Overhead Cranes - Update power converter

Challenge: 1940s-vintage overhead cranes were being updated for new electronic controls. The challenge was the age of the power circuits, the quality of that bulk power, and the intermittent connection to the source as the crane moved.

Analysis: While analyzing the bulk power it was discovered that the intermittency of the power was longer than expected and that there was several kV spikes riding on the 250 VDC power service. The crane also operated in an open space that was unheated with air conditioning so temperature variations were large.

Results: Intellicon engineers quickly determined that off-the-shelf power supplies would not survive the transient spikes. The engineers designed a custom power converter with a robust EMC filter and spike suppression front end. This circuit provided reliable output power for the control electronics and was able to ride through all intermittent voltage drops and transient spikes providing better environment for the crane operator.

The Proof:

Easy access and simple controls are Flipping the mounting of the rollers requires less torque to begin spinning of the table. Less torque
means a smaller motor and lower cost.


Using a combination of a custom filter and spike suppression front end with commercial power modules resulted in an inexpensive but highly reliable power supply solution.

Email: info@intelliconelectronics.com

Tel: 714.751.9257