Ever wonder what is in one of those heating pads? Well you’re in luck, I have one here that stopped working. Of course I didn’t chuck it in the garbage, I took it apart and see what made it tick. Overall it is exactly what I expected, a few thermal cut out devices, one had obviously over heated and opened the circuit. It must have been hot for awhile before it disconnected the power though since the heat shrink and the plastic surrounding the area was heavily melted.
The wire was the most interesting thing of the disassemble, it has a very tough outer insulation and an internal metal heating element that is spiraled around a central core. I kept a some of the wire and might make some battery operated socks from it. Since it’s just a resistive heating element if I take a chunk that is about 1/12th the length of the original I should be able to power it from a FUSED battery pack. For now it’s another item in my ever growing junk box. 🙂
Have a look at the image gallery after the jump.
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Nice, another series of photos of taking apart stuff. Connect this to a motorcycle battery and you can have some heated gloves for riding in late fall.
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I got some Maplin electronics store return stuff dirt cheap last year which included some heated insoles and heated gloves, in the gloves box were 3 of them, a pair that didn’t fit so gave em away leaving one which fits but who wears one glove? apart from the late Michael, so I’ve been planning to cut it open to get the heating wire from it but not until I’ve got an idea/use for it – anyone got any ideas?
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Hey Haku,
I have the perfect project, make a single heated sock. 🙂
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When I was a teenager, I fell asleep on one by accident that shorted out. The coil just overheated, and the plastic connector where the power cord connects to the blanket got very hot, which happened to be where my stomach was at the time. I woke up to a nasty pain of burning plastic stuck to my skin, and a 2nd degree burn to go with it.
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I have terrible back pain and would like to bring my heating pad at school, but it beeps when I start it and when it stops.
Anyone knows how we could hack it so nobody will be disturbed by the beeping??
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Thank you Alan!
I found the buzzer and desoldered it, as you said. Now I can bring it everywhere!