wall current draw of HGM

[Xytrell]

So I've got an HGM and have, up until I moved, fed it from a beefy 50A circuit. My new home has only a 30A circuit. How high can I safely bring the current (for short durations obviously)? How much of an issue would be tripping the breaker? ie would it disrupt the power supply so much as to damage it?

Any insight appreciated.

[sugeek]

So I've got an HGM and have, up until I moved, fed it from a beefy 50A circuit. My new home has only a 30A circuit. How high can I safely bring the current (for short durations obviously)? How much of an issue would be tripping the breaker? ie would it disrupt the power supply so much as to damage it?

Any insight appreciated.

You can always install a 50amp breaker or larger, never hurts to have more power!

-Adam

[FourDee]

You shouldn't put in another breaker whilst not replacing the wiring leading to the outlet ...

[sugeek]

You shouldn't put in another breaker whilst not replacing the wiring leading to the outlet ...

Good Point, I assumed that would be done, but I guess that isn't the greatest assumption, fire in the walls is no fun.

[buffo]

I run my HGM5 *continuously* at up to 24 amps of tube current from a measly 30 amp drier outlet. I've even run it up to max tube current for as long as a minute with no problems. An HGM5 only draws around 26 amps from the wall when it's wide open. (And really, how often do you run it wide open? Most times it will be drawing less.) Remember that you're starting with 220 VAC. You're stepping it down and rectifying it, so you've got some current gain there. (You only need 165 volts DC at 29 amps to max out the tube.)

Bottom line: run it off your drier outlet and you'll be fine. In the unlikely event that your drier breaker is weak and it trips when you dial the tube current up to max for a quick power test, nothing bad will happen to the laser... The PSU will shut off and the fans will coast to a stop. Just reset the breaker and restart the fans to cool things down. Then turn the tube current down before you re-light it.

Adam

[Xytrell]

My tube current goes up to 34A But I generally run it at <15. So you're saying 29A of tube current equates to 26A of total draw? Assuming that ratio holds, I should be drawing 30.5A at 34A tube current. I have a 120V blower hooked up separately so that should drop it further.

Thanks, I'll give it a try.

[GooeyGus]

I can barely get mine above 20A before the breaker blows

I think my breaker is just old and needs replacing. Even on my 168 I can only get to about 15A for 10 minutes or so before it trips... now I know thats converting 220v single phase to 220v 3-phase, and actual tube voltage is like 235vdc or something like that, but still I thought I would be able to run it up to at least 20A on a 30A outlet... maybe I'll just wire it directly into the wall with a 60A breaker. My phase converter doesn't even break a sweat at 15-20A, stays almost room temp... thank goodess for those older electric motors... they just dont make them like they used to!!

[buffo]

I think my breaker is just old and needs replacing.

It's cheap to find out... Breakers don't cost that much.

For what it's worth, I've had *several* 20 amp beakers get weak on me over the years. One was tripping at just 14 amps! I've replaced like 8 of them so far, and I've never had any trouble with the new ones.

maybe I'll just wire it directly into the wall with a 60A breaker.

That's an ideal solution, assuming you have the room in your breaker panel to install a pair of breakers. The other problem is getting the wires out of the panel. Sure, you can take the front cover off and just let them hang out, but that's messy. Getting them out any other way requires cutting and patching the sheetrock though, and that's a pain in the ass.

Still, having a dedicated 60 amp socket in the garage that you can tie into is always a good thing!

Adam