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Originally Posted by lintmann
....so I guess you remember me  |
only remotely
. I had to go back and read your last posts, and realized there were still some "loose ends"
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... but this time to keep a constant I chose 1.5V.
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Well, a "constant" is good, but it should be the current, not the voltage.
Your new power supply is the right type, CV/CC. It will operate in
either constant voltage,
or constant current mode, but
not both at the same time.
You must choose which mode to use, and CC is the one to use for plating.
Turn the voltage knob half-way up, then use the current knobs(s) & meter to get the current you want based on the part size. There are LEDs on both the voltage and current side, you want the current LED lit all the time. That indicates it's in "CC" mode.
Don't let the voltage distract you!
The 30A Mastech is just like it's little brother, has short-circuit breaker built-in, and I suspect that's why it's tripping. It's just not capable of operating at extremely low load resistances, and our plating tanks are
very low resistance.
You may want to try the dummy load workaround we've talked about before:
My power supply has me confused
3A power supply
How do I calculate voltage ...
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One thing I never did mention is that my plating time is really short compared to what others have said. For example each hose clamp would be nicely, brightly plated in a minute or two and not 10-15 like others have mentioned.
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That is to be expected. The more current you use for any given part, the faster it will plate.
Plating deposit thickness is directly proportional to current density. To achieve any given thickness will take twice as long at 50 ma/sq-in as it would at 100 ma/sq-in.
In your test, plating the 4-5" clamp at 2.5A, gives a current density of about 500ma/sq-in. That will plate 5 times faster than at 100.
What I don't understand is how you're getting "good" plate at that density (it should be burning badly), unless your surface area calculations are way off.
Sean