Noisy contactor

T

tazz

• Dec 31, 2013

• #2

Can you post a drawing or sketch, of the circuit you have designed / installed........can understand the lv coil buzzing but not the contacts

 

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I

itselectric

• Dec 31, 2013

• #3

Check the faces of the magnetic core which come together are clean, just a little bit of dirt can cause the contactor to buzz.
Also If the core has not been wound tight then you will get the plates vibrating, the only real answer is to replace in this case.

 

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E

Engineer54

• Dec 31, 2013

• #4

If you have designed and installed this changeover system yourself, i hope you have also mechanically interlocked the mains and generator contactors.

Many things can cause a contactor or relay to buzz, those that have been stated above, to being fixed on an uneven surface, strain being asserted, loose fixings ...and so on.

 

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Pete999

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• Dec 31, 2013

• #5

Yep as itselectric said try cleaning the magnet faces first off

 

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D

Darkwood

• Dec 31, 2013

• #6

I would also like to see a wiring plan too out of interest to ensure you haven't set yourself up to a having the generator fly through the wall if if you have a mechanical failure like a jammed contactor... when you put the national grids almost unlimited power against the unsynchronised very limited genny supply.... you ever seen a motor stop instantly :shocked3:.

As for the noisy contactor ... many from coil voltage too low to dirt ingress as mentioned above.

 

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Lucien Nunes

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• Dec 31, 2013

• #7

What they said, plus if you have a mechanical interlock check that it is positioned correctly and not preventing free movement of the contactors.

 

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Bernard1991

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• Dec 31, 2013

• #8

I'll get a picture up soon lost the original drawing which resembled a snakes wedding being only a first draft and made improvements to it as I built it will also throw in pictures of the units
and I do see you concern dark wood I could put in place a safety measure where if the main contactor ever sticks on the generator will not start up when the start button is pressed on the control board

 

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guest119

• Dec 31, 2013

• #9

Could you not have done the same thing with a changeover switch, and aux terminals to start the genny?

Boydy

 

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Bernard1991

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• Dec 31, 2013

• #10

Yeah my dad wanted a change over switch but the cost for one was daft and was big and bulky and would have had to run annother armoured cable to the shed so would have cost over£200 just for materials so far I spent half that and all my mother needs to do is start the generator and it'll change over automatically as my mother isn't electrically minded and don't fancy her calling me at work to tell her how to change it all over

 

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Bernard1991

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• Dec 31, 2013

• #11

Here's the new circuit diagram it's incomplete but there's enough there to get a idea of how it's controlled everything has a illumination I.e neon for mains power, neon for genny power, led for mains contactor closed, led for genny contactor closed, led for internal transformer and a led for the back up relay for over night power if a prolonged power cut is in effect

 

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D

Darkwood

• Dec 31, 2013

• #12

Bernard1991 said:

I'll get a picture up soon lost the original drawing which resembled a snakes wedding being only a first draft and made improvements to it as I built it will also throw in pictures of the units
and I do see you concern dark wood I could put in place a safety measure where if the main contactor ever sticks on the generator will not start up when the start button is pressed on the control board

Click to expand...

Putting a simple aux contact won't comply just to risk assessment as others have said you need a mechanical interlock as well as electrical isolation to coils if one fails the other is there for redundancy.. and the mechanical interlock is very reliable obviously routine inspections will back up any possible issues that arise.

 

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ian.settle1

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• Dec 31, 2013

• #13

Could also be the laminations of the magnetic core buzzing.

 

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Darkwood

• Dec 31, 2013

• #14

No offense but you have no concept of how to draw wiring diagrams its over complicated almost impossible to follow and ive had the pleasure of using old Italian and Russian machine schematics without knowing the lingo and trying to establish old symbols so usually im good at deciphering this kind of stuff.

 

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Bernard1991

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• Dec 31, 2013

• #15

I know the difference between a block, wiring and circuit diagram
I purposely put the circuit diagram up to show each component how there connected and how they work a wiring diagram wouldn't show any other information other than where to connect the cables to the components and to the printed circuit board connectors in my system
I can make a wiring diagram but it's not going to give anywhere near the information as my circuit diagram if that's Easyer for yourself

 

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