Old machine start procedure?

Jul 07, 2004 7 Replies

Hi all,



I'm getting closer to throwing the switch on an old Powcon 300ST that I recently acquired. It was working when it was last used, but hasn't been under power in about 15 years. Is there anything I should do to prepare it after all these years of disuse, or should I just turn the switch on?



Peter


Might not be a bad idea to (disconnected from power, obviously) open the cover and check for/remove any cobwebs, dust bunnies, mouse nests, etc, while looking for chewed or otherwise damaged insulation. You don't have to, but it would be less exciting and quite possibly cheaper than finding such things when they light up the inside of the machine.

I would at least remove the cover and blow/vacuum it out to be sure there aren't any nests, hives, etc. Also examine the internal wiring for cracked insulation, as it may have deteriorated with age and exposure.

Bob

Hi Peter-

In theory you could individually test each part before firing it up, but that's not practical, so fire it up and watch carefully for anything starting to smoke. Capacitors can explode sometimes, so put on your safeties or a face shield.

Good luck-

Paul T.

Ecnerwal wrote in article ...

Wouldn't that be an alpha version of "self-diagnostics" with the defective component "lighting up"??? I know a lot of electrical gear runs on smoke, because once you let all the smoke out, they usually don't run any more.

Bob Paulin - R.A.C.E. Race Car Chassis Analysis and Setup Services

Those are tough machines. Sitting idle shouldn't affect them much. Being slammed around in the back of a truck is the most common cause of problems on those machines.

did the machine work ??? or did you call to the fireman ???

"Peter Grey" escribió en el mensaje news:SBUGc.7662$ snipped-for-privacy@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net...

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