Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 20

Thread: Why always me??? (Kvant)

  1. #1
    Bradfo69's Avatar
    Bradfo69 is offline Pending BST Forum Purchases: $47,127,283.53
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Wilmington, DE
    Posts
    6,202

    Default Why always me??? (Kvant)

    The scenario:

    I have a Kvant Spectrum 1.6 watt projector purchased from someone in Europe about 4 years ago. It came with the European plug and the powercon receptacle on the case is marked 230v 50Hz. I first tried when I got it to just change the plug to a US Edison style plug and give it 110v as the thinking was it probably had switching power supplies. 110v provided "some" power but not enough to run it properly. I purchased an aftermarket step up transformer that boosts 110v to 220v and have used that successfully a number of times. The hypothesis was the power supplies inside the projector must only be set up to accept 220v.

    It's a bitch to take apart and I have started a couple of times and then stopped since it's worse than working on a foreign car engine with everything being so tight and naturally the power supply labels faced down towards the baseplate. So, I finally have ripped this thing down and have screws littered all over the place but have now inspected each of the three power supplies. There is a Traco 12v. An unsure brand 24v and an unsure brand 6v. They're all turning out to be switching from 90v to 240v as far as an input. So.... WTF???


    Upon closer inspection, it appears that the main power in goes to a card I've not seen before which is a Kvant Measuring and Information Monitor card. Coming off the card are: a mains power lead to the Traco 12v supply (which is jumped to the other two supplies. A ribbon cable going to the LED screen on the back of the projector which reports temperatures. A lead to a temperature sensor stuck on top of the green module, And two sets of black and white power leads that look like they run to cards underneath the Measuring and Information Monitor and are likely the driver cards for a Kvant combined red/blue module.

    Here's some pics:

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMGP9324.JPG 
Views:	52 
Size:	450.3 KB 
ID:	46700
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMGP9325.JPG 
Views:	47 
Size:	310.2 KB 
ID:	46701
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMGP9326.JPG 
Views:	43 
Size:	329.9 KB 
ID:	46702
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMGP9327.JPG 
Views:	41 
Size:	264.7 KB 
ID:	46703
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMGP9328.JPG 
Views:	39 
Size:	332.7 KB 
ID:	46704
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMGP9329.JPG 
Views:	44 
Size:	233.6 KB 
ID:	46705

    Besides just mailing this to Swami, as he'll undoubtedly suggest, any thoughts? Could it be the Kvant card is what requires 220v and if it's not getting it, it doesn't allow power to the rest of the system? I hate using the step up transformer as a) it's one more thing to lug around and b) we've discovered, particularly in the auditorium in Newton, that the output of the projector definitely goes wonky and jitters with that lovely theater electric.

  2. #2
    swamidog's Avatar
    swamidog is online now Jr. Woodchuckington Janitor III, Esq.
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    santa fe, nm
    Posts
    1,545,752

    Default

    send it to swami.
    suppose you're thinkin' about a plate o' shrimp. Suddenly someone'll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate o' shrimp out of the blue, no explanation. No point in lookin' for one, either. It's all part of a cosmic unconciousness.

  3. #3
    Bradfo69's Avatar
    Bradfo69 is offline Pending BST Forum Purchases: $47,127,283.53
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Wilmington, DE
    Posts
    6,202

    Default

    I knew I could count on you to be helpful!

  4. #4
    swamidog's Avatar
    swamidog is online now Jr. Woodchuckington Janitor III, Esq.
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    santa fe, nm
    Posts
    1,545,752

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bradfo69 View Post
    I knew I could count on you to be helpful!
    it's my way!

    suppose you're thinkin' about a plate o' shrimp. Suddenly someone'll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate o' shrimp out of the blue, no explanation. No point in lookin' for one, either. It's all part of a cosmic unconciousness.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Native Floridian
    Posts
    3,127

    Default

    On the cable that you have marked as "out to power supplies", I'd measure the AC voltage you have there. I bet it's as simple as rewiring to that screw terminal but I wouldn't make a change until I know what the voltage is on all the terminals and understand what's going on.

    Better yet, send to swami!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    East Sussex, England
    Posts
    5,248

    Default

    I've no idea what that big black lump is on the board, but it clearly says 230V on the side of it.
    Frikkin Lasers
    http://www.frikkinlasers.co.uk

    You are using Bonetti's defense against me, ah?

    I thought it fitting, considering the rocky terrain.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    NorCal / Western Caribbean
    Posts
    710

    Default

    What Norty said. Looks like a 6V PSU of some form. Maybe you could get that swapped out for a 110V version

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    St. Louis, MO
    Posts
    1,197

    Default

    The big black block on the Kvant board is a power supply that's marked 230V. So no - you can't just wire around the Kvant board and run 120V without some component level redesign.
    "There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who, with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun." Pablo Picasso

  9. #9
    Bradfo69's Avatar
    Bradfo69 is offline Pending BST Forum Purchases: $47,127,283.53
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Wilmington, DE
    Posts
    6,202

    Default

    Crap.... I was afraid of that. Maybe it's time to sell it back to someone in Europe. I suppose it may be possible to bypass the health monitor but, I think it controls cooling fan speeds though.

    Meanwhile as DZ thinks, "Please, dear God... not another thing for him to bring to me! "

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Germany
    Posts
    1,478

    Default

    ... here in Germany I can buy 'line-changers' for different AC voltages, that changes down from 230VAC to 115VAC or the other way round - it's mostly done with a simple 2:1 transformator, or turned to 1:2 ... they only have to be wired for the needed currents - and checked, if the target device is capable of 50 or 60 Hertz.

    So maybe you can insert a 115VAC_to_230VAC transformer and appropriate fuses?

    Viktor

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •