# Brushless... Intrinsically safe?



## AllWIRES

I finally started my transition to the Fuel line. Picked up a 12v hammer drill. Beautiful and functional. Yes, it's your fault ET. But thank you for the push. 

Anyway...

Recently I was trouble shooting some pump controls in a fuel storage yard. All the enclosures were class1 div1. Power tools were prohibited from use in the yard. 

Couple weeks later I'm looking at my new purchase wondering if the new brushless motors on cordless tools make them intrinsically safe. 

I would bet there is a lot more to it then just a brushless motor but my short lived research on the web didnt provide me a worth while answer.

So, are brushless tools intrinsically safe?


----------



## Black Dog

AllWIRES said:


> I finally started my transition to the Fuel line. Picked up a 12v hammer drill. Beautiful and functional. Yes, it's your fault ET. But thank you for the push.
> 
> Anyway...
> 
> Recently I was trouble shooting some pump controls in a fuel storage yard. All the enclosures were class1 div1. Power tools were prohibited from use in the yard.
> 
> Couple weeks later I'm looking at my new purchase wondering if the new brushless motors on cordless tools make them intrinsically safe.
> 
> I would bet there is a lot more to it then just a brushless motor but my short lived research on the web didnt provide me a worth while answer.
> 
> So, are brushless tools intrinsically safe?


I think that you are still getting sparks inside the tool somehow so unless they are marked intrinsically safe, then the same rules should apply.


----------



## telsa

_Class 1 Division 1..._

I'm thinking bronze tools!

I'd think they'd even prohibit sharp words.


----------



## AllWIRES

telsa said:


> Class 1 Division 1... I'm thinking bronze tools! I'd think they'd even prohibit sharp words.


:laughing:


----------



## bjjohns

Black Dog said:


> I think that you are still getting sparks inside the tool somehow so unless they are marked intrinsically safe, then the same rules should apply.


Well, you could purge 'em . . . :laughing::laughing::laughing:


----------



## MDShunk

The mere fact that the tool can have the trigger pressed (potential immediate current draw) while the battery is being inserted makes them not an IS piece of equipment. If it's IS, it'll say, and you'll pay. I have a Dell laptop that's probably 10 years old that is IS, and it was about 5 grand at the time.


----------



## fargowires

AllWIRES;2138922
So said:


> No. Any time you close a contact, like in the trigger, you produce sparks. Well, the voltage jumps the air gap, anyway.
> Boom!


----------



## fargowires

telsa said:


> _Class 1 Division 1..._
> 
> I'm thinking bronze tools!
> 
> I'd think they'd even prohibit sharp words.


Ouch.


----------



## BBS

This thread got me curious, so I took apart the trigger on my non-functional Hilti brushless impact:
Two sets of sliding contacts on the pcb and two spring loaded contacts. 
The sliding contacts control fwd/rev and speed while the other contacts are for the LED illumination and full-speed.

Inserting and removing the battery may also produce sparks in some situations.


----------



## pete87

BBS said:


> This thread got me curious, so I took apart the trigger on my non-functional Hilti brushless impact:
> Two sets of sliding contacts on the pcb and two spring loaded contacts.
> The sliding contacts control fwd/rev and speed while the other contacts are for the LED illumination and full-speed.
> 
> Inserting and removing the battery may also produce sparks in some situations.





Now put it back together again !




Pete


----------



## BBS

Easier than taking it apart!


----------



## StaticFilter

While I was working the oilfields in North Dakota recently, I was doing Lightning protection installs on the oil tanks and they had us drilling the thief hatches for bonding straps and whatnot with a brushless Dewalt drill, never felt very awesome about it.... Always made sure the hatches were closed nearby


----------



## KennyW

As was noted with the "bronze" comment, the more relevant issue is the fact that the bit/socket etc can generate sparks on the material/fastener. No type of electrical voodoo inside the tool will allow you to escape that fact.


----------



## chrisfnl

If it doesn't have intrinsically safe stamped on it, then it's not. 

As pointed out elsewhere, the trigger may cause arcs or sparks...

Is the motor thermally limited to prevent over heating? Is the battery effectively secured to prevent it from coming loose in a hazardous area? are the terminals and wiring inside secured appropriately to prevent them from coming loose and causing a spark? 
All things considered in the design of proper hazardous area equipment... 

Something like a drill couldn't be made intrinsically safe, period, end of story, too much power. 

In the mean time, what the hell are you doing drilling in a hazardous area? If it's not ventilated and gas freed, you shouldn't be drilling, the heat from the drill bit may be enough to cause ignition, depending on the gas environment... 

Meanwhile, if it's gas freed and ventilated, then using normal power tools shouldn't be an issue... So it will likely be done as a precaution prior to any work...

Here's a question, were the controls you were working on in the hazardous area? Were they in hazardous area enclosures? If so, did you have them open and troubleshoot them live? There's another ignition hazard waiting to happen, no live trouble shooting without ventilation and gas detection... No cold trouble shooting without intrinsically safe meters (they do make them)


----------

