Viking (Stihl) garden shredder switch.

[Riejufixing]

The switch doesn't switch the shredder on. The fuse in the plug is OK. The telltale green light on the switch does not come on.

These are about £130 new, so I thought I'd get the back off and poke about in it. However, it looks as though it's glued up.

In the pics, the four "holes" you might think are for screws to go into are just blind holes in the plastic. The part that looks like a clip does not unclip.

It looks as though the back piece is a seperate piece to the rest. There's a gap around where a knife blade can be used to lever, and near where the wire goes through the black grommet, the halves do seperate a tiny amounyt as if it's not glued just there.

Any ideas about how to open it, without destroying it? Lever? Hacksaw? Some other way? What's in there?

[Sister Sledge]

Try pressing that label in the middle - might have a hole under it with a hidden screw.
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CCM 404 DS

[Riejufixing]

[MCN]

Does it have an RCD or other breaker device inside.

Can you smell if it has let it's smoke out?
Niff around the housing for electrical burning smell.

If so then the components on the PCB inside that doofur have failed.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[Riejufixing]

[defblade]

Well, clearly it did go together as separate parts, so it will come apart again in some way

If it's knackered anyway, you've got little to lose in getting forceful. If you say it lifts a little at one point, I'd start levering there, but don't be surprised if something snaps rather than the glue letting go. Otherwise, yes, a gentle hacksaw around the join will probably do it - it looks to me like there will be space between the casing and the switch itself.


I can also think of a couple of redneck bodges given that is just an on/off switch, but H&S may have something to say
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Honda Varadero 125cc => Suzuki Bandit 650 33bhp => 77bhp =>
BMW K1200R Sport 163bhp => Aprilia Shiver GT 750 95bhp

[Sister Sledge]

Another idea: It's definitely the switch that's broken?
I ask because over the last few years I'm replacing more and more electric motor start/run capacitors. You know the ones - usually screwed to the side of the motor and quite big.
Might be evil pixies in my shed or perhaps quality is dropping but they're easy and cheap to replace. Last one I did was for a 500 Watt bench grinder and the capacitor was £2.99 delivered.
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CCM 404 DS

[Suntan Sid]

If you undo and move the grey gland out of the way you might be able to gain access or at least see what's inside.

Regarding the tell tale light, recently I had a battery charger that blew a fuse and at the same time took out one of the tell tales. Replacing the fuse made no difference, a bit of googling revealed that the diode needed to be working, without replacing it the charger would not operate.
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"Everybody needs money, that's why they call it money!"

[MCN]

[Riejufixing]

[MCN]

You could stick the capacitor for a washing machine on the motor.
I wouldn't have a clue about the connection though.
Maybe modern stuff uses PCB start circuits.
Capacitor starting is still a big jump on domestic supply.
We don't get a lot of power to homes in UK.
It's common in the US to have a domestic supply and a an 'industrial' supply to run a home-shop.
Or as Muricans say 'Their Shap'.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[Riejufixing]

Well, the grey plastic nut/gland wouldn't come away, because there's a nut inside the box. The black rubbery output side one prised out fairly easily, though.

Inside I could see a red-brown thing with "BR01-30-01-01" on it, which seems to be this (Nr 305.233):

https://www.tripus.de/en/Contactors-BR01-with-3-make-contacts-shopitem-531-4964-16865-158.html#


Anyway, I couldn't see anything holding the back on, so I knocked the tapered back of a carving knife along the little gap around the back to force it, and off it came, albeit with some damage to the internal plastic legs/clips that held it on.

There's a pressbutton on/off thing inside, behind the plastic on/off membrane in the housing, plus the red-brown switch BR01, plus am E-T-A "a00-00-p10" "13A" self-resetting thermal circuit breaker, which does not measure open circuit.

Can't see anything wrong. I suppose I'd better check the motor's capacitor. Apart from "It should not have a through circuit" not sure what to check.

[A100man]

this looks similar..

https://www.toolstation.com/axiom-dol-starter/p95364?

The cap is used to create a phase shift in single phase supplies to get a rotating magnetic field (or something like that..) 3-phase supplies inherently have phase shift which can generate a rotating magnetic field and so do not have starting or running caps (probably).

Anyhow. I'd try the starter/switch above and if not dice it's probably the motor cap.. you may even be able to try and it an return to shop if no good in this instance.
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Then: Fizz, RS200, KL250, XJ550, Laverda Alpina, XJ600, FZS600

[Riejufixing]

Right. Thanks for the above link. However, I don't need it (the TEW11A6 from Toolstation "yet").

Having taken the thing apart, looked at its innards, wiggled things, clipped it back together, I connected it up, and the telltale came on. Sticking (for I was working in the kitchen...) a teaspoon down the interlock and securing the motor assembly back into the shredder's lower body, holding the whole thing down with my foot on the bottom stand, and testing, produced a dangerous although satisfactory result. It works. God knows why.

I have a nasty suspicion about that interlock, which although I did test before, I did not short completely, and enabling the thing does put out the green telltale.

Should this be found by someone "out there":

1) Check the fuse...
2) Remove the green top part of the machine. Clean out any accumulated material that might be stopping the green top section seating properly on the aluminium casting holding the cutters, put back together and re-test.
3) If that does not work, defeat the interlock by connecting the two (black) wires directly together, and re-test.
4) If that does not work, OR you want a replace replacement flex lead cable, prise the switch box apart. To do this you may be able to spring one of the sides of the box part with th on'off in it out, like pulling the outside of a cardboard box outwards, and prise the thing open with a screwdriver, being careful not to knacker components inside. Wiggle it all about, check the thermal overload, put it back together, fingers crossed.

When you fiddle about with this machine, be very careful, because the motor section is nastily andular and heavy, there's a big fat capacitor which could zap you, and if you test with the interlock disabled, screw the motor into the boottom part first and hold the whole lot down because you don't want a 3kW motor with shredding blades jumping about in your workshop (or kitchen).

If there's any need for a replacement internal switch part, the one fitted to a Belle mini mix (around 2002 vintage) seems to be the same one.

[SmithAnderson]

I'd be hesitant to go all-out with a hacksaw just yet. Maybe try gently prying it open with a flat-head screwdriver or a plastic opening tool in that gap you mentioned. Just take it slow and easy.

[Forevergem]

Since this post is quite old, I'm hoping you've managed to solve the issue with your Viking garden shredder switch by now. I must admit, I'm not much of an expert on garden shredders myself. I recently moved into a house with a garden and I'm just starting to learn the ropes of gardening. In fact, my first priority was getting a nice outdoor furniture set to create a relaxing space in my garden. If you ever need a fantastic garden set, you can click here to explore the available options. Having a cozy space in your backyard for parties, barbecues, and just unwinding while enjoying nature on sunny days is absolutely amazing!