Torchmate accumove 2 conversion

[Digger873]

Hi everybody,
I have been lurking here for a while looking for info on my torchmate. This forum seems to have the most info but I just cannot make the torchmate a usable piece of equipment. Sooooooo.....

I am currently converting my accumove 2 growth series table to a centroid acorn controller. I am building the control panel and I have a question about the neutral bus. Should it be isolated from the ground or bonded with the ground in the panel. Im thinking it should be bonded but I dont know.
Anybody know?
Any tips, critiques are welcome.

Here are some pictures of my table and the progress so far.
Thanks



https://shantzconstruction-my.sharepoin ... g?e=O4UHng

[tcaudle]

I assume you are using a 24V switching power supply to run the Acorn since they don't come with the AC or motor power . In the US the neutral and ground are bonded at the breaker (or at least supposed to be) Ground is "Safety Ground" and is designed to protect you if the neutral is NOT properly grounded. So its important if yo have a metal case that it be tied to safety ground. Internally the switchers can be (or not) also tied to safey ground provided they have a ground lug but do not tie the Neutral to safety ground in the unit .

Its also important to NOT tie your table structure to the Saftey Ground or the neutral . Instead provide a "Noise Anode" into the earth close to the table . Why? Because the noise from you plasma worklead gets pumped into the table and it will try and push that noise onto your AC safety ground. That causes problems with your controls and THC . The Work clamp on a plasma is NOT Ground. it not a ground clamp .

Safety Ground is to keep you from getting shocked from AC (60 hz) . It may or may not provide a condition path for the HF noise from a Plasma .


The reason you do not want to bond neutral to anything in the control is because neutral may not be NEUTRAL.

So tie the case/chassis of your control to Safety ground, tie any power supply that has a safety Ground to the chassis and let the neutral connect only back to Line neutral.

[Digger873]

Thanks, So if I have a neutral bus it needs to be isolated

Actually the Acorn now comes with its own 24v power supply, pus I am running a 48v ps for each drive. I am also running 110v ac so my neutrals are in fact neutral. I have gone back and forth about whether to use 220 or 110 and have decided on 110 seeing as everything doesnt exceed the amp draw on a single 20 amp circuit.
I appreciate your help, Thank you