Let's take a look at this very interesting device: I got off eBay I was looking for the silica gel dehumidifiers that you can recharge by heating them to drive the moisture back out and I found this very interesting device by Premier and uh, this can go on top. It's got a port here. it puts out hot air and you can either put this port on and then stick it into your shoes so that it blows the hot ear into the shoes. or if you've been using these cart and they've absorbed a lot of moisture, you can simply sit them on top of the unit and when turned on and I'll click the Switch here.

it makes a whining noise and it blows warm air through this and over the course of like two or so hours, it basically drives all the moisture out and it's ready to use again. So I thought it would be interesting to open up. I shall also open this cartridge up to see the construction. but I know from previous experience that when I do that, the silica gel is going to go everywhere.

but that's just what happens. The power rating of this incidentally is, um, it says in the bottom here it's 68 wat and I thought it was going to be using a PTC heat helit the self-regulating one. but I think it's just a standard heating element in here because when I turned it on initially, you got that smell of the hot oil that comes off new heating elements. So because this has got quite deep screws up out the way, I'm going to, uh, use this modified Vde not compliant anymore screwdriver to take the screws out because uh, well.

MD Who works in maintenance will know that although you get the super thin shaft drivers, uh, the plastic sleeving isn't always ideal. Sometimes you have to trim it back to actually gain access to where you need to gain access to. This unit was surprisingly cheap, in fact, too cheaper. I'm wondering if it was being sold off because uh, it was about 16 quids shipped.

I Think which is low: Is this switch going to pop out as well? Or is this glued in? It might be glued in. It's glued in hot milk glued right? That can stay there. Things I'm seeing: I'm seeing a little switch W Power supply and that may be driving this little fan right? What needs to come out now? Uh, there's a little indicator LED probably being powered from the 12v purse Supply I' guess then there's a few screws holding the heater module on. So let's get these screws out and open this up and see what there is.

It's black, very black with a white background. That doesn't really help much I'll Zoom down a little bit. So here is screw three, which should release everything it is. In fact, it's releasing the power supply as well because it's all on there as well.

Ooh what's this, What have they got in here? So this is just this Topit that's just come off. Is the power supply and fan? Is that actually just a? Is that just a PTC on it? It looks like it might well be. Hold on. Is this bit going to come out? I've never seen one like that before.

If it is assuming it is I was looking down from the end. this is not coming out. Why is this not coming out? Oh the whole gray thing looks as though it comes out. or is it Maybe not.

Maybe I'm doing this wrong. No, that's not come out. it's it's only gone gone so far. and it is the plastic in the top that is kind of fing it.

I Shall use brute force and ignorance. Uh, it worked. No. Is this.

there's a thermal fuse stuck in the side here? Then there's this down here. But what holds this in and what is it? is this a PTC Heil Uh I'm not sure how easy it's going to be to get out. It may take a while I may damage it in the process, which would be a shame. it really is jammed in there, you know? I Think this is a PTC heat hel.

but it's actually one that the air flows through the element itself. It's not like the traditional PTC element where it's just a sandwiched in between fins. It looks as though it's actually got the metallization on one side. Well, I shall explore that more.

but let's take a look at. uh. this. This is just a standard power supply.

We've got the uh, it's not going to come out, Is it? No, it's not going to come out. What's holding that in? It's all very well put together, isn't it? Let's unplug this. which I' guess is the AC in God It's really not coming out. This is very frustrating.

How have they clipped that in? there? it goes. Bridge Rack far. uh, smoothing capacitor and filing. Uh, there's the little switch mode chip.

Oh, if they rub the number off that, oh, they've not rubbed the number off it. It's all right. This could be hold a charge, but it isn't. Now it looks as though it could be a BP chip.

This is just steaming up with excitement. Can't read that? I should make a note of it though. Um, but that is a little switch mode chip with built- on feedback. um with its little par PL capacitor there and then the coupling across and then the rectifier, the the little load resistor and then uh, the smoothing capacitor, then heading off to the fan right here.

Tell you what? I'll put this stuff out the way at the moment I shall explore that and um if I don't revisit it in this video, I'll revisit I'll actually give a description of what I found uh afterwards in the uh description of the video. but I shall put this to the side at the moment I shall put all these screws to the side as well. That's odd. I've never seen the PTC therm in that configuration.

That's very interesting. a very efficient way of getting heat out a small area but I Kind of restricted air in and it didn't seem to go down in power. it might by quite high temperature r or is it just fixed resistance I didn't really see anything H to regulate that any further. Strange.

I'm not sure if I should be doing this. Maybe I'm supposed to take the endcaps off first, but you know there's only one way to find out and that is to just basically take all the screws out and see if this suddenly results in a huge Avalanche of silica gel. If it does it, it's going to be these little spherical bits I can hear them ring about inside and they will bounce everywhere and then I'll spend a lot of time uh, hunting hunting it down. Last time I did this, it suddenly opened in the bench and because the bench is a very slight angle, it all avalanched off the front and there was H It took me a very long time to gather it all back up again.

It's the moment we're waiting for. Is it the moment we're waiting for? Is it going to just basically suddenly part explosively? What if I pop the spudger down here that might be stuck on? Is this going to be the port that I could have actually emptied all the stuff out of? Yes, it is. see I didn't need to open that at all. Here is the P Let's pour it out so as this bottom look can come out as well.

I'll zoom out a bit because now it's all getting a bit bigger. I could maybe do with focusing up to a higher level as well. I should focus up to there. It might make everything a bit more in.

Focus How is this held in? It's just pushed in at the ends with little pins. The look of it, well, let's un push those pins. Is that going to do it? I Think it is. Yeah, it's kind of making enthusiastic clicking noises, but not do much more.

Silica gel just rattles out. Why is that not coming apart? Not sure why it's not coming apart. it should just separate at that. I think I may have to use Brit Force Again, slight risk of Destruction with Brute Force Though it really is, it's clipped in hard at the sides.

It really is clipped in hard at the ends here, right? Tell you what spudger, that's promising. Yes, that is promising. So what do we have? We have the airport. Or the airport.

That kind of guides the air up from the base here and it's conical and it's got little slots all the way up it to spread the the air consistently across the whole block of gel. It's also got these screens in here that are designed to allow the air to flow out but not uh, let the fine dust of the silica gel come out when it s of eventually breaks up which it always tends to do. um but that's more or less it I did test it I as knew out the box there was some moisture in these as it would be I put it on that after weighing it and the weight did go down significantly. so uh, it works.

but there we have it. Oh, also worth mentioning the top there contains that little tiny cartridge that is the bit that has the color changing stuff because it would be a the stuff they using it is H cobalt chloride or something or a variant in that uh which isn't really something you want to ingest too much and also it makes it a lot more expensive impregnating that into all the rest of the stuff. and you only need a few bits at the top just for that color indication effect. But there we have it.

Uh, quite an interesting device. so you get two of these units and the recharger. and of course the little Port that went into the shoes so that is it. Uh, quite a nicely constructed device.

I Have to say I wonder why they're selling it off at a a Sens Bish price? It just seems almost a bit too low. There must be a catch. Maybe that thermal fuse is prone to tripping if it if it gets dust dust in it and it gets clogged up. there, we have it.

Interesting device and well worth taking apart.