Re: Gecko burned out

Whoa, slow down! If I remember right the Gecko is rated a 8 Amps
max. Because of this the connectors are sized accordingly. The fact
that a PS can put out higher amperage doesn't mean the the drive will
pull over 8 Amps. Therefore the wire doesn't have to be any larger
than #18. If you start trying to put two pounds into a one pound
package, you're looking for a headache. Change to #18 and your life
will be easier. Clipping strands off the #16 will still leave rough,
oversize ends and increase the chance of an inadvertant short or
connector issues (if the large wires cause undue stress). You say
your motor is rated at 7 amps as well. What's the advantage of the
#16 here?

Jeff


--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "Keith Clark" <mail@t...>
wrote:

>
> I have high torque Nema 42 rated over 2500 oz*in motors rated at 7
> amps with a 16 amp 75 volt powersupply. I am having great
> difficulty getting the 16 gauge wire into the Gecko terminals. I
> need to take them apart and look for to see if I can open the tab
> inside to get the larger wire to connect. This is a Bridgeport
> Series mill rather than a desktop machine.
>
> Keith
>
> --- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, Andy Wander <awander@v...>
> wrote:
> > Keith:
> >
> > You can fit at least an 18AWG in the Gecko terminals comfortably.
> >
> > The size you need depends on the amount of current that is being
> drawn, and
> > without getting ridiculous, bigger wire(smaller Gauge number) is
> better, for
> > reasons of resistance. If you look at the capacitance, though, it
> goes up as
> > the wire size goes down(all else being equal) so this will come
> into play at
> > some point, but usually this is only important where you are
> talking about
> > digital signaling, where the edges of the waveform must remain
> crisp and
> > square.
> >
> > Remember, too, that the maximum current draw of your motors may

be

> a lot
> > less than you think.
> >
> > I'm using 18AWG on my Gecko Stepper drivers, with a 53VDC supply,
> and 500
> > oz-in steppers, rated at 3A(the current limit on the Geckos is

set

> at 3A.
> > Seems to work just fine.
> >
> > Andy Wander
> > Verrex Corporation
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Keith Clark [mailto:mail@t...]
> > Sent: Monday, October 18, 2004 7:16 PM
> > To: CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Gecko burned out
> >
> >
> >
> > There has been some controversy about tinning versus using
> ferrules.
> > My first question is what sized wire I should be using? I am now
> > using 16 gauge wire that I have thinned (not tinned) to allow it
> to
> > fit into the Gecko terminals. What sized wire should I be using
> for
> > the phases going to the motors. The terminals are sized for much
> > thinner gauged wire but it does not make sense to use a 28 gauge
> (the
> > size that fits nicely into the terminals)wire to connect to the
> > motors.
> >
> > Thanks
> > Keith Clark