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Do you agree with this assessment of the Hammant and Morgan controllers ?


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20 hours ago, roythebus1 said:

If these units are left unopened then I don't see the internal components being of any real danger to anybody. If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it. If it is, skip it.

 

H&M went over to double insulation in about 1968 but still used the old type rectifiers until the early 1970s. I still use a pair of new Duettes on my layout and they seem to work very well with modern motors.

 

They were very nice in their time but as they are getting on for 50 years old (or more) there are quite a few reasons to scrap them. I don't have any but if I did I'd probably re-use the case, the control knob and the transformer and replace everything else with some better electronics.

 

Come to think of it that might be a business opportunity for some enterprising person :)

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1 hour ago, nick_bastable said:

much the same as the 10 inch  b+w telly you had great at the time but would you rather have a XX size flat  HD screen instead 

 

Nick B

 

Ten inch! That was "wide screen" when I was a lad :)

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Having owned two Duettes since the early 1960s, I'd say they are excellent at controlling models from that period, and I still use them for my Triang models. It is true that the starting current is a little high for modern motors, but I don't normally use my newer models with them as the locos have DCC chips. However, the higher starting voltage needed for a chipped modern loco fits in very neatly with older controllers.

 

I also have an ESU ECoS, and one of my reasons for buying it was its similarity to a Duette. The ECoS is, to me what the Duette would have evolved to become.

 

As far as I'm concerned it's "horses for courses", and my H&M kit sits very easily alongside my ECoS. And before anyone says that's risky, my DCC layout is totally separate from my DC one.

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Asbestos is nasty stuff. But it is only dangerous if the fibres are inhaled. If you keep the cases sealed and don't drop the units then there is very little chance of the asbestos being disturbed and releasing fibres and the fibres then escaping.

 

I know of a block of flats where the mains supply fuses to each flat are housed in cabinets containing asbestos. The electricity distribution company know all about it, but haven't done anything as the asbestos isn't a risk to health as long as it's not disturbed. How do I know? A relative of mine told me the story when they wanted to switch to a smartmeter. The duly appointed electrician went to pull the master fuse for the flat but returned saying "No can do. Your supply fuse has asbestos in the cabinet so I can't remove the fuse to isolate the supply, and so I can't install your smartmeter. I'll report this back as I can't complete the job." That was over 2 years ago but nothing's been done.

 

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On 16/01/2021 at 00:45, GoingUnderground said:

Asbestos is nasty stuff. But it is only dangerous if the fibres are inhaled. If you keep the cases sealed and don't drop the units then there is very little chance of the asbestos being disturbed and releasing fibres and the fibres then escaping.

 

The fibers would not escape if the unit was hermetically sealed but it isn't and the small gaps in the casing are far greater than the size of dangerous asbestos particles. To make matters worse the controller actually "breathes" as it heats up and cools down and every time the control knob is rotated it disturbs the surface of the asbestos former.

 

Is it a huge risk? Probably not but I would not let my grandchildren use one. There are far better controllers available anyway so why take any risk?

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On 15/01/2021 at 05:22, kevinlms said:

As I've previously stated in this thread, the resistance mat was available with different resistances. If yours is a higher resistance ratings, it will work better on more modern motors.

No idea how you tell the difference though!

That is the reason they have high/low resistance switches, to suit "all motors". The half wave switch does what it says, gives half-wave rectification for very slow running. Modern motors will need the higher resistance mat or switch set too high.

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On 19/01/2021 at 19:47, roythebus1 said:

That is the reason they have high/low resistance switches, to suit "all motors". The half wave switch does what it says, gives half-wave rectification for very slow running. Modern motors will need the higher resistance mat or switch set too high.

The different resistance mats, would still have given a much improved level of control.

 

H&M Resistance.jpg

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On 18/01/2021 at 05:37, AndyID said:

 

The fibers would not escape if the unit was hermetically sealed but it isn't and the small gaps in the casing are far greater than the size of dangerous asbestos particles. To make matters worse the controller actually "breathes" as it heats up and cools down and every time the control knob is rotated it disturbs the surface of the asbestos former.

 

Is it a huge risk? Probably not but I would not let my grandchildren use one. There are far better controllers available anyway so why take any risk?

Whilst I completely and totally agree with you that our children and grandchildren are uniquely precious, I think you're over-reacting. These products have been around for over 60 years, and I cannot recall reading of any cases of mesothelioma or lung cancer being traced back to exposure to asbestos in an H&M controller. Asbestos was also used in some textured wall and ceiling coatings which are still in place. There are plenty of other carcinogens out there, not to mention particulates from car exhausts,  and microplastics. There will also be free asbestos particles released years ago from building products, industrial insulation, car brakes, electric night storage heaters etc when it was in much wider use.

 

 

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1 hour ago, GoingUnderground said:

Whilst I completely and totally agree with you that our children and grandchildren are uniquely precious, I think you're over-reacting. These products have been around for over 60 years, and I cannot recall reading of any cases of mesothelioma or lung cancer being traced back to exposure to asbestos in an H&M controller. Asbestos was also used in some textured wall and ceiling coatings which are still in place. There are plenty of other carcinogens out there, not to mention particulates from car exhausts,  and microplastics. There will also be free asbestos particles released years ago from building products, industrial insulation, car brakes, electric night storage heaters etc when it was in much wider use.

 

 

How do you KNOW that people haven't died from such exposure?

 

A family friend died from asbestosis in his 70s. It turned out that he worked in a factory in his 20s, that made similar equipment to that of H&M controllers. The electric jugs and kettles consisted of a coil wrapped around an asbestos former, which is no different to an H&M controller in principle.

 

The risk does as you state come from the dust fibres, but they are so small that they are difficult to detect and many people don't know they were exposed.

 

There are stories around of men that worked in mines for many years and never got sick, yet their wives, who merely washed their overalls, did die of asbestosis.

 

There is a town in Western Australia, where the mine closed down in 1966, yet there are currently 3 residents still living there and refusing to leave.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wittenoom,_Western_Australia

 

 

A hidden report makes shocking reading, but can be found here.

 

https://web.archive.org/web/20090915105216if_/http://bizline.docep.wa.gov.au/safetyline/media/The wittenoom disaster review.pdf

 

I really don't understand why some people want to defend the H&M resistance controller, what is potentially a risky product and overall, it doesn't work particularly well.

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1 hour ago, kevinlms said:

How do you KNOW that people haven't died from such exposure?

 

A family friend died from asbestosis in his 70s. It turned out that he worked in a factory in his 20s, that made similar equipment to that of H&M controllers. The electric jugs and kettles consisted of a coil wrapped around an asbestos former, which is no different to an H&M controller in principle.

 

The risk does as you state come from the dust fibres, but they are so small that they are difficult to detect and many people don't know they were exposed.

 

There are stories around of men that worked in mines for many years and never got sick, yet their wives, who merely washed their overalls, did die of asbestosis.

 

There is a town in Western Australia, where the mine closed down in 1966, yet there are currently 3 residents still living there and refusing to leave.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wittenoom,_Western_Australia

 

 

A hidden report makes shocking reading, but can be found here.

 

https://web.archive.org/web/20090915105216if_/http://bizline.docep.wa.gov.au/safetyline/media/The wittenoom disaster review.pdf

 

I really don't understand why some people want to defend the H&M resistance controller, what is potentially a risky product and overall, it doesn't work particularly well.

I don't KNOW, and I never claimed that i did KNOW as you put it. Please read what I posted earlier, I said that "I cannot recall reading" of any such cases. How do you KNOW that anyone has died from exposure to asbestos specifically from a resistance mat?

 

I totally and utterly agree that it's very nasty stuff. There are plenty of examples of people being exposed to asbestos at work and later contracting asbestosis, and of the people employed in the industry coming home from work with their clothes and skin white from asbestos dust hee in the UK.

 

There are so many other possible sources of asbestos that trying to single out one potential source doesn't make any sense to me at all. 

 

For instance, over 50 years ago my school organised a visit to a local firm making concrete asbestos corrugated sheeting and rainwater pipes, and I remember at the time being concerned about the risk, but I went assuming that if it was a risk then the school wouldn't have organised the visit. My mother had a heat resistant mat for her iron that was made of asbestos. The house that I grew up in had a coal bunker with a roof made of corrugated concrete asbestos sheeting ,and one corner was broken and some fibres must have escaped from that break, and possibly due to weathering. The rainwater downpipes were concrete asbestos. . I once owned a property where a previous owner had covered some of the doors in textured coatings. It was b****y rough if you walked into it, and 30 years ago I laboriously scraped it off. It is only in the last 5 years that I discovered that the coating could have contained asbestos. I used to do my own car servicing years ago and inevitably will have changed brake shoes containing asbestos. I've travelled on trains where asbestos will have been used for insulation. I will undoubtedly have been in buildings where asbestos was part of the fabric of the building.


I must have been exposed to microfibres of the stuff at some point in my life. But I must also have been exposed to other equally dangerous materials, coal dust, cigarette smoke, solvents like carbon tetrachloride, not to mention viruses and bacteria. To date, I don't have any lung problems as far as I know, but that doesn't mean that I won't get them in the future, and if I did, there is no way that anyone could say exactly which of all the many possible sources from the fibres came if I did get asbestosis.

 

Don't get me wrong, I am definitely NOT defending the use of asbestos, and I feel very sincerely for anyone who has problems caused by asbestos or relatives who have died from it. My father spent almost all of his working life employed by a cigarette company and, like all the employees, used to receive 200 cigarettes free every month. Both my parents smoked and died from smoking related illnesses, but I couldn't tell you which cigarette "killed" them, and neither could they. But I'm reasonably sure that it was smoking cigarettes that resulted in their deaths even though I do not KNOW it in ay direct provable sense.

 

All I am saying is that we need to keep things in proportion. Life is full of risks. Indeed, even the action of being born is a risk. Crossing the road or driving a car is a risk, as is travelling in a train or an aircraft or a boat, or using a ladder, or any of the other things that we do in daily life. But that doesn't mean that I should stay home with the duvet over my head, too scared to do anything.

 

And one final thought for those of you worried about old H&M controllers, did you know that the chemicals (PFOAs) used to make the non-stick coating used for so many years in pots and pans are now suspected of being carcinogenic. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/teflon-and-perfluorooctanoic-acid-pfoa.html These chemicals are also used in stain resistant coatings for furnishings and clothing . So I assume that you'll be replacing all your potentially PFOA containing items around the house because of the theoretical risk to your grandchildren when they come to visit.

 

And, yes I will defend the H&M controllers because they work perfectly well for me, and have done for 60 years. If they don't suit your purposes and you think they're rubbish then that's absolutely fine by me as you're perfectly entitled to your own opinions.

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3 hours ago, GoingUnderground said:

I don't KNOW, and I never claimed that i did KNOW as you put it. Please read what I posted earlier, I said that "I cannot recall reading" of any such cases. How do you KNOW that anyone has died from exposure to asbestos specifically from a resistance mat?

 

I totally and utterly agree that it's very nasty stuff. There are plenty of examples of people being exposed to asbestos at work and later contracting asbestosis, and of the people employed in the industry coming home from work with their clothes and skin white from asbestos dust hee in the UK.

 

There are so many other possible sources of asbestos that trying to single out one potential source doesn't make any sense to me at all. 

 

For instance, over 50 years ago my school organised a visit to a local firm making concrete asbestos corrugated sheeting and rainwater pipes, and I remember at the time being concerned about the risk, but I went assuming that if it was a risk then the school wouldn't have organised the visit. My mother had a heat resistant mat for her iron that was made of asbestos. The house that I grew up in had a coal bunker with a roof made of corrugated concrete asbestos sheeting ,and one corner was broken and some fibres must have escaped from that break, and possibly due to weathering. The rainwater downpipes were concrete asbestos. . I once owned a property where a previous owner had covered some of the doors in textured coatings. It was b****y rough if you walked into it, and 30 years ago I laboriously scraped it off. It is only in the last 5 years that I discovered that the coating could have contained asbestos. I used to do my own car servicing years ago and inevitably will have changed brake shoes containing asbestos. I've travelled on trains where asbestos will have been used for insulation. I will undoubtedly have been in buildings where asbestos was part of the fabric of the building.


I must have been exposed to microfibres of the stuff at some point in my life. But I must also have been exposed to other equally dangerous materials, coal dust, cigarette smoke, solvents like carbon tetrachloride, not to mention viruses and bacteria. To date, I don't have any lung problems as far as I know, but that doesn't mean that I won't get them in the future, and if I did, there is no way that anyone could say exactly which of all the many possible sources from the fibres came if I did get asbestosis.

 

Don't get me wrong, I am definitely NOT defending the use of asbestos, and I feel very sincerely for anyone who has problems caused by asbestos or relatives who have died from it. My father spent almost all of his working life employed by a cigarette company and, like all the employees, used to receive 200 cigarettes free every month. Both my parents smoked and died from smoking related illnesses, but I couldn't tell you which cigarette "killed" them, and neither could they. But I'm reasonably sure that it was smoking cigarettes that resulted in their deaths even though I do not KNOW it in ay direct provable sense.

 

All I am saying is that we need to keep things in proportion. Life is full of risks. Indeed, even the action of being born is a risk. Crossing the road or driving a car is a risk, as is travelling in a train or an aircraft or a boat, or using a ladder, or any of the other things that we do in daily life. But that doesn't mean that I should stay home with the duvet over my head, too scared to do anything.

 

And one final thought for those of you worried about old H&M controllers, did you know that the chemicals (PFOAs) used to make the non-stick coating used for so many years in pots and pans are now suspected of being carcinogenic. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/teflon-and-perfluorooctanoic-acid-pfoa.html These chemicals are also used in stain resistant coatings for furnishings and clothing . So I assume that you'll be replacing all your potentially PFOA containing items around the house because of the theoretical risk to your grandchildren when they come to visit.

 

And, yes I will defend the H&M controllers because they work perfectly well for me, and have done for 60 years. If they don't suit your purposes and you think they're rubbish then that's absolutely fine by me as you're perfectly entitled to your own opinions.

 

Yes, life is full of risks but usually there is a reward for taking a risk. In this case I don't see any reward which is why I won't take the risk and I don't encourage anyone else to either.

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I have to agree with what Going underground says above. The risk of using H&M controllers is very minimal, risk assessment is the keyword.

 

Having said that, I also have to agree with what Andy ID says!

 

Do your own risk assessment. Is the controller case sealed? Yes. Is there any signs of the case being tampered with? No. Any sign of damage to the wiring? No. Does it work? Yes. Does it work well with the stock you've got? Yes. Keep on using it. If it goes bang, bin it.

 

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5 hours ago, roythebus1 said:

Do your own risk assessment. Is the controller case sealed? Yes. Is there any signs of the case being tampered with? No. Any sign of damage to the wiring? No. Does it work? Yes. Does it work well with the stock you've got? Yes. Keep on using it. If it goes bang, bin it.

 

 

But is it sealed for particles as small as 0.0002 inches? I suppose you could do a "reverse witch" test. If it floats it's sealed. If it sinks, problem solved.

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I have dealt with many asbestos related disease cases over the years. It is nasty stuff. You probably don't want to die, but you definitely do not want to die from mesothelioma - very unpleasant. It is correct that you are unlikely to develop asbestos related disease from the minute quantities that would be emitted by the Duette unopened, assuming the mat is asbestos based The problems with asbestos were becoming well known in the mid 70s, with controls on manufacturing processes which may have encouraged H&M to look elsewhere.

 

Although my experience was that heavy exposure was more likely to lead to lung cancers and mesothelioma, light exposure could cause disease in some cases (mesothelioma, usually), the higher risks being from Crocidolite (also known as blue asbestos, but it doesn't have to be blue). That was the material used to line the inside of the Mk 1 coaches. I think it unlikely to be present in domestic environments, but it may be and is dangerous. The asbestos used in ceilings and the like was usually Chrysotile (also known as white asbestos). These products can be mixed in use though.

 

In short, the risk of using the controller is probably modest. I would not take it apart. Wearing a mask while doing so does not give protection - the particles are so fine they will go through a mask.

 

I any event you weigh up the risk for yourself. Mesothelioma develops very slowly - usually developing symptoms some 30 years after exposure, so if you are 60+, you are unlikely to develop symptoms within your lifetime. (I did have one case of 15 years post exposure - it is not impossible that he had earlier exposure which we could not identify). It can be developed from fairly modest exposure.

 

The other lung cancers related to asbestos exposure are also slow to develop and usually require fairly high levels of exposure.

 

Having seen people die from mesothelioma and just how unpleasant it is for the individual and family, my inclination would be to steer well clear.

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On 19/01/2021 at 11:59, GoingUnderground said:

------------- These products have been around for over 60 years, and I cannot recall reading of any cases of mesothelioma or lung cancer being traced back to exposure to asbestos in an H&M controller. Asbestos was also used in some textured wall and ceiling coatings which are still in place. There are plenty of other carcinogens out there, not to mention particulates from car exhausts,  and microplastics. There will also be free asbestos particles released years ago from building products, industrial insulation, car brakes, electric night storage heaters etc when it was in much wider use.

 

 

So you are an expert on asbestos and the harm it causes?  And there are other causes of harm in our environment so that excuses us in ignoring it when we come across asbestos ? You just can not make statements like this.

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On 20/01/2021 at 03:55, GoingUnderground said:

I don't KNOW, and I never claimed that i did KNOW as you put it. Please read what I posted earlier, I said that "I cannot recall reading" of any such cases. How do you KNOW that anyone has died from exposure to asbestos specifically from a resistance mat?

 

I totally and utterly agree that it's very nasty stuff. There are plenty of examples of people being exposed to asbestos at work and later contracting asbestosis, and of the people employed in the industry coming home from work with their clothes and skin white from asbestos dust hee in the UK.

 

There are so many other possible sources of asbestos that trying to single out one potential source doesn't make any sense to me at all. 

 

For instance, over 50 years ago my school organised a visit to a local firm making concrete asbestos corrugated sheeting and rainwater pipes, and I remember at the time being concerned about the risk, but I went assuming that if it was a risk then the school wouldn't have organised the visit. My mother had a heat resistant mat for her iron that was made of asbestos. The house that I grew up in had a coal bunker with a roof made of corrugated concrete asbestos sheeting ,and one corner was broken and some fibres must have escaped from that break, and possibly due to weathering. The rainwater downpipes were concrete asbestos. . I once owned a property where a previous owner had covered some of the doors in textured coatings. It was b****y rough if you walked into it, and 30 years ago I laboriously scraped it off. It is only in the last 5 years that I discovered that the coating could have contained asbestos. I used to do my own car servicing years ago and inevitably will have changed brake shoes containing asbestos. I've travelled on trains where asbestos will have been used for insulation. I will undoubtedly have been in buildings where asbestos was part of the fabric of the building.


I must have been exposed to microfibres of the stuff at some point in my life. But I must also have been exposed to other equally dangerous materials, coal dust, cigarette smoke, solvents like carbon tetrachloride, not to mention viruses and bacteria. To date, I don't have any lung problems as far as I know, but that doesn't mean that I won't get them in the future, and if I did, there is no way that anyone could say exactly which of all the many possible sources from the fibres came if I did get asbestosis.

 

Don't get me wrong, I am definitely NOT defending the use of asbestos, and I feel very sincerely for anyone who has problems caused by asbestos or relatives who have died from it. My father spent almost all of his working life employed by a cigarette company and, like all the employees, used to receive 200 cigarettes free every month. Both my parents smoked and died from smoking related illnesses, but I couldn't tell you which cigarette "killed" them, and neither could they. But I'm reasonably sure that it was smoking cigarettes that resulted in their deaths even though I do not KNOW it in ay direct provable sense.

 

All I am saying is that we need to keep things in proportion. Life is full of risks. Indeed, even the action of being born is a risk. Crossing the road or driving a car is a risk, as is travelling in a train or an aircraft or a boat, or using a ladder, or any of the other things that we do in daily life. But that doesn't mean that I should stay home with the duvet over my head, too scared to do anything.

 

And one final thought for those of you worried about old H&M controllers, did you know that the chemicals (PFOAs) used to make the non-stick coating used for so many years in pots and pans are now suspected of being carcinogenic. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/teflon-and-perfluorooctanoic-acid-pfoa.html These chemicals are also used in stain resistant coatings for furnishings and clothing . So I assume that you'll be replacing all your potentially PFOA containing items around the house because of the theoretical risk to your grandchildren when they come to visit.

 

And, yes I will defend the H&M controllers because they work perfectly well for me, and have done for 60 years. If they don't suit your purposes and you think they're rubbish then that's absolutely fine by me as you're perfectly entitled to your own opinions.

Very strange that much of your defence is aimed at my use the use of 'KNOW'. You made several references to that. Just like 'PECO' of old!

 

Grow up, I was only suggesting that items containing, or suspected of containing asbestos, should be avoided and preferably disposed of properly. You chose differently.

 

Thankfully, since your post there has been posting from someone who has dealt with people professionally, who have suffered from asbestosis. I will take his opinion over yours everyday.

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8 hours ago, kevinlms said:

Very strange that much of your defence is aimed at my use the use of 'KNOW'. You made several references to that. Just like 'PECO' of old!

 

Grow up, I was only suggesting that items containing, or suspected of containing asbestos, should be avoided and preferably disposed of properly. You chose differently.

 

Thankfully, since your post there has been posting from someone who has dealt with people professionally, who have suffered from asbestosis. I will take his opinion over yours everyday.

And if you re-read that post you'll also see that he said:

 

"In short, the risk of using the controller is probably modest. I would not take it apart." 

 

If you read the medical literature, researchers are increasingly concerned about many of the microparticles and microplastics in the environment around us all, particularly the very small PM2.5 particulates discussed in this paper from DEFRA in the UK.  https://laqm.defra.gov.uk/public-health/pm25.html

 

I have seen in the last 3 months papers outlining more recent research which reaffirm the risk to health from PM2.5s being generated in appreciable quantities every second of every minute of every hour of every day around us. We cannot avoid inhaling them, especially those of us who live in towns and cities, and air pollution is a known killer which poses a far greater health risk long term than the intermittent use of an old H&M controller. Two wrongs don't make a right, but we ought to keep the relative risks in proportion.

 

Don't forget that bacteria and viruses can do severe and irreparable damage to health as we all know too well from recent history.

 

I am NOT, repeat NOT, repeat NOT defending the use of asbestos.

 

If you no longer have need of it, or if you are worried about the risk of keeping it, DON'T BIN IT. Instead hand it over to a properly authorised asbestos disposal contractor.

 

But I will keep using mine. But don't worry, I won't bring it round to your place, the PM2.5s, PFOAs and asbestos concealed but still around us in some buildings may already be doing more damage to your health than my old H&M controllers ever can.

 

I am more worried about the risk of electrocution from using an old controller where the insulation around the mains lead has perished or decayed underneath the braiding, and I do have one H&M controller that I do not use for that reason. I won't be opening it up to replace the mains lead, though.

 

 

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There is little to commend these units these days: -

 

For -

 

1/ Available.

2/ Robust strong construction.

3/ Cheap.

4/ Ergonomic. (Subjective)

5/ Nostalgic value. (Subjective)

6/ Some secondary uses can be found for them.

7/ Easy to understand. (Subjective)

8/ Easy to repair. (Substitute components are readily available)

9/ May be already installed, IE no need to change.

 

Against -

 

1/ High risk of it containing asbestos.

2/ Some risk of selenium release.

3/ NOT hermetically sealed. (NOT Subjective)

4/ Mismatch of internal impedance to modern motors / mechanisms.

5/ Deteriorated insulation.

6/ Worn components.

7/ Open exposed construction inside.

8/ User repairs risk contamination and/or electrocution. (NOT Subjective)

8/ Bulky. (Subjective)

9/ Poor / no slow speed control. (Subjective)

10/ Very poor voltage control. (Subjective)

11/ Obsolete, not fit for (current) purpose. (Subjective)

12/ Not available new.

13/ Unsupported. (Subjective)

 

 

Having said that, if someone thinks (and continues to use because of) that advantages 2, 4, 5, 6 and 9 out weight the disadvantages, then I don’t see a problem with that.

 

But the risks are still there.

Be aware of them and manage them.

IE don’t bother to open the case – for any reason – would be the best course of action. Leave it in a fixed position, IE try and reduce the number of hard knocks the case receives.

 

 

Personally, I think the electrical dangers are greater than the asbestos dangers.

 

In modern parlance: - Not recommended for new designs!

 

 

Kev.

 

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I still have my duettte , I still love the big chunky knob. I actually 3D printed some replica ones for other DC controllers. 
 

however the fact is the duette controller itself is very basic , and is easily bested by a simple electronic design from jelly bean components. 
 

good for nostalgia value , that’s about it. 

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On 19/01/2021 at 09:57, kevinlms said:

The different resistance mats, would still have given a much improved level of control.

H&M Resistance.jpg

 

Are those resistance mat boards actually made of asbestos?

The company was aware enough to use lead free paint.

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5 hours ago, maico said:

 

Are those resistance mat boards actually made of asbestos?

The company was aware enough to use lead free paint.

No one seems to know for sure. They certainly look like it.

 

The only way to know, is for someone to pay for a proper test. Is it worth the money for the test? Probably cheaper to dispose of properly.

 

If someone were to get one tested and found positive, then such items cannot be sold or given away.

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11 minutes ago, kevinlms said:

No one seems to know for sure. They certainly look like it.

 

The only way to know, is for someone to pay for a proper test. Is it worth the money for the test? Probably cheaper to dispose of properly.

 

If someone were to get one tested and found positive, then such items cannot be sold or given away.

Take a look here

 

https://www.stable-cottage-potterne.co.uk/HM3000/HM_11thEd.pdf

 

Page 28 Air Flow Resistance Mat. I'd suggest that it IS Asbestos.

  • Agree 1
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