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Unread 11-02-2013, 09:49
kenfox kenfox is offline
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Re: Compressor With Spike Problems

Our programming team got to debug a problem where the compressor wasn't turning on. We tracked it down to a bad spike. The PWM cable was really loose fitting into the spike--we didn't have time to figure out what part of the spike was bad, but those cable connections don't seem very robust.

Here's how we debugged:
  1. verify software matches physical wiring
  2. verify compressor runs by hooking it to battery
  3. verify bus voltage at the spike
  4. verify pressure switch works by watching switch with multimeter while the system pressurizes (I didn't know if it was normally open or closed)
  5. verify the control signal to spike with signal analyzer (a multimeter would work--it's a PWM cable, but signal is simple on/off not RC PWM)
  6. replace the spike