Inside the new 2020 Airwick unit. (With 1 Volt microcontroller!) 

So much engineering time has gone into something so simple, never would have thought it!

I've never been a fan of pine scented air fresheners either. I think my dislike dates back to the days when air fresheners were mainly used in toilets to cover up certain smells! Going in to our bathroom at home always smelt like someone had crapped a pine tree.

All the technology and work that goes into a simple everyday item like this is just taken for granted until it's taken apart like this. Great video big Clive, as usual.

For a moment there I slipped into a state of existential weirdness in that so much creativity and effort went into designing and manufacturing something that is what it is.

I always admired how air wick units were made , their products always seem to have some engineering beauty behind them .

I've learnt loads since I started watching all your backdated vids. I had forgotten so much since I left college ...but after watching you reverse engineer all these gizmos....things have begun to come out of the dark depths of my grey cells. :)

Some of the newer fresheners have changed their plunger mechanism so that generic (i.e. less expensive ) cans won't fit any more. Of course, you can just take the nozzle off the previous can and fit it to the new, generic one but it's a little more of a hassle.

I can hear champagne corks popping & something of a party going on at the head office of Reckitt Benckiser! And what's that chant they shouting while they conga line around the executive car park? "Bi-ig Clive likes it! Bi-ig Clive likes it! Tara la la. Tara la la!"

I really hope the engineers/mechanical designers who worked on this see this video - would totally make their day :)

I wonder if the guys who design these type of things watch bigclive to see a review of their work?

Every time I hear someone mention a microhenry there are 2 things that come to mind. 1) If I ever invent or discover something, I'm definitely naming it after myself. 2) Microhenry would be a good nickname for a kid named Henry with a dad named Henry. Instead of Henry Jr or something just call him Micro Henry.

"Spread the joy with festive pi-iiine, fa la la la laa, la la la laaaaa!!!", sorry, couldn't help myself with that one... :P

From (unintentional?) "more than meets the eye" to a full Megatron impression. Nice.

In pre-19th century, there was this notion that things like pottery, or art not being made by fancy academia-taught artists might be neat but not worthy of any special look. Looking at something like that thingy, with complicated plastic molding and engineering, i wonder if we are having the same ignorance when it comes to a lot of ordinary day-to-day stuff, with the names of the designers and engineers hidden and the whole design kinda not being thought about and not appreciated.

Finally. A design like this can clamp down on regular cans of cheaper air freshener. All you need is the nozzle that fits. When cheap fragrances are $1 a can and the spray cans meant for this are $4, yeah. Misusing it is essential.

Make a fire-breathing version for the livestream!

Hope to see a vid modding this version like you did with version 1. (I tried doing that mod myself actually; and it did work for a time! Although it looked very different from yours ..I had to use a lot more hot glue and tape to keep it in one piece)

imagine the smell in the room he was doing this in after the many blasts of freshener. instant headache.

In America, the nozzole on the refills are also angled up but still has a black circle in the center. The spray still makes a hissing sound rather than a short burst when it's pressed down

I would have loved to see the face of the injection mold maker when they laid eyes on the blueprint of this one - "...you want me to EDM WHAT?!?"

Well done friend the exercise is marvellous both in terms of presentation and engineering skills-Thanks a lot Clive.

This must be the UK version which lacks the automatic ignition feature. I think I spotted the unpopulated footprint for a potted HV module at 16:03.

The anti-tobacco is orange, pine, and juniper berry. They use those scent profiles because they're very good at covering the complex profile of tobacco. Rather than cover it up through brute force, they selected terpines that would complement and mold the tobacco into something more tolerable.

Mega-Clive-a-tron Transforms into a pound shop screw driver with LED eye effect. 😂

A computer in a consumer air freshener. Amazing how far tech has come! Ya think one of these micros, or one of the Padauks, could outperform the Apollo Guidance Computer?

I had a few of the original ones, including the "limited" edition black one. Not sure if I took any with me when I moved. The first gen had a hinged front that tilted down.

My guess for the reason behind the switch to a single battery is that it makes it feel like it's more efficient and cheaper to run.

That great box is interesting. Four stages of reduction, with the last being a sector gear, I think. The mold work for that grey piece must have been quite impressive. Those slide switches often have very odd contact arrangements, eg there positions connecting 1-2, 2-3, and 3-4.

I'd love to see the mold for the super complex plastic part, and know how that was made. Maybe a metal 3D printed mold insert?

Very well designed and manufactured. Nice!

Does that 3.9k resistor set the clock speed? Some of these have a switch where you can change how often they spray, having a pin on the chip for that would be efficient.

I don’t understand if engineering but RU-vid suggested me this video and about to sleep I watched the whole thing...I’m now inclined to buy it just for the good work someone put into designing it.

The new one I've just taken apart the motor is wired, I suppose cheaper doing it that way than the metal clips.

14:30 Could the disparity be caused by needing more power to engage then to retract?

If there is no new feature listed on the package then you don't need to tear it down to figure out why they redesigned it . It was done to make it cheaper. There's really only two reasons to improve a product, to reduce costs or to add features to justify an increased price. I know you need to get clicks though. The switch will use ground, Vcc and no connect simply to save on pins. It's a common way to save on inputs. You can turn on am internal pull-up, detect the pin state, then turn on an internal pull down. If the pin stays high, it was pulled up. If it stays low it was pulled down. If it toggles, it was unconnected. So read 3 values with one pin. Saves money. The next level up was common in Japanese products of the 80s and 90s. Like Sony CD players. They would use a little resistor latter to read multiple buttons. Knowing that it was invalid to press more than one at once. They could read 5 buttons on one pin this way, although 3 or 4 was far more common. 5 was often used in the "disc 1-5" buttons on a Sony 5-disc CD changer though. The entire 5 buttons would be on a subassembly that was attached to the front panel with only two tires to it back to the control board. Any other method would mean more wires, more inputs. Nowadays you might just put a small serializer (even a microcontroller) on that subassembly.. That'd require 3 wires still, although if you used a OneWire type protocol you'd only need .... two. I never understood the naming there.

I wonder if the mystery parallel capacitors on the 5V and the 3.9k resistor are used to set the timing of how often it sprays and how long to run the motor? Or does that 100 Ohm trace detect the resistance when the motor "bottoms out"? Either way, this thing is super cool!

Great Video Big Clive I might be wrong but I believe Q1 ia a generic dual P-Channel + N-Channel mosfet in sot23-6 package not two P-Channel ones. The reason they didn't use another dual P-Channel + N-Channel mosfet for the other half of the H bridge driver is probably pcb layout. It was probably easier to route it by using two separate mosfets. Q3 that is marked SP is a P-Channel mosfet called BSS84. At 14:40 I believe you mixed source and drain. Drain goes to motor and source to power rails. Over all an understandable and enjoyable video. Thank you

One half of the H-Bridge circuity is probably using discrete transistors due to the motor drawing much more current during the down stroke on the nozzle, then needing very little current to rise back up.

I do really like the fact that they switched to using a single battery.

An ingenious piece of kit, I wonder if you can get pub / brewery air freshener re-fills to give you the authentic atmosphere of what some of us have been missing for a few months?

Quite possible to drill out an empty cannister and epoxy in a rerfilable valve. Considering how much airwick charge for their refills it makes economical sense. Unless youre refilling with paco robanne or similar

Unbelievable that there's more technology in an Airwick unit than in Apollo 11 from 1969 😁

I love this one with a light

Dude great vid. I'm really interested in the sensor mod, although I can't find the vid. Is there any chance you would put a link to it in the comments please?

This might explain why I had to put a black dot on the new cannister nozzle with our old airwick two battery unit. The new nozzle has slightly different shape and our old machine would error after it pressed the nozzle.

I saw recently 'cost optimised' led tealight. There's only springy metal inside that bridges led contact and piece of plastic sliding on another molded piece of plastic. battery cover doubles as that plastic holder. So basically the whole light is a switch for the led.

For a silly plastic bit that sprays chemicals in your home at an interval, that is an astoundingly good soldering job. I was expecting regular China garbage with dangerously bad soldering. Nice.

1 battery for convenience (esp given they have the easy removal space). what's the gear reduction ratios? Looks like a great setup to push a mechanical doorbell

OK Big Clive - I give up, where did you purchase this unit? Can't find it on Amazon & it's not on the Airwick UK website! Great video by the way, very interesting moulding!

This video is awesome! Thanks for all the information :D

Could the excess force applied to the plunger at 6:49 be a sneaky trick to waste the propellant in the non-compatible cans? This would force consumers into using the expensive official cans to get acceptable life out of a can.

Very neat, but I can't help but wonder if the air freshener is going to get the motion sensor upgrade?

I dont like how they've reduced the batteries to 1. You'd have to replace them twice as often, then. It's not like they've substantially made the unit smaller or anything. Even if they don't include a battery it would be nice to have spots for 2.

Just bought one... Wondered what was inside it 😜 thanks Clive

Hey. Great work thanks for the video. My airwick trying to go to the opposite direction for ever. Is it possible to do something ?

with 5V gate drive you could switch 1.5V also with NMOS devices on the high side. And to me the FETs look somehow cross connected and I know 2N7002 as dual N channel devices. Are you sure that this is not a 4* N channel H-bridge?

How do I send something to Clive? I've got a philips hue filament that is misbehaving. As much I would enjoy putting too much voltage through it, I'd like clive to "open" it 😄

9:55 ~ I WILL GET YOU, UNPLEASANT AROMAS ~

That wasn't a bad Megatron impression! ;)

Is this going to be one of the DIY flamethrowers in the next stream?

Love taking things apart to see how it works !!! Saved me from this particular item !!! 😎😉☺

Hey Clive, If I sent you a peak dca75, would you desolder the unknown 2-4 pin chips and identify them with it ? keep up the grrreat work, thumbs up.

3D print a little bracket/shelf to hold a tealight candle on the front under the nozzle. It can sit on the shelf behind Clive and whoosh random fireballs in the livestream. Please like so Clive sees this... It HAS to happen.

I think the design was created for easy construction but not meant to be taken apart.

comes with its own supermans home city, minus a jar

oh sick, you could totally put in a mini 4wd tamiya motor into that thing! (don't actually do that though)

I always love the super complex and yet simple designs. They are always the most impressive!

"Finger hole" and "spread the joy" in 1 video.

Does it go down to 0.9V? That is something we should pressure manufacturers on so we can use our NiMHs. (plus use our alkalines fully)

I discovered if you draw a black line on the side of the white nozzle the genuine body can use compatible aerosols.

Этот скромный освежитель воздуха, оснащенный необычным микроконтроллером со встроенным повышающим преобразователем и невероятно сложной 3D-формовкой, является примером оптимизации затрат. Серую лепнину внутри можно отнести к разряду произведений искусства. Я думал, что снять это видео будет легко. Особенно, когда я увидел минималистичную печатную плату. Но это на некоторое время озадачило меня. Я понятия не имею, кто делает этот странный микроконтроллер. Я впервые вижу его со встроенным повышающим преобразователем. Оглядываясь назад, можно сказать, что выбор переключающи

I find mine makes a clunky noise….am investigating to see if I can quieten t! Great product though!

the complex grey city, add some leds and a battery ? maybe add dome with fluorescent .... make the white tube rotate and some lights inside

Nice :) I like the freshmatic xpress

I bet Airwick loves you for your engineering comments and promotion!

I think manufacturers should start assembling things that need a special key to get inside and then send one of the keys to Clive!

It could have been simplified if they'd used two 1.5v cells... With one lug of the motor at midpoint between the two cells and the other driven as a half bridge instead of a full bridge by the MCU. The 5v boost may also not be needed. Perhaps they'd tried this simpler design and it didn't work for some reason...

Man, the most important part at 5:41 you skipped past how you actually got the motor out. Im trying to fix my sprayer but you didnt show when and how you actually got the piece out. please explain, thank you

Over here in ‘muriga “pound land” has some other connotations. Ask AvE, he’d tell ya.

Was intrigued by the title, which promised a 1V microcontroller. Where's the 1V micro?

PMG what's is inside this wow what a channel

1 whole volt. Respect.

I don't know why but it bending and deforming as it sprays is kinda hilarious.

Never worked with an H-bridge myself. Could there be some kind of timing issue in switching the current? .. Or maybe just the layout of the board? .. idk .. But that cityscape needs some LEDs :-D

That explains why my girlfriend just got one of the old ones at a really good price.... what with them being obsolete now and all.

I'd like to know longevity of the batteries does it last as long as the 2 battery one?

If this is Big C Live, I'd dare to see Big C pre-recorded.

I've just subbed to the $3 tier. Already worth the money.

Hate those things. Can give you a heart attack when you're going for a piss at 3AM.

Who would have thought an air freshener would be so complex inside? All it needs now is a Bluetooth and wifi connection...

I wonder why they went to the effort of having this chip make its own 5V rail, especially using an inductor. Modern transistors can work at really low voltages (CPUs for example). I'd expect a charge pump instead of a boost circuit simply because it's cheaper and just as easy to implement in silicon.

I just added a usb lead to one of these to do away with the AA batteries. Now I can run it off a wall wart , 12 volt adapter or even a portable battery bank

A contenter for any yearly awards of the best products you have torn apart. Certainly looks like Airwick in the running - wonder if the engineers there will ever see this; Kinda hope they do as they did well.

Please, how many minute intervals are each of the toggle gear settings?

amazed you didn't even have to cough after spraying right around you :)

This is one particular device I wish would not be sold to the public in this day and age.

Hello I have automatic spray from glade is it possible to change timer or use it on manual they are 4 settings 9 16 36 and off the problem is when I have it off manual mode it doesn't work it's completely off to use it manually I have to enable one of the timer settings for is it possible to change something in the board? I have a picture of the pcb if I can sent it somewhere

that switch might be creating binary code (00=0, 01=1, 10=2, 11=3) for timer so they create 4 states with just 2 pins

Lmfao I will get you optimus Prime @9:55

Cross-bred two different air fresheners... ha ha ha!