GSXR steering damper on a GS1000

[Agemax]

i have wired it all up now but i think there is something wrong.
i have 13.1v at the battery, 13.1v to the switch, 12.5v coming out the switch before the resistor and 9.4v after the resistor going to the solenoid.

the solenoid is clicking in ok but it is getting warm and the resistor is getting very hot,almost to hot to touch. i am using a 5ohm 5w resistor.

is this normal to get so hot or have i done something wrong?

the spec on the switch is......

Rated 6A at 250VAC
Toggle Switch
SPST
Maximum 50 Volts Switching for Europe

[Agemax]

BUMP..............anyone help please?

[posplayr]

BUMP..............anyone help please?

can you draw a schematic of what you have and measure the resistance of the solenoid and mark the voltages you are measuring on the schematic for clarity.

I thought I sent you a schematic....... Did you follow that?

I went back and looked at my schematic and I had suggested a 6 ohm resistor instead of a 5 ohm. The higher resistance will reduce the current. Also it is a 5 watt resistor because you need to dissipate alot of power. With 6 ohms it would be 20% less power.

What resistor did you use? Power rating are based on assumptions abut mounting and how the heat from 5W dissipated is removed.

As mentioned before there should be only about 0.8 amps, but that is a lot for a small semiconductor device.

[Agemax]

can you draw a schematic of what you have and measure the resistance of the solenoid and mark the voltages you are measuring on the schematic for clarity.

I thought I sent you a schematic....... Did you follow that?

I went back and looked at my schematic and I had suggested a 6 ohm resistor instead of a 5 ohm. The higher resistance will reduce the current. Also it is a 5 watt resistor because you need to dissipate alot of power. With 6 ohms it would be 20% less power.

What resistor did you use? Power rating are based on assumptions abut mounting and how the heat from 5W dissipated is removed.

As mentioned before there should be only about 0.8 amps, but that is a lot for a small semiconductor device.

Pos, i followed your schematic to the T. i got a 5w 4.7 ohm 4R70 4.7R 5W /5 Watt ohm resistor as i could not get a 6ohm, i am getting 9.4v at the solenoid,after the resistor.

the solenoid is 12.5ohms, i have 13.1v across the battery, 13.1v to the toggle switch, 12.4v out of the switch(before the resistor) and 9.4v at the solenoid

[posplayr]

Pos, i followed your schematic to the T. i got a 5w 4.7 ohm 4R70 4.7R 5W /5 Watt ohm resistor as i could not get a 6ohm, i am getting 9.4v at the solenoid,after the resistor.

the solenoid is 12.5ohms, i have 13.1v across the battery, 13.1v to the toggle switch, 12.4v out of the switch(before the resistor) and 9.4v at the solenoid

OK I looked back at the calculations and the power disapparated is going to be 3-4 Watts depending on voltage and the resistor value.

Do you have a link to the resistor and what type of package it is.

3-4 watts is too much for a small package unless there is someplace for the heat to go.

Do you have a picture of how you constructed the ballast?

[Agemax]

if you mean constructing the ballast, i just soldered in the resistor to the + from the switch then from the other end of the resistor to the solenoid,
i will try and draw a picture but it may take a while on pc as im crap at it!

here is the resistor i bought.......

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/170680997583?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

[posplayr]

if you mean constructing the ballast, i just soldered in the resistor to the + from the switch then from the other end of the resistor to the solenoid,
i will try and draw a picture but it may take a while on pc as im crap at it!

here is the resistor i bought.......

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1706809975...84.m1497.l2649

Well we are dealing with another part of electronic design which is thermal design. The 4.7 ohms is fine and the 5W rating is perhaps marginal but workable. The issue is getting the heat out of the device. There is not alot of power that dissipates through the air. It is mostly through the leads. When a device like this is soldered into a board the heat flow out into the board but it still has to flow out some where.

So the simplest thing is to reorganize your parts so that the resistor has a direct attachment to the frame (as a thermal path to absorb the heat) as well as being a ground (as shown in the picture).

If it still gets too hot then you might have two add another resistor . It is possible that the solenoid will work with two 4.7 ohms resistors in series, but you will have to check. That will reduce the heat in either one to 1/2 if you separate the resistors. For example leave the one you have in already and put another one to ground as shown.

The other thing to do was to look at the other package type I showed, it would provide for thermal dissipation through the air.

Still further , a resistor with a built in heat sink would work the best but could be over kill. A little trial and error is in order.

[Agemax]

ah i think i got you now, i have the resistor in line with the + feed to the solenoid but i need to move it to the - side. then the frame/ground will help take away the heat.
i will try that. thank you so much Pos......
here is a crappy diagram of what i have now,which shows the resistor where your original pic shows it.

[posplayr]

Age,
Sorry I probably did you a bit of a disservice as I glossed over the thermal issues as now in hind site realize you were not so aware of the issues.

Ultimately this type of package would be the best. (picture shows three resistors; you only need one) You mount it to the frame and ground it and then run another wire from the other end to the dampner solenoid. Your switch would remain as you currently have it.

This is also a bit of over kill, so it kind of depend how clean you want it.

http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/805F5R0E/805F5R0E-ND/823390

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/picture.php?albumid=1998&pictureid=10788

[Agemax]

thats cool, i could easily hide one of those resistors somewhere, even on an ally plate to help dissipate even more heat. you say the switch remains the same but does that mean i have to keep my original resistor or can i ditch that?

P.S. was that an intentional pun?

[posplayr]

thats cool, i could easily hide one of those resistors somewhere, even on an ally plate to help dissipate even more heat. you say the switch remains the same but does that mean i have to keep my original resistor or can i ditch that?

P.S. was that an intentional pun?

I attached a picture. Electrically all items are in series (switch, solenoid, ballast resistor) so the order doesn't matter.

There is quite a bit of power dissipated so good thermal design for the ballast is needed.

In the attached picture I showed the resistor mounted to the back of your lower triple. That resistor will not get hot (too much thermal mass and surface area which would have little problem dissipating 5 watts while flying down the road.
The only question is how well the triple is grounded to the frame through the bearings. Probably pretty good but you would need to confirm. If it is a good ground you dont need to return the ground wire back to the main harness; just ground locally( like the resistor mounting bolt)

[Agemax]

thanks again Pos. would a 10w 5ohm resistor be better than a 5w?
i found this one on ebay.........

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290794022548?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

[salty_monk]

Bigger factor of safety but a 6 ohm one would be even better...

[Agemax]

Bigger factor of safety but a 6 ohm one would be even better...

but wouldn't a 6ohm drop the voltage down even more?

[salty_monk]

Yes a little. Also Less current, less heat, less draw on your electrical system.