Xiaomi Wiha Zu Hause Electric Power Screwdriver (Arrived)

xevious · 2020-01-16T02:45:47.000Z

Thank you vwpieces. Sounds like a promising tool!

vwpieces · 2020-01-16T03:37:32.000Z

Welcome,
Will do another update when I get a project to really test it out.
But so far I am impressed with it. Certainly has a place in the toolbox next to my Snap-On and Hazet ratcheting screwdrivers.

Added some slight updates to the post #17… like the Country of manufacture, charge indicator and some info bout the delay after sitting.

anonymous_user · 2020-01-16T03:57:15.000Z

Backpacker Light:

Are there any decent power screwdrivers out there?

If you are willing to spend some money, take a look at Dewalt’s gyroscopic screwdriver. The UI is either love it or hate it but I fall into the love it camp. I’ve had it for 4 years now and it has served me well.

MtnDon · 2020-01-31T03:10:38.000Z

anonymous_user:

Backpacker Light:

Are there any decent power screwdrivers out there?

If you are willing to spend some money, take a look at Dewalt’s gyroscopic screwdriver. The UI is either love it or hate it but I fall into the love it camp. I’ve had it for 4 years now and it has served me well.

OK. I checked this DeWalt item out. I fell hopelessly in love with it. After hemming and hawing over it for a week, I bought one. I got the” kit with 2 batteries and charger”:Amazon.com. I don’t know if I’ll need the extra pack but for only $2 more than a single battery it seemed like a no-brainer to me.

vwpieces, thanks for starting this thread. I do hope the Xiaomi works well.

tatasal · 2020-07-31T14:03:16.000Z

Well, this electric screwdriver of mine which is the subject matter of this thread, when I started to use it, it has to be fully-charged each time I use it or it won’t work. Charging it fully before using to do some light work, then storing it afterwards will render it life-less after only 3 days in my drawer.

Right now I don’t know the cause of the problem…but it should be either crap OEM cell or horrendous battery parasitic drain from its electronics.

I was able to have it opened…the OEM cell is branded TL ICR18650 1500mAh that will now NOT accept a charge from any of my stand-alone chargers and using Vapcell YR1030 IR meter it registered 57mohm.

Update to come as they become available.

MtnDon · 2020-07-31T13:27:10.000Z

Sorry to hear about the problem. Could be a crap cell. Hopefully that is all.

2A1 · 2020-07-31T13:40:16.000Z

thanks for letting us know. I was wondering about this screwdrivers and their quality, will stay away for now.
There are so many available, not clue which ones are good or not.

tatasal · 2020-07-31T13:40:53.000Z

Update:

Earlier I measured the IR of the OEM cell (TL ICR18650 1500mAh) and it registered 57mohm. This is the TL cell:

After two hours, it registered 67+mohm IR in my Vapcell YR1030 and it started to leak, even staining the polyurethane coating in my wooden desk!:

2A1 · 2020-07-31T13:41:47.000Z

so can you fix it by just replacing the cell?

tatasal · 2020-07-31T14:22:37.000Z

2A:

so can you fix it by just replacing the cell?

In all probability, yes, I will know tomorrow because I will have to bring my Panasonic NCR18650PF cell to my friend’s shop and put it in to replace the not only dead, but also leaking cell.

What I am much more interested to know is the cause of the drain…either bad electronics or utterly crap OEM cell used by the manufacturer.

Edit: I got this Wiha Zu Hause Electric Power Screwdriver from Banggood and when I complained to them about the problem at the time I got it last year, with only one email I was able to receive a refund notice from their rep. True enough I did get the refund three days after receiving the refund notice.

Now in hindsight, I wonder if this electric screwdriver manufacturer has chosen a crap cell supplier, quality-wise, or is there is just a problem with my specific unit’s electronics’ parasitic draw?

I just hope is the former, not the latter.

azj · 2020-07-31T16:40:48.000Z

Well, if you’re looking for a good electric screwdriver that wont fail you:

Good torque

Metal gears

long battery life

21 Clutch settings - set it real low so you dont strip screws, set it all the way up for tough stuff, or even use like a manual screwdriver!.

This is what I use at work to mount server in racks, disassemble them, etc. Actually it’s the updated model:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L78Y72J

(Metabo used to be Hitachi)

Barkuti · 2020-07-31T18:29:40.000Z

tatasal:

Well, this electric screwdriver of mine which is the subject matter of this thread, when I started to use it, it has to be fully-charged each time I use it or it won’t work. Charging it fully before using to do some light work, then storing it afterwards will render it life-less after only 3 days in my drawer.

…

tatasal:

…

Edit: I got this Wiha Zu Hause Electric Power Screwdriver from Banggood and when I complained to them about the problem at the time I got it last year, with only one email I was able to receive a refund notice from their rep. True enough I did get the refund three days after receiving the refund notice.

Now in hindsight, I wonder if this electric screwdriver manufacturer has chosen a crap cell supplier, quality-wise, or is there is just a problem with my specific unit's electronics' parasitic draw?

…

Smells like both high parasitic draw (?) and (probably) low quality cell at the same time.

Certain things you say simply don't make sense to me, though. Like “had to be fully charged before use”, for example.

Maybe Banggood knew the unit was faulty, did you got confirmation about this?

Hope the electronics can still work, with some devices the manufacturers set electronic flags which render the devices non-easily restorable. My brother once gave me a 2x AAA powered pop-up trimmer which could work while connected to its power adapter, or if it was turned on connected to the adapter and then disconnected. But the electronics had “discarded” normal operation for the device, and so no way for the stuff to operate without its supply at hand even if their cells were replaced. No way I am buying crap like that, suffice to say.

P.S.: be sure to install a cell with enough power delivery or amperage draw, nothing less than a 30Q I'd recommend.

tatasal · 2020-07-31T21:12:39.000Z

[quote=Barkuti]

tatasal:

Certain things you say simply don’t make sense to me, though. Like “had to be fully charged before use”, for example.

P.S.: be sure to install a cell with enough power delivery or amperage draw, nothing less than a 30Q I’d recommend.

This is what happened from the time I received it: It didn’t work out of the box, (not really surprised by this), so I charged it. Maybe an hour or so (usb-c) it showed ‘full’ and it worked. Did some light to moderate work with it, then put inside its original box for storage.

After perhaps a month of so, I wanted to use it again and it won’t work, again. Charged it to ‘full’ again and it worked, but after working I put it inside my drawer, (a little bit worried already) so I can check it easily if I want to. First few days it worked when tested. On the third day it won’t work again.

And the cycle is repeated, each time the same procedure, several times.

Fast forward several months: the other day I brought it to friend who knows how to open a non-user serviceable tool, and we come to my previous posts above.

Btw, I’ll be replacing the OEM cell with a genuine Samsung INR18650-25R, which has even a higher continuous rating than the 30Q.

tatasal · 2020-08-02T10:02:34.000Z

Well, this is the ‘exploded’ view of the screwdriver.
I won’t know if the OEM cell was crap, or was damaged by the extremely high parasitic draw since I don’t think this thing has low-voltage protection.
But what is certain is that its electronics has extremely high leakage and it certainly left the OEM cell at 0 voltage after only 3 days.

Barkuti · 2020-08-02T11:33:13.000Z

tatasal:

…

But what is certain is that its electronics has extremely high leakage and it certainly left the OEM cell at 0 voltage after only 3 days.

Into the trashcan time, then. Amazing to see a company like that allowing a clanger like that.

tatasal · 2020-08-02T12:10:35.000Z

Barkuti:

tatasal:

…
But what is certain is that its electronics has extremely high leakage and it certainly left the OEM cell at 0 voltage after only 3 days.

Into the trashcan time, then. Amazing to see a company like that allowing a clanger like that.

Not so fast, my friend…

Tomorrow you will see my (rudimentary) solution.

Barkuti · 2020-08-02T12:27:53.000Z

Well, yeah, you seem like one of those DIYelvers, like me in fact LoL. Determined to make it work the way it should work.

At times I've wondered if it was worth it…

P.S.: installing some MOSFET switch to cut-off power from the cell when not in use?

tatasal · 2020-08-02T12:37:31.000Z

Barkuti:

P.S.: installing some MOSFET switch to cut-off power from the cell when not in use?

That’s too high-tech for me! It will be the most traditional way, mind you.

Barkuti · 2020-08-02T16:09:59.000Z

I remembered this Latching power switch uses momentary pushbutton @ EDN circuit tatasal, which shouldn't work right without blocking diode given the electric motor load. But there are many other “MOSFET as switch” tutorials and articles, like this one @ ElectronicTutorials. You could use a small latching switch to control any MOSFET gate drive(s), and so you would be able to connect and disconnect the battery triggering a small switch which would drive the MOSFET(s) gate(s).

tatasal · 2020-08-03T12:58:04.000Z

Well, pending Mr. Barkuti’s more high-tech suggestions, this is my primitive solution to the problem:

Since I took out the OEM 1500mAh cell that was utterly ruined by over-discharging while in storage due to (I believe) parasitic draw or leakege, I put in a brand-new Samsung INR18650-25R cell…soldered wires in place of the original cold-soldered metal strips, installed a long wire connected to the (-) side of the circuit and put a connector to interrupt the electrical flow when not in use…talk about a true mechanical for electrical lock-out haha… I tested the unconnected wire with my DMM and it showed 10.54mA.

So, if the new 25R cell will have a net output capacity of 2350mAh, it will drain the cell completely in less than 10 days! (as explained to me by my friend, TA)

I welcome members’ suggestion for a ‘sleeker’ solution.