Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Help :Strong Power Supply

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Posted by Peter Das (Member # 4690) on 04-06-2013, 08:35 PM:

Hello all the Guru's here, looking for your kind help.
I am trying to install a X90 console with Strong switcher 62-80005.
Everything was working fine and tested a film running too.
Next day I try to on the Xenon lamp, but didn't work. I tried all the trouble shootings in the both manuals but couldn't find any faulty. So remove the Power supply and gave separate 220V to L1 and L3 and check the out put, only the 110V is coming out but DC wan't come out. Check the fuse, OK. any suggestions?
Thank you all in advance for your great support given to us here.

Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 04-06-2013, 10:02 PM:

Peter: If this is one of the older black suitcase style switchers I have some bad news for you, I believe they are no longer repairable. (The power FET's are obsolete.)

In any event, it is not field repairable.

Time to find a replacement.

EDIT: When you are speaking of the 110v out, are you talking about the DC boost voltage or the 110v for the lamphouse fans/ignitor?)

Can you hear the AC contactor make a loud "clunk" when you turn it on?

And are all the lamphouse interlocks (including the exhaust stack one) working ok?

Posted by Peter Das (Member # 4690) on 04-07-2013, 08:23 AM:

Hello Tony
Thanks for your advice.
Yes,its a black model. the 110V is for Fans, igniter and lamp house working fine. All the lamp house interlocks working fine. But No DCv out put for the Xenon Bulb.

I do have a newer one, Type 6200000 series V2 model. But I didn't have Ms connector, so I remove the Receptacle solder a wire and gave L1 and L2 220v, but the same results as the older model. every thing works on 110V out but no DC out for the Xenon Lamp.

Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 04-07-2013, 09:37 AM:

Ok, now we are getting somewhere.

You need to return the 110 volts to the rectifier on wires/terminals 5 and 6. This is normally done thru the lamphouse interlocks, but for the purposes of testing we are going to completely bypass all of that. Note that the test will disable the lamphouse blowers and ignitor but that is ok because all we are trying to do here is see if the power supply is working.

To do this, completely disconnect ALL wires from the console that are connected to terminals 2,4,5 and 6.

Next, connect a jumper from terminal 2 to terminal 5 AND connect another jumper from terminal 4 to terminal 6.

Turn on the main power and you should immediately hear the contactor in the rectifer clunk and now you should read anywhere from 85-125 DC volts at the DC output terminals. If you do then the power supply is o.k.

If the rectifier passes the above test then the problem is with the console wiring. I know you said you checked the interlocks, but check them again. Test EACH interlock switch with a meter and make sure they are good. Carefully inspect the entire wiring harness for any cuts, splices or damage. If you got this console used you can BET that at least one, if not all, of the interlocks has been damaged/missing/bypassed. The door switches on Strong consoles are junk and know to cause trouble. And on the X-90 they use magnetic reed switches..make sure the doors still have the magnets at each switch location. (I personally would just bypass the door switches, but use caution in doing so if you have any idiots who would open the doors when the console is operating.)

At the risk of stating the obvious, you DID have ALL of the console doors closed and locked and your booth's stack exhaust fan running when you tried to make this work, right?

According to the wiring diagram you'll have at least three interlocks: back door, side door and airflow (Usually located UNDER the lamphouse bed in the back left corner) and you may also have the optional exhaust switch (located right at the exhaust stack opening...if there is no air vane switch make sure the two wires there are spliced together.)

For the next tests reconnect the rectifier to the console (whichever one works.)

On your control panel there should be two lights: one for "AIR" and one for "DOOR". If either or both of those lights aren't lit with the rectifier hooked up to the console and powered up then that tells you which set of interlocks is not completed.

Finally, in your OP you mentioned using L1 and L3 for incoming power, which is correct for single-phase input. In your follow-up with the NEW supply you mentioned L1 and L2 ..did you mean L1 and L3? (Yes it does matter when using single phase.)

The wiring of these consoles is pretty simple and the interlocks are the weak point so check them all carefully and I am sure you will find the problem. [Smile]

Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 04-07-2013, 11:08 AM:

quote: Tony Bandiera Jr
the interlocks are the weak point

I whole-heartedly agree with Tony on this! The last two times
I was called to investigate a "rectifier problem" it turned
out to actually be an interlock fault.

(One was door switch and the 2nd one was air-flow switch)

So, it's worth checking out the interlock circuit continuity
before you start ripping the rectifier/power supply apart.
(As I've known some people to do- - D'oh!)

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 04-07-2013, 12:42 PM:

The fan under the light table is a very poor design choice where it blows onto the cathode switch to complete the close. STRONG should have used a stack fan switch in its place where vacuum is more reliable to close a switch. I've seen many cathode switches with their blades wired up so the interlock can stay complete.

To add protection with this console, I would add a Christie exhaust stack sailfin switch in the stack and add it into the circuit. Thus, if the exhaust fan, died, it would drop the saifin and create an open in the interlock to shut down the bulb.

Also, the cathode fan does pick up tons of dust and will plug the input screen and clog up the blower wheel itself, which will reduce airfow across the cathode switch causing intermittent operation. Many times that I've taken off that fan, remove the blower wheel and scrub the blower wheel clean with solvent and reinstall to make all thing good again.

Thx, Tony for the bypass tip on the switchers, for my friend picked up a bunch of these rectifiers from a digital conversion and wanted to know how to test them, and I couldn't remember on the 110VAC feed procedures.

-Monte

Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 04-10-2013, 05:52 AM:

Peter,
Tony is a guru here and I would check eveything he said. I'm confused when you said you soldered a wire to connect L1 and L2. Does that mean each terminal got the same phase of 220V and L3 is the neutral? I'm assuming your in India

There is a switch on the supply with the MS connector for use in lamphouse or console, not sure what it does(self - destruct for the switcher maybe?).

There is also a potentiometer that needs to be hooked up. If I remember correctly, the power supply won't work without it.

What color is the ignitor? The DC(white) ones had some problems and I think they need close to 130 no load voltage(DC) to fire.

If you are in a new construction site, I had the same problem in Greece(with ignitor) when the trades powered up all their tools and the temporary power to the site lowered just enough to lower my incoming voltage to the booth. No Load was about 2VDC low.

Good luck and please let us know the outcome, helps troubleshoot problems later, Rick