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Filter

05/15/2015 12:29 PM

Once again here I am in need of your help. I'm having the following problem: I just installed on a truck, a refrigerator powered by 24 VDC. This truck has installed one radio communicator type PX. It's happening when the refrigerator league is giving interference in radio. What type of filter should I put in the refrigerator's power to prevent this?
big hugEnio Gonçalves

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#1

Re: Filter

05/15/2015 1:01 PM

You might try one of these isolators...

http://www.radioworks.com/ct-4.html

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#2

Re: Filter

05/15/2015 2:00 PM

Have you determined that it is a conducted emission from the refrigerator, or a radiated emission?

What is the nature of the noise on the radio, e.g. constant whistle indicating a continuous wave noise.

Is the refrigerator a thermo-electric, or compressor type?

Does this refrigerator have digital temperature control that is causing this?

Is there an inverter that converts the +24DC to AC power producing the noise?

My questions are to determine the nature of the noise. You need to figure out if it's conducted, then a power line filter may block it, but if radiated, then RF shielding is needed.

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#3

Re: Filter

05/15/2015 2:15 PM

Ignator

The interference appears only when the compressor is turned on.

The refrigerator uses a compressor bike?

This refrigerator not have digital temperature control.

There is no inverter that converts a + 24DC to AC power, the power is directly from the battery, because the compressor is 24vdc.

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#5
In reply to #3

Re: Filter

05/15/2015 8:40 PM

So from this you indicate it's a mechanical compressor. If it's taking DC, there is electric commutation circuits, as brushes would be problematic inside of a hermetic can with oil.

The noise can still be radiate from the wires, or conducted noise via the wires. Either way, a filter installed near the compressor may fix this.

If you can find a ferrite bead (large torriod), one salvaged from a computer cable, wrap the power wire (+24) right were it comes out of the compressor a few wrapped turns through this (you may need to splice in more wire). You want to do this as close to the compressor as possible. I'm assuming there is some sort of electric commutation circuit to make the motor brushless. This typically uses hall effect sensors located on the stator, that sense the magnetic rotor position. The hall effect sensors will drive transistors for the motor current stator field switches. You want to create a filter to prevent the fast edge rates from these switching transistors being conducted from this refrigerator. A 50 volt capacitor can help also. 2 would be best, one of .1 micro farad size, and another 220 micro farad or more. The small capacitor for high frequency decoupling, and the larger to provide a current source for the high current pulses from the transistors.

I don't know what level of electronics you understand. So this may be a bit beyond your understanding. Sorry.

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#4

Re: Filter

05/15/2015 2:27 PM

If the noise "tracks" (increases or changes frequency) with the refrigerator load, then noise source is "commutation" noise from the DC-motor.

An oscilloscope will visually "show" you what the "noise" looks like which should then enable you to define and select the proper/necessary DC-filter.

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#6

Re: Filter

05/15/2015 9:36 PM

Ignator

My idea is exactly that, ie I will use a ferrite bead, which will make two coils, each of enrrolando 5 enameled wire turns of 16AWG. Each of these coils will be in series with the power cables (one on the + 24V and -24V in the other. And in parallel with these coils put two capacacitores not polarized 470nF, one at the entrance and another at the exit. What youYou think of this?

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#7
In reply to #6

Re: Filter

05/16/2015 9:27 AM

I would give it a try. As long as your power source has a fuse, your home made pi filter can't hurt anything. If the .47 micro farad is not helping, try another one of smaller value in parallel (keep leads short as lead inductance makes small capacitors ineffective), and a large one to give some decoupling energy for the high current pulses. Long wires of the power are inductive. My rule of thumb is at 100Mhz each inch (~25mm) of wire is 25 ohms impedance. So long wires will let RF 'float' on them.

If you could ground the chassis of this refrigerator with a wide brass strap (20+mm), that would be good. Those flexible ground straps made from minions of small diameter wires, braided into a strap really are bad at RF frequencies, as the RF flows on the surface and skin depth of many parallel conductors, and looks like lots of high impedance wires in parallel. Good for DC, but useless otherwise.

Also don't trust that the radio power input is not directly coupling the noise from it's power connection. A pi filter there may be useful.

One thing you could do is disconnect the antenna cable from the radio at it's input, and see if you can tune channels and hear noise. This will determine if it's a radiated vs conducted noise problem.

Don't transmit with the antenna disconnected unless you know the manufacture has designed it's amplifiers to not be damaged by open connection.

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