Grid Hopping

[biff]

Aww Scruff,
               Im dizzy with this porn,,I want to run out to the shed and get cracking on something similar My sick 2kw x  120volt inverter that gave up the ghost a few weeks ago awaits my caring hands.
Methinks 120volts might be a tad lively for a beginner, but I could maybe just work on it with one hand inside a wet rubber glove and keep the other in my trouser pockets next to my family treasures. Think of the excitement.
                                      Biff

[camillitech]

Cheap-a$$ meter fuses.
How many of you have spent more on HRC fuses than most people spend on multi-meters?
Why do you need a high rupture capacity fuse rated for medium voltage when yer gonna blow the bloomin' thing on extra low voltage every time?
Roll up roll up....Well-err...look no further I have the fuse for you...
Fits all standard Flukes and other posh meters!


 

Just paid about £25 for five wasn't my money right enough but it hurt all the same. Nice work Scruff.

Cheers, Paul

[Nickel2]

My Fluke 75 had the 'Seaward' type probes fitted with 500 mA HRB fuse in each leg, until I forgot them and tried to measure 6A DC. They now have ordinary glass quick-blow fuses for a tenth of the cost.
More attention is now paid to ranges and intent before use.
N2

[Nickel2]

At the time they were a £ each and I was skint, but there was a drawer-full of glass ones at work. This post reminds me that they should be changed one day 

[camillitech]

I gotta say Scruff, I'm seriously impressed with Studer inverters. The old XPC's were badged well under their true capacity  My mate has been running a huge property on one that says it's a 2200W continuous for years. It has no problem whatsoever running his washing machine and an old house with 5 bedrooms. As he's even more remote than me and used to let the place out I installed him another smaller one as back up. He's never actually needed it in ten years but even that one ran the washing machine and I think that one was only rated at 1600W continuous. My only gripe being the poor menu, manual and programming logic. Methinks the newer ones have vastly improved on that front but they're now rated like most other inverters, ie not continuously 

[camillitech]

...but they're now rated like most other inverters, ie not continuously  

But they do do what they say on the tin. Ahem_{!..Power Jack...cough}  

Sorry Scruff, should have said ' but they're now rated like most proper inverters' 

[jonesy]

Glass ones explode with over current at higher voltages (~600V) hence the reason for the HRC.

That's why I just solder fuse wire between the terminals 
38swg 5a
33swg 10a
28swg 20a

Only applicable for copper, not tinned

[jonesy]

See if you can get a bigger bit for that iron.  The fine tip is fine for SMD, but hopeless for anything with a large copper trace.  I've got 3mm chisel bits on the 50W iron which I'll wind up to 450C to shift stuff quickly, otherwise  ~250C.  Oddly, the older the solder the more heat it needs to get it going, then it's ok once refreshed.
My go to repair iron is the 50W Weller TCP S, which is 24V AC, but I use it off DC most of the time. Has a wide range of temperature controlled bits. They come up on eblag all the time, but you don't need to buy the trafo. Then when I need extra heat it's an old 50W Antex station that goes to 450C. For mucking around with stripboard it's a 15W antex.

Do check the DC/DC on that Studer is powering the logic; you should get the display etc.  If you've accidentally replaced a normal electrolytic with a low ESR, then it's possible (unlikely) that it can't put in enough umph to achieve the 5V rail. Does the heatsink form part of the circuit like it does with most of the APC range? I recently repaired a cordless drill charger.  It took way more hours than I could charge (in beer) but I wouldn't let it go.  Turned out that the DC/DC traffo had 2 open circuits on the legs, which I reckoned occurred when it was dropped. Very fine wire.

[todthedog]

  Really enjoying this thread.

[Tinbum]

Really enjoying this thread.

ditto

[biff]

Excellent stuff Scruff,
                         Biff

[rogeriko]

I do hope you havn't gone and bought a boat. A boat is a hole in the water that you throw money into. I used to fix Mercruisers, actually factory authorised, I hope I never have to talk to another customer in my life.

[camillitech]

Not my hole in the water.

Golly gosh Scruff, you had me worried there for a moment, thought you'd lost yer sanity. The only thing more expensive to maintain than a boat is a boat with an outdrive  and the only outdrive more expensive to maintain than a Volvo one is a Mercruiser one  I had a fishing boat with a 140HP Volvo outdrive (really bad move for a commercial application) and it cost me almost as much in anodes as fuel  I cannae sea a header tank on that, it's not 'raw water' cooled is it, the big Volvo V8's were for some reason, really, really bad move that if it's in the sea.

Have fun, Paul

[biff]

Ah But it is an american 120ac boat,
                               I could use it to run my 120ac chargers that charge the batteries in my new Texan cordless power tools.
I would not have to use my step down transformer,,Mind you, I have got to like it. I would be really handy.
I could launch the boat every time I need a charge, or have the outboard sitting in a barrel o water. Or maybe not.
                                                                      Biff

[roys]

As someone once told me "the two happiest days of my life is the day I bought my boat and the day I sold it"