Introduction: 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.

Step 2: Locate Fuse, Labeled F1


Locate the fuse that is labeled F1,
Cut the wire into one 10" piece and one 8"piece.
Strip  about 1/4" of wire form each end.

Solder one wire to each end of the fuse. which is in the blue box

It is ok if some solder or wire touches the diode in the brown box as they are connected by the PCB underneath, I found out the hard way after undoing my connection to check.


Step 3: Drill Hole for Fuse Holder

About 1/2" from the  switch on the opposite side of the power connector, drill a 9/16" whole for the fuse holder. Make sure to secure the plastic piece as once the bit goes through it will spin.

I only had a 1/2" drill bit, and had to use a 1/8" drill bit as makeshift dremel.

SAVE YOURSELF TIME don't do what I did and Wire the circuit up all nice and working to realize you need to mount the panel fuse holder FIRST. To make the compresion ring fit flush, you will need to take a pair of needle nose pliers and break off the ridges on the inside of the unit around the area where the hole is. then tighten down the holder.

Step 4: Solder Wires to Fuse Holder

To make things easier and to keep the bottom lead from moving around, insert a fuse into the holder, and screw down.

Solder the shorter wire to the terminal on the top of the fuse holder.
Solder the longer wire to the terminal on the bottom of the fuse holder.

You will notice the heat shrink on the bottom wire, that is from me needing to splice the wire back together after having to cut it to install the fuse holder through the plastic face plate.

Step 5: Reassemble the Unit


Route the new wires between the PCB and black face plate.
Re-reattach the side panel, but don't tighten the screws until you carefully test that the AC power will work, (under the assumption that it previously didn't have a working fuse and your new fuse is now correctly installed )

Now attach, the bottom plate. and enjoy the fact that next time the fuse blows you only need to unscrew the top of the holder and replace the fuse, not disassemble the whole unit.

Thoughts:
The dual power air station is a great idea, however, they should have included a user replaceable fuse from the start.  You may be able to use regular 1A fuses, but I just didn't want to waste the money if part of the cause was a surge current from the motor starting. hence slow-blow fuses being used.

Also, this was my first attempt at an instructable, any feedback would be appreciated. I know I probably should have had more photos but my phone isn't the greatest and the inside of the unit is relatively simple to understand.