BallStar Optima BCM201 Ball Cleaner..............NOT ELECTRICALLY SAFE

[Hungarian]

I've had this Ballstar cleaner for 15 plus years. I pulled it out the other day and noticed the red portion of the fuse holder was missing. So I had to tear it apart to change out the old fuse holder. What I noticed was "shocking". There was not a case ground for the METAL cleaner. In fact they actually cut the ground wire off the three conductor power cord rather than simply bonding it to the case.

This ending up being a project. First I had to disassemble the entire machine to access the fuse holder. The machine was packed full of a stringy dirty lint type material and it was filthy inside from all the ball polish slathering around. The paddle and rubber nippled side pads are caked full of polish and ball gunk. I cleaned the inside and the components of the machine really well. Then I changed the fuse holder. Had to do some soldering and heat shrink insulating. The original one was soldered but not insulated. It's not a machine that can be kept clean very easily. I also changed out some of the connectors. I will say the timer cam switch is pretty decent.

Now I'm going to put the paddle and the rubber nippled side pads in the ultra sonic cleaner and see what happens. If not I'll just buy some replacements.

EDIT:
I discovered I've been using this machine incorrectly for over 15 years. I've been using the waxy aramith ball cleaner instead of the recommended liquid cleaning solution. I think that's why it was all gunked up. Ultrasonic machine made cleaning the pads and paddle easy.

 

[GoldCrown]

Good post thanks.... I'll check mine next week when I get back. I have a different model... The housing is not the same. Do you have any idea what year yours was produced?

 

[Hungarian]

Good post thanks.... I'll check mine next week when I get back. I have a different model... The housing is not the same. Do you have any idea what year yours was produced?

From what I understand there's the old one and the new one. The new one is in the photo below. Mine is the old one and per the notes for the replacement pads below the old on is prior to 2001. My lid has a stiicker on the lid that says "Since 1995". So based on that I guess the old one was made between 1995 to 2000.

 

[The_JV]

Although I whole heartedly agree that the metal body machine should be bonded by the power cord. Before you scream judgement on the unit that you've owned for 15yrs. Maybe check to see if it has any electrical cert like "UL" (american) or the such. Could be it met whatever standard it required when produced. ...or the machine isn't made to any standard at all and shouldn't have been sold within your borders.

 

[boogieman]

I don't feel like going down the rabbit hole, but there are a lot of small appliances without a ground to a metal body. It's best practice but it isn't always necessary. It's a good idea, and I'd probably add one while you have it apart, but it's not "dangerous" by default.

Is there a ground to the motor? Does it go to the 3 prong plug? A fuse holder can be used in hundreds of applications, many not needing a ground.

In the second picture I can see a green wire grounded to the metal body, is this something you did? Has anyone modified the unit, was it used or new when purchased?

 

[garczar]

I've had this Ballstar cleaner for 15 plus years. I pulled it out the other day and noticed the red portion of the fuse holder was missing. So I had to tear it apart to change out the old fuse holder. What I noticed was "shocking". There was not a case ground for the METAL cleaner. In fact they actually cut the ground wire off the three conductor power cord rather than simply bonding it to the case.

This ending up being a project. First I had to disassemble the entire machine to access the fuse holder. The machine was packed full of a stringy dirty lint type material and it was filthy inside from all the ball polish slathering around. The paddle and rubber nippled side pads are caked full of polish and ball gunk. I cleaned the inside and the components of the machine really well. Then I changed the fuse holder. Had to do some soldering and heat shrink insulating. The original one was soldered but not insulated. It's not a machine that can be kept clean very easily. I also changed out some of the connectors. I will say the timer cam switch is pretty decent.

Now I'm going to put the paddle and the rubber nippled side pads in the ultra sonic cleaner and see what happens. If not I'll just buy some replacements.

EDIT:
I discovered I've been using this machine incorrectly for over 15 years. I've been using the waxy aramith ball cleaner instead of the recommended liquid cleaning solution. I think that's why it was all gunked up. Ultrasonic machine made cleaning the pads and paddle easy.

Wow, a Chinese-built object with unsafe electrical connections. Shocking!!! Seriously, great post. Those who own these need to open them up and make them safe.

 

[Hungarian]

Although I whole heartedly agree that the metal body machine should be bonded by the power cord. Before you scream judgement on the unit that you've owned for 15yrs. Maybe check to see if it has any electrical cert like "UL" (american) or the such. Could be it met whatever standard it required when produced. ...or the machine isn't made to any standard at all and shouldn't have been sold within your borders.

Well, I surely would have looked it up but there are zero labels on the machine. No manufacturers label, no NRTL label, no serial number, etc.

 

[Hungarian]

I don't feel like going down the rabbit hole, but there are a lot of small appliances without a ground to a metal body. It's best practice but it isn't always necessary. It's a good idea, and I'd probably add one while you have it apart, but it's not "dangerous" by default.

Is there a ground to the motor? Does it go to the 3 prong plug? A fuse holder can be used in hundreds of applications, many not needing a ground.

In the second picture I can see a green wire grounded to the metal body, is this something you did? Has anyone modified the unit, was it used or new when purchased?

Well, I say any machine that has a metal case and operates on 120VAC should have an equipment ground. And since they use a three conductor cord with a ground prong why not bond the case to ground?

Now if you ask me how likely is it that either the hot or the neutral could touch the case while energized I'd have to say very low. Unless something out of the norm happens, like the power cord gets damaged and it cause the conductor to touch the case. Or the hot wire comes loose inside the machine and touches the metal case. That's when it would be un safe. So if you were to touch the case if either of those things happened you could get shocked.

But in a normal condition it would not be unsafe.

 

[Hungarian]

It's possible but I highly doubt the previous owner tampered with it. There is no sign it was ever grounded because I had to drill and tap a hole right next the where the power cord penetrates the case on the bottom. You can see the green wire in my photos. They cut the ground wire off flush at the outer jacket of the cord. What I did was cut off about 4 inches of the original cord because the strain relief had smashed and deformed the cord. Then I stripped off about 3 inches of the outer jacket exposing the black, white and green wires. then I re-terminated everything nice and clean.

EDIT:
Also, it looks like the new style machine has a plastic case though I'm not sure from the photo. If the entire case bottom and all is plastic a bonding ground won't protect much since it's double insulated to begin with.

 

[DeeDeeCues]

I'd be just as concerned about the 220v 50hz motor running on 120v 60hz.

I thought about buying one of these at one point. Glad I didn't.

 

[Hungarian]

I'd be just as concerned about the 220v 50hz motor running on 120v 60hz.

I thought about buying one of these at one point. Glad I didn't.

Wow. That's surprising. To be honest I didn't even look at the motor nameplate. It's held up well though over the years. Another thing I discovered is that the original fuse holder was rated for 250VAC / 6A but the label on the the machine says 125VAC / 10A. I tested it by using smaller fast acting fuses and it held with a 5A fuse. So no need for a 10A fuse.

 

[The_JV]

I thought about buying one of these at one point. Glad I didn't.

No doubt. Obviously the machine that's been in service for over 15yrs, is garbage. You dodged one there for sure.

 

[DeeDeeCues]

No doubt. Obviously the machine that's been in service for over 15yrs, is garbage. You dodged one there for sure.

There is that...

 

[kitsap]

There is no need to discard the machine. With the maintenance you are performing it will last for years. The motor rating means it will operate on voltage up to 220 v. The frequency rating means it will operate on AC power down to 50 Hz. Good for use on most modern power systems. In the short duty cycle application, controlled by a timer, it will most likely never even get warm.

Grounding the metal case for your peace of mind does no harm. Whether or not it is a requirement depends on whether or not the motor is double insulated.

 

[GoldCrown]

I have no concerns using the one I have. As for the wiring... Was the unit made on Fri PM or Monday morning?

Have we ever heard any BallStar horror stories? I'm in no way disputing this thread. I have the unit posted #3.

 

[Nick B]

Unfortunately it's quite common. I bet your home iron, hair curler, hair dryer etc are all two prong and thus ungrounded. You want to get scared. Look inside a Voltage "converter" meant for travel. You won't be able to sleep again. Quite often the Hot & Neutral outputs are swapped and floating. Some don't even convert. Some just have a single diode and half wave rectify. How these things ever get a UL label is beyond me.

 

[trob]

There is no need to discard the machine. With the maintenance you are performing it will last for years. The motor rating means it will operate on voltage up to 220 v. The frequency rating means it will operate on AC power down to 50 Hz. Good for use on most modern power systems. In the short duty cycle application, controlled by a timer, it will most likely never even get warm.

Grounding the metal case for your peace of mind does no harm. Whether or not it is a requirement depends on whether or not the motor is double insulated.

Holy hell a guy who knows what he‘s talking About giving an intelligent answer! I didn’t know that was allowed here any longer lol

 

[DeeDeeCues]

Holy hell a guy who knows what he‘s talking About giving an intelligent answer! I didn’t know that was allowed her any longer lol

Not completely true. Running a 220v motor on 110v will generally cause it to overheat due to drawing additional current.

Start at about 1:05:

 

[Hungarian]

Not completely true. Running a 220v motor on 110v will generally cause it to overheat due to drawing additional current.

Start at about 1:05:

Yep, if a motor is designed to run on multiple voltages, for example 110V and 220V you not only have the same basic parameters to consider, but now the range of those parameters need to be expanded. Example#1; the dielectric withstand strength of the insulation system for 110V is less expensive to manufacture for a 110V motor. But if you are going to dual rate the motor for 110V and 220V you will need to spend the extra money for 220V insulation. Example #2, Based on my testing, it requires .29HP to spin the platter to polish the balls. The running current of a 110V / .29HP motor with a pf of .9 at 90% eff. is ~2A. The running current of a 220V / .29HP motor with a pf of .9 and a 90% eff. is 1A. So this requires the motor to be designed to carry the higher current at 110V.

What does all this mean, not a gosh darn thing of any real significance at on a .29HP motor. But on a 1,000HP motor it's a major consideration. Just feels good to know.

 

[kitsap]

Not completely true. Running a 220v motor on 110v will generally cause it to overheat due to drawing additional current.

Guaranteed 100% true all of the time in this duty cycle application. You could not get the motor to overheat if you deliberately tried.