I received two pressure sensors and a gateway. I turned them all on in the same room, and they worked. Then, I picked the two pressure sensors and took them away to assess the range. I never got another reading. I then returned, and decided to open the pressure sensors to turn them off and on again. I opened the first one, but the on-off switch was no longer where I had found it before, It was roaming free within the enclosure, and it seems very hard to put back in, as it is a pretty unreachable corner. So, then, I opened the other sensor, and I found exactly the same. The switch was also roaming loose inside the enclosure.
With pliers, I carefully put the switches back in their position, but I only got one reading out of each sensor. I probably closed the switch momentarily while putting it back, but the connection probably does not stick. I carefully examined the black switch enclosure, which seems to be a very cheap and unreliable component, quite unlike the rest of the electronics which seems very sturdy and well engineered. Apparently, the only thing keeping the switch enclosure in place is a small hole on one side. But the moment one turns the switch on or off, it seems to come off very easily.
If this had happened to only one of the sensors, I would have attributed this to some small manufacturing defect. But happening to two sensors at the same time, I was a bit surprised.
Also, looking at the switch, it seems incredibly cheap and fragile, whereas the rest of the hardware seems top notch, very well engineered. I cannot, for the life of me, understand how such a good piece of engineering would then sacrifice on the quality of an on-off switch that costs pennies.
Has anybody else experienced a similar problem? Or was I just doubly unlucky?
Hi,
This is the first I have heard of this issue. Is there any way you can provide photos of the issue? Maybe a photo of the piece that came off and a look at the board after it came off?
I know due to supply chain shortages sometimes we have to swap components from the original design so we can keep filling orders and not hit customers with long lead times. Sometimes it comes back negative.
@Bhaskar will be interested to see more photos as well I’m sure.
Hello,
The only way to get proper photos was to remove the PCB from the enclosure. I hope this does not void the warranty!
Here’s a link to all the photos I took.
Photos of the switch
I also used a microscope to show you a better view. I tried to document everything. As you can see the bottom of the switch, the one that is still soldered to the PCB, has two extrusions that should hold the switch enclosure in place. However, if you look at that enclosure, it only has a window to hold on to that extrusion on one side, Thus, it does not hold in place, only on one side. I have tried. The logical conclusion is that that small window might have broken on the other side. However, that is not likely because: a) I could not find any other loose piece of plastic inside the enclosure, and b) when I examined that under the microscope, the plastic has not signs of having been broken. It is just as smooth and straight on one side as it is on the other. It just seems to be different. How is it expected to hold in place with a fitting on only one side, beats me.
Please let me know if you need any other photos of any detail. No matter how carefully I reassemble the switch, the moment I turn it upside down, it falls off.
To hold it in place, I would have to put a drop of hot glue on top of it, thus locking the switch in an on position. But that seems a bit risky
i wasn’t able to open the picture. this is a plastic swtich and it can break is a tool or excessive force is used to switch it.
i wasn’t able to open the picture. this is a plastic swtich and it can break is a tool or excessive force is used to switch it.
The quick fix is solder bridge the middle and the left side contact ( near the enclosure wall).
Thanks
I absolutely did not use excessive force. I used my own finger, and I applied barely enough force to move the switch, which does not slide easily.
That being said, the plastic thingie is tiny, and very, very poor quality. I cannot believe that such a high-end sensor can have such a strong weakness that two of them break on their very first usage.
as Travis mentioned this has never happened in past.
we use this switch