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Registered Member #1875
Joined: Sun Dec 21 2008, 06:36PM
Location:
Posts: 635
If it's inrush current you could try a resistor in parallel with a relay (or, better yet, a on-resistance FET on the DC supply) in parallel, triggered a few mS into operation.
Registered Member #1956
Joined: Wed Feb 04 2009, 01:22PM
Location: Jersey City
Posts: 172
Do you have a way to measure the inrush current? The FETs still good? Good luck resolving this problem! Good to know that it turned on =) How was the sound quality while working?
Registered Member #2385
Joined: Thu Sept 24 2009, 01:26AM
Location: Waxhaw, North Carolina (Or Charlotte near UNCC)
Posts: 26
The spark was very small so I really couldn't hear anything really, I only had it on for a couple of seconds. The Fet was a little warm but the heatsink I used isn't very large. I don't have anything to measure inrush current unless I reduce it and used the oscilloscope some how. I was hoping to just find out which type of power supply is best. It's possible that here is something wrong with the flyback since I've used the same one in my past designs in which I've heard some arcs near the bottom of the Flyback. I did insulate it tho so that wouldn't be much of a problem now. I'll have to wait til I get home Friday afternoon to continue testing. Im also wondering if something on the board or if the material im using for the anodes is causing it to draw a lot of amps. The number of turns on the primary is 12 turns I believe its 20awg because there isn't much space between the core and the flyback.
Registered Member #1956
Joined: Wed Feb 04 2009, 01:22PM
Location: Jersey City
Posts: 172
I use a 30 V 3 A PSU, but my plasma speaker only consumes 2 A. My PSU has current limiting and it limits to 3 A the initial current. But the plasma starts anyway. I would use the 24 V 3 A.
Registered Member #2385
Joined: Thu Sept 24 2009, 01:26AM
Location: Waxhaw, North Carolina (Or Charlotte near UNCC)
Posts: 26
I found the problem, or at least what caused it to stop working. A trace had burned completely in half probably because of high amps running through it. I didn't think the trace would ever burn up but it did, it also ruined the 540 and since I didn't see that when i went to test it again It blew one of the MUR diodes :)
Registered Member #2385
Joined: Thu Sept 24 2009, 01:26AM
Location: Waxhaw, North Carolina (Or Charlotte near UNCC)
Posts: 26
Ok so I fixed the problem and the FB produces a stable arc but i don't really hear the music, I hear some of it and it sounds a little muffled but mostly noise and screeching. I adjusted the frequency and all that but I don't know why it sounds so bad. Would having the audio backwards cause a problem? I have to get another 7812, I accidentally blew that too :)
Registered Member #1956
Joined: Wed Feb 04 2009, 01:22PM
Location: Jersey City
Posts: 172
Are you using heatsinks on the diodes? You can´t connect the two diodes and the mosfet together by the heatsink or they will aways blow up. Do you have a oscilloscope to test some points on the circuitry? If the 7812 blew up probably the TL494 and the fet drivers are gone too!
Registered Member #1403
Joined: Tue Mar 18 2008, 06:05PM
Location: Denmark, Odense C
Posts: 1968
Remember that the resistance of solder is about 10 times greater than copper, so if you have a high current track completely made out of solder, it is likely to melt as the solder also have a lower melting point.
The more copper you can keep in your power section of the board, the better, also you polute your etching solution with less copper. I used to draw my boards with a sharpie, but switched to toner transfer, its superior in all the ways possible, just get some glossy paper from a copy store, some colors from magazine paper will transfer too, I had problems with green and red.
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beginning of my third plasma speaker.
