Replacement Fuse T3.15AL250V

The blown fuse, especially the catastrophic sort of failure you describe suggests that there is a whole lot more wrong with the shredder than just a blown fuse- like a dead short to ground somewhere internal to the shredder. I would suggest opening it up and having a look for burned components, like blown capacitors, evaporated diodes, burned traces on the circuit boards, etc. A time delay fuse would be used in the case, for instance, when there is a transformer (i.e., reducing line voltage to operating voltage) such that the fuse would not blow as a result of the instant surge when power is first applied. Otherwise, this sounds like a typical LBC size fuse, which apparently is an IEC standard. Check digikey.

Hi cwarner 7 11,

I hope I got your name correct. I am not sure if there is an under-slash or a space between the 7 and 11?

I have it apart but have been bending down for an hour or so so want to rest for the time being.

There is a separate small sized board about the size of a mobile phone on one side on the machine. Which seems to be linked to the safety aspect. That was not involved.

The fuse was on the other side of the machine near the motor, and controller board, which had the fuse blown there. Which is where the flash came from when I tried to switch it on.

I will see if I can unscrew the circuit board tomorrow. I have no testing equipment but, I may have found a site which can replace the whole safety/switch board which I am talking about. But it may not need it.

I think the paper which gad gotten everywhere where it shound't was the cause of the blow.

I took the makers to court and won the cost of the machine I paid (Retail) £315.00 and costs which totalled almost £500.00 altogether. They sent half and did not replace the machine so I rang on the Friday and said if I did not have the second half of the money in full on Monday I would send in the Bailiffs.

The next day was Saturday and a currier delivered the second half of the money!

Anyway, the Machine broke a stripper off in the first week I had it and the company I got it from on-line wanted nothing to do with it. I do not think it was a cheap machine at over £315.00. But they had others for industry on their site which from memory went up to about £70,000.00. So my machine is hardly worth worrying over? Well they got that wrong. I wrote to them and emailed and rang, and the only answer I got was to two phone calls where they said they would collect and replace the machine. They never did.

I had to take the whole thing apart to get to the part I wanted. If you look at the top of the machine as would be when in use. That was densely packed with paper and thin card. And it may have over-heated? I want to at least put another fuse in and try it before I start getting stuff I do not need.

I really need a single stripper. I do not know if I can buy just one but with do some more research to check.

I do understand what you mean. But there was no fire just a spark which after removing all the casing I could see the spark came from the fuse. There seems to be no other electrical burn marks but I have to see the other side of the switch board yet.

I will also tape up gaps that allowed the paper into the electrics and electronics area. The fit on the outside is pretty good. But the inside components leave too much room between where the paper slot is and the actual strippers so I want to try and block the gaps. I realise these may have been for cooling, but there was paper in the gears, the electrics and electronics. I will have to semi assemble it to check out the fit of components and to see where the ready slotted paper is getting through the rectify it.

Sorry for the long post, I did not mean to go on that long.

As I understand it the 'T' on the fuse was an indication that the fuse was a time delay one. I would put a normal 3 A fuse in but it may well keep blowing? And with the whole machine being metal screws into plastic it may not take to kindly to continued removal and replacement of the screws?

Take care my friend, and thank you for the very prompt reply!

Hi cwarner7 11,

I really appreciate your reply post, thank you!

I have taken the machine apart and it is a mess. Mainly just needing cleaning, which I have done.

Take care and good luck.

Presuming the shredder is motor driven, a time delay fuse would allow for brief starting current without blowing, and also brief periods of chewing on too thick a load of paper. But if a stray staple jams the shredder, the locked rotor current should blow the fuse. In addition to electrical checks, look also for physical jams.

Hi Tornado,

I appreciate your help and information, thank you!

Hi, bb,

Take your pick from these - and yes, they're 20mm x 5mm - standard size.

(Careful how you order - don't end up with 99 spares!)

Cheers,
John

Hi JohnDG,

I would be grateful for your help in the choice of a possible answer.

The shredder details are:

Aurora AS1510CD Shredder bought in the UK.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I went to the RS site as you and PWS advised. But I cannot decide which fuse to buy. I do not mind getting 10 but, as you point out a 100 is a little OTT!

It is one hell of a job to get to the piece where the fuse is fixed so I want to get the correct one. I could get 'any 3.15 A' fuse, but it may not last for long?

The fuse that failed looks like it had bitumen or plastic which melted and held the ceramic or glass together.

I have have the machine in 'bits'. There paper waste had found its way into the gears and the electric and electronics. A right blooming mess!

I checked and there is no burn areas apart from the blown fuse. I think the paper shreds could have been the reason by blocking the motor cooling area.

I took the actual shredder part itself out and have spent time today cleaning it and getting every little bit of plastic and paper out of it.

I had used it for just a week before I emptied it, and found one of the 'shredder guides', or a 'stripper' which looks like plastic, was broken and was in the paper waste. It does mean there is now a gap of about 4 mm between two of the 'knives'. The 'knives' are in constant "Mesh" There is two rows of knives and each mesh with its opposite knife, so with just the one stripper missing, there should be no problems. I do not have the tools at the moment to take the knives and strippers out and to replace the missing stripper.

I want to replace that single stripper but am finding it hard if not impossible to find anywhere, or any person who can supply a single stripper. Any advice on that also will be gratefully received.

I know I am usually the one doing research but this has got me stuck, sorry.!

Quick answer re. the fuse - any of the ones on the list I linked to will do - for practical purposes, they're all equivalent. (You did check it out, I assume? For reference, here it is again <click here>). The first on the list (RS 563-621) comes in multiples of 10 @ 10p each so you can get 10 for £1.

Hi JohnDG,

Yes I did check it out, its just that I had a whole lot of other worries when you sent that through, and was kinda snowed under so as to speak. That one you mentioned may have been the one I provisionally chose, but I may be mistaken, but I thought that was one of two or three which was not available? I actually ordered the one I wanted and hoped would work in a pack of ten. Chances are I may not use more than one!

What a rigmarole to get to it though! Like getting a wet suit on and, getting into a diving bell, to pick a single grain of sand from the bottom of the ocean bed of the Mariana Trench!

I am going to treat myself to a Micrometer. I can then find the exact bore I need for the washer/spacer.

Take care and thank for being there.

Hi JohnDG,

I could not decide so just took a deep breath and ordered!

It would have made a whole lot better sense to have had the fuse that slid out rather than to have to take the whole thing apart! I can only gamble on the missing broken stripper. More than one broken and there would be too much room and it would allow the strippers and knives, which are loose apart from being 'spaced' by the strippers, to crash into each other.

I have yet to find anywhere I can buy a single stripper. I might just see if I can find some suitable plastic or something which will not 'burn' and melt and still to the shaft with friction. I may see if I can find a washer large enough and thick enough to fill the gap. Not measured it precisely but a washer about 1.5" dia' (~37 mm) would work. The strippers are close enough together to now make the missing one a problem. Though it may be if I do not look for some decent washer/s to use as a spacer.

I wish there was some way of me seeing the slow blow fuse before it blew. But I cannot compare it with any new one and do not know enough, or more to the truth, cannot be bothered to check out the electronic circuit to check if a slow blow fuse was actually the answer. But a time delay fuse that was not slow blow would not have worked as it may have blown just by turning the thing on, you know?

I thought it would have been a simple case of getting in touch with Aurora the makers. But as I have just taken them to court for the zero action from them when the thing blew a fuse after about a week, I have this funny idea I may not be very popular there at the moment! LOL!

I got the full cost plus costs back, and it took me three years I think it was to do that. So I look at it as it has already been paid for and has cost nout. So any money for the fuse/s and or the stripper and I will have a new shredder.

On closer viewing it seems one of the kids who used to visit with their mum may have put plastic bags and a carpet tile through when I was not there.

This is a whole lot of yakking about a fuse, innit? Sorry.

Take care.

Try RS Components (usual disclaimer).

Hi PWS,

I thank you very much for your advice!

It is the same site as JohnGD advised. I am perplexed what to choose though!

Take care.

If the manufacturer has used a Slow-Blow [Time-delay] fuse it is not recommended to use a FF instead as it may blow just when switching on.

And if it is in power plug of the device then 20 mm long x 5mm 15A are standard & used in UK Plugs of all house-hold Appliances.

But the Electronic devices like Laptop/ Notebooks etc has a proprly rated fuse & type originally by manufacturere & may not be tried anything else.

Though it does not seem that a Slow-Blo is required in a Shredder [Paper-shredder I think] however a semidelay fuse is used in all house-hold Appliances.

A slow-blo [glass cartridge] has a spiral type fuse wire . See below

In UK you may enquire from RS Components, Maplin Electonics, or Farnells.

Maplin are sure in every town & RS & Farnells can be accessesd from web.

I have been going to Maplins the staff there had been very helpful, go personally 7 look into the catalogue & ask to show you and select

"And if it is in power plug of the device then 20 mm long x 5mm 15A are standard & used in UK Plugs of all house-hold Appliances."

Which UK are you talking about? Certainly not Great Britain and Northern Ireland, where the standard mains power connector for appliances plugging into wall outlets conforms to BS1363-A, is rated to a maximum of 13A, and carries a 25mm x 6.3mm ( 1" x ¼" ) fuse to BS1362.

Thanks for correction.

Hi JohnDG,

I thank you for pointing out what is the obvious error by Hajee. He is kind of thinking correctly, just got the facts wrong. Sorry Hajee!

Take care.

Hi Haajee,

I thank you for the advise with possible companies who may help.

But as pointed out by JohnDG, the UK power system is 13 Amp.

Thank you though!

Indeed it is a 20 x 5 mm fuse and appears to be a 3.15 Ampere Long time-lag glass fuse. You should be able to find one locally I would think.

The failure could have been caused by the shredder being jammed with paper graffiti, as you mentioned. I use a hemostat that I'd gotten from an EMT years ago that has a couple of teeth at the end for grabbing whatever. I use it occasionally for cleaning out my shredder.

Hi Bill,

Thank you for your reply post.

Can you explain a little more about the thing with the 'teeth' you mentioned?

Take care.

What I've got is maybe 8" long, straight; and where the teeth consist of one on one side and two on the other that intermesh. Don't know what the exact application is, but perhaps for grabbing tissue without it slipping away. I like this item as it does a good job in holding onto those impacted wads of paper.

I see hemostats at flea markets and the like, but never have seen any like this. In any event, I think that most any straight instrument could serve about as well, even narrow needlenose pliers.

Hi Bill,

Many thanks for your reply post.

I used needles, screwdrivers and needle-nose pliers to remove all the paper jam in between the very sharp pointed knives.

Take care