Black & Decker ASI300 Replaceable Fuse Upgrade

I acquired a Black & Decker Air Station (ASI300) from a garage sale.  When it was plugged in at the sale for testing, it ran for 2 seconds on AC power and stopped, seeing no fuse worried me but I tested it with the DC from my car because it is dual voltage. Upon getting home I open it up to find a fuse that is soldered to the circuit board, and MANY reviews stating the problem of the fuse blowing and needing to be returned to black and decker for service at YOUR expense for shipping... to have to happen again. also retail is $50

The solution, install a user replaceable fuse.

Radio Shack Parts:
270-0367 Panel-Mount Fuse-Holder $2.99
270-1021 Slow-Blow 1-amp fuses $2.99

18" of  stranded wire, I used 12GA but 18ga would probably be acceptable

Tools:
Drill/ Dremel tool
Bits
Soldering Iron + Solder
#2 Phillips screwdriver

Step 1 Open the Unit

Using Phillips screwdriver remove the 6 screws on the bottom of the unit.
Remove the bottom piece of plastic.
Then remove the 4 screws on the side of the unit.
Remove the side, be careful not to loose the metal bar that holds the storage lid together.

Comments

[wa1349]

I'm done. What a great and simple mod. Once again, papenpj, many thanks. I use this air pump to charge a garden sprayer (fitted with a tire valve) when I strip wallpaper (I install wallcoverings for a business). You've saved my bacon.
I've included some pix. The first one is of the PCB and is a little clearer than your phone pix. The green arrow shows the offending fuse. The blue arrow shows where the AC wire from the switch is soldered to the PCB.

The second pix is the reverse side of the PCB. The blown fuse is already removed (green arrows) and the blue arrow shows the solder point for the wire from the switch - which I unsoldered and connected to the end of the fuse holder. The other terminal on the fuse holder was connected with an 18 Ga wire to the "bottom" fuse contact (as shown in this pix)

The last pix shows the final mod. Purple dotted wire from switch to end of fuse holder. Green dotted wire from fuse contact point to sider of fuse holder. The electrical connection terminated by the blown fuse is now complete and protected.

[dvlamis]

Hey, I just wanted to thank you for the great instructions. I just completed making the modifications to my Black and Decker Air Inflation Station that has been non-functional for a few months. Frankly, modifying it per your instructable was easier than dealing with returning it to to Black and Decker. One trip to Radio Shack and about an hour with a soldering iron and some spare wire I have around the house and I'm done! I signed up for an instructable account just so I could thank you for posting the idea. I had dreaded bypassing the clearly non-functional fuse because it was a one-time fix. It had not occurred to me that it would be so easy to install a fuse holder. Folks: if you know how to solder and have a 1/2 inch drill bit, you're all set. The circuit board can be moved a bit to make the soldering easier. Great job! Thanks!

[dvlamis]

Here's a picture of what mine looks like from the outside once the fuse was installed

[papenpj]

I know it is months later, but your welcome. Thanks for posing a much clearer picture also.

[wa1349]

@papenpj, I also just signed up to give thanks. Thank you. I haven't yet made the mods, but having taken the unit apart, testing the circuitry and continuity, I realized it was the f-ing non serviceable fuse. B&D sure has gone down hill since the 50's and even 60's.
If and when I do the mods, I will attempt to take clearer pix, or maybe a vid. Your instructions and tips should make this a fun little project. Again, thank you.

[wa1349]

Actually one question before I start this. Why a 1 amp fuse ? Was that the rating of the original ? (I couldn't read the markings on it - these 62 year old eyes need some help)

[papenpj]

I honestly don't remember if it was the original value or not, I actually think it might have been a 1.25amp original fuse, but the key to my success is using a SLOW BLOW fuse, that when when the motor first kicks on it not as likely to blow compared to the standard fuse. So far, I have not had to change the fuse, and I have used the unit multiple times. It has already lasted longer than when I turned it on at that garage sale, But even then, all I need to do is switch out the fuse.
I also think at the time, I made a calculation based of the DC sides fuse to decide 1amp would work.

Looking at dvlamis's comment, he put the holder on the opposite side of the unit. from where I did, and soldered to the bottom back side of the PCB to the fuse leads. might be a little bit neater that way.

[wa1349]

Thanks papenpj,

I noted what dvlamis did and also the location he placed the fuse holder on the back plate. I am thinking of taking the wire (red) from the switch and detaching it from the PCB and soldering it directly to the fuse holder, and then solder the other lead from the fuse holder like dvlamis did. An even "neater" solution.

But hey, without your initiative, we wouldn't be refining this.

[papenpj]

well, if the red wire goes directly to the fuse, that should work alright. I am a fan of the quick and dirty solution, and if you noticed from few of my comments of mistakes, I jumped in a without much planning, of course I was also used to a different way of mounting fuse holders and switches

[dvlamis]

Thanks for the comments, folks. Yes, I put the fuse on the other side because I felt I could do it neater that way. But again, just having the inspiration to use a fuse holder (I had never done that before) was great.

One tip for others: I thought I had left plenty of room on the outside of the fuse holder. I would have placed it a bit closer to the center of the unit had I realized how close I was to the outside of the unit once I put it all back together again. In other words, make sure you don't drill your half-inch hole any farther out than I did. If you do, your fuse holder may hit the side of the unit once you put it all together again. Too bad B&D engineers can't just design this right in the first place.

I'll be checking out instructables.com for other tips on other devices in the future.

[fegundez1]

Good job, I would have liked to see a pic of the finished wiring at the other end as well. Good save though as you know it would have ended in the landfill!

[papenpj]

My camera sucks, actually the picture of the circuit does have the finished wiring alreay, and it is sort of a mess of wires coming off the board because the unit is sort of cool with the fact that the AC and DC each have a dedicated circuit on the board going to individual pumps. If I can borrow a decent camera that shows some detail, I definitely will get a clearer picture.

Part of this was because it was my first instructable and I decided to make it mid project I missed some pictures for steps, but I guess that is part of the learning experience. Also, haha the DC side still worked but, yeah I can see plenty of people not happy with a car powered air pump and tossing them, who knows I might be able to get a whole $20 now, or a check from Black and Decker for being awesome and fixing their horrible design.