fes micromaster panel error

[premnats]

iam a jnunior engineer working in a fish packing company.
this is my first job,so am not so very versatile in the job..although mine is a degree in mechanical n am having the role of an refrigertion engineer,,
we have a ammonia based 100 ton ice plant..which is controlled by a microprocessor..of "fes"
now some days back we had a power fluctuation and we tried starting it again but it would not start..
we saw that it was not unloading..
now can anyone help me in giving me the steps that i have to follow to solve this problem...
we have started a spare system. so no problem in ice production..before anything untowards happen i want my other ice plant to run also..
bye
love
prem

[TXiceman]

If you have a spare mother board, it is pretty easy to change it out. If you had a power blip, it may have fried the power supply. Check to see if the power supply has the right out put voltage.

The FES IOM has a pretty god trouble shooting guide on the microMaster. If not, call the factoryin York, PA. It is now called FES Systems. Web site is http://www.fessystems.com

Good luck, Ken

[premnats]

thanks ken,
your advice was valuable to me.
i think i have identified the problem.it was a pico fuse which blew.iam trying to grab one.once i test the system i will mess u back,if it was succesfull or not.
the manual was very informative.and we tried out a few tricks to decrease the load..but it was not unloadin at all
so we are pinning our hopes on the pico fuse.
thanking you again
bye n regards
prem.

[TXiceman]

A power surge or unclean power will sometimes get a Pico fuse. They are there to protect the micro due to bad power, spikes or just plain mistakes.

Hope you are up and running. Been a few years since I have had much to do with the MicroMaster.

Ken

[Robert Rumpff]

select oil pump test on your dip switches and press start. once you have oil pressure you should see the compressor unload and now it should be able to restart ......if the compressor is unloaded and the indicator still reads anything over 4 % the rheastat is bad or out of calibration

[premnats]

hello people..
thanks for your information..
i changed the motherboard..but still it was not unloading..
hence we decided to look for the problem at an different angle...
the problem is a four way valve..
the unloading solenoid coil is gone ..burnt..
we have asked for help from an fes personnel..
hope that will end the problem..
but we are not getting a pico fuse of 5A locally..
think we have to buy directly from the company
thanks for all the advice..
bye n regards..
prem.

[Robert Rumpff]

I had forgotten to mention checking the load and unload solenoids, but the oil pump test is used for that as well. FES is a good group I like working with them and have a couple of thier machines on site.
I'm sure they'll get you going again. I see your a long ways away, even so, if you have a lot of thier equipment or just want to become more familiar with thier controls they have a pretty good controls schools at thier York factory and they came here to train our engineers for a couple of days after we purchased our machines.
Good Luck
Bob Rumpff
Honeywell Int,Inc.
Claymont, De, USA

[premnats]

dear bob,
thanks for the advice...
we have only one machine that runs with a fes control
the machine is a monster..
you cannot control it..
now iam experiencing a new problem in my spare system
the oil press regulating valve is defective i think
iam not able to control the oil pressure..
starting the monster needs a skill ...its difficult i mean..
the oil pressure plays from 3.8 to 1.4
at 1.3 it trips..low pressre
at about 4.7 it trips high pressure
my senior in the dept have contacted the fes personnel on this..
lets see what happens???
bye n regards
prem.

[premnats]

have changed the mother board.it was not unloading
then we identified the problem as that of the unloading solenoid coil
we have recived one from fes and fitted it..
then after that it is unloading properly.
no problems is being experineced,,,
now the only problem is that

we have frquent power fluctuations..
as a result of this the motor compressor coupling gets damaged frequently..
is there a solution to this problem..
is there any device which can switch of the system as soon as it experices a power fluctuation..
awaiting for some information..
n thanks for the info that i have got so far..
bye n regards
prem.

[frank]

Hi Prem

Have a look here. http://www.apcc.com/
I've just sent an APC voltage stabiliser over to my brother in Spain as his electricity supply is, well, Spanish

[premnats]

hello frank
thanks for your suggestion
but ..is it only for home computers..
or can it be used for fes mic.proc
can you please elaborate on it..
thanking again
bye n ragards
prem

[frank]

Hi Prem

Have a look at the link I posted - they do solutions for all types of equipment. Home computers, Hi-Fi, Refrigerators, office equipment and upto industrial stuff.

All in all a good company that seems to have solutions to ALL problems.

Why don't you send them an e-mail?

[US Iceman]

premnats,

You could also send an email to FES to ask them about a recommendation for the problem. I'm sure this not a new subject to them and that they can provide a solution, which they approve of.

It may not be a warranty problem, but I do know this has happened to most of the manufacturers who supply micro's for their screw compressor packages.

The voltage problem you describe is affecting several items; the compressor motor, the motor starter, and the micro.

The micro's need a stable power supply to prevent control board problems.

we have frequent power fluctuations..
as a result of this the motor compressor coupling gets damaged frequently..
is there a solution to this problem..
is there any device which can switch of the system as soon as it experiences a power fluctuation..

Regular damage to the motor coupling is serious. You need to have a power monitoring device to lock out the compressor, when the power drops off momentarily. These devices are little black boxes that monitor phase unbalance, voltage drop, etc.

When the power quality varies beyond the device setting, a control interlock will drop out the motor starter control circuit.

FES should be able to recommend a device for both of your needs.


Regards,
US Iceman

[Mario Sosa]

hello i think that you can help me i have a micromaster control in a fes compressor this one have an anolog out put 4-20 mA, to contol a variable frecuency drive, but i dont have 4-20, i have 230 mA i hope you can tell me what can i do
Thanks