RPC Capacitor questions

Im just about done building the 10hp RPC. Having run it...I find that one leg is 240 volts, one is 215 and one is 205, unloaded.

What values run caps will I need? If I get it correctly..its 15mf per hp, so that would make each of them 150mf?

I would assume that 370 VAC or higher voltage rating is what I want, given start up surges and what not?

Do I find 2 big caps, or a bunch of little ones?

Some advice would be appreciated

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire. Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us) off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the shit out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner

Reply to
Gunner Asch
Loading thread data ...

Capacitors values add when they're put in parallel. Just be sure they all have an acceptably high voltage rating, the

370 I think is a good number. But you can make the total mfd value up by paralleling whatever ones you can find.

Jim

Reply to
jim rozen

Gunner I still have the write-ups that Fitch did on how to balance a RPC. I can forward them to you if you give me a good address to send them to that will not bounce them. does gunner at ligtspeed net work ? lg no neat sig line

Reply to
larry g

Ayup..please do do. and yes..thats a good one. Thanks!

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire. Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us) off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the shit out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner

Reply to
Gunner Asch

There was an excellent paper written by a guy named Jim Hanrihan or something close to that -- but I can't find it now. I think it was in the dropbox, at least at one time.

Bob Swinney might still have it. I'll ping Fitch too.

Reply to
Don Foreman

Jim Hanrahan wrote an excellent article on building phase converters.

formatting link
I followed it when I made my own converter. It works fine and server me about every other day.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus6433

Mine is pony motor started, all I need are some suggestions for values of run caps to balance it out. So far..all I can determine is that

15mf per hp is sometimes suggested..which would make my needs about 150 mf

Im still not happy about using a 3450 rpm screamer as a idler..but thats all I have handy..so I got to " run what I brung"

Ive got about a dozen run caps..but they are only 6 and 17 mf...so I need to scrounge up some bigger valued ones and Ive not found any in a couple weeks or so of haphazardly looking for Stuff.

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire. Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us) off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the shit out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner

Reply to
Gunner Asch

Reply to
Don Foreman

Hanrahan discusses run caps in some detail. But the guidelines are just a starting point. You still need to "balance" your RPC by experiment, running the load for which you want it balanced because it'll only be balanced for that load. A bigger idler requires less balancing and is more tolerant of variations in load. But, like ya say, ya run whut ya brung.

Reply to
Don Foreman

On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 18:25:59 GMT, Gunner Asch wrote: BIG BIG SNIP

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hey Gunner,

Try Apex in Sun City...whoops....Sun Valley. I was out there at Xmas, and I picked up four non-PCB 40mf @ 330VAC. 10 bucks each, which seemed kinda stiff until I looked at the prices I'd have to pay around here, IF they were even easily available!!

I already have/had my RPC running since last year, and balanced to a point using a bunch of little ones (5, 10, 15, 20) that I already had "in stock" here from old elevators. I'm not happy with the voltage variations leg-to-leg though, but even so I haven'f needed to "do" anything yet that mattered (like a really good surface grind), so I have not installed these new ones yet. But I will. Lemme know how you make out with what do.

You probably already know this, but it is:

APEX Electronics, 8909 San Fernando Rd.,

Sun Valley, CA, 91352

Tel: (818) 767-7202

Fax: (818) 767-1341

Web:

formatting link

Email: snipped-for-privacy@aol.com

Take care.

Brian Lawson, Bothwell, Ontario.

Reply to
Brian Lawson

I got five 92 uF, 535 VAC oil filled caps for a dollar each. Each was the size of a vodka bottle.

Used two in my RPC.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus6433

Best place I've found for run caps is USA Manufacturing. Here is their latest ad circular; run caps are towards the end:

formatting link
Jon

Reply to
Jon Danniken

Hey Iggy,

Where???? I mean where did you get them. And I guess, where did you put them too?!?! What "size" is the RPC?

Take care.

Brian Lawson, Bothwell, Ontario.

Reply to
Brian Lawson

Ayup...Ive been there before...but the City of Sun Valley has me on the Banned list. Im only allowed in there if accompanied by keepers, or by having a long cable shackled to my leg and payed out via winch.

I guess having to send in the Search and Rescue teams..(3 actually..the first two got side tracked for a week or two after someone suggested that they build a mobile command post from parts on hand..and when they were found..the vehicle was about the size of a pocket battleship) to find me again. Though Pizza Hut used the air drops on the strobe for publicity purposes and were quite happy......

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire. Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us) off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the shit out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner

Reply to
Gunner

The big issue here..is that I built the 10hp RPC to run a 3ph mig welder..which draws, full out..about 100 amps. I would be unlikely to run that much juice though via the 70 amp breaker its connected too

That USA Mfg link is just the ticket. You figure Id be ok getting 4 of the 70 mf 240 vt caps, or should I go with a higher voltage cap?

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire. Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us) off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the shit out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner

Reply to
Gunner

Pioneer Industrial Services in Addison, IL.

It is 10 HP right now. I want to make it 17.5 HP. I am going to Pioneer this morning to get more stuff

i
Reply to
Ignoramus27736

SNIP

SNIP

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Hey Gunner,

Heh heh heh. I wore a hard hat after the first foray into that jungle!! I think they use invisible sky hooks to keep the stuff "up". Scary spot, but good for a 1/2 day excursion every visit to LA.

The caps were easy though. Just walk in the door, bear right to stay parallel with SanFern road about 50 feet to the first "major" intersection, turn left, two racks over, stuff is on the end, waist high.

I kinda feel the "bit too high" prices at APEX are sort of like paying to get into the zoo! I get $20 worth of entertainment for 4 hours "on safari" (worth at least 5 bucks an hour), so I figure the caps only cost 20 bucks, or evened out to 5 bucks each . My biggest worry was having my checked bags scanned at LAX, and wondering if they would notice those "bomb looking thingys" (as my son said), but there was no comment.

That USMfg place looks promising, but shipping from Indiana would just about eat up the savings.

Take care.

Brian

Reply to
Brian Lawson

On Wed, 19 Oct 2005 07:58:33 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, Gunner quickly quoth:

OK, I'll bite. Give us the whole "Pizza Search & Rescue" story, please. Sounds like a fun saga. ;)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - If God approved of nudity, we all would have been born naked. ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----

formatting link
Your Wild & Woody Website Wonk

Reply to
Larry Jaques

You really really need to come out and visit Apex. Wear sensible shoes, carry a back pack with 72 hours of food and water, increase your "incredulous factor" by at least an order of magnitude, and a blue strobe is handy so they can deliver pizza and chicken wings if you run out of food and water before you get to the back section. Oh...and as Brian said...a hard hat is handy..along with extra batteries for the head mounted lamp.

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire. Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us) off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the shit out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner

Reply to
Gunner

On Wed, 19 Oct 2005 17:28:05 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, Gunner quickly quoth:

Huh? Is this a fertilizer story?

formatting link
This?
formatting link
This?
formatting link
This?
formatting link

Shit, Gunner. Google has 2,060,000 hits for "apex california"...

I struck out on "apex survival california".

----------------------------------------------- I'll apologize for offending someone...right after they apologize for being easily offended.

-----------------------------------------------

formatting link
Inoffensive Web Design

Reply to
Larry Jaques

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.