In today’s video we are going to be looking at some of the most common mistakes that are made when wiring an industrial control panel, or any low voltage industrial wiring in general. For industrial wiring tips and tricks, please reference our other video which we will link in the description below. When wiring a control there are so many things that must be taken into consideration, that it can become easy to forget simple things that can impact the function of the panel. It is important that a process is put in place to try and help avoid these types of mistakes. But sometimes, no matter how careful you are, there seems to always be something that causes problems… and it’s usually something simple. Based on experience, here are the top five most common mistakes that are made when wiring a panel.
Don’t forget the jumper. Many times, in a control panel it is common to “jumper”, or connect several terminal blocks together. This can be done very easily with the help of a jumper bar. The problem is, often these jumper bars are hidden from plain site, or are very subtle and can go easily unnoticed. So, while it might look like the panel is wired completely and correctly, it is not. This can cause all kinds of problems in the panel ranging from power failure and signal failure to name just a few…. Trust me, I know from experience. So, don’t forget to double check that your jumpers are installed and in the right location.
Check every termination. It may seem obvious, but it very common to see issues arise because of terminals that have not been fully secured. When this happens, the wire can see intermittent continuity with the device it is wired, which can be confusing when testing and operating a control panel. By ensuring that every termination point on the panel is fully secured, you will be able to avoid any troubles related to this issue.
Don’t forget about the fuses. Again, speaking from experience I can tell you that it is very common to see issues arise in a panel because fuses were never inserted into the fuse holders in the various locations throughout the panel. Much like jumper bars, fuses can easily go unnoticed because in most cases, we don’t actually see the fuse. Normally they are located in some kind of fuse holder, which looks the same whether there is a fuse in them or not. By not adding fuses where they are needed in the panel, you will most likely encounter power failure (if you are using fuses to distribute power), or signal failure, or any other device that is relying a fuse in your panel. So… don’t for the fuse.
When you’re not sure, check polarity. When encountering issues, especially issues related to DC power, double check that polarity of your wires is correct. It is common to see that the problem is simply that the positive and negative wires need to be switched. These types of issues are more often seen in signals because of the complexity of how they might be wired. Although not as common, it can also cause power issues as well, especially with DC power.
Check the drawings. When everything seems to be wired correctly and you have gone through every possible troubleshooting technique you can think of, check your drawings. Although you would think that drawings should always be correct, this is not always the case. Even factory drawings can be incorrect from time to time. So, when everything seems right and your panel is still not working correctly, check to make sure the drawings make sense. Double check loops, termination points and all other relevant areas you can think of on the drawings. With as complex as some electrical schematics can be, it can be very easy for drawings to have a few things that are incorrect. So again… double check the drawings.
So now let’s quickly review… 1. Don’t forget your jumpers. They can be hard to spot, but are often critical to the function of the panel. 2. Check every termination. Make sure each termination point is secured so wires to come loose. 3. Don’t forget about the fuses. Again, they are easy to forget and can cause lots of problems. 4. Check polarity. It’s as easy as switching the positive and negative wire. And lastly… 5. When all else fails, double check your drawings.
