comfortable as getting into bed, as before. As there was a 100 day return policy, I emailed the seller and requested return. They came back and offered discount to avoid a return at their expense. Now the proud user of a memory foam topper and £45. 😀
Very interesting. I purchased one from lidl in the Parkside brand (HG08332 PBFT A1). It looks tougher than that one. It also has 5 led's (1 green, 2 amber, 2 red) 4 for the fluid test and for battery life with 5 percentage marks going up it and the all light up at the start, then just a green one at the bottom stays on until you test the fluid, you can even turn it on and off with the power button. It wasn't too expensive and seems to work well. Watching this made me wonder how different this one must be made, if there is any difference. I also picked up a cordless rechargeable soldering iron(PLKA 4 B3) in the same brand at the same time that seems to work well enough to what can tell after using mine, seems very handy.
The comparator are a rudimentary ADC in a clever design. And the 1.5v tap off seems to be a battary measurement. I guess it will blink ore something if the battery is nearly dead.
fascinating we mostly use dot 3 here in the U.S. but it is bad for a lot of older British cars that use Girling brake fluid. it also gets moisture in it.
My brake fluid in my old car is silcon, so....... no hygroscopic madness for me. But I wish we had stuff like this back in the '80's, would have made the job so much simpler.
I have a similar device for checking hydroponic nutrient levels. There is a specific calibration fluid that may be necessary for your calibration mode.
It doesn't appear to have a seal at the probe ends. I wonder what would happen to the circuit board and battery if it was dropped in fluid. Brake fluid also removes fingerprints if exposed long enough. I used to do brake work daily for a few years and learned how destructive brake fluid can be.
I have a very similar one I bought many years ago off a tool van (circa 2000...) the probes are moulded into the case, and seem to be impervious to fluid getting in.... If it was immersed for a long period it may eventually leach in though
Hay Clive the temperature of the break fluid can get to over 100 degrees science then the moisture (water) will boil providing steam boosted breaks they can lock on. I think this is called vapour lock. Wobbels the mad Aussie.
I think you will be replacing the battery more often than checking the fluid. I just use my foot on the brake peddle.! When I drove trucks, 22 wheels. Every time the weather changed, new fluid and bleed.
very handy Gadget! 👍 kind of off topic but, my friend and I had classic cars. two were Hudsons, from the 1940's, which were independent from the big 3. and a constant thorn in their side. the Hudsons had a secondary breaking system.that if you lost all your brake fluid, by pushing the brake pedal all the way down, it would pull a cable connected to the emergency brake. they were very innovative and ahead of their time. sad they were eventually run out of business bu the big 3 bullies 😡 PS: they were American cars, not sure if they ever were in England/UK....
1. In the animated movie CARS, the Hudson Hornet (an actual production car) is voiced by Paul Neuman. 2. My grandmother worked for Hudson in Detroit during WWII. Not making cars, making war materials. 3. Hudson's was the largest department store chain in metro Detroit. Bought-out by Dayton's (of Minneapolis). Dayton's became Target, as the stores had to compete with Walmart.
Interesting design, as you pointed out more complex than expected. Wondering if this design comes about because it is more accurate, or if the engineer was handed some surplus parts and told to make something useful.
My brake fluid tester has settings for different fluid types as well as different brands. Yes, there is a difference between brands even if they have the same rating.
I use one of these daily as a mechanic, mine has five leds. the reason is a 5-20 yrs old vehicle never follower the manufacture approved service plan, granny has done 30k and Gym mum has done 120k miles so the garages service best for the customer, gran is only going to have 2 air filters in 10yrs gym mum 6 or 8. So I use a tool rather than the service schedule. Most brake systems today are sealed there is a rubber boot in the lid that gets sucked in to take up space therefore your brake fluid will never get air/moister into it. I did a transit today just a front disc and pad change and rear pads and when I tested the brake fluid it was off the red scale so I changed it, so at its last service it was ignored or not tested but at its next service even though I have written on the reservoir the date of change I will still test it and score it on my job card. PS I had to ask my wife how to spell reservoir at work I have a 40grand tool box with a post it note with the spelling coz the bitch sorry lady in the office has to come out and correct me EVERY time I spell it wrong on a job card ! LOL My point is "Its a useful tool what the calibration is does not matter you test all vehicles to the same tool, same with my antifreeze tester I use one tool to check it with if there is any come back I have recorded the reading from that tool on my job card.
I think you should drop some of those beads you had a couple of weeks ago into brake fluid to compare the swelling or shrinkage, perhaps the bead diameter would correlate to the moisture content
Actually, here in Florida my brake fluid turns black from moisture, so I change it every Christmas. 5 bikes = 10 brake systems and 3 hydraulic clutches, so that's 13 total. Yes, I have A System and I've made several tools out of computer water cooling parts to help.
I was wondering if a device like this existed; now that I know it does, I should probably add one to my toolbox. (Yes, I know about brake fluid test strips.) Having a hard-to-press button means it's less likely to be turned on accidentally as it bangs around in a toolbox/chest, so I wonder if that was a design choice or an unplanned feature. When you bring your car in for brake service and they recommend a fluid flush as an add-on service, water in the fluid is reason why. The last thing you want is water in your brake fluid, it can cause all sorts of problems, including interior rusting/corrosion of brake components. Sometimes shops tack it on simply to make more money, but a routine flush is considered best practice. Every two years is appropriate, but it should also be flushed after any major brake work that requires the master cylinder or lines be exposed to open air.
0:59NOT *JUST* Dot 4, Most fluids fall into the DOT 3, DOT 4 or DOT 5.1 classification. These fluids are all hygroscopic, which means they absorb moisture from the air. DOT 5 fluids are not hygroscopic but are often used in vehicles that sit for long periods of time, such as collector cars or military vehicles and All DOT compliant fluids must be colorless or amber, except for DOT 5 silicone, which must be purple. (knock-off brands) of brake Fluid not following the DOT standard may be in any color, and generally are not recommended for use.
my brake juice boiled on the way to work one day. pedal went all the way to the floor due to the bubbles, and brake disk was glowing cherry red when i arrived at work :)
@@MichielvanderMeulen my old vw camper developed that problem on the offside front wheel, very scary - apply the brakes enough to boil the water, the front left wheel locks up, and fortunately i went into the ditch, not into traffic. problem magically went away, when i got started again, and put me back in the ditch, the next time i hit the brakes. in short, wet brake oil can be deadly.
I have one of these. I put it in my beer and it tells me to replace my fluid. So I do that and after a few more beers I stagger home. That’s when I get into trouble.
Interesting, coincidentally, I just picked-up a break fluid tester (make: Parkside - yes Lidl), discounted to £2! *Seems* to be a little more - err - sophisticated - than yours, with 5 LEDs, indicating 0%, 4%. I don't think it's going to come apart though - in any way it will function again anyhow. Seems to have welded seams.
Does the packaging say what the LED colours refer to? I just do a full fluid swap every 3y or thereabout (sooner if the brakes need work). For the cost of a couple of litres of fluid it's just easier to exchange it, espacially as the water absorption is probably happening all the time (I think).
It was the hydroscopic properties of dot 3 and dot 4 brake fluid that prompted me to flush the brake fluid on all my vehicles and switch them over to dot 5 brake fluid which is silcone based and non-hydroscopic. It's the moisture that causes calipers and brake cylinders to corrode from the inside and fail. Some of my vehicles have had the same dot 5 brake fluid for 20 years without any problems!
Are the seals compatible? I see no reason to use less than DOT 4 on any vehicle as lower numbers have worse properties and 4 is only a fraction more expensive, but I don't know about the seals.
... mmmm... agree with your comments re the button being pressed during operation (@11'ish min) likely being some sort of check / calibration scenario using something other than clean brake fluid. ... I assume the leds don't show any change when u press button while device is being used. ...Maybe its just someone's sense of humor?....fun... thanks for the investigation..
I just use a voltmeter. Positive tip in the brake fluid, negative to ground (idealy to the body of the cylinder just below the resrvoir). If the voltage is less than 0.3, fluid is okay. No battery or special tester needed! But then... maybe I'm wrong 😮
i would guess the gradations on the tube are to indicate how much brake fluid you have displaced. since oil floats on water, do you not have to drive the tip down to the bottom of the reservoir? does hydrated glycol sink in brake oil? i don't know, can only guess. this circuit is very interesting to me, as i am using A/C to indicate salt water levels, having had similar problems with D/C corrupting my probes - thank you for your analysis, very helpful.
Most cars use DOT4 the other ones are uncommon enough that they can be disregarded for the purposes of this device. Mostly used in race cars which should usually flush the brake system so often that water retention shouldnt be a problem. (That actually is the case for all cars if maintained properly).
@@tonysheerness2427 Every 2nd year is how often it has been done on all brands I have worked on in a dealership which is about 10. This service point is often overlooked when the vehicle goes out of warranty and only gets "serviced" at quick lube style places (Oil and filter only). This can dramatically shorten the service life of especially calipers/ slave cylinder as the corrosion inhibiters precipitate out and the fluid may also become mildly corrosive from environmental factors. This an draining the radiator are the probably the most ignored service points in older cars both cause simular problems to.
@@tonysheerness2427 If there is significant moisture in the fluid, change it. That is the very reason such diagnostic devices are sold. Frequency depends on the humidity in your normal driving environment, how well the vehicle seals perform and a range of related stuff so checking every 6 months or so is a good idea. If you feel your brakes going mushy, check immediately.
No, only for standard DOT1 to DOT4 brake fluids, as those are glycol based. DOT5 fluid is based on silicones, so it will not work with them, though they are also hydrophobic, so water does not mix with them. Hydraulic fluid you have to use either a viscometer or a testing lab, to tell if there are wear particles in it, or if the additive pack is depleted. Easiest is to simply replace it on a regular basis instead, which is cheaper than sending off the sample to test.
The tester tells him water hasn't been absorbed in the fluid but that's only one thing. The fluid also serves to mitigate corrosion and is good to replace after a while to flush what it picks up from doing that job out of the system. The fluid I put in my car is clear and will brown over time. It's something like once every year or two I get around to replacing it, not very hard but does need two people to do if you don't have a fancy circulation system to hook up to your car to flush the lines.
Kodak batteries - I didn't know that was a thing - I thought the company had died. Assuming this is now just a branding/marketting think? One step down from what Phillips has now become?
So, I grab my ohmmeter, stick the probes in the fluid ... 220K and above is good, 150-220K is flakey, and under 150K, it's time for a flush. Sounds a lot better than tasting it... like we used to do in the 70's with that PCB oil.🧐
I have a digital meter that you'd like!? It reads mineral content in water, and tells you how many Parts Per Million (PPM) are in the water. i.e. My tap water is 305, and filtered water from my Brita is 266. Science Equipment is cool! I love a good cup of hot tea, and the water is key!
Where I live the water is extremely hard, my meter says 650+ coming from the tap. The APEC 5 stage RO filter system I use reduces the PPM to about 3 or 4...big difference and yes it's all about the water.
@@terrym1065 Watch this Water Filter Test. The Zero Water got my water to 0, but it boiled weird and tasted weird, so I went with Brita. ua-cam.com/video/ja0ioX6GSz0/v-deo.html
that looks ridiculously more complicated than it needs to be. Much more complex than the circuit continuity tester you looked at before. The clear blue screwdrivery looking thing.
@@Alacritous water in brake oil can be dangerous, even deadly, one should expect the indicators to be accurate, and reliable. again i ask - how would you simplify?
I think using a dropper to add tiny drops of water to the brake fluid would be interesting, just to see how much water is needed before it spoils the brake fluid. Very interesting product. 2x👍
I was thinking the same thing. 👍
I tested it at the correct percentages (weighed brake fluid into a fixed amount of water) and it was generally reliable.
@@khalidacosta7133 Did you use distilled water? distilled water would better simulate water absorbed from the air, which has much higher resistance than any tap water.
I have two of these both from the same vendor on AliExpress. When I had the contract for maintaining/repairing motorbikes for a postal company. The first got a bit damaged which happens when a bike is on the stand and the tester falls off as another bike is being wheeled out and over the tester. After the second had been used a bit, I glued up the original and it worked. Just for fun I added, drop by drop, water to jar of brake fluid and used both testers to see how close the calibration of the testers were to each other. They were surprisingly close to each other; just a drop or two. They were the same brand and model, but bought about two years apart.
They appear to be much better made than the one you have.
After a bit of OCD Engineer googling, it came to my attention, and made perfect sense, that brake fluid should be tested by determining it's boiling point. Found a video by Bendix. Bendix has made a few brake components in their lifetime, so I tend to agree! The "voltage test" pervasive on the Tube is total BS. The resistance test is slightly less BS but I am sure can be highly variable with different fluids because of probe surface area, separation, and test voltages, etc. Of course in the end, just flush and fill per mfr's recommendation and don't sweat it!
The idea of the second comparator is that you hold in the button when turning on the tester, and during this time the LEDs will indicate the battery level. The instructions say that the red LED lights to indicate low battery.
My dad had a brake fluid tester that was based on a piezoelectric igniter. You would stick the end into the reservoir and click it, and if you saw a spark in the window, the fluid was good. If the fluid was bad, the spark would jump across the electrodes at the tip instead of the ones at the window.
He lost his sometime after he retired and I haven’t ever been able to find another one.
That's a charming approach to solving the problem. No batteries required!
Thanks for the reminder to actually check the brake fluid on my car
Should have been done about 4 or 5 years ago, so it's about time...
Remarkably more complex than it seemed! I could have used it, some 3 decades ago, when I had spongy brakes in my old Seat and couldn't figure out the problem (I had installed almost everything new), until an old mechanic told me "change the damn brake fluid"!".
" *_reverse_** egineering is complete* ": That's the moment I'm always waiting for 😁
I am tempted to take mine apart now and see if this one is different.
Quite a lot of thought and detail has gone into this tiny tool though.
I love this channel so much. Thank you, Electrowizard Clive 😊
So only brake fluid and water where is the whisky or vodka testing?
So will brake fluid carbonate? We need to know.
@@tncorgi92 One moment, please!
The brake fluid did look like a rather nice malt ;)
"Oh, this whiskey is showing yellow, better drink it all immediately to prevent it going to waste!"
Jägermeister!
I have one of these. I got it about 20y ago! It’s identical but bears the Gunson brand. The red led is very bright on mine. Have used it many times. I even found some brand new just opened freshly bought fluid which showed Amber! It’s still works fine. Battery lasts forever. Keep checking for battery leaks but ok so far. Important to keep the probe tips scrupulously clean and oil free. Clean with IPA.
I was impressed that you knew the effect water had when DOT was contaminated. (boiling to gas creating spongy braking.) Very much enjoy your channel and your teaching intelligence.
The "pink" input/comparator either checks the battery voltage or calibrates the set point timer/counters using the battery voltage as a reference. Capacitors are high tolerance components, so this is possible.
boiling point brake fluid tester is the only approved tester
I never heard of throwing brake fluid on cars, thanks for the tip.
Fanny Flambeau Fluid Taster™
Does this also work on headlight fluid?
It worked on my blinker fluid so it should work on your headlight fluid as well.
From what I know, it should work on flux capacitor fluid too...
Not on the fluids in German cars lights.
@@KeritechElectronics Silly time traveler, flux capacitors don't use fluid. Just feed them 1.21 jigowatts and they'll be happy.
How about prop wash?
An interesting video thanks , got me thinking about brake fluid now!
The tool I never knew I needed. I like it
Edwards High Vacuum used to make a very similar gadget for assessing water contamination in their vacuum pump oil. Theirs was analogue, with a tiny moving coil "battery level" type meter. Ran forever on a PP9 battery. Far simpler internals, and they recommended cleaning the probes before use, which suggests a d.c. rather than a.c. measurement system.
DOT 3 4 and 5dot1 are Glycol based but because of different formulas for each number many 2 probe testers have to be calibrated for the type to test. Wet Boil Temp spec is a Fluid with < 4% water. Many brake systems have way more then 4% and Fluid often Boils near 100C. These are cheap "tools" that are often inaccurate and Fails soon. There is a tool originally made by Alba Diagnostics in Scotland that actually Boils a small test sample and no need to calibrate for DOT number. ⚠Do Not confuse with DOT 5 Silicone that have different problems and not compatible with glycol brake fluid systems.
The graduations are for the blinker fluid refilling product.
Cool. Thank you Big Clive. Pretty wild.
Sooooo.... do you know if we can check brake fluid with our standard multimeter? According to the internet we can 🤷🏼♂
It's a tricky area, as the DC current flow can cause weird electrolysis effects depending on the probe's metal composition. If it was that simple these testers would just have a transistor and an LED.
@@bigclivedotcom yeah when you started dissecting that thing I went the Google machine and there is multiple people claiming they can test brake fluid using a voltage drop method. Never done it myself and don't know anything about it. If people ask me if I think their brake fluid needs to be changed I just simply say yes 😅
@@SouthMainAuto Which is the correct answer. With added income.
I convert the brake and clutch activation systems of all my vintage cars to DOT5 fluid which is not hygroscopic...more expensive, yes, but increases the time between rebuilds immensely, no periodic changing or moisture testing required...DONE!
@@ronplucksstrings7112I was told by someone “in the know” that converting to Dot 5 is difficult as they’re NOT compatible.
I have a set of kitchen scales which I've replaced the power/tare button on several times. When the button approaches the end of its life, I tend to get rogue presses which sometimes put it in a calibration mode waiting for a 5kg reference weight. I'm amazed I've not accidentally screwed the calibration after all these years.
The calibration modes are expecting somewhere in the region of the calibration weight. If the current weight is nowhere near that they will not calibrate.
I had the agency for such a product in 1989, to sell to garages. It came with a large motorised pump and pipes to change and bleed the fluid if necessary. As an agency, It was not a success but I came away with an idea to make a pocket green/amber/red tester to dip in the brake fluid reservoir. I actually made a working prototype... but then... like so many other bright ideas... I never did anything with the idea. Regrets? I've had a few... 😀
I checked your brake fluid, and I'm proud to announce it's a boy!
I haven't even watched the video yet and I haven't even skipped the ad, but I am going to tell you this little story about the state of global trade and affairs. I just bought a new mattress from Amazon and it arrived promptly. However the warranty paper is worded like this. "We always has your needs and wants in mind. We products are manufactured to us highest quality and are warranted for a period of 1 year against manufacturing defects... ...with the exception of upholstery materials, foam, ..." This is a mattress and is made of foam. Sigh.. Oh well at least the piece of paper is good for 2 things: lining our budgie cage or making a paper airplane. I will choose the latter. And now to skip the ad and watch the video. 🙂👍
I bought a memory foam topper from Amazon. With the increased height, it wasn't as comfortable as getting into bed, as before. As there was a 100 day return policy, I emailed the seller and requested return. They came back and offered discount to avoid a return at their expense. Now the proud user of a memory foam topper and £45. 😀
Very interesting. I purchased one from lidl in the Parkside brand (HG08332 PBFT A1). It looks tougher than that one. It also has 5 led's (1 green, 2 amber, 2 red) 4 for the fluid test and for battery life with 5 percentage marks going up it and the all light up at the start, then just a green one at the bottom stays on until you test the fluid, you can even turn it on and off with the power button. It wasn't too expensive and seems to work well. Watching this made me wonder how different this one must be made, if there is any difference. I also picked up a cordless rechargeable soldering iron(PLKA 4 B3) in the same brand at the same time that seems to work well enough to what can tell after using mine, seems very handy.
The comparator are a rudimentary ADC in a clever design. And the 1.5v tap off seems to be a battary measurement. I guess it will blink ore something if the battery is nearly dead.
fascinating we mostly use dot 3 here in the U.S. but it is bad for a lot of older British cars that use Girling brake fluid. it also gets moisture in it.
Great explanation Clive thank you so much, very clever unit 😊
Interesting use of a separate comparator there! I guess they must have saved a few pence selecting a micro without any internal A-D conversion .....
My brake fluid in my old car is silcon, so....... no hygroscopic madness for me. But I wish we had stuff like this back in the '80's, would have made the job so much simpler.
I think the op amp input checks battery voltage
I have a similar device for checking hydroponic nutrient levels. There is a specific calibration fluid that may be necessary for your calibration mode.
It doesn't appear to have a seal at the probe ends. I wonder what would happen to the circuit board and battery if it was dropped in fluid. Brake fluid also removes fingerprints if exposed long enough. I used to do brake work daily for a few years and learned how destructive brake fluid can be.
I have a very similar one I bought many years ago off a tool van (circa 2000...) the probes are moulded into the case, and seem to be impervious to fluid getting in.... If it was immersed for a long period it may eventually leach in though
i think it does have a seal, those contacts are embedded in the plastic, and i presume the springs are there to ensure good contact.
That brake fluid looks exactly like scotch in those glasses!! Be careful not to swig it!
If you do accidentally swig it, HOO BOY! Will you learn a lesson.
Hay Clive the temperature of the break fluid can get to over 100 degrees science then the moisture (water) will boil providing steam boosted breaks they can lock on. I think this is called vapour lock. Wobbels the mad Aussie.
It’s BRAKE fluid not break fluid.
If the BRAKES are broken, the car will get broken.
but if the cars brakes are broken the car needs a break.
I think you will be replacing the battery more often than checking the fluid.
I just use my foot on the brake peddle.!
When I drove trucks, 22 wheels. Every time the weather changed, new fluid and bleed.
very handy Gadget! 👍
kind of off topic but, my friend and I had classic cars. two were Hudsons, from
the 1940's, which were independent from the big 3. and a constant thorn in their side.
the Hudsons had a secondary breaking system.that if you lost all your brake fluid, by
pushing the brake pedal all the way down, it would pull a cable connected to the emergency
brake. they were very innovative and ahead of their time. sad they were eventually run out of
business bu the big 3 bullies 😡 PS: they were American cars, not sure if they ever were in England/UK....
1. In the animated movie CARS, the Hudson Hornet (an actual production car) is voiced by Paul Neuman.
2. My grandmother worked for Hudson in Detroit during WWII. Not making cars, making war materials.
3. Hudson's was the largest department store chain in metro Detroit. Bought-out by Dayton's (of Minneapolis). Dayton's became Target, as the stores had to compete with Walmart.
Interesting design, as you pointed out more complex than expected. Wondering if this design comes about because it is more accurate, or if the engineer was handed some surplus parts and told to make something useful.
My brake fluid tester has settings for different fluid types as well as different brands. Yes, there is a difference between brands even if they have the same rating.
I use one of these daily as a mechanic, mine has five leds. the reason is a 5-20 yrs old vehicle never follower the manufacture approved service plan, granny has done 30k and Gym mum has done 120k miles so the garages service best for the customer, gran is only going to have 2 air filters in 10yrs gym mum 6 or 8. So I use a tool rather than the service schedule. Most brake systems today are sealed there is a rubber boot in the lid that gets sucked in to take up space therefore your brake fluid will never get air/moister into it. I did a transit today just a front disc and pad change and rear pads and when I tested the brake fluid it was off the red scale so I changed it, so at its last service it was ignored or not tested but at its next service even though I have written on the reservoir the date of change I will still test it and score it on my job card. PS I had to ask my wife how to spell reservoir at work I have a 40grand tool box with a post it note with the spelling coz the bitch sorry lady in the office has to come out and correct me EVERY time I spell it wrong on a job card ! LOL My point is "Its a useful tool what the calibration is does not matter you test all vehicles to the same tool, same with my antifreeze tester I use one tool to check it with if there is any come back I have recorded the reading from that tool on my job card.
Oh PS did I forget to mention I was down at Buckfast Abbey this weekend and grabbed a bottle of Glasgows finest
That reminds me, I need to change my blinker fluid.
Make sure there is no moisture in the mercy switch.?
get a beemer then.
maintenancefree ! 😂
I think you should drop some of those beads you had a couple of weeks ago into brake fluid to compare the swelling or shrinkage, perhaps the bead diameter would correlate to the moisture content
Actually, here in Florida my brake fluid turns black from moisture, so I change it every Christmas. 5 bikes = 10 brake systems and 3 hydraulic clutches, so that's 13 total. Yes, I have A System and I've made several tools out of computer water cooling parts to help.
Cool little device...pretty handy to have around.
*Silverline, cheap and cheerful but usually **-useful-** shite.*
_Does brake fluid carbonate?_
I was wondering if a device like this existed; now that I know it does, I should probably add one to my toolbox. (Yes, I know about brake fluid test strips.) Having a hard-to-press button means it's less likely to be turned on accidentally as it bangs around in a toolbox/chest, so I wonder if that was a design choice or an unplanned feature.
When you bring your car in for brake service and they recommend a fluid flush as an add-on service, water in the fluid is reason why. The last thing you want is water in your brake fluid, it can cause all sorts of problems, including interior rusting/corrosion of brake components. Sometimes shops tack it on simply to make more money, but a routine flush is considered best practice. Every two years is appropriate, but it should also be flushed after any major brake work that requires the master cylinder or lines be exposed to open air.
And I learnt something about brake fluid. 😄👍
0:59NOT *JUST* Dot 4, Most fluids fall into the DOT 3, DOT 4 or DOT 5.1 classification. These fluids are all hygroscopic, which means they absorb moisture from the air. DOT 5 fluids are not hygroscopic but are often used in vehicles that sit for long periods of time, such as collector cars or military vehicles and All DOT compliant fluids must be colorless or amber, except for DOT 5 silicone, which must be purple. (knock-off brands) of brake Fluid not following the DOT standard may be in any color, and generally are not recommended for use.
The "youths" went on a brake fluid spraying spree a couple of years ago in my area, so much damage from a seemingly innocuous liquid.
I own this very handy tool. If I test and the LED is yellow I change the fluid.
Makes sense.
Interesting, might have a weather station for you some time. Take care...
For a second I thought you said vape-fluid tester. 😅
my brake juice boiled on the way to work one day. pedal went all the way to the floor due to the bubbles, and brake disk was glowing cherry red when i arrived at work :)
I wonder if that was a seized caliper that caused excessive binding.
@@bigclivedotcomProbably the boiling water that keeps the pads pressed to the disc?
@@MichielvanderMeulen my old vw camper developed that problem on the offside front wheel, very scary - apply the brakes enough to boil the water, the front left wheel locks up, and fortunately i went into the ditch, not into traffic. problem magically went away, when i got started again, and put me back in the ditch, the next time i hit the brakes. in short, wet brake oil can be deadly.
@@rewIndustry oh no :((
I have one of these. I put it in my beer and it tells me to replace my fluid. So I do that and after a few more beers I stagger home. That’s when I get into trouble.
Interesting, coincidentally, I just picked-up a break fluid tester (make: Parkside - yes Lidl), discounted to £2!
*Seems* to be a little more - err - sophisticated - than yours, with 5 LEDs, indicating 0%, 4%.
I don't think it's going to come apart though - in any way it will function again anyhow. Seems to have welded seams.
It is human to err
The output of the lower comparator will be a PWM signal determined by the battery voltage. Could it be part of a battery check function?
The brake fluid on car paint is decades old. I wonder if it would have an effect on modern two pack clear coat as all modern cars use today?
Very interesting and simple for a brake fluid tester
I guess they just followed the NCP1400A datasheet when the used a Tantalum cap as that is what the datasheet suggests.
Silverline stuff is good enough for normal home use.
yes i remember driving a mini and someone had trown brake fluid all over the car
Does the packaging say what the LED colours refer to? I just do a full fluid swap every 3y or thereabout (sooner if the brakes need work). For the cost of a couple of litres of fluid it's just easier to exchange it, espacially as the water absorption is probably happening all the time (I think).
They give a percentage indication, but yellow is advising new fluid soon and red is definitely changing the fluid.
What,? you didn't keep adding drops of water to the brake fluid to see when it changed to red.
I should have tried that.
I actually use break fluid to remove paint when the underlying material doesn't react well to traditional paint stripper.
old brake fluid and engine oil to assist seized nuts and bolts. Not done it for a long time, so whether it worked or still does, I have no idea.
even dot 3 clive has the same issue i can imagine my 79 toyota truck is likely to send this sensor into fits LOL
It was the hydroscopic properties of dot 3 and dot 4 brake fluid that prompted me to flush the brake fluid on all my vehicles and switch them over to dot 5 brake fluid which is silcone based and non-hydroscopic. It's the moisture that causes calipers and brake cylinders to corrode from the inside and fail. Some of my vehicles have had the same dot 5 brake fluid for 20 years without any problems!
Are the seals compatible? I see no reason to use less than DOT 4 on any vehicle as lower numbers have worse properties and 4 is only a fraction more expensive, but I don't know about the seals.
There's an interesting note that the silicone oil version may not be compatible with some ABS systems
... mmmm... agree with your comments re the button being pressed during operation (@11'ish min) likely being some sort of check / calibration scenario using something other than clean brake fluid.
... I assume the leds don't show any change when u press button while device is being used.
...Maybe its just someone's sense of humor?....fun... thanks for the investigation..
this looks vaguely like a water TDS (total dissolved solids) tester! would be interesting to compare.
Very similar operation, but with a digital display instead.
I just use a voltmeter. Positive tip in the brake fluid, negative to ground (idealy to the body of the cylinder just below the resrvoir). If the voltage is less than 0.3, fluid is okay. No battery or special tester needed! But then... maybe I'm wrong 😮
I'm not sure that would be accurate. But I suppose you could detect a DC resistance.
The problem with a simple resistance check is the voltage being generated (by the galvanic effect?) will affect the resistance reading.
Could you do the same job with a multimetre? Can you make a capacitor using brake fluid?
Liquid resistivity is best measured with AC. You could make a form of resistor with brake fluid.
It would be interesting to see if the £2 ebay version is different 👀
i would guess the gradations on the tube are to indicate how much brake fluid you have displaced. since oil floats on water, do you not have to drive the tip down to the bottom of the reservoir? does hydrated glycol sink in brake oil? i don't know, can only guess. this circuit is very interesting to me, as i am using A/C to indicate salt water levels, having had similar problems with D/C corrupting my probes - thank you for your analysis, very helpful.
interesting to see how it works. I've not come across one before. would it work on wet pants?.
It should work on moist pants.
will it soda stream?.
I thought those were two drams, on the desk.
Could i use my log moisture tester?
You'd have to have a reference value.
Aren't there different types of brake fluid and would be a different resistance?
Most are glycol based and have a high resistance until moisture affects them.
Most cars use DOT4 the other ones are uncommon enough that they can be disregarded for the purposes of this device. Mostly used in race cars which should usually flush the brake system so often that water retention shouldnt be a problem. (That actually is the case for all cars if maintained properly).
@@rimmersbryggeri What mileage do they recommend brake fluid changes or time?
@@tonysheerness2427 Every 2nd year is how often it has been done on all brands I have worked on in a dealership which is about 10. This service point is often overlooked when the vehicle goes out of warranty and only gets "serviced" at quick lube style places (Oil and filter only). This can dramatically shorten the service life of especially calipers/ slave cylinder as the corrosion inhibiters precipitate out and the fluid may also become mildly corrosive from environmental factors. This an draining the radiator are the probably the most ignored service points in older cars both cause simular problems to.
@@tonysheerness2427 If there is significant moisture in the fluid, change it. That is the very reason such diagnostic devices are sold. Frequency depends on the humidity in your normal driving environment, how well the vehicle seals perform and a range of related stuff so checking every 6 months or so is a good idea. If you feel your brakes going mushy, check immediately.
Does this also work for citroen LHM hydraulic fluid which they use for brakes?
No, only for standard DOT1 to DOT4 brake fluids, as those are glycol based. DOT5 fluid is based on silicones, so it will not work with them, though they are also hydrophobic, so water does not mix with them. Hydraulic fluid you have to use either a viscometer or a testing lab, to tell if there are wear particles in it, or if the additive pack is depleted. Easiest is to simply replace it on a regular basis instead, which is cheaper than sending off the sample to test.
If your diagnostic tool tells you your brake fluid is fine, why would you change it? Just asking... Thanks for the video.
I just felt the need to change it anyway.
Most manufacturers recommend changing brake fluid every two years as standard servicing
The tester tells him water hasn't been absorbed in the fluid but that's only one thing. The fluid also serves to mitigate corrosion and is good to replace after a while to flush what it picks up from doing that job out of the system. The fluid I put in my car is clear and will brown over time. It's something like once every year or two I get around to replacing it, not very hard but does need two people to do if you don't have a fancy circulation system to hook up to your car to flush the lines.
Since brake fluid should be flushed every 24 months devices such as this are slightly redundant.
Ah, but will brake fluid carbonate?
Hi, I am in the USA we call silicon integrated circuits, computer "Chips", I heard they are called computer "Crisps" in the UK please confirm
Only when they've been powered with excessive voltage.
Can you boil the fluid 'dry'?
Not easily. Low fluid might indicate a leak somewhere.
Meanwhile, Citroens and their LHM for brakes and suspension hydraulics laugh at DOT4... :P
Kodak batteries - I didn't know that was a thing - I thought the company had died. Assuming this is now just a branding/marketting think? One step down from what Phillips has now become?
Just another zombie brand.
Still bending glass?
Only very badly when I have to.
Now we need to know if brake fluid carbonates....
So, I grab my ohmmeter, stick the probes in the fluid ... 220K and above is good, 150-220K is flakey, and under 150K, it's time for a flush. Sounds a lot better than tasting it... like we used to do in the 70's with that PCB oil.🧐
3% water is the max safe figure...
I have a digital meter that you'd like!? It reads mineral content in water, and tells you how many Parts Per Million (PPM) are in the water.
i.e. My tap water is 305, and filtered water from my Brita is 266. Science Equipment is cool! I love a good cup of hot tea, and the water is key!
Where I live the water is extremely hard, my meter says 650+ coming from the tap. The APEC 5 stage RO filter system I use reduces the PPM to about 3 or 4...big difference and yes it's all about the water.
@@terrym1065 Watch this Water Filter Test. The Zero Water got my water to 0, but it boiled weird and tasted weird, so I went with Brita. ua-cam.com/video/ja0ioX6GSz0/v-deo.html
Does that do anything in real life though?
The brake fluid doesn't circulate in the system, so you're just measuring the reservoir
Moisture tends to distribute through glycol.
You would think if brake fluid gets contained by water. There be a silica desiccant container in the master cylinder.
Skoda did this for a while, but the packs had a habit of breaking down causing issues, so they stopped doing it.
Plus the fluid bonds to the water better than the silica gel does.
@@Growis83 They were putting silica in the coolant header tank not the brake fluid.
@@TomAlter1000 was it? Ooops. Good thing I haven’t tried replacing the brake fluid in it yet then!
@@Growis83 Haha, yes 🙂
Funny as you stuck it in to brake fluid. I got a very strong smell of brake fluid. Mmm strange 🤔
if there is any question about the age of brake fluid or if it has water contamination, don't use a sensor. Just change the fluid.
Isn't it much simpler to measure the conductivity using a multimeter and a custom probe ? You can compare the reading to a test chart.
The DC is an issue for testing liquids.
Got it. How about trying a water quality tester. It's cheap. Just a thought
@@handyman7147 or a radio frequency standing wave ratio meter
that looks ridiculously more complicated than it needs to be. Much more complex than the circuit continuity tester you looked at before. The clear blue screwdrivery looking thing.
it is not easy detecting moisture accurately and reliably, or how would you do it?
@@rewIndustry it's three LED indicators. It's not that accurate.
Yeah, thats what i thought. It has a microcontroller on it ffs. Come on! But then, if the chinese can make it so cheap, why worry.
@@Alacritous water in brake oil can be dangerous, even deadly, one should expect the indicators to be accurate, and reliable. again i ask - how would you simplify?
@@rewIndustry Are you simple?