Magnetic Water softener

[AquaHydroChem]

I have a water softener please see the photos
There are four wire to it; live in, earth and two that go too your water pipe that generate a magnetic field between the two of them
There was no light showing on it so I did a continuity test on the live and earth with it switched off and it’s showing no circuit
With it switch on it shows no circuit on continuity and amps
The magnetic coil wires show continuity all the time but no current passes through them

It is a resin mold/block only showing the four wires and I cant see inside and I and ignorant as to the circuit inside
Can anyone help please

Thanks

James

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• AquaHydroChem
• 24 May 2009
• 1

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• AquaHydroChem
• 24 May 2009
• 1

 

[sparkyspike]

Have you measured voltage between the large red and black wires? Are you getting voltage from the transformer that supplies it?

 

[AquaHydroChem]

There is no circuit so the multi meter won’t show any voltage running through the device
It is powered by a 12 Volt car battery but I tested it off the machine with my 12 volt battery charger
I believe it supposed to draw ½ amp

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[AquaHydroChem]

Take it back to the place you bought it and swop it for a chocolate teapot.

It dose not rely soften the water it just stops it from building up in the pipe between your magnetic field
Just wondered what goes on inside that red resin block to see if it is fixable

 

[flameport]

The device is encased in opaque resin to prevent anyone from seeing that it contains absolutely nothing at all.

It doesn't work any more because the LED has failed. The supply wires are o/c because all that is in there is the LED and a resistor to limit the current.

 

[AquaHydroChem]

The device is encased in opaque resin to prevent anyone from seeing that it contains absolutely nothing at all.

It doesn't work any more because the LED has failed. The supply wires are o/c because all that is in there is the LED and a resistor to limit the current.

So what your saying is the device is a con rely
So the two wires that go onto your pipe to make the magnetic coil are not connected in circuit to the live and earth wire
I didn’t think LEDs could blow
If the above is correct the current enters and goes to the light then to earth
Is the resistor on before or after the light
And what do you mean The supply wire are o/c

Thanks

James

 

[ColJack]

o/c = open circuit.

there is no live and earth, it's positive and negative since it's 12V DC..

it doesn't matter whether the resistor is before or after the LED since it's in series to reduce the current through the LED..

whilst I doubt that this thing is any use at all, there might be more in that resin than just an LED and a resistor..

there are available 230VAC versions of this that purport to do a good job..

 

[AquaHydroChem]

I have kind of taken that resin block apart and found there to be a small circuit board inside consisting of various diodes and one resister that I manage to brake the wires off when removing it from the resin
Will upload a photo of it tonight
When removing the resin I seam to have broken the wires on the LED but it dose show circuit with multi meters
Using the multi meters I kind of sussed out the live and negative on the circuit board
And the other 2 obversly the LED
Pinched a LED from one of my old computers for spares and repairs
Connected circuit board up to live and neutral on my battery charger; there current going through and the two output wire that are supposed to generate a magnetic field wear still intact to the circuit board when removing the resin they show a current passing through with multi meters totch the two wire together and they don’t spark
Connected the LED from computer to the circuit board and its lit up
So apart from the resistor it seams to be working all that needs doing is soldering it back up and fitting a new resistor

it doesn't matter whether the resistor is before or after the LED since it's in series to reduce the current through the LED..

If I hear no objections I will wire the resistor up before it enters the circuit board as wear it snapped off is rely tricky to re solder
The resistor has an arrow on it so I presume that is for + to -

Thanks for the input everyone

James

 

[ColJack]

resistors don't have arrows on them...

not sure what you have if it's got an arrow on it..
might be a diode..

post photo...

also, what value was the last resistor, you will have to match it..

 

[AquaHydroChem]

My camera man not in at the moment
It says 25V 4.7 something with an arrow on it inside the arrow it says 0
Under arrow it says something EL
And its light brown

Dont think it is a doiode as multi meters show circuit in both directions

 

[bernardgreen]

Thats almost certainly a capacitor. 4.7 microFarad, 25 volt maximum DC voltage. If it shows low resistance in both directions for several seconds then it is shorted or damaged. If it is in good condition then it will read on the meter as a short circuit or very low resistance for a very short time ( less than a second ) as it charges up from the meter.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Surely it only needed topping up with snake oil?

 

[AquaHydroChem]

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• AquaHydroChem
• 25 May 2009
• 1

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• AquaHydroChem
• 26 May 2009
• 1

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• AquaHydroChem
• 26 May 2009
• 1

 

[AquaHydroChem]

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• AquaHydroChem
• 26 May 2009
• 1

If you look at the drawings I have marked up in the pix the white illustrates live and earth
Green to the water pipe to make the coil red is wear that capacitor/resistor??? was in the above photos and blue is wear the LED was
unfortunately I made a boo boo wuth the soldering iron on it and have now blown my LED

Tried another LED earler
This time running live from my 12V battery charger to the thingy in the above pix and into the LED then negative on the other side of the LED nothing happened swaped live and negative round and nothing happed again