SX100 stage motors

[Probeman]

We're waiting for Cameca to respond with a price on a new stage (X) axis motor (ours has a shorted winding), but wonder if anyone has a source for this motor that might be more direct and hence cheaper?

See attached photo.
john

[Probeman]

We're waiting for Cameca to respond with a price on a new stage (X) axis motor (ours has a shorted winding), but wonder if anyone has a source for this motor that might be more direct and hence cheaper?

See attached photo.
john

Attached below is a place you can order these motors for a little less(!) than what Cameca charges, but you'll have to use the old wiring harness and connect it up yourself.

[Probeman]

We're waiting for Cameca to respond with a price on a new stage (X) axis motor (ours has a shorted winding), but wonder if anyone has a source for this motor that might be more direct and hence cheaper?

See attached photo.
john

Attached below is a place you can order these motors for a little less(!) than what Cameca charges, but you'll have to use the old wiring harness and connect it up yourself.

After further investigation by our in-house engineer, it appears Cameca's "The Amazing Edgar" correctly diagnosed our stage problem remotely.  He must have incredible psychic powers.   

The problem appears to have merely been a bad solder joint in one of the power resistors on the motor wiring harness board. Easy fix once we figured it all out!

Thank-you Edgar!

[Probeman]

Hi Owen,
Not really. I just know that our in house engineer had to re-solder all the power resistors in there as they run really hot and had de-soldered themselves.  After re-soldering them all, his ultimate solution was to add a series of additional cooling fans to the front of the stage as seen in this post:

https://smf.probesoftware.com/index.php?topic=639.msg8574#msg8574

Cameca makes a great instrument, but the SX50 and SX100 models seem to all have some cooling issues somewhere...  I have no experience with the new SXFive instruments however.

[sem-geologist]

I want to give my 2 cents. I would say that problem with Cameca old boards and power resistors is that on some boards they are soldered with common/ normal solder (solidus 183 C) while it should be soldered with HMP solder (high melting point solder, 95% Pb, 2% Ag, 3% Sn, solidus at 300C). HMP is a bit tricky to do correctly, as any contamination by Sn lowers solidus and renders it useless. I got impression that different boards got assembled by different teams, and some boards got less attention to the engineering details. I swear that Cameca assembled some of electronics with eco-compliant (RoHS/ Pb-free) garbage solder on our newest machine - we had tin whiskers causing problems with a stage three years ago. So if it is old machine - de-soldering is very likely, and if it is a new - rather tin whiskers or cracked solder joints due to embrittlement is causing problems.