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Author Topic: Bad Rectifryer??? Andrew Bangs Expert Film Handler Posts: 148 From: Kerrville, Texas, United States Registered: Sep 2008 posted 01-14-2009 06:26 PM                        Ok so the fun never ends. Tonight in the last 20min of 7 pounds the rectifier decides to pop off and thus killing the lamp. When we try to turn it back on it just pops back off. I have no Idea at this point what to do because that thing is more machine than I know what to do with. I tried swapping out the lamp thinking if it was bad that is what is keeping the Rectifier from turning back on successfully but no luck so since the old lamp still looked good I put it back in. Just so we don't needlessly wreck a new lamp. Any Ideas besides pure replacement I'd love to her them. Thanks yall and just keep Smiling.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-14-2009 07:14 PM                     when you say pops off does that mean it just turns on attempting to light the lamp and then switches off or does it trip the breaker also what make and model of rectifier is involved  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 01-14-2009 07:57 PM                     ..wonder if he popped a diode inside that thing..?  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 01-14-2009 10:58 PM                       More like a shorted diode (or contactor terminal), if the breaker's tripping.  |  IP: Logged James Westbrook Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1133 From: Lubbock, Texas, Usa Registered: Mar 2006 posted 01-15-2009 02:09 AM                     One of the reverse diodes, I am thinking. Do you have a multimeter?  |  IP: Logged Jim Cassedy Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1661 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Dec 2006 posted 01-15-2009 02:56 AM                     Everytime I've had a rectifier "pop off" (which I assume means tripping a circuit breaker when you try to ignite the lamp) it's turned out to be a bad/shorted diode. Last time this happened to me was in September. A negative diode in the rectifier shorted out. Unfortunately I discovered that the last time a "set" of replacement diodes was ordered, they'd sent all positive diodes. (D'oh!) And of course this happened over a weekend when getting a quick replacement locally was almost impossible. I pulled the heat sink off of an old exciter lamp power supply and drilled it out a bit so that I could mount one of the positive diodes on it. Then, I connected the positive diode "backwards" to the rectifier with some heavy wire and hung the whole thing in the back of the unit until we could get a replacement overnighted that Monday. It worked fine! Below is a picture of what it looked like: Only lost one afternoon show on a busy weekend, and the boss was happy with the quick fix.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 01-15-2009 03:03 AM                     haha Nice! Seriously, good thinking on a way to keep the show going.  |  IP: Logged Kenneth Wuepper Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1026 From: Saginaw, MI, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 01-15-2009 06:57 AM                     Jim, Congratulations on being very resourceful. This shows that you really understand how the power supply and the diodes work. There are very few booth operators who could have done your improvisation and saved the week end as you did. Well done. KEN  |  IP: Logged Andrew Bangs Expert Film Handler Posts: 148 From: Kerrville, Texas, United States Registered: Sep 2008 posted 01-15-2009 10:29 AM                        I do have a multi meter just tell me what to test and where to look and I will get back to you with the info. mind you I can't keep the thing on so all the testing will have to be in the state it is in. Usually that doesn't make a difference but I know sometimes it does. I do have another bad rectifier sitting up stairs so if I need a part hopefully I can steal something from that.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-15-2009 10:34 AM                     Jim, Thats a great example of real ingenuity! Andrew... You'd have less operational breakdowns if you converted to digital!! Mark  |  IP: Logged Andrew Bangs Expert Film Handler Posts: 148 From: Kerrville, Texas, United States Registered: Sep 2008 posted 01-15-2009 10:42 AM                        Mark... From your mouth to god's Ear. Lets just hope this make my higher ups really start to consider this. Although if I am right they have a stead fast plan already about why and when they are going digital and it is not going to change easily. I don't think this equipment has even paid for itself yet as it is just turning three years old. So chucking it for for all new equipment??? I just don't think it is in the cards. But believe you me I am Praying!  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 01-15-2009 11:30 AM                        Should be PLENTY of good used equipment (35mm) available to replace the Chinese stuff, cheaply. Louis  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 01-15-2009 01:30 PM                     quote: Mark Gulbrandsen Andrew... You'd have less operational breakdowns if you converted to digital!! Bullshit!! If the guy can't get his cheap-ass owner to drop that Chinese crap he's stuck with, how do you think he's gonna persuade him to pony up the mega bucks for digital? Nothing personal here Mark but I get royally pissed when everyone seems to believe that digital is the magic cure-all to everything that is wrong with cinema. Some of your own posts telling of issues with servers, projectors and format compatibility speak volumes about how flawed D-Cinema is. quote: Louis Bornwasser Should be PLENTY of good used equipment (35mm) available to replace the Chinese stuff, cheaply. Louis Absolutely. But as Andrew has explained here many times, his owner is too stupid to see that all the lost revenue from a downed show (plus the incredibly bad reputation his theatre is building with the customers) is costing him multiple factors of money more than replacing that crap equipment would cost. Andrew, if I can locate you a good paying job at a theatre with REAL equipment, you want to relocate?  |  IP: Logged James Westbrook Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1133 From: Lubbock, Texas, Usa Registered: Mar 2006 posted 01-15-2009 01:48 PM                     gentlemen...Diodes 101. Andrew needs to know, but I'm a show me kinda guy and not a "write it out" kinda guy. I could if I had my equipment in front of me. Fortunately for Andrew, the equipment needs NOT be on but actually powered off to find the bad diode. My multimeter has a diode setting to test those with, but some don't and I don't recall what I used on the others...DC? I know the diode leads on the power supplies I've worked on have their leads attached to the transformer of the power supply in sets of two. The leads will have to be disconnected to test the diodes. One forward and One reverse diode set will be attached together to the transformer block. After separating one set, you will put one probe on the diodes' lead (a rounded lug that the bolt went through) and one probe onto the end of the diode where it's nut holds it in place in the heat sink. You will be testing it to see if current goes through it one way not the other by switching your multitester's leads. If current goes through neither way or both ways, you found the bad diode. Here is the dangerous part: You must be able to determine which type of diode (forward or reverse) the bad one is, else if you install the opposite diode and fire the unit up, even more damage will result. That's why I wish some like me was there right now to show you...  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-15-2009 02:41 PM                     hmm lot of advice being given but still no awnser on the type of rectifier involved If it is a switchmode rectifier then none of the advice given applies and wastes the chaps time The equipment installed is what the owner chose based on what ever reason but if I was the manufacturers US rep I think i would have someone out there ASAP to find the root of these problems and on a side note they seem to also have had issues with simplex heads as well from other posts  |  IP: Logged

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