Re: Cap life testing - Re: MMC cap bank - ion inception testing

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Mark Broker by way of Terry Fritz <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>" <mbroker-at-thegeekgroup-dot-org>

Terry,

Seeing as this is not a short duration test, I wonder if we indeed need to 
monitor the current and log all the data for 6 months.  I really would hate 
to see you "waste" your almost-new data logger on a 6 month test of MMC ion 
inception.  I do think that checking the fuses once a day is ample so long 
as we are very certain that the fuse will blow if the dielectric breaks 
down.  not sure how to test that aside from cranking up the voltage until 
one pops....

We (TGG) can do the test, but a location will be difficult for a 
while.  The only "out of the way" location at Geek House is in the attic, 
and temps easily reach 120+F during the day (probably 150F) in the 
summer.  I would think the atmospheric condition alone would virtually 
invalidate the test.  During the winter, the attic is "semi-heated" and 
maintains about 65F due to a nice draft up the ladder....  My wife and I 
are planning to move to a newer, larger place (with a garage and a "work 
shop"!) when our lease runs out at the end of August.  I wouldn't want to 
disrupt the test to move it, even if it's a half-hour trip across town, and 
there really is no convenient, out of the way location in my 2-br 2nd floor 
apt.

I guess what I'm saying is that we can easily test the caps ourselves 
without a datalogger (we could whip up a DAC/PC deal if we needed to), but 
have to wait until mid-late September before beginning the test.  And 
seeing as it's a 6-month test (or more), I guess I don't see a problem with 
that.


Cheers,

Mark Broker
Chief Engineer, The Geek Group



On Sun, 13 Jul 2003 20:55:04 -0600, Tesla list <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com> wrote:

>Original poster: "Terry Fritz" <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>
>
>Hi Ken, Mark, and All,
>
>This is my present idea for the cap life test do determine how long caps 
>last run way over there AC voltage ratings:
>
>http://hot-streamer-dot-com/temp/CapLifeTest-01.gif
>
>http://hot-streamer-dot-com/temp/CapLifeTest-01p.gif
>
>Those little current transformers from DigiKey can monitor the current in 
>each cap.  The transformer current and temperature, and the rail voltage 
>are also monitored.  My second newest toy can track all the data and feed 
>it to my old laptop (actually, my old laptop seems seriously dead tonight 
>(memory/disk errors will not load OS anymore, battery gone...) :-p, so my 
>new laptop...):
>
>http://hot-streamer-dot-com/temp/NewEbayToy.jpg
>
>The 34970a is a super cool data logger!!  It can do just about everything 
>and it has the 34401 multimeter's electronics to make the measurements. I 
>got a practically new one (still in the original box) for about 1/3 the 
>new price off E-bay!  I use them a lot at work, but now I have one of my 
>own to use for "important" things ;-))
>
>
>I also have now acquired the "full house" of 1:1 1:10 and 1:100 
>practically new Pearson current monitors (in stereo) after a few years on 
>E-bay too ;-)).
>
>http://hot-streamer-dot-com/temp/NewEbayToy1.jpg
>
>So now you won't all have Terry bidding against you anymore ;o))
>
>
>BTW - I have the new server online:
>
>http://hot-streamer-dot-com/temp/NewToy1.jpg
>
>Once the DNS's propagate and the records "take", and "if" I didn't screw 
>the DNS records all up ;-))  I hope to get the mail server going so folks 
>on AOL and other ISP's that are having trouble getting list mail can use 
>the mail server here.
>
>Cheers,
>
>         Terry
>