JE Adams Combo Vac silver button high failure rate

[Rainway]

Hi,

Anyone else with JE Adams combo vacs have the silver push buttons fail often and if so if you've found any solutions. They're $90 buttons and chaps me they fail frequently.

Kleen-Rite Corporation - Silver Push Button for Combo Vacs

Silver Push Button for Combo Vacs

www.kleen-ritecorp.com

Thank you

 

[OurTown]

These are the buttons:

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/bulgin/MPI002-RP-BL-12/3962066

I made up harnesses and plugs for six of them but have not replaced any yet. The old buttons work fine right now but just the blue halo LED is not working. After replacing some I'll keep the old harnesses and solder on the new buttons to the old ones. It would be nice if there was another button that had a plug available for it. It would be a 2 minute replacement then.

 

[OurTown]

I looked at my notes again and found that these might work but I think the LED is not as bright so I went with the ones that JE Adams used:

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/e-switch/PVT4FS4SS344/9356327

They cost less than half and I see that the Bulgin switches only have a 35,000 electrical cycle life while the E-Switch has a 500,000. Maybe that is why the LEDs burn out so soon.

 

[Rainway]

I looked at my notes again and found that these might work but I think the LED is not as bright so I went with the ones that JE Adams used:

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/e-switch/PVT4FS4SS344/9356327

They cost less than half and I see that the Bulgin switches only have a 35,000 electrical cycle life while the E-Switch has a 500,000. Maybe that is why the LEDs burn out so soon.

Wow much better price. I can probably salvage the old harness. Thanks very much I'll try this out!

 

[Rainway]

These are the buttons:

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/bulgin/MPI002-RP-BL-12/3962066

I made up harnesses and plugs for six of them but have not replaced any yet.

Do you happen to know part numbers I’d need to make the harness?
Thanks!

 

[OurTown]

Here is what I used:


Stranded 22ga wire I bought here:

https://www.remingtonindustries.com...g-stranded-solid-10-colors-7-sizes-available/


The crimp connectors were on what is called a "tape and reel" so they are all connected when you get them. You need small flush cutters to cut them close enough so they slide easily into the Molex connector housing. Also I had to somewhat pre-crimp them over the wires for the crimper to work properly. It could be that I don't know what I was doing. This part was the most tedious dealing with.

https://www.digikey.com/en/products...03?s=N4IgTCBcDaIO4FswHYCsBOAxgFwLQDsATEAXQF8g


These are the Molex connector housings. I see they are out of stock right now but maybe you can just search the part number and find them elsewhere:

https://www.digikey.com/en/products...047/26435?s=N4IgTCBcDaIO4FswAZlgLQDsAmIC6AvkA


Here is the crimper I used:

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/adafruit-industries-llc/1213/8258462


I used several sizes of heat shrink and used it for bundling the wires together. Also braiding the wires together a little bit may help them stay together. Looking back at this project maybe I would have been better off purchasing two JE Adams button assemblies and then some of the buttons from Digi-Key. (or wherever) Then I would have had two spares that I could always replace just the buttons on the ends of the harnesses. Here are the ones I "built":

 

[Rainway]

These are the buttons:

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/bulgin/MPI002-RP-BL-12/3962066

DigiKey was out but I found the buttons - Bulgin Limited part# MPI002/RP/BL/12

at onlinecomponents.com. Slightly cheaper than current DigiKey price and shipping reasonable.

MPI002/RP/BL/12 - Bulgin Limited - Authorized Distributor (onlinecomponents.com)

Update:
Shoot I think DigiKey has a bad mfg. part number reference because it references Bulgin part # including /12 which would be 12V but the description is 24V which I'm pretty certain these are 24V ... so I think I just ordered 12V but need 24V.



This is from Bulgin datasheet:

 

[OurTown]

I would really like to find an alternative button that the LED ring lasts longer.

 

[Rainway]

Also on one of the old buttons I found a label that says Timberline Mfg with part# 00-CB-D-05. Search locates this, don't know what they charge (says call for price) but I bet it's cheaper than direct from JE Adams:

JE Adams Push Button Wire Assembly #00-CB-D-05 - The Vacuum Factory

I still plan to start making my own.

 

[8th Street Car Wash]

I must just be lucky, but I'm going on 6 years with my JE Adams combo shampooer with extremely heavy use and have never had one of the buttons or their LED's fail. I have a spare button in my ER, but still haven't had to use it.

 

[OurTown]

I must just be lucky, but I'm going on 6 years with my JE Adams combo shampooer with extremely heavy use and have never had one of the buttons or their LED's fail. I have a spare button in my ER, but still haven't had to use it.

The one that burns out the most for us is the two motor vac selection and I think it because every time I walk by I select that so the dum-dums at least have a vacuum when they start it. There have been times it was on a fragrance selection when someone starts it and of course it does not do anything until the gun button is pressed so they think the machine is broken. I think the LED part of the button just start to burn out (they get dim at first) after so many hours but I'm wondering how yours are lasting so long.

 

[cantbreak80]

I think the LED part of the button just start to burn out (they get dim at first) after so many hours but I'm wondering how yours are lasting so long.

I have ZERO experience with the JEAdams LED equipped units. Do they feature a DC power supply or an AC/DC circuit to power the LEDs?

As noted on Rainway's post, the Bulgin data sheet provides voltage & current ratings for the different LED colors...And, "an appropriate resistor must be series connected by the user".

I use E-Switch's red ring LED switches for Nayax external stop. Nayax outputs ~5vdc. I install a 330-350ohm resistor in series to prevent LED burnout.

BTW OurTown...Nice work with your switch assemblies!

 

[OurTown]

I have ZERO experience with the JEAdams LED equipped units. Do they feature a DC power supply or an AC/DC circuit to power the LEDs?

I'm not sure. There is a circuit board they are all connected to and I never studied it.

 

[OurTown]

As noted on Rainway's post, the Bulgin data sheet provides voltage & current ratings for the different LED colors...And, "an appropriate resistor must be series connected by the user".

I use E-Switch's red ring LED switches for Nayax external stop. Nayax outputs ~5vdc. I install a 330-350ohm resistor in series to prevent LED burnout.

I need to check into that on the red E-switch external Cryptopay stop buttons we are about to install in our meter box doors.

 

[OurTown]

BTW OurTown...Nice work with your switch assemblies!

Thanks. They were tedious to build but now we have some spares so now I can just solder the buttons to the harnesses from here on out.

 

[Keno]

I have ZERO experience with the JEAdams LED equipped units. Do they feature a DC power supply or an AC/DC circuit to power the LEDs?

As noted on Rainway's post, the Bulgin data sheet provides voltage & current ratings for the different LED colors...And, "an appropriate resistor must be series connected by the user".

I use E-Switch's red ring LED switches for Nayax external stop. Nayax outputs ~5vdc. I install a 330-350ohm resistor in series to prevent LED burnout.

BTW OurTown...Nice work with your switch assemblies!

Are your nayax red ring stop buttons always lit? We just went with a solid red button, non-lighted.

 

[cantbreak80]

Are your nayax red ring stop buttons always lit?

They illuminate only when the Nayax is powering the bay/vacuum.

 

[OurTown]

They illuminate only when the Nayax is powering the bay/vacuum.

I wish Cryptopay was like that but I could probably figure out how to do it.

 

[Rainway]

What would people suggest for soldering the Bulgin buttons? Spec sheet says they’re silver. In searching I can get silver braze rods but that would seem too much heat for the button to bare.

 

[OurTown]

What would people suggest for soldering the Bulgin buttons? Spec sheet says they’re silver. In searching I can get silver braze rods but that would seem too much heat for the button to bare.

I use regular 60/40 rosin core solder on all the different buttons at the wash.