Looking for help with a pellet stove controller

[johnathan brown]

I am looking at trying to repair a controller for a pellet stove. The circuit looks simple enough it's controlled by a microcontroller. There are three triacs on the board. How would I go about testing the triacs.

 

[cowboybob]

Welcome to ETO, johnathan brown!

Testing components "in situ" (still in place) is difficult and often gives conflicting results.

What leads you to believe that the triacs are the problem?

Can you provide a schematic?

 

[large_ghostman]

Whats the make of stove? Do you get an error code? cowboybob in the UK there is a number of solid fuel pellet boilers all having issues with under rated triacs, actually same with our washing machine!

on the baxter boiler you get code 88 on the panel which is the air flow Triac and code 77 is the hopper thing Triac, the bad news is you can change the Baxter Triacs for uprated ones, no idea but the thing goes into reset and stays put!

I know someone who has paid £30K for a CHAP pellet boiler to run his farm and a couple of holiday homes, its been in nearly 2 years now and only worked for 3 weeks!! But slightly off topic, if you using one on a feed in tariff, you have to replace with an identical one or one that is exactly the same output wise or you get the new lower tariff. The guy down the road has gone back to oil, i offered to fix it for £250 by making a new board for it. Having paid £30k i thought he would see it a bargain, apparently not.......

 

[cowboybob]

I've only seen one pellet stove. In Vermont.

Worked like a champ heating a small restaurant while burning ridiculously small quantities of pellets (they just sort of dribbled in).

... i offered to fix it for £250 by making a new board for it. Having paid £30k i thought he would see it a bargain, apparently not.......

Sounds like he's got more money than brains...

 

[large_ghostman]

I've only seen one pellet stove. In Vermont.

Worked like a champ heating a small restaurant while burning ridiculously small quantities of pellets (they just sort of dribbled in).

Sounds like he's got more money than brains...

I think he thinks they will sort it for free. But the boards are all the same for that model, looking at the tiny triacs I think they dont have enough copper to dissipate the heat.

 

[alec_t]

Off-topic:
Like the new avatar

 

[large_ghostman]

better grab your tin foil hat! lol