Metcal wand continuity question
Metcal wand continuity question
(OP)
Hello,
Should the center conductor of a Metcal wand be continuous? I have a Metcal solder system which runs good for 10 minutes but then the temperature declines to the tip getting stuck to the work. Several tips have the same effect. The wand shield is continuous but the center conductor is not. Is there an air gap or capacitor in series in the wand? Seems strange that it works for a short while then fails. Thanks for any input whether it is the wand or the power supply. P.S. the internals of the power supply look like new and everything appears tight and corrosion-free.
Should the center conductor of a Metcal wand be continuous? I have a Metcal solder system which runs good for 10 minutes but then the temperature declines to the tip getting stuck to the work. Several tips have the same effect. The wand shield is continuous but the center conductor is not. Is there an air gap or capacitor in series in the wand? Seems strange that it works for a short while then fails. Thanks for any input whether it is the wand or the power supply. P.S. the internals of the power supply look like new and everything appears tight and corrosion-free.





RE: Metcal wand continuity question
You just think that! The center conductor is not. I used to think about how that works internally, but haven't for years. The shield is broken at the wands end. That is what always happens. I used to have a procedure and pictures on how to disassemble the wand and repair this on an old computer. I think there was someone on ebay that repaired these cheap.
RE: Metcal wand continuity question
Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: Metcal wand continuity question
The electrical connection in the cord and tip is continuous. However, the Metcal itself uses a high-frequency inverter as the power source for the heating element. It might internally to the base unit use a capacitor - I don't know as I've not tried to reverse-engineer one.
RE: Metcal wand continuity question