27

I bough a steampunk robot lamp from ebay. It is made out of (painted) metal fittings. After receiving it, I was a little concerned regarding safety and disassembled it. The plug suggests that this is a class II appliance, but the individual wires aren't double insulated and just connected via wire nuts. Is this safe? If not, what would be the best action?

I couldn't find any CE mark on the lamp. They also supply a super cheap looking 5W LED bulb, which has a CE marking on the package (but not on the bulb).

I kind of expected that this item would be safe, because it shipped from the Netherlands and therefore should conform to EU safety standards (it isn't like I'm directly importing it from China).

Update: I contacted the seller and according to him this is "not a problem", but they offered me to return the product (to a German warehouse).

Very regrettable. The European plug is like this, the product is no problem, If you need to return the product, please install it and send it to this address: Ma Kun (Jbingo) Tilburgstrasse NSR GMBH. 15, 41751 Wilson ☆Note: Please write down the product number, order number and eBay buyer ID on the paper, and put it in the return package so that our warehouse can identify it, thank you. ☆ Please provide us with a photo of the tracking number or logistics ticket, and then we will refund you in full. Thank you for your understanding and wait for your reply. Greetings

What a strange arangement. The seller is a Chinese company that ships the item from the Netherlands (according to the product description) and has a warehouse for returns in Germany. This sounds to me like an intresting way to get around safety laws and to be unreachable for any lawsuits.

robot lamp wirering of robot lamp lamp screw missing strain relief metal fittings

Kat
  • 245
  • 1
  • 9
someonr
  • 469
  • 5
  • 10
  • 11
    Shipping from the Netherlands doesn't help if it's coming through a drop-ship warehouse like Amazon Fulfillment. For whatever crazy reasons, the inside of these warehouses is like a "Free trade zone" or something wacky... – Harper - Reinstate Monica Sep 22 '20 at 18:48
  • 11
    convert it to a low voltage lamp – jsotola Sep 23 '20 at 01:11
  • I'm pretty sure there is a UK law that electrical equipment must have a 3 pin plug to be sold in the UK (adapters are not supposed to be allowed, but as everyone knows, Amazon/Ebay ignore this bit). https://www.hants.gov.uk/business/tradingstandards/consumeradvice/safety/plugschargers#:~:text=Regulations%20require%20that%20all%20domestic,plugs%20with%20the%20proper%20fuse. – Neil Sep 23 '20 at 07:54
  • 1
    @Neil I am not sure if there is a law but there is definitely a technical restriction used on British outlets which prevents to plug just 2 pins into it. However, the [class II appliances](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appliance_classes#Class_II) simply use a third plastic pin to override this protection. – Melebius Sep 23 '20 at 09:53
  • If you want to return this thing, check for the return address. The given ZIP code is the one of Viersen, Germany, not "Wilson", and I haven't found any reference for a company called "NSR" at Viersen - even the street is not listed under that exact name – Nico Haase Sep 23 '20 at 13:44
  • 1
    Does it have a CE mark? – D Duck Sep 23 '20 at 15:16
  • @DDuck The lamp not, but the supplied LED bulb package has a CE marking (I updated the question) – someonr Sep 23 '20 at 15:24
  • 1
    @DDuck With all the other issues spotted on this disaster; even if it does have a CE mark, I'm confident it stands for Chinese Excrement and should be disposed of as unsafe. – Dan Is Fiddling By Firelight Sep 23 '20 at 20:56
  • 7
    A red flag is that there is no bushing around the hole in its ass. – Hot Licks Sep 23 '20 at 22:20
  • @HotLicks One nice thing about the design, you could easily spin the torso around and then.... that's not its _**ass**_... (Granted that would be making this even worse.) – FeRD Sep 24 '20 at 02:24
  • @HotLicks a bushing alone isn't sufficient, the cable must be securely clamped (or similar - some cheap but solid designs, like many from Ikea, use a form of moulded cleat, but anyway picking the lamp up by the cable won't stress the electrical connectors) – Chris H Sep 25 '20 at 07:58
  • @someonr what did you do in the end? I like the idea of reworking it to use an external PSU and ULV lamp/s. – Criggie Jan 04 '22 at 22:55
  • 1
    @Criggie scroll down. You'll find my answer at the bottom. I rewired it with it a brass light socket that is earthed and added a strain relief. – someonr Jan 06 '22 at 16:13

5 Answers5

53

It's dangerous. You've spotted one important flaw but it can combine with others to make a really dangerous product.

I originally suspected it was made in Europe by someone with more interest/knowledge in the sculptural aspect than the electrical one, but I've since spotted contact details in China for the seller. Either way it shouldn't be sold.

Here's why (as I only have a little training in designing stuff for mains, and haven't inspected it, this list isn't exhaustive):

  • It needs be earthed (assuming the metal really is metal and not plastic).
  • Wire nuts are rare in Europe and any decent solution shouldn't need tape.
  • Secondary securing on the wires near the joints is a good idea, even required in some cases but needs to be much more solid than tape.
  • I doubt the wire is properly strain-relieved where it goes into the assembly. This is now confirmed by the 4th picture. The wire nuts will take the strain of any pull on the cable, and the edges of the cable hole can abrade the insulation.

This adds up to a dangerous and easily foreseeable failure mode where you trip over the cable, rip the live out of the wire nut, it touches the pipes, making them live, you pick up the lamp, you wake up in hospital - if you're lucky.

I've been known to cut corners for something I'm using myself, but not to anything like this extent, and certainly not for something that's going to be used by others.

These days the preferred solution would be an external low voltage power supply (complying with the regulations and safe on the output), but it could be built safely for mains operation - it just hasn't been.

Chris H
  • 5,038
  • 15
  • 25
  • 1
    Having just clicked through to the eBay listing, I note there actually are Chinese contact details, so my assumption about the source is wrong - the conclusion still holds, but the wire nuts are less surprising – Chris H Sep 22 '20 at 13:23
  • Good points! Too bad that the seller is in china. This will make any safety complain very hard and shipping it back to china is probably more expensive than the lamp due to weight. I guess I should pay more attention to the seller location and not only the item location. It also seems like at ebay and amazon only chinese sellers are selling this (for a good reason) – someonr Sep 22 '20 at 13:39
  • 12
    eBay will happily lie about the item location for Chinese sellers (at least) in my experience. – Ecnerwal Sep 22 '20 at 14:08
  • 1
    @Ecnerwal that's true; I've also had stuff shipped from a UK warehouse on behalf of Chinese sellers – Chris H Sep 22 '20 at 14:28
  • I buy real iron/steel pipe fittings all the time. Do you have any idea how much those fittings would cost if they were real? Wow is all I can say... – Harper - Reinstate Monica Sep 22 '20 at 18:48
  • @Harper-ReinstateMonica plumbing here in the UK is mainly copper/brass, which should be cheaper than steel, and I couldn't get the nearest parts to make this for what they're selling it for, paying retail prices. With trade discount I probably could, and wholesale would be much less still. But I wonder if they're making it either from lookalike parts cast from pot metal, or it's an outlet for QA-failed parts. I doubt it's plastic, both from the look and the necessary weight. They say galvanised iron, but I reckon they could claim that and get away with any metal – Chris H Sep 22 '20 at 19:17
  • 12
    @someonr it's still worth raising a case. I've had a few successful "item not as described" cases for Chinese sales; they refunded or were made to refund without return shipping. I'm not sure whether eBay has a process for "unsafe product" – Chris H Sep 22 '20 at 19:20
  • @Harper-ReinstateMonica Must be some kind of iron alloy. I disassembled it further and there are some screw connections that have a little rust (I added an image to the initial post). Apart from the safety issue, the item isn't bad. I'll try to get a partial refund and then I'll try to get a nice 12V E27 bulb. – someonr Sep 22 '20 at 19:39
  • 4
    Another problem is people and/or companies shipping from the Netherlands while they're basically a reseller. It comes in from China, they look at it once, often don't even repackage it and simply sent it on its way. Just because it comes from the Netherlands, doesn't mean a Dutchy has made it. The country is quite the trading hub. Source: I live in the Netherlands. – Mast Sep 23 '20 at 06:27
  • @Harper-ReinstateMonica It could be that they are disassembled fittings from old buildings. Usually the threads of these fittings only seal properly once, so reusing them for water doesn't work well. – jpa Sep 23 '20 at 06:48
  • @jpa I've seen that used in Europe (in fact whole upcycling shops), but it seems less likely for something imported, though as the manufacturing doesn't look efficient (e.g. the tape) maybe it's a small-scale recycling operation. – Chris H Sep 23 '20 at 07:20
  • @Mast this is why I hate dropshippers with a passion. Source: I live in the Netherlands as well. – SQB Sep 23 '20 at 08:19
  • @SQB they're useful for some stuff, but only cheap, non-safety-critical things. It needs to be more obvious when the contact details are the other side of the world from the item location. – Chris H Sep 23 '20 at 08:31
  • 2
    @ChrisH not even that, because I can order from Ali or Banggood just as well as they can. And often they hide that they're dropshipping. But we're digressing. – SQB Sep 23 '20 at 10:28
  • 1
    It looks like it'd be fairly trivial to just rip out the wires and replace them with a properly grounded lamp wire. They sell lamp wires here (US) without a lamp for fairly cheap that you can basically thread through anything to turn it into a lamp. Not sure about the Netherlands or wherever the OP lives. – Darrel Hoffman Sep 23 '20 at 13:56
  • @DarrelHoffman I could and possibly would myself. Securely grounding all parts of the housing might be the issue there - you'd be relying on metal-to-metal contact between the parts many times over, and galvanised steel isn't great for that – Chris H Sep 23 '20 at 14:15
  • 3
    An alternative to earthing would be to insert the wires into a insulating sleeve, thus giving two barriers. There's plenty of double insulated metaliic apparatuses out there - including lamps from major brands such as IKEA. – vidarlo Sep 23 '20 at 16:29
  • 1
    I’ve seen Wire Nuts inside a lamp before (one sold by Argos, a reputable British company). – Tim Sep 23 '20 at 16:31
27

The safety solution is to either add a grounding using a grounded cord with the ground branching off and attaching to the metal as close to where it enters as possible.

Or you can convert the lamp to low voltage LED with the 220 to 5 or 12V conversion external to it so safety ground isn't a requirement.

ratchet freak
  • 10,047
  • 1
  • 20
  • 29
7

I finally fixed the lamp. It was a little more complex than I initially anticipated. I decided to run the lamp on 230V, because it is much easier to get 230V E27 bulbs than 12V. It is nearly impossible to find nice looking 12V E27 dimmable LED bulb. I used the following items:

  • brass screw-in E27 light socket with earth connection (3,56€)
  • 3x0.75mm2 cable with Schuko plug and switch (4,98€)
  • brass strain relief with M10x1 (3,45€) thread

The following steps were necessary. I additionally disassembled the arms and legs, but this isn't really needed.

  1. Unscrew the old light socket from the head of the lamp, remove the cable

old light socket

  1. Widen the hole in base of the lamp to 9mm. Use M10x1 tap to thread the hole at the base. If you don't happen to own a M10x1 tap you have to fork out another 15€. Regular M10 has a thread pitch of 1.5mm.

tapping hole

  1. Put the strain relief on your cable and pull the cable through the lamp. A string proved to be helpful.

cable through lamp

  1. Wire the light socket and then screw it into the head of the lamp. You'll need to pull the cable back through the entry hole. Then you can screw the strain relief into the base.

wired lamp

  1. (Optional) Replace switch with dimmer. Nice ones with proper fuses and filtering against EMI can be expensive. I forked out 38.99€ for a rather nice one. Cheap one start at 5€.

  2. Get a nice light bulb. I got a super warm white (1700k) dimmable LED bulb (6W, 500lm), which fits super nicely. Especially if dimmed.

finished lamp

Was it worth it? Maybe. The lamp looks nice, but it took quite a few extra supplies and labor.

someonr
  • 469
  • 5
  • 10
6

There is no need for wire nuts in any such appliance, and this is a design from someone clueless, and made in a shop that makes stuff for US markets. Nothing sold in Europe should ever have wire nuts in it - it's a clear giveaway. Unless you modify it to have double insulation or be properly grounded, and get rid of all the other design mistakes - I'd not even bother with powering it from mains voltage. Too much trouble for what it's worth. Modify it to be a low-voltage appliance, with a 12V or 24V lamp, powered from a trusted power supply (you want a current limit that actually works).

Kuba hasn't forgotten Monica
  • 543
  • 2
  • 8
4

Devices should be listed and approved by a recognized testing agency / authority, such as UL (Underwriter Laboratories). Anything that doesn't carry an approval rating by such an agency is potentially dangerous and should not be used.

Some great answers point out what's wrong with the design of the lamp, but an easy way to always stay safe is, always look for listed and approved devices. Devices should be listed by the agency, and approved for whatever location you'll be using it (inside / outside / etc).

Even hobby kits that give you all the parts necessary to create your own lamp use approved devices, and the instructions (when followed) result in a lamp that's safe to use.

It's often more expensive to get devices that carry a proper rating, but some of that cost is, well, the manufacturer needing to get the rating.

You could rewire it with 12V DC and easily use any number of readily-available Edison-style lamps and even keep the medium base socket. I did a search and found both filament and LED style available, so you could certainly complete the look safely.

Tim Post
  • 1,664
  • 12
  • 23
  • 3
    In Germany (where OP seems to be from), this would be something like "UL-EU" for example (for Underwriter Laboratories - Europe). – TylerH Sep 23 '20 at 14:04
  • 13
    While similar approval agencies do exist in Europe, this is a very American-centred answer. CE marking is the relevant standard, which has some legal force but can be self-certified by manufacturers and has been known to be gamed by dodgy importers. – Chris H Sep 23 '20 at 17:53
  • 3
    @ChrisH The whole idea behind CE is that it's self-certified. That's also the major problem with it. For a whole lot of products, including a lot of consumer products, you can simply stamp CE on it, have a (self-written) declaration of conformity and keep going until someone calls you out on it. – Mast Sep 25 '20 at 07:46
  • @Mast yes, I've been involved in the process for UK manufacturer that took its obligations very seriously. Thinking about it again, I shouldn't have concentrated on the *marking*, but referred to [EU directive Directive 2014/35/EU](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32014L0035), which requires that the product is safe. It also requires CE marking as an indication that the product is compliant. My answer indicates that this product falls foul of Annexe I (2)(a), (2)(d), and (3)(a). The directive has the force of law – Chris H Sep 25 '20 at 07:54
  • 4
    Sorry, but looking for "listed and approved devices" is a complete waste of time at the moment - suppliers that can be trusted, can be trusted anyway, and those that can't be trusted just slap the markings on regardless. – MikeB Sep 25 '20 at 12:27