My friend had EXACTLY the same problem with DFS. It took ages for it to be delivered in the first place, and then ages for them to come out and sort it when it broke. I think that DFS stands for Deliver Fucked Sofa.
It did stop, but the motor was still drawing (max) current. Stall current is the maximum current drawn, when the motor is applying its maximum torque, either because it is being prevented from moving entirely or because it can no longer accelerate given the load it is under.
14:39 If you have bypassed the switch, the motor will continue to push even if it does not move if the button is pressed. If the button is pressed for too long, such as by a child, there is a risk of fire as the motor will heat up.
Hi Steve, the micro switches are there to stop current draw at the end stops. Without them, the motor will continue to draw current at the end stop and will essentially be a heater. This is likely only an issue if the end user switch is held in position, but it’s something to consider. Don’t want you burning your house down
2 diodes and 2 micro switches. diodes are placed so that when reaching the end switch by reversing the polarity to travel back the diode will conduct and only stop when the second switch will be triggered. The linear actuator will pull maybe to much current when not stopped by the end switches and may overheat or something.
This thing where a tiny little part breaks the whole thing reminds me of a fix needed for my 2008 Jeep Wrangler several years ago. I had one of my windshield wipers stop working and needed a new $325 wiper motor to fix it. But in reality, the only thing broken was a dirt cheap plastic grommet. He said that over 10 years ago he could have just replaced the grommet. No luck by the time my Jeep was out as he couldn't even get the tiny part to pop in. So yeah, I got a new motor like you did (and not free for me). But great on you that you could fix yours!
Wow, that's pretty crazy. It just seems so wasteful, but it's obviously better for the service company to just swap things out and move on to the next one. Not good when you have to foot the bill though!
@@StezStixFix I didn't fault the garage as they were awesome. It was just the parts availability and the design of the motor. My mechanic was really bummed for me that he couldn't do the cheap fix for me anymore.
Could be more wasteful, there are cars out there you can't even change a simple lightbulb if it's broken. You can however buy a new light unit for about 1000-1500 bucks. Getting ridiculous these days.
i'm pretty sure it's the extending side switch that failed. The motor stopped because you literally hit end of travel. And those ARE diodes, so that the switch that is relevant to the travel direction is able to shut off the motor while the other switch gets bypassed by its diode.
That is technically called a limit switch, a form of microswitch. More specifically it is a normally open limit switch. When the switch is pressed in, the circuit is closed allowing current to flow through. When the switch is out or released, it opens the circuit, keeping current from flowing through. They are VERY common in the industrial world. Most replacements will have 3 terminals on them, so you can wire them "N.O." (normally open) or "N.C." (normally closed).
" More specifically it is a normally open limit switch. When the switch is pressed in, the circuit is closed allowing current to flow through. When the switch is out or released, it opens the circuit, keeping current from flowing through." It's the exact opposite; limit switches tend to break a contact when the limit is reached, for obvious reasons :-)
Recently my Secretlab had one of the wheel pegs lodged in the socket, and I couldn't get it out. So they replaced the whole bottom half of the chair. Over a small bit of stuck plastic.
Those diodes are flyback diodes. This stops high current backfeed to the electronics, which can destroy them. These are used in other switches like relays. The reason the endstop worked is when moving the actuator arm in, it hit the working endstop - try extenting the actuator arm out - it won't stop ;) BTW - that plastic rail looks a bit like the trims you can get from home diy shops (B&Q or ironmongery shops) maybe a similar sized one could be a replacement?
The micro switch it to keep the motor from burning out when it stalls at end of travel. You might be able to replace the melted plastic bit with a long thin bit of pcb, from one of the many pcb vendors that haunt youtube.
The parts that fell out of the switch looked burned to me. It could be that the switch failed because of a failing (const open) recovery diode, causing the currents to discharge from the motor coil over the microswitch.
I bet in the outward direction, the current shot right up when it reached the end of travel and the windings started to get hot. Those components on the back of the switches are diodes to prevent current flowing back. They’re oriented in such a way that allows the motor to only reverse when the limit switch is opened. E.g. for the extension limit switch, the motor can always be moved in the retraction direction regardless of the switch state because the diode bypasses the switch for current in that direction. It’s a bit of an odd design, it seems like it’d be easier for the power to go directly to the switch board then only the switch board plugs into the motor unit. Maybe they’ve done it this way because it’s something to do with modularity between models.
LP stands for Legget and Platt. While I appreciate it would be cheaper to replace the part, the cost of the time taken to diagnose then fix the problem usually out weighs the time to just replace a whole motor that are bought in bulk and easily replaced.
Nice wall paper steve and this is a first that its both a fail and successful fix from what i know basically the switch is not fixable but you can simply replace it and it will work again
You could also do an upgrade by running wires from the micro switches to, two 12V 30A Auto-Relays, then the micro switches will be only passing milliamps instead of the 5+ Amps that they are passing now.
@JonSauter Well, you could. It would develop an unplesant odor, but it would work just fine. I was leaning more toward a mineral grease, but if you don't mind the smell of rancid fat, then go ahead.
Maybe 3D print a new rail or find something similar - maybe some kind of plastic decorating edging. Not sure how you'll get those components off without causing more melting of the plastic. Clearly not made with repairability in mind! Great video though. Shows how an expensive part can be tested, and repaired if the time and effort is put into it!
The lid of a plastic cable channel should fit, but you'd have to solder the components on that one too, so you'd melt it anyways. And it seems to still work, even partially melted, so not sure if it has to be replaced.
Hi steve I love your videos and watch all the time. Imo I think the switch is there to cut current flow so without it you will always have a steady current flow. And you also forgot to say "stupid switch". 😂
Thanks for all of your videos ! No sure about the default-activated computerised audio translations. I love your original voicie and would rather have these translations optionnal when I look at one of your videos 🤔(french)
My dad bought a set and each had a remote that plugged in, every single remote broke in the first few months and the prices on replacements for a two button switch with wires and a proprietary plug was kind of outrageous I think like 50 quid for one. So yeah Id suggest avoiding any with those wired remotes. He got the whole thing switched to one with actual built in buttons and they have been OK as far as I know.
This is why I absolutely adore your channel Steve because you never know what you’re going to have a go at fixing it’s a surprise every week great work mate
LOL it stopped on its own, what's the point of the micro switch then? Maybe to avoid burning the motor? Because no movement means all the power (12V times the amps) goes into turning your little motor into a nice portable heater, albeit with a shorter life span than a proper radiator :)
It's crazy that these companies will choose the cheapest switches for these things that will fail much sooner than the part that would cost them $0.032 cents more per. The race to cheapen already cheap parts is stupid.
I very wrongly said last year or could have been the year before that My Mate Vince was better, well I have to take that back, I love the channel, even the cheesy song at the start 😁
Those 2 components must be diodes. So when it comes to the end of travel the microswitch opens when depressed and cuts the power and because the diode is REVERSE biased no current flows so the motor stops.. However, when you reverse the POWER to the circuit, current flows through the diode and drives the motor back to the other end. Once it reaches the other end, the other switch opens and cuts off the power and this diode is the opposite way around to the first one so again no curent flows. Rinse and repeat. Quite a clever idea. At least you have a working motor to keep for a spare or sell on eBay! There seems to be a small amount of space so you could repair the plastic with epoxy after replacing the switch or it looks a bit like the cover off a piece of wiring conduit - perhaps you could remake it??.
using microswitches like that as an integral sensor is just asking for trouble. They should have used piezoelectric pressure sensors. Those are much easier to mount, far less likely to fail, and gives more granular data than just an on/off signal like a switch.
the head on my vacuum stopped turning yesterday. it ended up only being a plastic gear, but to get the gear you have to buy a new motor. only $40 but still, I should be able to buy the cheap plastic gear.
Just to let u know all motor powered furniture gets a minimal test upon its manufactured date. After that its placed in a box assumed functional and ready for shipment.. so technically its an odds game how many can u sell that actually work compared to those that fail and the warranty is barely enforced and its pushed so far back...
Perhaps a known fault and they would have fixed it later for another customer. Maybe you could check your new one to see if it had been fixed prior. Could be interesting .
I have a single chair like that and it has a usb charging port and if a phone is plugged in it shorts the microcontroller and bricks the chair. I’ve had 2 replaced. lol.
Yeah, the engineer said that they do around 30 of these a year, just swapping out the motors. It seems no-one is interested in why they fail. It's just easier and quicker to swap out the whole thing!
@@acidhelm That sounds to me like the company would not care because you are doing them a favour. I can take a 20 year old Dell computer to Dell and they MUST take it and recycle it. Samsung phone? Same! You name the brand, they must deal with their electrical waste. A lot of these companies therefore subcontract other companies to deal with this. It's part of the EUs WEEE policy. Customer wants the old junk? Great, keep it! 😄
Got to love how we deal with this, don't you? "Tiny £0.2 component has failed - let's replace the entire thing, and throw the old one out - Repairing it is out of the question." Earth can take another one for the team, is cool. And another, and another.
Such an underrated channel. Easily worth 500k subs. Excellent production quality and very entertaining.
He does a really, really good job, doesn't he?
Sofa, so good.
My friend had EXACTLY the same problem with DFS. It took ages for it to be delivered in the first place, and then ages for them to come out and sort it when it broke.
I think that DFS stands for Deliver Fucked Sofa.
I rember the company MFI - Manufactured For Idiots.
Aww, there goes the molten plastic counter, and it wasn't even with the hot air! Nice to see the innards of this thing though. Fairly simple.
That is some Epic wallpaper!
It did stop, but the motor was still drawing (max) current. Stall current is the maximum current drawn, when the motor is applying its maximum torque, either because it is being prevented from moving entirely or because it can no longer accelerate given the load it is under.
14:39 If you have bypassed the switch, the motor will continue to push even if it does not move if the button is pressed. If the button is pressed for too long, such as by a child, there is a risk of fire as the motor will heat up.
Hi Steve, the micro switches are there to stop current draw at the end stops. Without them, the motor will continue to draw current at the end stop and will essentially be a heater. This is likely only an issue if the end user switch is held in position, but it’s something to consider. Don’t want you burning your house down
I get these things in at my work all the time
2 diodes and 2 micro switches. diodes are placed so that when reaching the end switch by reversing the polarity to travel back the diode will conduct and only stop when the second switch will be triggered. The linear actuator will pull maybe to much current when not stopped by the end switches and may overheat or something.
But it only worked once! I think it was just a mechanical failure
This thing where a tiny little part breaks the whole thing reminds me of a fix needed for my 2008 Jeep Wrangler several years ago. I had one of my windshield wipers stop working and needed a new $325 wiper motor to fix it. But in reality, the only thing broken was a dirt cheap plastic grommet. He said that over 10 years ago he could have just replaced the grommet. No luck by the time my Jeep was out as he couldn't even get the tiny part to pop in. So yeah, I got a new motor like you did (and not free for me). But great on you that you could fix yours!
Wow, that's pretty crazy. It just seems so wasteful, but it's obviously better for the service company to just swap things out and move on to the next one. Not good when you have to foot the bill though!
@@StezStixFix I didn't fault the garage as they were awesome. It was just the parts availability and the design of the motor. My mechanic was really bummed for me that he couldn't do the cheap fix for me anymore.
Could be more wasteful, there are cars out there you can't even change a simple lightbulb if it's broken.
You can however buy a new light unit for about 1000-1500 bucks.
Getting ridiculous these days.
Yall should get 3D printers! They help tremendously fixing broken plastic stuff
Loving the wallpaper. Reclining couches always break by the way.
Ah, that'll be the coach where you do your daily re-enactments of The Royle Family episodes.
i'm pretty sure it's the extending side switch that failed. The motor stopped because you literally hit end of travel. And those ARE diodes, so that the switch that is relevant to the travel direction is able to shut off the motor while the other switch gets bypassed by its diode.
Those switches are very common in sat dishes actuators with their diodes. Mostly NC and open when their little button pushed.
That is technically called a limit switch, a form of microswitch. More specifically it is a normally open limit switch. When the switch is pressed in, the circuit is closed allowing current to flow through. When the switch is out or released, it opens the circuit, keeping current from flowing through. They are VERY common in the industrial world. Most replacements will have 3 terminals on them, so you can wire them "N.O." (normally open) or "N.C." (normally closed).
" More specifically it is a normally open limit switch. When the switch is pressed in, the circuit is closed allowing current to flow through. When the switch is out or released, it opens the circuit, keeping current from flowing through."
It's the exact opposite; limit switches tend to break a contact when the limit is reached, for obvious reasons :-)
Recently my Secretlab had one of the wheel pegs lodged in the socket, and I couldn't get it out. So they replaced the whole bottom half of the chair. Over a small bit of stuck plastic.
Those diodes are flyback diodes. This stops high current backfeed to the electronics, which can destroy them. These are used in other switches like relays.
The reason the endstop worked is when moving the actuator arm in, it hit the working endstop - try extenting the actuator arm out - it won't stop ;)
BTW - that plastic rail looks a bit like the trims you can get from home diy shops (B&Q or ironmongery shops) maybe a similar sized one could be a replacement?
The micro switch it to keep the motor from burning out when it stalls at end of travel. You might be able to replace the melted plastic bit with a long thin bit of pcb, from one of the many pcb vendors that haunt youtube.
best shirt you have worn ever!
The parts that fell out of the switch looked burned to me. It could be that the switch failed because of a failing (const open) recovery diode, causing the currents to discharge from the motor coil over the microswitch.
I bet in the outward direction, the current shot right up when it reached the end of travel and the windings started to get hot.
Those components on the back of the switches are diodes to prevent current flowing back. They’re oriented in such a way that allows the motor to only reverse when the limit switch is opened. E.g. for the extension limit switch, the motor can always be moved in the retraction direction regardless of the switch state because the diode bypasses the switch for current in that direction.
It’s a bit of an odd design, it seems like it’d be easier for the power to go directly to the switch board then only the switch board plugs into the motor unit. Maybe they’ve done it this way because it’s something to do with modularity between models.
I'm glad to see your channel growing my dude! Came a long way since finding Dave the legend! Lol
LP stands for Legget and Platt. While I appreciate it would be cheaper to replace the part, the cost of the time taken to diagnose then fix the problem usually out weighs the time to just replace a whole motor that are bought in bulk and easily replaced.
Nice wall paper steve
and this is a first that its both a fail and successful fix from what i know
basically the switch is not fixable but you can simply replace it and it will work again
Nice fix Steve shame about your plastic counter 😊
The sofa king!
Sofa king cool 😂
Now! Thats some wallpaper
You could also do an upgrade by running wires from the micro switches to, two 12V 30A Auto-Relays, then the micro switches will be only passing milliamps instead of the 5+ Amps that they are passing now.
Best wallpaper ever!!
Had to go back and check it out again.
The answer to the question nobody cares about is Direct Furnishing Supplies.
That's preferable to Indirect Furnishing Supplies.
Barbie Steve,... . . chuckles & bubbles from my Snozzle 👍
Nice wallpaper Steve
Maybe in the end of the video the motor didnt stop but got blocked by the gears, and the switch is to cut the power to it?
I think so a well. And the component under the switches are diodes, so the power can go through to reverse the thing
When you put the new microswitch in replace the grease that was removed. It doesn't really matter what kind you use.
Bacon?
@JonSauter Well, you could. It would develop an unplesant odor, but it would work just fine. I was leaning more toward a mineral grease, but if you don't mind the smell of rancid fat, then go ahead.
That come come Barbie was better than the entire video I guess 😅😅😅
FDS. fix done, Steve!
Another ending credits banger! When is the album going to be released?
Maybe 3D print a new rail or find something similar - maybe some kind of plastic decorating edging. Not sure how you'll get those components off without causing more melting of the plastic. Clearly not made with repairability in mind! Great video though. Shows how an expensive part can be tested, and repaired if the time and effort is put into it!
The lid of a plastic cable channel should fit, but you'd have to solder the components on that one too, so you'd melt it anyways. And it seems to still work, even partially melted, so not sure if it has to be replaced.
Outro song is totally a "Best of StezStix Fix"
Hi steve I love your videos and watch all the time. Imo I think the switch is there to cut current flow so without it you will always have a steady current flow. And you also forgot to say "stupid switch". 😂
Great title to see when you're expecting 2 new sofas from DFS any day now 😂😂
PURE
Ours also failed after a couple of days, they came out and swapped it.
There must be a proximity switch in the long thing. So in and out extremes cannot go beyond.
Thanks for all of your videos ! No sure about the default-activated computerised audio translations. I love your original voicie and would rather have these translations optionnal when I look at one of your videos 🤔(french)
My dad bought a set and each had a remote that plugged in, every single remote broke in the first few months and the prices on replacements for a two button switch with wires and a proprietary plug was kind of outrageous I think like 50 quid for one.
So yeah Id suggest avoiding any with those wired remotes. He got the whole thing switched to one with actual built in buttons and they have been OK as far as I know.
Canada 🇨🇦 Shirt . Whoop whoop . 😊
This is why I absolutely adore your channel Steve because you never know what you’re going to have a go at fixing it’s a surprise every week great work mate
And that he is a Barbie girl.
@@Billis75 lol
These good for mini shredders
LOL it stopped on its own, what's the point of the micro switch then?
Maybe to avoid burning the motor? Because no movement means all the power (12V times the amps) goes into turning your little motor into a nice portable heater, albeit with a shorter life span than a proper radiator :)
It's crazy that these companies will choose the cheapest switches for these things that will fail much sooner than the part that would cost them $0.032 cents more per. The race to cheapen already cheap parts is stupid.
The music… 😂 my fat ass thought the ice cream van was outside.
9:27 The old way of desoldering.
Heat the tin and quickly hit the table with the switch. The tin will fall off.
I very wrongly said last year or could have been the year before that My Mate Vince was better, well I have to take that back, I love the channel, even the cheesy song at the start 😁
That is awesome wallpaper, where did it come from? Want!
Ours literally broke the day it came lol glad you were able to fix it!
Those 2 components must be diodes. So when it comes to the end of travel the microswitch opens when depressed and cuts the power and because the diode is REVERSE biased no current flows so the motor stops.. However, when you reverse the POWER to the circuit, current flows through the diode and drives the motor back to the other end. Once it reaches the other end, the other switch opens and cuts off the power and this diode is the opposite way around to the first one so again no curent flows. Rinse and repeat. Quite a clever idea. At least you have a working motor to keep for a spare or sell on eBay! There seems to be a small amount of space so you could repair the plastic with epoxy after replacing the switch or it looks a bit like the cover off a piece of wiring conduit - perhaps you could remake it??.
It's quite a clever little circuit; using a diode to act as a switch when the actual switch is in the open position.
Fitting end song 😂😂
using microswitches like that as an integral sensor is just asking for trouble. They should have used piezoelectric pressure sensors. Those are much easier to mount, far less likely to fail, and gives more granular data than just an on/off signal like a switch.
Can I ask were did you get the replacement switch from
My favourite rapper of all time- bar none
2:06 I'm an idiot too, but the lower the voltage, the higher the current consumption, go figure what happened...
A lot of this type of furniture seems to be made in the far east and is pretty poorly made, but shops charge astronomical prices for it.
It would be really cool if you made a wall mounted table with that arm that lifted up and went back down with a button.
the head on my vacuum stopped turning yesterday. it ended up only being a plastic gear, but to get the gear you have to buy a new motor. only $40 but still, I should be able to buy the cheap plastic gear.
Save the actuator for a Halloween prop...LOL
After the first day?? I’d be going back and showing them.
I think what happened was that tiny metal in that tiny switch couldn't handle the current from the motor and blew like a fuse
For a professional motor, inside a chair, should the power connectors not be properly crimped?
Direct Furniture Supplies, if I remember correctly. They're now "DFS Furniture" so "Direct Furniture Supplies Furniture"
COME ON BARBY LETS GO PARTY
Nice
Just to let u know all motor powered furniture gets a minimal test upon its manufactured date. After that its placed in a box assumed functional and ready for shipment.. so technically its an odds game how many can u sell that actually work compared to those that fail and the warranty is barely enforced and its pushed so far back...
That wallpaper 😂
It probably stopped because it physically hit the end. Without the microswitch it would continuously get power to the motor and eventually burn it up.
Perhaps a known fault and they would have fixed it later for another customer. Maybe you could check your new one to see if it had been fixed prior. Could be interesting .
It’s sofa king great
They should have used a smart motor that senses current. No switches necessary and more reliable. That is how car windows work.
You lifted that effortlessly considering it's 100 pounds.
I thought it was Nokeric from the thumbnail! 😂
15:04 LMAO
Haha. you overloaded it and made switch contacts explode😂
I have a single chair like that and it has a usb charging port and if a phone is plugged in it shorts the microcontroller and bricks the chair. I’ve had 2 replaced. lol.
hi here is a like and a comment thank you I'm doing my one job on you tube
Porque esta en español? me gusta verlo en ingles
Yep, so common, a 2 cents part to brick a thousand dollars sofa.
I so wish I could play StezStix Barbie Girl at the bar/pub.
Interesting that they don't go anything to repair or RMA parts like motors (and were offered you the old part)..
Yeah, the engineer said that they do around 30 of these a year, just swapping out the motors. It seems no-one is interested in why they fail. It's just easier and quicker to swap out the whole thing!
Where I live, the customer has the right to keep any parts that were removed, so maybe it's a similar situation in the UK.
@@acidhelm That sounds to me like the company would not care because you are doing them a favour. I can take a 20 year old Dell computer to Dell and they MUST take it and recycle it. Samsung phone? Same! You name the brand, they must deal with their electrical waste. A lot of these companies therefore subcontract other companies to deal with this. It's part of the EUs WEEE policy. Customer wants the old junk? Great, keep it! 😄
Can we please have a full length barbie girl cover? Thx.
"Carcroft, Brigg, Thorp Arch and Hull"
holy shit the outro got me dying!
Got to love how we deal with this, don't you?
"Tiny £0.2 component has failed - let's replace the entire thing, and throw the old one out - Repairing it is out of the question."
Earth can take another one for the team, is cool. And another, and another.
Come on, Barbie, let's go party.
Lmao the song at the end 🤣
the video started with some ai translated audio and i was confused for a sec... xD
I won't mention the Pawnhub videos that feature a similar but more energetic actuator..... 🤔
Those switches should be much more robust... It's almost like it's designed to fail
It does make you wonder how many 10s of billions is wasted on components, because the policy has become just replace the entire thing.
I used to deliver DFS sofas. I've seen inside them, i'd never buy one for 10% of the retail price.