PeterW
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Post by PeterW on Oct 1, 2006 12:37:27 GMT -5
I see there are a number of cheap ultrasonic cleaners offered on evilbay. They're about a third or less of the price for stainless steel cleaners and originate in the far East. They look like some sort of ultrasonic generating head standing on top of a plastic bucket .
Has anybody tried one, or know of anyone who has?
PeterW
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Post by John Parry on Oct 1, 2006 13:07:37 GMT -5
Hi Peter,
Yes, did quite a bit of experimenting while out in Saudi Arabia. We were trying to find a solution to the problem of every smoke detector for miles around activating during a sandstorm. (Couldn't do anything about the activation, but how to clean them out afterwards).
It really depends what you are trying to clean. Our difficulty was with the solvent used. Distilled water was useless with any electronics, as it rapidly became conductive. The other issue was the solvent's reaction with the plastic housings - any aggressive solvent just melted them. CTC turned out to be good, but by that time we couldn't obtain it in quantity. We ended up using a CTC derivative - but we only treated the ones that still gave trouble after drying them and using a powerful vacuum cleaner. Conclusion: Probably more trouble than it was worth.
ps This unit comprised a stainless steel bath about 300mm square. In the base was a large thermionic valve which drove a transducer that in turn induced the vibration. They may have come on since then!
Regards - John
pps We had a lot of trouble with bats around that time....
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Post by wolves3012 on Oct 3, 2006 16:27:36 GMT -5
I see there are a number of cheap ultrasonic cleaners offered on evilbay. They're about a third or less of the price for stainless steel cleaners and originate in the far East. They look like some sort of ultrasonic generating head standing on top of a plastic bucket . Has anybody tried one, or know of anyone who has? PeterW On the general principle of "you get what you pay for" I'd be wary. I don't mind paying more for something better, unless it's something so cheap I can afford to throw it away if it turns out to be rubbish. I've bought cheap tools in the past and sometimes found them to be excellent for DIY use, as opposed to "heavy use". I've also bought cheap tools that turned out poor too, so I tend to pick things at a price dependant on my intended use. I wouldn't buy a cheap caliper, for instance, because it's a precision instrument where quality doesn't come cheaply. I'd buy a cheap spanner for that once-in-50,000 mile adjustment on the car, however. If it breaks after 2 uses, I've got the next 50,000 miles to worry about a replacement... Just my thoughts & ramblings! |
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