bad power supply for 6205

[Chris Witort]

Roger, I just got 3 stream model 6205. I already have one that is several months old. I hooked up one of the new ones to test it. I connected it to the power supply without using a controller. It started to run when the rheostat was set on low. If it was turned up the pump would stop and start every few seconds. I also noted that the light on the power supply would also turn on and off. I then opened another new pump and used it's power supply. This one would run at all settings but only if the power supply was sitting upside down. If it was turned right side up off, turn it back over it would run? I noticed the new ones have a different looking power supply from the one I already have. I connected the pump to my old power supply and it ran like a charm! I didn't have time to test the third power supply but I am now a little worried. What do you think is wrong here?

 

[rvitko]

We did change power supplies to meet a new EU requirement for standby power draw. You have probably seen this covered in the news that having any appliance plugged in, even while off it still draws power. New regulations in Europe require that this be dropped to below 1W, the old power supply used about 2-3W just being plugged in with the pump off. The new one uses .5W.

Your description is kind of like a game of 3 card monte and hard to follow. Can you break it down for me more clearly? Do you just have one bad power supply or two or one bad pump and one bad power supply? From what I gather it sounds like you have one power supply that likely has a small break in the wire to the pump and this causes the sputtering and flashing, you may have another that has a bad connection to the power cord from the wall and it is just happenstance it works upside down due to better contact, I would make sure that one has the power cord from the wall to the transformer firmly connected.

 

[Chris Witort]

Okay roger, I'll try to be a little more clear. I placed a new 6205 pump in an aquarium and used the power supply it came with. The pump was not connected to a controller. Initially the pump turned on and ran, the rheostat was set to the slowest speed. when I turned the rheostat to the highest speed the pump started to turn on and then off for a fraction of a second then run again over and over. If I turned the rheostat to low it would run continuously. I then disconnected the power supply from the pump and the power cord. I opened another new box and took it's power supply connected it to the power chord that I had used with the previous power supply connected it to the same pump that I used with the previous power supply. So now all that has been changed is the power supply. This powered up the pump and allowed it to be ramped up and down in speed without any problems, but as soon as I picked up the power supply and turned it over it turned off. I checked to see that the plug was secure, it was. When the power supply was set down upside down (where you could see the text) it ran. Right side up no go. I then removed this power supply and installed my "old" power supply that I have had for months with it's own power chord , still using the same new pump. This setup ran fine. I should also mention that the power supply that was turning on and off made a faint buzzing noise each time It would shut off!? I hope you can decifer this puzzle. It seems to me that both power supplies are bad but in different ways. I could check both of the new power supplies with a different power chord (afterall I have three new ones) and see if that changes anything.

 

[ECFENCING]

I would switch the cords to isolate the problem. That has happened to me once where it was the cord and not the power supply.

 

[rvitko]

That is roughly what I gathered from the first post. My only guess would be the cord is bad or the power supplies took a good whack in shipping. In general the newer ones are more reliable than the older ones. The one that buzzes should definitely be replaced, but the other may just need another power cord. Try it and try the third one and let me know what you need.

 

[Chris Witort]

I'll test them tonight and get back with you!

 

[Chris Witort]

Last night I swapped the power chord on the power supplies and had the same problems as before. I also connected the third power supply and it worked fine. So it looks like I have two bad power supplies and one good one.
If you could replace them I would apriciate it. I don't know if you want the bad ones back or what. just let me know. On a side note the 6205 I already had uses the old style bracket without the vibration damper in it and I noticed that the new ones are much quieter, could I get a replacement bracket for that pump.

 

[rvitko]

PM sent

 

[Chris Witort]

My curiosity got the better of me and I broke open the two faulty power supplies. they both had bad solders on the circuit boards. one where a leg of a coil met the board (this is the one that would turn on when upside down and off when upright) and the other where one of the transformers met the board (this is the one that randomly turned on and off at full power). It looks like the tinning process they use is not a clean as it could be, and it creates flaws in the solder. I soldered the connections and they then seemed to work fine. I could not reassemble the power supplies because the cases were either glued or sonic welded together and were damaged when I opened them. At least we know now what was wrong with them.

 

[rvitko]

Good to know. Unlike the pumps which we make in Germany, the power supplies are just off the shelf laptop power supplies that are made in China, like virtually every laptop power supply. We chose this option as it made an emergency replacement possible from any local electronics store vs the proprietary power supplies we used many years ago.

 

[Chris Witort]

Roger,

I got the power supplies and the new bracket today and glory to Roger in the highest they work! Thanks for the help in getting these going for me.

 

[rvitko]

Thanks!