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crwdns2935311:0crwdnd2935311:0crwdne2935311:0 crwdns2935313:0Blendtec Total Blendercrwdnd2935313:0crwdnd2935313:0crwdne2935313:0

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    • Our friends at Blendtec were awesome enough to lend us a blender for this teardown!

    • $400 gets you:

    • Their awesome "base" 1560W Total Blender (as if you can call anything with 1560 Watts "base")

    • Instruction manual

    • CD-ROM with product tour and video recipes

    • Lifestyles Recipe Book, good for many blenderiffic creations

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    • Fully digital controls, along with an LCD display. None of that "push-button" stuff found on $30 blenders.

    • But will it blend?

    • We were so anxious to open up this puppy, we never found out. We'll take the word of thousands of satisfied customers, as well as Blendtec's hilarious videos.

    • A mechanical switch on the back of the unit stops any bad ideas from turning into deadly ideas.

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    • You'll notice the absence of plastic. Other blenders use plastic shafts as a safety mechanism. If the blade gets stuck, the blade/motor connection will sever, as the plastic will either break or melt.

    • The Total Blender has several electronic monitors that enable it to have a full metal shaft. That's how it transfers all that power to your ice cubes.

    • The splined connection between the motor shaft and the blades is perfectly suited to transfer the astronomical torque of the motor to the edge of the rotor blades.

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    • The bottom of the blender. Best place to go if you need your serial number.

    • Remove the two Phillips screws (deeply) recessed into the bottom housing.

    • Four side tabs hold the plastic bottom housing in place. Opening the blender is as easy as one, two, three, four.

    • The bottom housing is very ventilated -- essential for cooling the 1560W motor housed within.

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    • There's another thin plastic cover underneath the main cover. Nothing too exciting yet.

    • The cover most likely directs air toward the vents in the bottom housing.

    • Notice all the free space. This is the type of device mostly unaffected by the trend to shrink all components as much as possible.

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    • Now onto the fun stuff.

    • Connectors abound!

    • We begin by pulling out the power switch -- can't be too careful nowadays, especially with the recession and all...

    • Another spade connector lies underneath. We pulled that one out too.

    • Insert a spudger between the EMI power line filter and the case to separate the double sided tape. The unit comes right off after a couple of spudger twists.

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    • Onto the logic board, which may be the most important of all the internal goodies. It regulates all the aspects of operation and safety for the device.

    • The logic board simply sits on brackets molded into the plastic housing. No screws!

    • Disconnect a couple of spade connectors from it, and slide it out a bit to reach the control panel ribbon cable connector.

    • Disconnect the control panel ribbon cable from the board. This should almost free the logic board from the rest of the blender.

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    • Two more connectors, and the logic board is free to roam about the country!

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    • Removing the speed sensor.

    • Aptly named, the speed sensor monitors the speed of the spinning shaft. Should things get out of hand, the sensor will shut off the motor.

    • The speed sensor uses inductive pickup to tell the control circuitry how fast the shaft is spinning. Inductive pickup is triggered by ferrous metal passing by in close proximity, causing a current to be induced in the pickup. This is really the same effect used by an electric guitar to pick up the string vibrations.

    • Blendtec informed us that the Total Blender includes what they call a "hammer-fire" system. The main microprocessor will trigger this system if it detects that the blade stopped spinning. The processor will send a series of strong electric pulses with the intent to free the blades from the obstruction. If that fails, it will shut off the motor to prevent any damage.

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    • Remove two Phillips screws (of the four holding together the entire device) from the brush/slip ring housing.

    • These puppies didn't come out without a fight.

    • No wonder why -- they're over 3" long! Containing the inertia of the rotor spinning at 28,000 rpm is kind of important.

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    • Remove the single nut from the fan end of the shaft.

    • A 3/8" Allen wrench conveniently fits into the splines at the other end of the shaft, making the nut removal a snap.

    • After removing the nut, the fan simply lifts off the shaft.

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    • Use a flat blade screwdriver to 'walk' each of the two brass brush housings away from the motor shaft.

    • After the brass brush housings are separated from their housing, the brush spade connectors simply slide out.

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    • Removing the brush/slip ring housing exposes the support ball bearings at the tail of the motor shaft.

    • The brass brush housing is connected to the pure carbon brush with a braided copper wire.

    • The carbon brushes normally wear out before the rest of the motor.

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    • Lifting the stator out of the Blendtec.

    • The weld connecting the stack of metal plates creating the frame of the stator is just plain beautiful.

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    • Tracing the small black wire to the bottom of the stator and peeling back the tape reveals...

    • A thermistor!

    • The thermistor is used to monitor the temperature of the windings to avoid meltdown.

    • We're told that the motor temperature has to reach a maximum of 130 degrees Celsius (266 degrees Fahrenheit) before being shut off!

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    • Just look at this rotor. If looks could kill, you just might get shot.

    • This a podracer engine is, hmm? Yeesssssss.

    • The two bearings are reported to be 608RS, which is a commonly available size. The upper bearing has a rubber sleeve over it in the photo.

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    • The logic board.

    • First picture shows the shininess of the logic board. The board is clear-coated to prevent condensation from attacking the electronics.

    • The hi-res version of the board shows all the intricate details -- inductive pickup/rotor sensor plugs, the thermistor plug, etc.

    • The LCD panel is located on the back of the board, thus eliminating the need for any extra circuit boards.

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    • So ends the teardown of the Blendtec Total Blender. This is one of those devices that we are very leery about reassembling and using...

    • 13 Amps, generating 28,000 RPM (that's a 270 MPH blade tip speed) on a slightly-unbalanced shaft just strikes us as a bad idea!

    • The PS3 Slim works just fine after our teardown -- but it doesn't have razor-sharp blades.

crwdns2944067:035crwdne2944067:0

I bought a used ibc7 with a bit over 13,000 15 second cycles. The upper bearing was pretty gummed up and there was bearing dust (a rusty powdery substance) I have seen before when a bearing goes out blown through the engine compartment. looking at removing the socket? (the thing that receives the pitcher) shown in step 16. I think I need a vice with a 3/8 allen.

Also, I would recommend lubing the two bearings shown in step 16 now and again to increase the life of the blender. It would not require a full teardown. The rubber seals should pop open and a little cleaning and lube and all set. The bearings are 608rs which is a common available size.

kneelie - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0

Has anyone figured out how to remove the drive socket so you can change out a rusty upper bearing. I've torn mine down to that point and now I'm stuck.

Justin -

Justin, There's a black plastic ring on the bottom that's sealed in place that holds a metal disk and the bearing in place. I used a dremel to remove the plastic ring and everything popped out easily. I'll have to epoxy it all back together.

David Gray -

what about fixing the 64 oz. Container when the metal cutter breaks which is often. A new container costs nearly $80 and we would love to know how to repair ours. You skip the cutter breaking in the jar. Can you help?

willie king - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0

There is a new blender jar for Blendtec blenders which comes with a removable blade assembly easy to replace, creates versatility . It's the Alterna Jar.

Thomas - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0

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