A few pre-installation checks can save time and trouble06/07/2017Monday started out just like any other. You just finished that PM on the machine that had some downtime scheduled, when there was an Earth-shattering kaboom! After some troubleshooting, you found your Parker SSD 590 DC drive blown up, you called on PES, and sent the drive for rush repair. It’s now Wednesday and you received your repaired drive back and are ready to reinstall it.Before you install the drive and try to start back up, you want to make sure that the same thing doesn’t happen again. Making a few easy pre-installation checks may just save you lots of heartache and pain. Just because the drive has been repaired, it may not mean all issues are resolved. If the same conditions exist that caused the drive to blow up in the first place are not resolved, it will surely happen again. It may not even happen right away. There may be some kind of intermittent failure which caused the original problem. It’s always a good idea to perform these initial checks before applying power.Test motor insulation resistance with a meggerVerify that no phase to phase or phase to ground shorts exist within the motor or driveVerify that mains and auxiliary power supply voltages are within specificationsVerify that the motor is the correct voltage/current rating and is connected in the appropriate configuration for proper operationVerify all control wires are properly connected and no erroneous grounds existVerify that all connections are tight and capable of conducting the rated currentCheck for loose ends, clippings, drilling swarf etc. lodged in the drive systemIf possible, verify that the motor can be turned freely and that any cooling fans are intact and free from obstructionCheck for equipment failure that may cause damage to the driveCheck that the drive has adequate air flow for cooling and if applicable any drive cooling fans are functioning properly and free from obstructionsShorts between phases or phase to ground are prime candidates for causing a drive to blow immediately, but if there’s something more sneaky going on that’s harder to see such as a bad bit of motor insulation or a motor cable that’s nicked or damaged inside of a conduit, it may not rear its ugly head until vibration moves a cable just right to short it out. Loose connections can allow wires and cables to move and make intermittent connections as well. So once you get the drive back, or even before, it is worth a little further investigation into what may have caused the 590 drive to have that Earth-Shattering KABOOM in the first place. Back To Blog
A few pre-installation checks can save time and trouble06/07/2017Monday started out just like any other. You just finished that PM on the machine that had some downtime scheduled, when there was an Earth-shattering kaboom! After some troubleshooting, you found your Parker SSD 590 DC drive blown up, you called on PES, and sent the drive for rush repair. It’s now Wednesday and you received your repaired drive back and are ready to reinstall it.Before you install the drive and try to start back up, you want to make sure that the same thing doesn’t happen again. Making a few easy pre-installation checks may just save you lots of heartache and pain. Just because the drive has been repaired, it may not mean all issues are resolved. If the same conditions exist that caused the drive to blow up in the first place are not resolved, it will surely happen again. It may not even happen right away. There may be some kind of intermittent failure which caused the original problem. It’s always a good idea to perform these initial checks before applying power.Test motor insulation resistance with a meggerVerify that no phase to phase or phase to ground shorts exist within the motor or driveVerify that mains and auxiliary power supply voltages are within specificationsVerify that the motor is the correct voltage/current rating and is connected in the appropriate configuration for proper operationVerify all control wires are properly connected and no erroneous grounds existVerify that all connections are tight and capable of conducting the rated currentCheck for loose ends, clippings, drilling swarf etc. lodged in the drive systemIf possible, verify that the motor can be turned freely and that any cooling fans are intact and free from obstructionCheck for equipment failure that may cause damage to the driveCheck that the drive has adequate air flow for cooling and if applicable any drive cooling fans are functioning properly and free from obstructionsShorts between phases or phase to ground are prime candidates for causing a drive to blow immediately, but if there’s something more sneaky going on that’s harder to see such as a bad bit of motor insulation or a motor cable that’s nicked or damaged inside of a conduit, it may not rear its ugly head until vibration moves a cable just right to short it out. Loose connections can allow wires and cables to move and make intermittent connections as well. So once you get the drive back, or even before, it is worth a little further investigation into what may have caused the 590 drive to have that Earth-Shattering KABOOM in the first place.