Thread: Building an electrical control box

Well if the contactor fails.... I will blame climate change for it...

Originally Posted by .RC.

Well if the contactor fails.... I will blame climate change for it...

Hah... now there's a non-controversial topic, I'm sure we can all agree on...

Regards
Ray

Originally Posted by .RC.

Well if the contactor fails.... I will blame climate change for it...

yep..thats what it will be..climate change..if that really occurs in our natural warming and cooling periods.

ps..it cant be my fault......

Do you guys really think anybody with sense would touch that even with a barge pole. Look at the other site, You have the ultra right in a barage of nonsense headed by a group and posting under some doctors name. Anybody who disagrees is shouted down, its a total waste of time. So please if you want to start that, go to the other side and you can join their cheer squad.

My fuse holders have arrived and I have bent up a DIN rail to connect them and the contactor to the backing board.. I am awaiting the arrival of some more stuff from China now... The jog switch, small fuse holders for the transformer and a LED pilot light...

Bit of an update... Still waiting on parts.... I did some mods to the contactor Eskimo sent me... Inow no longer has a NC contact on it but was converted to a NO...

I pulled it apart and found I just had to flip over the contactor that is attached to the solenoid, and pull out the other two metal strips with the contacts on them... remove the contacts (they are really just riveted in) and put them on the other side of the metal strip, with the aid of some silver solder to hold them.. A bit of conductive grease and volia, a fixed contactor..

Originally Posted by .RC.

Bit of an update... Still waiting on parts.... I did some mods to the contactor Eskimo sent me... Inow no longer has a NC contact on it but was converted to a NO...

I pulled it apart and found I just had to flip over the contactor that is attached to the solenoid, and pull out the other two metal strips with the contacts on them... remove the contacts (they are really just riveted in) and put them on the other side of the metal strip, with the aid of some silver solder to hold them.. A bit of conductive grease and volia, a fixed contactor..

I was going to tell you do that ...but thought ..better not he might put it back together wrong

Where's the auxillary I sent up?

Originally Posted by .RC.

Bit of an update... Still waiting on parts.... I did some mods to the contactor Eskimo sent me... Inow no longer has a NC contact on it but was converted to a NO...

I pulled it apart and found I just had to flip over the contactor that is attached to the solenoid, and pull out the other two metal strips with the contacts on them... remove the contacts (they are really just riveted in) and put them on the other side of the metal strip, with the aid of some silver solder to hold them.. A bit of conductive grease and volia, a fixed contactor..

Hi .RC,

A couple of things to be aware of, I don't know for sure if it applies in your case, but contact strips are often spring berylium copper, you might inadvertently overheat the strips and anneal the copper and it loses it's spring, which can cause problems..... Don't know if it applies to what you've done, but just to make you aware of a potential problem.

The other thing, what is this conductive grease of which you speak? I'm intrigued as to what you've used and why?

Regards
Ray

Originally Posted by eskimo

I was going to tell you do that ...but thought ..better not he might put it back together wrong

Where's the auxillary I sent up?

Ask AU post.... They always take their time from south to north.... Must be because it is uphill all the way..

Originally Posted by RayG

Hi .RC,

A couple of things to be aware of, I don't know for sure if it applies in your case, but contact strips are often spring berylium copper, you might inadvertently overheat the strips and anneal the copper and it loses it's spring, which can cause problems..... Don't know if it applies to what you've done, but just to make you aware of a potential problem.

The other thing, what is this conductive grease of which you speak? I'm intrigued as to what you've used and why?

Regards
Ray

The copper spring I just flipped upside down (and moved it's position)

The parts I modified were just the pressed steel bits the control wires will connect to.

The conductive grease is from Jaycar, Called carbon grease.. It is not conductive as is, but you use very small amounts on connectors and contactors to stop arcing.. Conductive Carbon Grease 50g - Jaycar Electronics

There is also a silver grease which is supposed to be the bees, knees but it is expensive CircuitWorks® Silver Conductive Grease

Originally Posted by .RC.

The parts I modified were just the pressed steel bits the control wires will connect to.

Ok, I had visions of silver soldering to the spring copper strips.... as you were...

Regards
Ray

Ok on the conductive grease, I usually use microscrub on relay contacts.
http://www.radioparts.com.au/ProdVie...OSCRUB+CLEANER

Originally Posted by .RC.

Bit of an update... Still waiting on parts.... I did some mods to the contactor Eskimo sent me... Inow no longer has a NC contact on it but was converted to a NO...

I pulled it apart and found I just had to flip over the contactor that is attached to the solenoid, and pull out the other two metal strips with the contacts on them... remove the contacts (they are really just riveted in) and put them on the other side of the metal strip, with the aid of some silver solder to hold them.. A bit of conductive grease and volia, a fixed contactor..

RC, are you saying that you 'modified' a contactor? I'm afraid, from your description, I am confused as to what you have done.
Exactly, what did you do to this contactor?

The contactor had 3 NO contacts and 1 NC one... I need 4 NO contactors... So I worked out hoe to disassemble it and discovered the only difference between a NO and NC contact on these ones is what side the little silver contact has been riveted onto the lugs the wires attach to..

I simply ground off the back of the silver contact on the NC lugs, punched it out, pressed it back in on the opposite side (So it looked like all the other ones) and put a dab of silver solder on the back to hold it in place..

As for the actual bronze spring with contacts either end (the bit that actually moves) I moved it so it looked like it's 3 other mates...

I have now got everything in the box and have tested it with no motor wires connected....


IT WORKS!!!!!! pics tomorrow night...

I still have the motor to wire into here yet...