Morpheous
Well-Known Member
Well that explains the fumes!
Spot the component
- Thread starter Morpheous
- Start date
andythilo
Well-Known Member
Did the boat come with gas masks? 
Morpheous
Well-Known Member
Could have done with them - it was pretty smoky starting up. Better now I've had the injectors done, but still not very eco-friendly
KevB
Well-Known Member
It's obvious init!. It's an engine room heater. 240v in one side, 240v in the other, a big coil of wire in the box and the heat sinks to dissipate the heat. Simples.
Morpheous
Well-Known Member
A new style of bilge pump, works by evaporation
John100156
Well-Known Member
Small UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) perhaps or mains filter?
Morpheous
Well-Known Member
Ok, this is getting wierd...
Right as directed, taken the offending item out opened it up and...
well pics attached. No I'm no electrical expert, but I did do some electronics on a college course a few years ago, so I know the difference between a diode, a resistor and a transistor. I've knocked up a little circuit diagram because I doubt the components will be clear in the pics. I didn't get as far working out the size of the resistors, started losing the will to live. It took some hours to clean the sikaflex out of the box.
Anyway the key point is that the plugs don't are connected to each other at all except through the chassis ground. There are 2 separate identical circuits that are made up of 2 transistors, 2 resistors and diode. There is no apparent output. The only guesses I have are: Can it smooth the input voltage? or is it just a heater!
Any pics and circuit diagram:
Right as directed, taken the offending item out opened it up and...
well pics attached. No I'm no electrical expert, but I did do some electronics on a college course a few years ago, so I know the difference between a diode, a resistor and a transistor. I've knocked up a little circuit diagram because I doubt the components will be clear in the pics. I didn't get as far working out the size of the resistors, started losing the will to live. It took some hours to clean the sikaflex out of the box.
Anyway the key point is that the plugs don't are connected to each other at all except through the chassis ground. There are 2 separate identical circuits that are made up of 2 transistors, 2 resistors and diode. There is no apparent output. The only guesses I have are: Can it smooth the input voltage? or is it just a heater!
Any pics and circuit diagram:
Last edited:
Wiggo
Well-Known Member
The TIP36C's are swithcing power transistors capable of hadling 25A or so, the TIP41s are being used to drive them, so I would guess that this is some kind of solid state switching for something. Wired off a mains connector because presumably they were cheaper than 25A 12V DC connectors.
misterg
Well-Known Member
Are you sure both 'tabs' are actually connected to the chassis? Is the diode a zener diode?
Looks a *bit* like a 'constant current' circuit which might be used for charging nicads or maybe 'gel' batteries from an unregulated supply.
Andy
Looks a *bit* like a 'constant current' circuit which might be used for charging nicads or maybe 'gel' batteries from an unregulated supply.
Andy
Morpheous
Well-Known Member
Yep, bolted right through, sorry can't tell one diode from another, it's black with a silver band!
I'm wondering if I'm making a huge assumption here, just because the plugs are labelled L, N, E doesn't mean thats actually what the wiring is connected to
I'm wondering if I'm making a huge assumption here, just because the plugs are labelled L, N, E doesn't mean thats actually what the wiring is connected to
Wiggo
Well-Known Member
As far as I can see, they are solid state switches. The LNE thing is a red herring. N is 0V, E is the control signal and L is switched to 0V. I guess that you would connect one side of a load (say a screen demister or something) to +12V, and the other side of it the L pin on your box. Applying a low current 12V signal to E makes the thing switch on and allows current to flow through your load to ground. Why do it this way rather than use a 12V relay is beyond me, however...
lovezoo
Well-Known Member
Unless the switching current is very low. How about a home made electronic bilge pump controller, using two bits of metal as the probes?
Morpheous
Well-Known Member
Hmm plausible, there is a manual bilge pump with a HR looking switch! Maybe they had been connected
misterg
Well-Known Member
Hmm dunno, then. I can't see it does much if B & C of the TIP36C are connected together...
Any numbers on the diode?
I'm pretty sure you shouldn't connect it to the mains, though
Andy
lovezoo
Well-Known Member
They aren't both TIP36C. One is a PNP and the other is a NPN, which explains why the B & C are connected. The only real way to find out what it does is connect it up to a variable power supply and measure what comes out.Hmm dunno, then. I can't see it does much if B & C of the TIP36C are connected together...
misterg
Well-Known Member
Yer but no but....
If you have a look at the schematic he's drawn, the TIP36 B is connected to the TIP41 C leg. The TIP41 C is connected TIP36 C via the mounting bolts. Ergo: TIP36 has it's B&C connected together as the circuit is drawn. It makes more sense if there was no connection via the transistor mounting bolts, when the circuit looks something like a constant current source - generally along these lines (but not 100% the same):
(probably with pnp & npn transistors reversed, and maybe with a zener diode in the biasing circuit).
Suggest that the next step is to subject it to a "deep water flotation test". If it passes, then we'll have another look
Andy
Morpheous
Well-Known Member
I did look for numbers on the diodes couldn't see any. The whole lot was covered in sikaflex so maybe I didn't clean it off enough. maybe it's sikaflex setting circuit.
