Smart Astro Base Problems - Advice Appreciated

[ElectricMonkey]

Hi All,

I have a Mathmos Smart Astro base which hadn't previously been used. I got the lamp set up last night but after it had been lit for about 30 mins to an hour I could see white steam/smoke coming out of it so panicked and switched it off.

I tried to get hold of Mathmos today to ask for advice but no-one has got back to me so I'm turning to you as you are likely to have had some experience of similar issues.

This evening I've switched it back on and the LEDs originally seemed to light ok but went off within a few minutes. The same happened when I tried again but now they seem to be back to cycling ok. Although I have no idea whether it's heating properly as it hasn't yet had time to get to temp. I guess the LED issue could just be because I touched the smart button at the wrong point...

Do any of you have any suggestions of what might be the issue? Anything I need to do to get it going properly? I know i might be clutching at straws but I'll be gutted if it doesn't work.

Thanks in advance

[ElectricMonkey]

Update is that the LEDs are lit but not cycling and the steamy smoke is still coming off it now. I can't see a specific part that it's coming from so am wondering if it's residue of glue or is that wishful thinking?

[Steve Sag]

Was this the new one on ebay the other day? I believe from reading other forums that they had similar problems when they were new and they were replace then discontinued.

[Johnny]

Unfortunately the smart astro had issue from day one, either the heating plate would fail aka stop heating up, or the led's would fail, i cant see mathmos being able to help the lamp was discontinued years back, once they gone wrong its pretty much the end of it, i bought one and had 2 months use before it packed up, they also they used a special lava mix for the bottle which you cant get a new bottle now.

If you have bought it via ebay personaly id return it if it was sold as new / not used :-(

[ElectricMonkey]

I was the seller but wanted to check it before sending :( Really wanted to keep this one but only decided to sell as we really need work done in the house and income has dropped through the floor lately. It seems to be heating ok now but LEDs staying on blue/green mix once it gets going so timer is obvs on the blink.

Steve Sag said:

Was this the new one on ebay the other day? I believe from reading other forums that they had similar problems when they were new and they were replace then discontinued.

[ElectricMonkey]

I spoke too soon - LEDs are cycling fine, I just couldn't see the subtle changes without the bottle in place! Giving it time to heat up now so I can see it flowing.

ElectricMonkey said:

I was the seller but wanted to check it before sending :( Really wanted to keep this one but only decided to sell as we really need work done in the house and income has dropped through the floor lately. It seems to be heating ok now but LEDs staying on blue/green mix once it gets going so timer is obvs on the blink.

Steve Sag said:

Was this the new one on ebay the other day? I believe from reading other forums that they had similar problems when they were new and they were replace then discontinued.

[ElectricMonkey]

Thanks Johnny,

We have a couple of 1st gen bases that have been working really well with infrequent use, but only one bottle unfortunately as I gave one to someone thinking I'd be able to get another at some point!

This one was meant to be kept in the loft for years just in case the others stopped working, or we wanted a change of colour. Then the dreaded virus came along, work dried up and we need the funds to do work to the house so I sold it on eBay, hence the panic when I tested it. I never send anything without being happy that it's perfect and the customer will be happy, so I'm glad I didn't rush to pop it in the post.

It does seem to have gotten over its initial steaming and the LEDs are cycling ok so I'm now giving it a chance to flow. Fingers crossed...

It's a shame they didn't keep going with trying to perfect the Smart design as it makes sense to have something that doesn't rely on a bulb.

Johnny said:

Unfortunately the smart astro had issue from day one, either the heating plate would fail aka stop heating up, or the led's would fail, i cant see mathmos being able to help the lamp was discontinued years back, once they gone wrong its pretty much the end of it, i bought one and had 2 months use before it packed up, they also they used a special lava mix for the bottle which you cant get a new bottle now.

If you have bought it via ebay personaly id return it if it was sold as new / not used :-(

[Susan]

My Husband purchased three of these Smart astro lamps for me direct from Mathmos as they were released, I wanted all the colours lol. All three failed, one went bang from the working with smoke, one went as yours above, then stopped working. The other one got scolding hot and started to smell, as if inside parts were over heating, you couldn't actually touch the base at all, so unplugged it. I can't remember if that one failed along side the others, or if we just didn't dare plug it in again. But Mathmos took them all back and refunded. Such a shame as they were superb to watch.