I don't know why I have to resort to “Social Media”. We use heat guns in electronics and other things. this took is way more than a heat gun.
The Steinel heat tools are probably the most sophisticated available. They can do a lot and have various nozzles available. They can be totally temperature controlled with an LCD display. This one even has a laser sighted temperature sensor.
I bought the HD 2520E KE US with 3 attachments and one tool:
1. 09221 A reducer nozzle. I felt that that might be a good nozzle for pre-heating a PCB
2. 110038670 A perforated flat nozzle. I have a flat section of plastic to fix.
3. 11000338726, A reflector nozzle good for heat shrink
4. And a Teflon (PTFE) roller. Not an attachment, but a tool.
Here's a line-up in their catalog https://www.alliedelec.com/m/d/7e6bd326efa43c15033955b54a8a32c4.pdf
Support for an obvious defect did not go well.
First, there was a communication issue. I asked for support, but instead of a reply, it hit the circular file. Support needs to go through the retailer first.
I had to use it, so I got a machine screw and nut. I checked the machine to make sure it worked, but did not check the attachements. Next, I didn't realize what the problem was until I got it back.
The attachments are held on via an insert nut and a M4x0.7 screw and an insert nut which fixes the nut to the attachment.
Steinel “fixed it” with the same broken design as the original although it appears like the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.
An insert nut has a particular panel thickness that it works with. Each nozzle that I bought has a “different thickness” and two different screw heads.
In two cases, it's a combo head Phillips/slotted which is not a bad idea. In the other case, a Posidriv screw. Who even knows what a Pozidriv screw is? You have to have the right screwdriver for cross point screws. They might as well make it Torx.
In any event, if you loosen the screw and top on the head lightly, the insert nut falls out on the perforated flat nozzle that I bought. This should not happen.
I received the nozzle with the loose parts in the bag and promptly lost the screw and brass insert nut.
I put together a number of pictures and there is the poorly engineered one. This has a 1.4 mm thickness. There is another with a 1.4mm thickness, but the nut is silver. It's mangled to fit as though it's placed before welding. It does not come out. Then there is a nozzle with a thin piece of metal with the right size insert nut.
The larger thickness is probably a good idea, but when you do that, the insert nuts don't work.
I had to take matters into my own hands and fix this faulty “German engineering”. I could not find a compatible insert nut, but I had a rivet nut tool, but not the M4 mandrel and nose piece.
Mr. R. S. of Sentinel Technical support did not follow through. A call and email got no response.
Just like everyone else these days, they are just “doing their job”.
It's great to work with companies that want to fix their stuff.
I asked a company what is a 10A rectifier doing in a 40 Amp power supply? We had a really good relationship and they re-engineered the power supply with a new rectifier and power transformer and fixed it for free.
In another case, a MAJOR instrument manufacturer didn't believe me at first that theor brand noe electrometer was putting out 200 V spikes when it changed ranges and it was destroying our devices. They had a temporary fix that crippled the instrument but worked for us within a week. They engineered a fix and fixed it for free.
We had the same problem with a software manufacturer. Their software would not work on one model of the Macintosh computer. They sent us a special debug version and eventually fixed the problem.
That's what I like to see.
Someone is a little stuck up at Steinel to do that.
Hole dimensions are critical to use the rivet nuts. I think the hole was 6.4mm. I was left with a stainless plated insert nut that required a 6.8mm hole.
It does take some effort to fix, but it's probably better than their solution. It's not a cheap fix, if you don't have the tool. You bend the tab away and drill a 6.8 mm hole for the required 6.8mm hole size for the particular nut. You insert the rivet nut and make the tap and clearance hole meet. You do things a little different, and insert the mandrel through the clearance hole and attach it to the rivet nut and set it.
I'll add a small amount of anti-sieze to the threads and I should be good to go.
Below is some pictures. Look at the material thickness where the insert nut attaches, the types of screws used and the firmness of the attachments.
it's not consistant and some methods just don't work.
I don't know why Steinel doesn't care?
PS: I have no idea why, the case people can't design a case to accommodate the cord properly.
The Steinel heat tools are probably the most sophisticated available. They can do a lot and have various nozzles available. They can be totally temperature controlled with an LCD display. This one even has a laser sighted temperature sensor.
I bought the HD 2520E KE US with 3 attachments and one tool:
1. 09221 A reducer nozzle. I felt that that might be a good nozzle for pre-heating a PCB
2. 110038670 A perforated flat nozzle. I have a flat section of plastic to fix.
3. 11000338726, A reflector nozzle good for heat shrink
4. And a Teflon (PTFE) roller. Not an attachment, but a tool.
Here's a line-up in their catalog https://www.alliedelec.com/m/d/7e6bd326efa43c15033955b54a8a32c4.pdf
Support for an obvious defect did not go well.
First, there was a communication issue. I asked for support, but instead of a reply, it hit the circular file. Support needs to go through the retailer first.
I had to use it, so I got a machine screw and nut. I checked the machine to make sure it worked, but did not check the attachements. Next, I didn't realize what the problem was until I got it back.
The attachments are held on via an insert nut and a M4x0.7 screw and an insert nut which fixes the nut to the attachment.
Steinel “fixed it” with the same broken design as the original although it appears like the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.
An insert nut has a particular panel thickness that it works with. Each nozzle that I bought has a “different thickness” and two different screw heads.
In two cases, it's a combo head Phillips/slotted which is not a bad idea. In the other case, a Posidriv screw. Who even knows what a Pozidriv screw is? You have to have the right screwdriver for cross point screws. They might as well make it Torx.
In any event, if you loosen the screw and top on the head lightly, the insert nut falls out on the perforated flat nozzle that I bought. This should not happen.
I received the nozzle with the loose parts in the bag and promptly lost the screw and brass insert nut.
I put together a number of pictures and there is the poorly engineered one. This has a 1.4 mm thickness. There is another with a 1.4mm thickness, but the nut is silver. It's mangled to fit as though it's placed before welding. It does not come out. Then there is a nozzle with a thin piece of metal with the right size insert nut.
The larger thickness is probably a good idea, but when you do that, the insert nuts don't work.
I had to take matters into my own hands and fix this faulty “German engineering”. I could not find a compatible insert nut, but I had a rivet nut tool, but not the M4 mandrel and nose piece.
Mr. R. S. of Sentinel Technical support did not follow through. A call and email got no response.
Just like everyone else these days, they are just “doing their job”.
It's great to work with companies that want to fix their stuff.
I asked a company what is a 10A rectifier doing in a 40 Amp power supply? We had a really good relationship and they re-engineered the power supply with a new rectifier and power transformer and fixed it for free.
In another case, a MAJOR instrument manufacturer didn't believe me at first that theor brand noe electrometer was putting out 200 V spikes when it changed ranges and it was destroying our devices. They had a temporary fix that crippled the instrument but worked for us within a week. They engineered a fix and fixed it for free.
We had the same problem with a software manufacturer. Their software would not work on one model of the Macintosh computer. They sent us a special debug version and eventually fixed the problem.
That's what I like to see.
Someone is a little stuck up at Steinel to do that.
Hole dimensions are critical to use the rivet nuts. I think the hole was 6.4mm. I was left with a stainless plated insert nut that required a 6.8mm hole.
It does take some effort to fix, but it's probably better than their solution. It's not a cheap fix, if you don't have the tool. You bend the tab away and drill a 6.8 mm hole for the required 6.8mm hole size for the particular nut. You insert the rivet nut and make the tap and clearance hole meet. You do things a little different, and insert the mandrel through the clearance hole and attach it to the rivet nut and set it.
I'll add a small amount of anti-sieze to the threads and I should be good to go.
Below is some pictures. Look at the material thickness where the insert nut attaches, the types of screws used and the firmness of the attachments.
it's not consistant and some methods just don't work.
I don't know why Steinel doesn't care?
PS: I have no idea why, the case people can't design a case to accommodate the cord properly.
