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Trading Update
Recently there have been changes within the Ripmax company group and Amerang Limited - one of our highly respected group companies - has taken over the trade of Ripmax. As far as Ripmax customers and suppliers are concerned, it is very much 'business as usual' and all contacts and relationships remain exactly the same. It is our plan to ensure that our well-known range of radio control models and accessories continues to be available to modellers.

Many thanks for your continued support.

Nick Moss, CEO.
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Product Safety Recall

Product:

Futaba/Ripmax Mains Charger

Part number:

P-FBC32D/4

Affected batches:

All

Images of Product:


P-FBC32D/4 Front P-FBC32D/4 Back

Basis of check:

Consumer Protection Act 1987, General Product safety regulations 2005. The Regulation of Accreditation and market Surveillance (EC/765/EC)

Applicable Standards:

BS1363-1: 1995 + A4: 2012, EN60950-1: 2006 + A12: 2011

Details:

As part of their market surveillance process, Trading Standards have tested the above charger and found it to be unsafe and pose serious risk of electric shock and fire because of the following factors relating to BS1363-1.

Test results:-
  1. The thickness of the live and neutral pins was found to be up to 0.23mm oversize.
  2. The breadth of the live and neutral pins was found to be up to 0.12mm oversize
  3. The insulated shutter device (ISOD) was found to be 0.03mm over height and 0.01mm over thickness.
  4. The disposition of the plug pins was found to require a force in excess of 10N (the maximum) to insert it in a socket and remove it. With a force of 10N it would not fully engage.
  5. When inserted in a special measuring gauge, the live and neutral pins were too short.
  6. The live and neutral pins were found to be too close to the edge of the periphery of the engagement face by 4.66mm.

Conclusion:-
  • Excessive force was required to insert the charger into, and remove it from, a socket. This could cause damage to the socket and the shutter system and/or cause mechanical damage to the charger that could result in live parts being exposed, with the risk of causing an electric shock.
  • Could cause overheating or arcing within the socket creating a risk of fire.
  • Could lead to inadvertent contact with the live parts of the pins when inserting the charger into, or removing from, a socket.

Action:

If you have purchased one of these chargers on its own or as a component of a another product, stop using it immediately and please return it as soon as possible to the dealer that you bought it from. Ripmax will arrange to send the dealer a new replacement as soon as they are available from the manufacturer. It is not possible to give a timescale for this as it involves a tooling change before production can be planned, but we are trying to keep it under 6 weeks.

Issued:

3rd April 2014