I ran into some trouble with an 842E Encoder, and what appears to be a problem with static charge building up from a product line and then discharging.
I had an encoder just keep faulting communications, and would require power to be removed and turned back on before it would communicate again.
I checked cable wiring and shielding, rerouted all cables away from any other potential power or signal cables, replaced cables, put the encoder and the ethernet switch on isolated power supplies dedicate to only that purpose, double and triple checked all grounding connections on the machine, even electrically isolated the mount for the encoder, but nothing seemed to help. As soon as the material moving on the conveyor touched the machine base, the encoder faulted.
I put a voltmeter on the product material moving down the conveyor and as soon as it started moving, it built up about 550VDC (reference to Ground). The material is Aluminum and the rollers are made of rubber and soft cloth material.
For testing purposes, I draped a bare copper wire across the material and attached it to ground. After this, there was only about 8VDC built up, and the encoder never faulted.
Now I need to find a soft material that is conductive, so I can have it make contact with the material, but not damage it in any way. Or find out how to make the encoder not fault when the static discharges on the machine near it.
Any tips? Thanks.
I had an encoder just keep faulting communications, and would require power to be removed and turned back on before it would communicate again.
I checked cable wiring and shielding, rerouted all cables away from any other potential power or signal cables, replaced cables, put the encoder and the ethernet switch on isolated power supplies dedicate to only that purpose, double and triple checked all grounding connections on the machine, even electrically isolated the mount for the encoder, but nothing seemed to help. As soon as the material moving on the conveyor touched the machine base, the encoder faulted.
I put a voltmeter on the product material moving down the conveyor and as soon as it started moving, it built up about 550VDC (reference to Ground). The material is Aluminum and the rollers are made of rubber and soft cloth material.
For testing purposes, I draped a bare copper wire across the material and attached it to ground. After this, there was only about 8VDC built up, and the encoder never faulted.
Now I need to find a soft material that is conductive, so I can have it make contact with the material, but not damage it in any way. Or find out how to make the encoder not fault when the static discharges on the machine near it.
Any tips? Thanks.