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| Tips, Techniques, and Questions -- Technical questions or tips |
2010-03-16, 3:36am
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Join Date: Jun 15, 2005
Location: Hagerstown, Indiana
Posts: 2,284
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AIM 84BD Fuji Controller Burning up Relays
I'm having trouble with the relays in my AIM 84 BD kiln.
I swear, the relays in the Fuji controller keep burning up.
I bought the kiln new in 2003 and have gone through 5 relays.
The last relay lasted me only 6 months.
Symptoms of bad relays have varied, but a new relay has
always fixed the problem:
- kiln wouldn't heat at all
- kiln wouldn't stop heating, probably went to over 2000
degrees in the OFF position
- kiln "chattered" when it was ramping up
Am I missing something?
Is there another problem that is causing relays to fail?
I'm buying the relays from Jameco and they are a brand name - this is getting old.
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2010-03-16, 6:26am
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Dec 31, 2005
Location: Corpus Christi
Posts: 508
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If the relay is mechanical, many are rated for about 100,000 cycles. My Fuji controller sends a signal every two seconds. That would take about 55 hours of operation to hit the 100k life expectancy.
Steve
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Steve & Susie Wright
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2010-03-16, 8:21am
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Join Date: Jun 15, 2005
Location: Hagerstown, Indiana
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Steve, that may explain a lot.
I torch 2-3 nights a week and usually both days of the weekend and the kiln is on soak mode the whole time and them goes to the annealing schedule.
Are their better relays? I've been using Potter Brumfield relays.
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2010-03-16, 8:43am
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Senior Member
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Join Date: May 21, 2006
Posts: 258
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I had the same problem with three relays that lasted about six months each. Finally this last relay has been working over a year and is still going strong.
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2010-03-16, 12:19pm
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Alaska Boro
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Join Date: Dec 10, 2009
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Posts: 1,065
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Depending on power requirements and some other factors the use of a SSR (solid state relay) properly installed will solve the mechanical relay problem. With an SSR there are no contacts. An SSR requires a 3.5 to 26 VDC signal which the Fiji provides to turn on and off. The device has four connections. Two for the DC control signal and the other two for 110 - 220 VAC. However, the device "must" have a proper heat sink.
Prices should be in the range of ten bucks for a Crydom 110-220 VAC 25 Amp unit.
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2010-03-16, 2:01pm
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Dec 31, 2005
Location: Corpus Christi
Posts: 508
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I think your Fuji controller must be designed for the SSR. Look at the 6th letter in the model number. ie xxxx-xCxx-xxx. If it is a C, try with the SSR. If it is xxxx-xAxx-xxx, maybe not.
Steve
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2010-03-16, 3:33pm
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Join Date: Jun 15, 2005
Location: Hagerstown, Indiana
Posts: 2,284
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The side of my controller has an AIM label plate. I think it gives the kiln data - not the controller data. It says Model 84BD/D - Serial no. AC15683
This is the relay that I have been replacing with. I use 4 of the connectors on the right to other components of the controller and both of the two connectors on the left go to the power supply or the coils - I forget which. I don't think about where they go when I replace the relay - I have them coded so I don't have to think.
Alaska, the SSR sounds neat but it doesn't look like it wold fit.
http://www.rselectronics.com/Catalog...tter+Brumfield
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