question

ripnc avatar image
ripnc asked

Relay 2 will not turn off by temp or manually.

Cerbo-S GX ver 3.31 (down from GUI2 ver 3.40) had a 3A fan operating on temp and relay seems to have stuck in On when on GUI2. Went back to 3.31 and no joy. Have rebooted several times and also tried removing power to Cerbo itself. Also, tried manual Slide switch. I've done this w/o the load (fuse pulled) and still have continuity between NO and COM (I tested the plug when pulled and it was open as expected). Any ideas?

cerbo gx
2 |3000

Up to 8 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 190.8 MiB each and 286.6 MiB total.

3 Answers
ray42 avatar image
ray42 answered ·

Hi there,

I experienced the same issue today on my relay 1 port. Attached a 48v->12v 1A converter to run 4x 60mm fans on it. Made a temperature rule for that and everything worked fine for a few hours. The rule trigged 3-4 times on and off.

In the evening I checked on it and the fans were still on, although the relay showed „inactive“.

I checked every possibility and I hear a click when the relay should switch, but it doesn’t cut the power.

In the end I flicked with my index finger on the cerbo GX case near the relay and the relay cut off. It seamed to be stuck somehow. After that it worked again and switched accordingly. Will monitor it and report back.

Maybe this helps you, although I think it can be dangerous for everyone if the relays do not switch as intended.

Regards

1 comment
2 |3000

Up to 8 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 190.8 MiB each and 286.6 MiB total.

ripnc avatar image ripnc commented ·
Thanks! I knew I should have tried the bigger hammer approach ;-) I'm going to give it a shot tomorrow (pun intended).
1 Like 1 ·
pwfarnell avatar image
pwfarnell answered ·

Have the contacts welded closed in both your cases. We recently had an example of this on here. Have you checked the current draw against the specs for the relays. I know that the manual states DC up to 30VDC: 6A, DC up to 70VDC: 1A which may cover steady loads, but in both your cases you appear to be running loads that could pull much higher current for a short duration, a 3A motor could pull well over 10A at start up, a 48-12V converter likely has capacitors on the input side that would need precharge. I would use the Cerbo relay to drive a more powerful relay with appropriate flyback diodes.

2 comments
2 |3000

Up to 8 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 190.8 MiB each and 286.6 MiB total.

ripnc avatar image ripnc commented ·
Thanks. Will check the draw, but I do have a 5A (12v) fuse inline on the COM wire, fan calls for the 5A fuse. Is there a way to tell if they somehow welded? I gues not a repairable issue, correct?

Thank you.

0 Likes 0 ·
pwfarnell avatar image pwfarnell ripnc commented ·
A fuse takes time to blow, often a fuse will pass multiple times the rated current for a short time without blowing and does not protect against inrush or start up current. This is something that is often overlooked, people think they are instant failure at the rated value.

Disconnect the fan wires from the relay, set the relay to manual operation, put a multimeter on the contacts then switch the relay on and off, if it clicks but the resistance does not change, the coil is working but the contacts are not moving. I have no idea if you could desolder the relay and add a new one.

0 Likes 0 ·
ray42 avatar image
ray42 answered ·

Makes sense what you say. Will check on how to measure the startup surge of this miniconverter.

I have a 3A fuse inbetween the 48v busbar and the com port of the relay. Didn’t had a 1A on hand otherwise I would have added this.

The fans are 4x 12v 0.18A.

img-0985.jpeg


img-0989.jpeg



img-0989.jpeg (189.9 KiB)
img-0985.jpeg (384.9 KiB)
2 |3000

Up to 8 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 190.8 MiB each and 286.6 MiB total.