Re: Gecko burned out (not about tinned leads)

A loose wire can kill a driver that does not
have protection from the high voltages produced
by interrupting the current through an inductor.
If you break the circuit while current is
flowing through the stepper motor coil, it is
possible to produce several thousand volts
of inductive "kick". If it is not clamped,
it is enough to eat the MOSFETS alive. The
Gecko products are engineered to operate well
when used properly, but they do not have the
extra circuitry to protect against this type
of abuse/fault.

Regards,
Steve Stallings

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "caudlet" <thom@t...> wrote:
<snip>
>
> So, I'm curious. How does a loose wire (not shorting to something)
> burn up a Gecko? Too much kick back voltage from the inductive
> load? This sounds like another "legend" that has been told so many
> times it becomes fact.
>
> I would vote for simple component failure (it happens) provided the
> winding is not shorted.