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How many IGBTs = 1 successful coil

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Josh Johnson

Thu Jun 14 2007, 04:59AM

Registered Member #793 Joined: Sun May 20 2007, 06:50PM
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 35

I just got my hands on 5 of these IGBT bricks.

I'd like to start on a small DRSSTC but this will be my first. I am going to burn through all the IGBTs before I get a good working coil?
I am going to play the safe route a.k.a blatantly copy other designs and I have had good luck with a regular SSTC. I like the fact that everything (all igbts and diodes) are in one place which will make for a more compact setup but if I loose one igbt the brick gets useless pretty fast. Also it looks like this module is hard to come by because no distributors have them in stock. So once I go through these 5 that's it.

Steve Conner

Thu Jun 14 2007, 08:51AM

Registered Member #30 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 10:52AM
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 6706

You'll probably not trash them all unless you are careless, or have a poor understanding of high frequency layout and bypassing techniques, or just get over eager and crank it up too much. :P Even if you do destroy all 5 modules, the H-bridge is only a small part of the labour of building a DRSSTC. You can just rebuild it with four TO-247 IGBTs.

Mjollnir

is still running on the same four IGBTs he was loaded with at the beginning.

Sulaiman

Thu Jun 14 2007, 08:53AM

Registered Member #162 Joined: Mon Feb 13 2006, 10:25AM
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 3140

I'm not an expert (others may have better advice) but I think the important things are;
1) Make sure the interrupter (duty cycle controller) is working really reliably before testing any other part of the drsstc
2) Make sure that you ALWAYS set the interrupter for a low ON time when testing
3) If possible do all testing with a variac for the hv supply, start at low voltage and slowly increase the voltage in small increments, re-testing the drsstc at each stage.
During the ON time of the interrupter the primary current increases each hf cycle (resonant primary)
It doesn't take too many cycles to exceed the current rating of your output transistors.

Hazmatt_(The Underdog)

Thu Jun 14 2007, 05:52PM

Registered Member #135 Joined: Sat Feb 11 2006, 12:06AM
Location: Anywhere is fine
Posts: 1735

If you really want to protect your bricks from failure, you would add gating logic to your drive circuitry insted of having the off time control alone. This would maintain a minimum off time which accounts for the rise and fall time of the IGBT's. That way, no matter how low the off time is set, there is always the minimum default setting, and there won't be any shoot through.

Josh Johnson

Fri Jun 15 2007, 01:51AM

Registered Member #793 Joined: Sun May 20 2007, 06:50PM
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 35

Thanks guys, all great advice. Good to know there is a chance of making through the building/tweaking process and not loose too many IGBTs. Of course I was going to try these guys in a DRSSTC anyway but now I have a more optomistic outlook.

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