So I didn't get shit for tech data on this thing and after sales service is kinda meh so far... Play the game, WTF is this thing? It sits between the motor and the reservoir on this hyd pack. Points awarded for any info on what I'm suppose to do with it! The black thing slides on whatever is coming out of this valve. My guess something magnetic maybe? Is it safe to assume the pump is inside the reservoir? FWIW, there is only ONE HOSE from this thing that goes out to the hydraulic cylinders. Pressure to extend and fluid controlled free fall sound about right? No joy with the part number. The writing is all in chinese too.
Could do with some more photos but I'm guessing you have an electric solenoid valve and a oil pressure flow/regulator setup using the knurled thumbwheel to set flow rate. Is that hydraulic hose the only one going to the hydraulic cylinder?.
I'll buy that! That black thing slides off when I removed the hex nut. There is 2 wires coming out that thing and I am pretty sure they go to a down limit switch. Assuming you are right, whats the knob do? I stand corrected, the 2 wires coming out head back to the control panel. The other 2 go to the down limit switch.
If the thing free falls, what would be the purpose of the down limit unless it just turns on an idiot light?
Single actions cylinders (one hose to each)? Sorry, just re-read first post. I hope there is a reverse flow limiter in that valve so free fall is mild.
That is correct tops. one hose to each cylinder. I wonder if that knob controls the speed of free fall? Could the solenoid be what activates the free fall?
Those both make sense, speed control and safety switch. If you let go of the button or there is a failure electrically, the unit would/should stop lowering.
Alright! So Tops and Mark are tied with one point each. On to the bonus round. This one is tricky so pay attention! Here is the control box... Most are pretty easy. On the far right is a circuit breaker and next to that is a contactor. On the far left is a 24vt power supply. At the top of the photo are 2 little relays that plug into the box next to the contactor. At the bottom is a 3 position switch. For the win, what is the remaining componet??
To me, that looks like a general purpose micro-controller board with a 6 small output relays and the 9 pin D-connector is a serial port to program the controller chip. Most likely it controls the contactors and other relays based on inputs like limit switches and such. The chip I've marked looks like the actual controller chip, is there a legible part number on it?
more photos Power supply nahh.. these disconnected wires dont mean shit. Good thing the structure itself is built well, because the rest of this is shit.
That be my guess. It looks like a residual pressure valve block like is used on man lifts that power up and power down - but with half of the system missing allowing the free fall. There is such a thing as a constant velocity valve to allow for the controlled release of pressure based on rate, regardless of the load on the system. What you have looks more like a manual needle valve that will need to be adjusted based on the mass of the heaviest vehicle you plan to move. Without a wiring diagram to figure out the original wires you might be time ahead to DIY your own control using an Arduino or Pi and some SSRs? I've spent way too much time in a past life replacing mechanical relays on man lifts.
That's a bit above my pay grade I'm afraid. About the most techy thing I'm doing is driving the VFD with my phone via BT. lol The elevator controls are destined for the trash can. I got to spend an hr with this mess tonight and cleaned up some of the wiring. I'd be in good shape if it wasnt for this damn IC shit. Like you said, without a wiring diagram, I'm kinda pissing in the dark here. Hoping they will send me one on monday. Part of what I'm dealing with is almost everything I chase leads back to that computer board. Just wiring this thing up to a 3phase connection is one thing, but seeing I have to run a VFD, kinda complicates everything pretty bad. VFD's are greedy bastards, they want to control everything. Like a woman, you have to let them think they are control when really you are. I'm kinda wondering if I can isolate the switches on the elevator junk and have those activate the VFD X terminals. Where is Matt our VFD expert? That guy wires these things in his sleep! Anyone see him around? When we did my 2 speed motor on my lathe, he had me rip everything out and start over. Then again, there is no limit switches on a lathe.
There's enough there to figure out what it is, is a 32-bit microcontroller, if anyone wants to geek out, here's a link to the datasheet: Geehy APM32F030xC datasheet V1.1.pdf
57 pages and that's just the chip! I should have specified no electronics when I bought this thing. dammit.
VFD's often have enough smarts (general purpose input/output terminals) to perform such tasks. I've seen one set up to raise and lower a basketball hoop and backing with limit switches for the up and down position as well as ignoring the up/down button for a set period to stop smartasses from pressing the raise/lower button continuously. You just want to buy a decent name brand unit so that the user manual doesn't keep you guessing.
Once the dies for a chip are made, actually producing a very complex chip is not all that much more expensive than making a very simple chip so, they make complex multi-purpose chips that, for most applications, have tons of excess capacity. That's almost certainly the case here so, if you sorted through those 57 pages and deleted everything that had no bearing on your particular application, you probably wouldn't have very many pages left over. These days, that would probably have meant you would have been unable to buy anything at all. While chips like these make it difficult or impossible for the end user to make alterations or repairs, from the manufacturers' perspective, they make the units simpler, more versatile, WAY cheaper and considerably more reliable compared to something with the same functionality that's been made using discrete components.
Yeah, Mark, I think I can get the job done with the vfd I have. Once you've programmed one, they are all pretty much the same.
Maybe the chip plays the elevator music? Wait, no audio/speaker jacks on the board... Are you going to try it as is or rewire from the start?