Work Progress - Day 15

Yep, still here in New Mexico.

Got all of the wiring done, including the telemetry, (I knew I would end up doing it). It was a bit tough to do with everybody looking over my shoulder, trying to see how the PLC wiring is supposed to be done. It's a bit of a Rube Goldberg, but it should work as desired. After the guys left for the day, I was able to run up the 120V test power, kick on the exciter unit's 208V power and started tweaking and tuning. Everything looks good, so it looks like tomorrow is commissioning day. Hope everything works out as planned so I can head home Friday. We'll see...

Man, there's a ton of wiring stuffed in this thing. And this is just the PLC computer interface wiring.

Oops, something of a tight fit. I didn't discover this until the main door was closed and I saw a bolt mounted on the door just miss these modules by about half an inch.

Well, the exciter unit is powered up and ready. It's amazing that it has to idle at 260 volts, just so the motor can synchronize.

This picture is from the first starter we completed. The motor is running and the exciter unit is synchronized. You can tell because the voltage dropped down to about 180 volts and the current is now reading about 66 amps, right where its supposed to be.


Here is a New vs. Old comparison of the starters for #2 Finish and #2 Raw mills.

And here is a New vs. Old comparison of #1 Finish and #1 Raw mills. We are supposed to come out in the spring to rebuild the other two units...

Hey Dennis, remember this? I finally got a drive-by shot of the aluminum cactus next to I-40. It has a solar cell and battery for the lights that slowly change color at night. Unfortunately, the thing needs a new battery because it's a bit weak and is hard to see the lights now.