Melted Power Connector

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pandelume
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Joined: Mon Jun 02, 2014 6:41 am

Melted Power Connector

Post by pandelume » Mon Jun 02, 2014 7:03 am

I have just come down with a case of melted power connector, here manifested as loss of power to the HBP and fusing of the male and female 6 pin connector where the power supplies mate with the RAMBo. This is an old-style two power brick supply and a RAMBo 1.0d. So far I've read through a number of posts here and on the old google group and it seems like people have resolved this problem with one of the following options:

1) simply replace the melted connectors (male and female) and hope for no repeat problems and/or add additional clamping or strain relief to prevent a loose connection
2) remove the connectors and solder suitably sized wires to the board, terminated in anderson powerpole (or similar) connectors, strain relief required.
3) upgrade to 24v
4) (hypothetical) replace the melted connectors, but plug the HBP supply into a DC-DC relay and drive that from RAMBo.

If there are any fixes for this that I missed, please say so.

What is the consensus view on these options -is there a preferred way forward here without upgrading to 24v? Does anyone know of a drop-in replacement connector that is better able to handle the current of the HBP? My soldering skills are not fantastic, so I'm reluctant to try anything too fancy; nevertheless, the existing connector clearly needs to be replaced. Thoughts?

pandelume
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Joined: Mon Jun 02, 2014 6:41 am

Re: Melted Power Connector

Post by pandelume » Mon Jun 09, 2014 6:32 pm

After consideration, I have opted for solution 2). I'll update this thread with success or failure after I finish. It also seems like I'll need a modified electronics enclosure with some kind of strain relief; when completed I'll post a link to that as well.

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Tim
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Re: Melted Power Connector

Post by Tim » Mon Jun 09, 2014 7:03 pm

I would tend to go with option (1), because as far as I can tell, this problem has only been the result of a loose power connector. If you can keep the connector clamped in firmly, then it should be much better than "hoping for the best". Unless anybody chimes in and claims to have melted a power connector that was firmly plugged in.

pandelume
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Re: Melted Power Connector

Post by pandelume » Mon Jun 09, 2014 9:49 pm

Reading through the google group postings about this issue I came across multiple accounts where the molex connector was replaced and subsequently melted again. It wasn't clear to me that in all cases both halves of the connector were replaced, but it was enough to make me doubt that option. I also read at least one case where someone reported a melted connector in spite of having printed a case that locks the connectors together.

In my case, the machine had been sitting in the same location for months without being moved. I'm not sure why the power plug would have suddenly worked loose. My guess is that this isn't necessarily just a loose connector problem - perhaps some of these connectors were shipped with some oxidation or other issue that causes them to run hot? Or perhaps a loose connection at some point caused just enough damage to make the connector run hot in spite of it being reseated firmly again, and eventually it cascaded to complete failure?

Long story short, I'm not really confident that replacing the connector with an identical one is a long-term solution.

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jimc
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Re: Melted Power Connector

Post by jimc » Mon Jun 09, 2014 11:39 pm

switching to wires will work fine. i remember the instance where someone still had the meltdown with using my box and the connector locked into place but that person didnt change both halves of the connector after the first melt. if the contacts are clean and held firmly in place so there is 100% contact then you will have no issues. the connector only needs to be removed a little bit for it to heat up. once its melted you really should switch both halves. these printers shake back and forth quite a bit. your connector could have slightly worked loose over time. with all that said, if i had a meltdown i would do the wire route myself.

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