Arc Delay And Density; Arc Trip Levels; Arc-Check - Advanced Energy MDX II User Manual

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Advanced Energy
When the arc count limit is reached, the control panel displays either a flashing "Varc" or
"Iarc" or the User port (if set at the factory) alerts you (see page 9-1). You cannot monitor arc
count through the serial port.
The Varc and Iarc count limits can be set at 0 to 999. Selecting 0 disables all arc counting.

Arc Delay and Density

Use the delay function to specify how long (up to 1 s) the MDXII unit's output remains turned
off after an arc is sensed. You can specify this timer in 5 ms increments with a minimum
specification of 10 ms. Use the density function when you simply want to keep track of how
many voltage or current arcs were sensed in the previous second. Voltage and current arcs are
counted separately.
You can program arc delay and density from the control panel and through the serial port.

Arc Trip Levels

The MDXII unit is designed to count Varcs and Iarcs, as described on page 5-5. Depending on
your unit's software, you also can program Iarc and Varc trip levels. Trip levels protect the
power supply by shutting off output for the specified delay time when the trip level is reached.
The Iarc trip level is set to a default value of 70 A in a 380-V unit and 60 A in a 480-V unit.
However, if your unit features the VHALO and the Tap 1 low primary current software
options, then with VHALO enabled and the unit in tap 1, the default Iarc trip level is 55 A (for
more information about these options, see "Understanding the Optional Software Features" on
page 2-19). These options increase the sensitivity of the unit to Iarcs.
detection is much slower than Varc detection, most arcs are detected by the Varc-detection
circuit. We recommend that you do not change the Iarc trip level from its default value. You
cannot set a level that is higher than the default.
An optional configuration lets you set a trip level at which the unit will shut itself off when a
Varc is detected. Varcs are the primary cause of arc trips because they are detected more
quickly than are Iarcs. With the Varc shutdown enable software option activated on your
unit, you can use a control panel or a host controller (connected to the serial port) to specifiy
how many volts constitute an arc for your purposes. When the VHALO software option is also
active on your unit, you can set an additional Varc trip level for tap 1. (Thus with both
VHALO and Varc shutdown enable options active on your unit, you can program two Varc
trip levels: one for tap 1 and one for the other taps.) Set a Varc trip level between 25 and
400 V.

Arc-Check

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The optional Arc-Check
performance in continuous low-impedance processes such as cathodic arc deposition and
applications that produce conductive flakes. Flakes short out the power supply; these shorts
5-6
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feature is proprietary arc-suppression circuitry that enhances
Operation Overview
However, since Iarc
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