TheLogos
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Corning pc320 is a POS
I got this thing used. Barely used it more than a handful of time.
Today, I was heating up a 2L beaker (pyrex) ,went upstair to take a piss.
When I came back, the beaker had cracked and made a huge mess.
Before this, the hotplate was working intermittently already. I rinsed off the thing lightly and put it in a bucket of rice.
Now, it's completely dead. I disassembled the thing to check for damages, and everything was fully exposed inside. I thought it was advertised as
having enclosed electronics.
This is unacceptable for a piece of lab equipment.
My other hotplate stirrer has no exposed vent and is rated to ipx8. Rinsing off with water has never caused any problems.
Moral of the story is, if you're buying a hotplate stirrer, make sure its waterproof. Anything else is useless in the lab.
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Bot0nist
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Mood: Streching my cotyledons.
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My corning-320 has held up great to the many abuses I have put it through. Are you sure yours wasn't modified before you got it?
U.T.F.S.E. and learn the joys of autodidacticism!
Don't judge each day only by the harvest you reap, but also by the seeds you sow.
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TheLogos
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All I know is from what I've seen. The electronic is completely exposed inside the vent. I had mistakenly expected it to be more robust from my
experience with my other hotplate, which is sealed completely.
I rinsed that hotplate off so many times in the tub that I lost count.
Time to go shopping for a new hot plate. Science is an expensive hobby.
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UnintentionalChaos
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I've had vessels of acid and halogens rupture (due to my stupidity, not the hotplate) immediately on top of my Corning PC-351 and nothing has ever
damaged it. If I were the hotplate, I would be dead. Water and solvents have spilled all over it, and it has been covered in hot, grimy mineral oil
bath. I have also disassembled it and reassembled it. The components are all exposed and the design is quite open, but they are far from "not robust"
The design of the hot plate top prevents anything from directly spilling onto the electronic guts.
If your hotplate wasn't working well to start with, it sounds like you bought it with issues. What was in the beaker in question?
[Edited on 3-4-12 by UnintentionalChaos]
Department of Redundancy Department - Now with paperwork!
'In organic synthesis, we call decomposition products "crap", however this is not a IUPAC approved nomenclature.' -Nicodem
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TheLogos
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It started working again. Apparently it draws more current than certain outlets can provide. I found this out when my scale stopped working because
the hotplate busted that outlet.
I'm going to watch out for liquids in the future though after seeing the electronics on the inside like that, kinda defeats the point of a hotplate.
[Edited on 4-3-2012 by TheLogos]
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MyNameIsUnnecessarilyLong
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Next hotplate you get that's open like that, you can coat the electronics with something like plasti-dip spray to protect them from water and other
brief exposure to fluids.
Such coating could be a problem for certain components that require air-cooling. But it has worked so far on all my Corning hotplates.
Costs about $8 bucks in hardware or autopart stores. But I've never been able to find the clear version in stores so I got some online for $13 shipped
[Edited on 3-4-2012 by MyNameIsUnnecessarilyLong]
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watson.fawkes
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For only slightly more money over an improvised use of a consumer product, you can
get the real thing. The term of art is conformal coating, and they're easy to find and order. They'll have known chemical compatibility with circuit boards, etc., etc.
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Dr.Bob
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I have used some Corning hotplates for 10 to 20 years with no problem. But I don't put them in water or acids. I have used IKAs and a few other
brands. The IKAs are nice, but cost twice the Corning ones. They also have broken just as often in my experience. I have also used VWR, Thomas,
and other brands, they have been OK, but nothing great. But none of them can withstand too much abuse.
Bob
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