First thing to deal with is the noise produced when you turn on either the smoke sucker or the hot air gun. It’s stupid loudm but it turns out there’s an easy fix. On the bottom of the unit there is a screw with a circle formed around it in the sheet metal. Mine had some red wax or something on it. That screw needs to be removed. Here’s a picture of the hole that needs to be empty:
My guess is that the pump takes in air from here, and was having to work extra hard when it was plugged. I got the idea to remove this screw from a user manual for one of Aoyue’s other models. The second page has a troubleshooting section.
Other than that, I’m impressed with it so far. The fume vacuum really helps; I don’t hold my breathe anymore. The whole thing seems fairly well constructed. Here’s an assortment of photos of the unit without its cover:
The air pump is mounted to the bottom of the case with rubber feet that keep it suspended. You can see the pump’s platform and it’s squishy feet here:
