Eppendorf 5415 R Centrifuge Repair Manual

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5415 Eppendorf Lab Centrifuge: randomly fails to power up. Power supply fail?

What you have described is the correct way to remove the rotor. You put the wrench around the hexagonal part and turn it opposite the rotor. It could be difficult from being over tightened in the past or perhaps you have been turning it the wrong way.


DANGER: THE ENTIRE BOARD IS EITHER LIVE 120V, OR FLOATS AT 170VDC!
If you don't work with such things daily, don't mess with this pcb
while it's plugged in. Only the 'isolated' section marked in
the photo isn't live-hot-dangerous. Note that over 1min is required
for the large 560uF capacitor to discharge down from 170VDC.

I've now seen more than one Eppendorf lab centrifuge with the same problem: sudden death, as if a fuse has blown, but the fuses are fine. The LCD remains blank. Simple cure: increase a 2.2uF capacitor value to 10uF or higher (but stay below 100uF.) This fixes an apparent problem of slow-aging of the 'boot-circuit' in the main switching supply.


SEE ALSO: photos on similar repair, 5417C Eppendorf Centrifuge



Eppendorf 5415 R Centrifuge Repair Manual

DETAILS

In both dead units the cause was the same: switching supply failure when the 'bootstrap' startup circuit can't run the supply, but goes into constant resetting. If the supply could just start itself up once, everything else works fine. In the past with other systems, this failure comes from dead dried-out electrolytic capacitors. But replacing the large 2.2uF and 220uF caps in the centrifuge didn't help, and the values of the original components were OK.

The problem turns out to be ...possible bad design! Internal startup voltages are borderline, and any small change will keep it from waking up when power is first applied. If I unplug the LCD ribbon cable before turning on the main power, the switcher starts up OK, and the main 5VDC supply voltage appears. The 5VDC supply for the ribbon conn. is found on that isolated LM7805 regulator, the one near the rightmost edge of the pcb in the photo below. Turn on AC power with ribbon plugged in and it fails, only rising to 2.4V, and the UC2844 supply-control chip goes into constant restarting. But, but ...the LCD board is only a ~60mA load at 5V. A slight increase in a 1/3watt load shouldn't bring a power supply to it's knees!


Eppendorf Centrifuge 5415 R Service Manual

Next I look at the circuitry around the UC2844 (which is live, lethal. Floating-at-170VDC-plus-120v). I use a (electrically floating, dangerous!) scope to monitor the 16-volt input to the Vcc pin of the UC2844 controller chip. (This Vcc is also found at the input pin of that other, non-isolated LM7805 regulator in the center of the board. The regulator tab is also the chip's common.) A 2nd scope channel monitors the voltage generated by the high-freq transformer, found at the cathode of a SMT diode next to the 220uF cap. During each restart, the 2.2uF cap must rise to 16V, then the chip turns on, and the little VOGT 50KHz transformer should take over, charging up the adjacent, larger 220uF cap, and power everything. On the scope, the 2.2uF does rise to 16V, turning on the UC2844. That voltage now decreases rapidly, since the 2.2uF is acting as the entire power supply. The 50KHz switcher runs for a moment, and it's output voltage (across the 220uF) rises rapidly. But before it has time to rise to 10V, the voltage on the 2.2uF has fallen below 10V, and the UC2844 shuts down. Then repeat the whole sequence. But, it just missed normal startup by about half a volt! One cap voltage falls, the other rises, and they must pass each other in order to turn on the supply. There's not enough millijoules in the 2.2uF to last for the whole millisecs needed to boot up the switching supply.


So, maybe there's a shorted turn in that VOGT high-freq transformer block. Or maybe the LCD front panel is now drawing a few mA extra during the rising of the isolated 5V supply. Or maybe it was always supposed to be a 22uF capacitor, not 2.2uF? The voltages and RC periods are very close to the edge of failure, and any little change can push it over the threshold. Could I try replacing the little brown VOGT high-freq transformer? Nope, not available. So, kludge it: swap the 2.2uF capacitor with 10uF 25V tantalum. Yep, that did it. Starts up now just fine. (Hmm, in hindsight I probably should have used a 22uF or 47uF rather than a 10uF, just to keep the same failure from happening again in a couple of years!) ANOTHER TRICK: stand up the capacitor on 1cm leads, then to keep it cool, bend it away from the hot TO-220.


SEE ALSO:

  • photos on similar repair, 5417C Eppendorf Centrifuge
  • Repairing 5415R
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    DESCRIPTION
    CentrifugeEppendorf centrifuge 5415 r service manualEPPENDORF Microcentrifuge 5415 R

    Microcentrifuge 5415 R is an ideal workhorse for the lab. It features easy-to-use control knobs and a digital display of time and speed. Speed can be displayed in rpm or g-force, which saves you the time of performing tedious calculations and improves reproducibility. A separate, adjustable-speed Short Spin button provides easy, quick spins. The timer can be set to 99 minutes or continuous runs.
    As the smallest and quietest refrigerated microcentrifuge on the market, Model 5415 R's compact cooling system and Fast Temp function quickly cools the chamber to 4°C (set temperature) in just 16 minutes. It can maintain 4°C, even at maximum speed—eliminating those countless trips to the cold room. Standby cooling also maintains chamber temperature when the centrifuge is not in use.

    FORUMSView All (3)
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    Eppendorf 5415 R Centrifuge Repair Manual Instructions

    4

    Replies
    -Larbsarb
    5 months ago
    5 months agoService manual for Eppendorf 5415R
    Anyone has this service manual? Need schematic to troubleshoot.Thanks.Reply
    -Chris88
    6 years ago
    6 years agoeppendorf Centrifuge 5415R error 18

    Hi,

    Centrifuge turns on, but gives error messages 18. Instruction manual says 'Temperature error. (? ≥ 5 °C). Switch off the centrifuge.'

    the temperature is replaced by new sensor (pt1000)

    can reset the Centrifuge with service keys?

    chris

    Reply

    0

    Replies
    -Oski Bear
    6 years ago
    6 years agoError 20 and Error 21

    Centrifuge turns on, but gives error messages 20 & 21. Instruction manual says to contact technical service reps because of an electrical issue. Eppi reps quote for repair is my first born child.

    1. Does anyone have the service (not instruction) manual to the 5415R centrifuge series?

    2. Does anyone know what are Error 20 and Error 21?

    3. Does anyone know how to fix error 20 and error 21?

    Many thanks in advance!

    Reply
    SERVICE COMPANIESView All Centrifuge Companies

    Eppendorf 5415 R Centrifuge Repair Manual

    FEATURES

    • Easy-to-use controls
    • Compact footprint fits on a crowded bench or in a cold room
    • 24-place capacity
    • Brushless motor provides maintenance-free operation
    • Motorized lid latch
    • Spins up to 13,200 rpm; 16,100 x g
    • Quick acceleration and deceleration
    • Temperature setting range from 0° to 40°C
    • Maintains 4°C at maximum speed
    • Standby cooling
    • Fast Temp: from room temperature to 4°C in max. 16 minutes
    • Quiet operation (<60 dB)
    • Adjustable-speed Short Spin button is ideal for quick spins
    • Accepts three interchangeable rotors
    • Meets international safety standards for centrifuges (IEC 1010-2-020)
    • 2 year warranty

    Eppendorf Centrifuge 5415r Repair Manual

    SPECIFICATIONS

    Eppendorf 5415 R Centrifuge Repair Manual Download

    Height9 in
    Length 17.7 in
    Weight46.7 lbs without rotor
    Width11.4 in

    Additional Specifications

    Eppendorf 5415 R Centrifuge Repair Manual Free


      Acceleration time to max. speed: 13 s
      Breaking time from max. speed: 12 s
      Temperature control range: 0°C–40°C
      Maximum power requirement: 300 W