RO 150 plug-it design fault

[Nigel]

Hello folks,

Using my RO 150 this morning it started cutting out.I cleaned the contacts twice on the tool and the cord but it continued to cut out with a slight blackening of one of the  electrodes in the tool.

So I cleaned it again and replaced the cord for a new one. Same thing happened.

I 've already replaced a burnt out  plug-it once when using the RO150 about a year ago. Searching  the forum it seems the RO 150 is susceptible to this problem probably because it's used continuously fairly frequently?

Before anyone says it, yes the plug-it was fully turned and seated correctly as it always has been.

Seems a design fault on the RO 150 to me as I don't have the same problem on any other tool. It is probably my most used tool though.

So I think I need to replace the socket on the tool .

The best bit is it is exactly one month out of guarantee to the day!

I really need it just now [crying]. Has anyone replaced this item themselves?

 

[nickao]

I don't get it, are some of these just lemons? Are the newer ones made differently? Mine has never had one issue and I used the heck out of it.  Mine is about 3 years old.

 

[Nigel]

Mines 3 years and one month! It occurs to me now that maybe it's the action of sanding that stresses the connections?

 

[ward]

Had the same problem after a few years with my ets 150 had to buy a new cord, got a female from my rep. Buy the thicker cords, they will reduce the problem some. . . Good luck getting Festoo/Tooltec to step up on this, their cords are too small gauge for the load/time usage. Trying to save money sacrifices quality. I never thought they would do this kind of thing but just compare the gauge wire to other high end tools and your see. . .

 

[Nigel]

Might be wrong but I think the cords are all the same thickness in Europe - seems to be an American thing.

 

[semenza]

Had the same problem after a few years with my ets 150 had to buy a new cord, got a female from my rep. Buy the thicker cords, they will reduce the problem some. . . Good luck getting Festoo/Tooltec to step up on this, their cords are too small gauge for the load/time usage. Trying to save money sacrifices quality. I never thought they would do this kind of thing but just compare the gauge wire to other high end tools and your see. . .

Some yes, some no.....

My Bosch rotary hammer, Milwaukee Sawzall and 1/2" D handle drill all have 18ga cords.  My PC7518 has a 14ga.

Festool heavier cord is 16ga , lighter is 18ga.

Seth

 

[ward]

I wonder how much of this has to do with the price of copper. Upon reflection I do see that even the internal wiring on my 220 sanders is far smaller gauge that the supply cords (10 gauge). It's pretty clear that the internal wiring of tools has gotten smaller over the years, weather this is due to higher efficiency or the cost of copper i have no idea.  from what I know of Festool, they go to any length to meet their design specifications; even bringing parts like bearing manufacture in house as no one else was making good enough bearings in their size i am told. . . Yet how rationally and how long term life these specifications are set is another issue.

As a wanna be engineer i tend to overbuild structures, and I like to imagine my tools are as well. When living / working  in earthquake tsunami country this approach has paid off. The supply cords for some of the heavier Festools do have lower gauge cords I've been told. I'm looking for the specific examples, but I think the TS 55/57 plug-it cord is 16 gauge (heavier than the 18 gauge)ETS 125 finish sander, which makes sense until you run that sander through the thin gauge wiring harness of the dust collector which is not even 14 gauge (considering it's handling up to 12? amps for 8 hours straight I'd like to see heavier wire harness on these, then your tool is plugged into that, it's inevitable something is going to give i think. That it's the plug it cord is just one point, I wonder if people have experience with the AC plug harness and relay burning out and melting down?

Please show me I'm wrong. I'm not an electrical engineer, but I watch 10 gauge 220 volt cords and plugs at 15 amps @ 120 volts melt all the time on 100' runs on heavy loads (12 & 36 grit) running floor sanders on a long hot workday, these "bridges' of  power should be over engineered IMHO to give lifetime of professional tool power supply in the most demanding environments and circumstances like long hot workdays plugged into the dust collectors and running 7 -9 hours.

I've been told the tools have been tested far beyond these specs but why the failure then, is it all operator error? granted some of my guys are not so careful and i don't  double check everything, that's what I'm paying $45 - $60 dollars and hour for + abrasives etc. Most of them leave the plug it cords locked in place as they fit in the systainers that way and remove one more possible source of problem. it's hard to argue with them as they don't "elbow" wrap the cords but "flake" coil them like mic cords as i insist. . .

 

[AlexThePalex]

I wonder how much of this has to do with the price of copper.

Nothing. The problem exists equally for European and US users, and they use different types of wire.

The electric connection between plug and socket isn't made with soft copper anyway, but with some hard type of steel.  The burning and melting happens because of poor contact between socket and plug, not the thickness of the wires leading to them.

 

[nehardwoodfloors]

I have been using my RO150 for 2 yrs now with no issues. Yesterday the plug it melted into its socket.
I called Festool USA and spoke to a gentleman there who is sending me a hardwireing kit. He said there are those out there that keep burning up the plug it cords. And he offered a free hardwire install kit.
I did my own hardwiring last night. i was pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to access the terminals! EASY.

Thanks again Festool! I knew you wouldnt let me down!

 

[nehardwoodfloors]

Oh yeah, I think its the heat that caused mine. I had used it for days at a time without removing the cord. I think the heat melted the plastic and when I went to remove the plug it, it just smooshed itself.

 

[semenza]

Couple other factors to keep in mind for this discussion.... the length of the run wether it be external power cord or internal wiring, and the efficiency of the electronics.

Eco, never thought of the possibility that leaving the cord connected might contain  heat longer than unplugging. I  don't know... maybe  ???

Ward, one thing would be to have your guys check that the cords are fully twist/locked when they take the tool out to use it.  There is always a possibility that putting them in  and taking them out of the case numerous times  could loosen one just from handling. Then it would be run  with a loose fit connection.  Also I have seen some users hold a tool with a couple fingers on the Plug It connector. Like on some  of the sanders where the connection is right at the end of the handle. That could ceratinly cause a partial unlocking without the user noticing.

After at least five years of use I had a 16ga Plug It cord and the TS55 receptacle go bad a few months ago. The cord on a boom had been used on many tools disconnecting and reconnecting probably thousands of times.  It is probably the case that a few times I didn't have it fully twisted into place just from shear cycles of use, bound to miss twist once in a while. I really couldn't say for sure.

Seth

 

[Nigel]

I only ever use one plug-it cable for all tools. Maybe that's the deciding factor and they need renewing every so often  before they burn out the receptacle on a tool.

 

[woodguy7]

One of the pins on mine broke off inside the RO150.  10 days over the 3 years.  Sent it to TTS anyway & they fixed it free of charge.  Cant grumble wa that.

Call them, for a simple repair they may just honour the warranty.

Woodguy

 

[Nigel]

True enough can't grumble at that. I just did it myself - seemed easier [and it was easy] than sending it to the UK.

 

[ward]

I have been using my RO150 for 2 yrs now with no issues. Yesterday the plug it melted into its socket.
I called Festool USA and spoke to a gentleman there who is sending me a hardwireing kit. He said there are those out there that keep burning up the plug it cords. And he offered a free hardwire install kit.
I did my own hardwiring last night. i was pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to access the terminals! EASY.

Thanks again Festool! I knew you wouldnt let me down!

This may be an excellent option for the tools that i use the most (sanders) the plug it system is a lovely piece of engineering excepting that the long term wear of the terminals does create the possibility of loosing a tight snug fit (same thing on my twist lock 15amp/220 volt cables) My local Rep insisted that once you start to get carbon on the plug or cord they are "contaminated" and one "should" replace both cord and receptacle and not use other cords with a contaminated receptacle as then your getting carbon on the other contacts, increasing resistance and increasing heat. . .

 

[AlexThePalex]

My local Rep insisted that once you start to get carbon on the plug or cord they are "contaminated" and one "should" replace both cord and receptacle and not use other cords with a contaminated receptacle as then your getting carbon on the other contacts, increasing resistance and increasing heat. . .

What carbon do you mean exactly and where does it come from? I thought carbon was good at conducting electricity.

 

[peter halle]

Honestly after reading these posts I have to say that gosh darn it - my electrical cords on some of my other tools made by other companies have cracked, the strain reliefs have failed, the plug ends have gone weak.  That is all part of the lifespan of a tool.  I don't expect that my Festools will be any different.

Peter

 

[nehardwoodfloors]

I agree that all tools fail at the electrical conntection at some point.
I also know from flooring forums that floor guys run their RO 150's for days at a time! It is well known on those forums that the plug it is the weak link on the festool sanders. Im pretty sure Festool knows this too. Thats why the person I spoke to  suggested the hardwire kit.

 

[Nigel]

I thought about hardwiring mine but for me it would be a great shame to loose the plug-it capability.I reckon it's one of the best features about Festool gear.If you swap between tools a lot it's a great asset.

I'd really like to know why the RO 150 is so susceptible to burning the sockets.

 

[nickao]

So a Festool employee is recommending changing the plug it with a hard-wire kit because the plug its are crap? I find it hard to believe that is Festool sanctioned. The guy should be fired.  That's not a very smart Festool employee or boss to let him say such a thing. I mean come on, that is one of the selling points.

Sending out a new and improved plug it connection would make much more sense.