Hello all...

I've been asked to look at and fix a SaniServ A5011ET ice cream machine, S/N
G108311. Made in the 23rd week of 1988, it's not new but it is in good
condition and worked fine the first few times the owners used it. The first
thing that went wrong was a front panel switch, but it was replaced and is
working properly.

However, it will not engage the compressors or auger motors when ice cream
is requested with any pull handle. The switches do make contact just fine,
but this thing's "brain" consists of several SSAC solid state timers with
different timing values. As best I can tell, pulling the handle sets these
timers in motion and starts the machine up. Its circuitry is split into two
main "units"--one for each of the two ice cream dispensers and a handle in
the middle that activates both. There are six total timers, three on each
"half" of the machine. Two are 1.5 second timers. The other four are ganged
together as two units per assembly, with a timing of 15 seconds on and 10
minutes off. I think the 1.5 second timer is what gets everything started.

I believe that one or more of these timers has failed. And while the cases
came open, they are all fully potted inside. There's evidence that they run
hot, and looking at the potting compound suggests that they have been
somewhat warm over the years. They run directly from the 230 volts AC with a
switching capacity of 1 amp. That seems like a lot for the parts I could
scrape out of the potting compond on one of them.

Unfortunately, these timers seem to be made of unobtainium. I'm hoping that
someone out there might still be selling a suitable replacement part or
that a circuit could be built to replace their function. Any ideas? Might
anyone have one of these in their junk box?

SaniServ has been useless thus far, and hasn't returned my calls or e-mails.
A parts supplier was able to provide the replacement switch but they don't
think they can get the timers.

William

The commercial/industrial applications timer modules that I'm familiar with
are socket mounted, and adjustable over fairly wide ranges of on and off
cycles.
These modules typically consist of timer circuits and integral relays for
switching.

Several companies that manufacture relays also make timer modules. By
checking a few of these companies catalogs/product lines, you should be able
to find timer modules suitable for the operations in this machine.

In some applications, it may require 2 modules to achieve multi-function
operations, but a couple of modules will still be much simpler than, say, a
PLC programmable logic controller retrofit.

--
Cheers,
WB
..............


"William R. Walsh" m
wrote in message news:S2E0m.159822$DP1.88245@attbi_s22...
Hello all...

I've been asked to look at and fix a SaniServ A5011ET ice cream machine,
S/N
G108311. Made in the 23rd week of 1988, it's not new but it is in good
condition and worked fine the first few times the owners used it. The
first
thing that went wrong was a front panel switch, but it was replaced and is
working properly.

However, it will not engage the compressors or auger motors when ice cream
is requested with any pull handle. The switches do make contact just fine,
but this thing's "brain" consists of several SSAC solid state timers with
different timing values. As best I can tell, pulling the handle sets these
timers in motion and starts the machine up. Its circuitry is split into
two
main "units"--one for each of the two ice cream dispensers and a handle in
the middle that activates both. There are six total timers, three on each
"half" of the machine. Two are 1.5 second timers. The other four are
ganged
together as two units per assembly, with a timing of 15 seconds on and 10
minutes off. I think the 1.5 second timer is what gets everything started.

I believe that one or more of these timers has failed. And while the cases
came open, they are all fully potted inside. There's evidence that they
run
hot, and looking at the potting compound suggests that they have been
somewhat warm over the years. They run directly from the 230 volts AC with
a
switching capacity of 1 amp. That seems like a lot for the parts I could
scrape out of the potting compond on one of them.

Unfortunately, these timers seem to be made of unobtainium. I'm hoping
that
someone out there might still be selling a suitable replacement part or
that a circuit could be built to replace their function. Any ideas? Might
anyone have one of these in their junk box?

SaniServ has been useless thus far, and hasn't returned my calls or
e-mails.
A parts supplier was able to provide the replacement switch but they don't
think they can get the timers.

William