Dyson CD16 Handheld vacuum- cuts out after a few seconds

Fault symptoms
The Dyson DC16 Root 6 portable vacuum cleaner intermittently cuts out after a few seconds use, the red light comes on (indicating a fault mode?).

It's as if the battery is flat, but this happens even with the battery fully charged. It is intermittent, sometimes it works fine.

Diagnosis
It appears that the hall-effect device [a transistor that detects changes in a magnetic field] is intermittently failing so the cleaner logic thinks the filter has not been fitted and goes into fault mode.

Solution
This is a field-fix, not a repair.

Remove the faulty hall-effect device and permanently bridge the device so the unit thinks the filter is fitted, even if it's not.

If you want to replace the device it is an Infineon low-power Hall-Effect switch, TLE4913, available from most electronics component suppliers. A quick Google should find you one easily.

WARNING
Do not even attempt to repair this yourself if you are not comfortable removing surface-mounted semi-conductors and attempting soldering on a sub-miniature scale. However, if the unit was like ours, unusable, you probably have nothing to lose.

Tools required
(I scored low on 2 & 3 and still managed a success!)
 * 1) Torx driver set
 * 2) Very small soldering iron
 * 3) Good eyesight
 * 4) Steady hands

Repair procedure

 * Remove the battery
 * Strip the unit down to the panel that the battery was mounted on by un-clipping all user-removable items
 * Unscrew the two large Torx screws (arrowed)
 * Unplug white and set connectors from the PCB
 * Remove the tiny #6 Torx screw retaining the PCB
 * Carefully remove the PCB
 * Remove and discard the faulty hall-effect unit
 * The easiest method is probably to heat each connection individually and gently prise each leg away from the pcb
 * Link out connections #1 & #3
 * I found it easier to build up a blob of solder than to link with wire - do whatever you find easiest
 * Re-connected to PCB & battery and test - it should now work without the filter connected
 * Reassemble and test

Similar fault when full
Oddly the same symptoms seem to occur if the unit needs emptying and it cannot 'cyclone' - I'm not certain how that can be, but emptying it appears to solve the problem!

Sometimes a similar fault can occur if the filters are badly blocked. Replace or wash out the filter to prove the fault. Allow the filters to dry properly before using the unit properly or it will clog up.

Similar fault with faulty battery
Visitors have reported similar symptoms being caused by a faulty battery. Check by substitution if possible as the replacement batteries are very expensive. The output of a fully charged battery should be around 21.5 volts.

Other suggestions
This came to me from one of our Belgian visitors:
 * There can be another problem on the Dyson DC16. In the battery pack is a small temperature control. If the battery become too hot, it will cut the power. I remove that part and soldered the 2 wires together. The Dyson wasn't charge anymore (the red light flash). I bought a new battery pack and all is OK now. There is nothing indicated on the micro temp.control! I measured the voltage from each battery and that is OK, but I think the temperature control must be fault.