UL Class and Division Encoders

Posted by Brian Winter | View all of Brian's blogs on Jun 11, 2014 4:00:00 PM

In this blog, we'll take a look at encoders that are tested to meet UL Class and Division standards, that is, NEC500 requirements for oil and gas drilling.

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Topics: Top Drive Encoders, Oil and Gas Encoders

Get Rid of the Claptrap!

Posted by Brian Winter | View all of Brian's blogs on May 28, 2014 9:00:00 AM

Rotary encoders can have their own reliability problems.  So how can you eliminate items around the encoder that decrease reliability on your drilling equipment?

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Topics: Top Drive Encoders, Oil and Gas Encoders

Understanding New Safety Certifications for Encoders: IECEx, ATEX, UL, CSA, CE

Posted by Brian Winter | View all of Brian's blogs on May 21, 2014 9:57:00 AM

So you are wondering about safety certifications for rotary incremental encoders?  This is a complex issue, and in this post, we'll do our best to explain the certifications, and how they apply to encoders.

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Topics: Top Drive Encoders, Oil and Gas Encoders

4 Steps to End Encoder Failures

Posted by Brian Winter | View all of Brian's blogs on May 7, 2014 1:58:00 PM

Recently, I was invited by Design World to provide some insight into encoder failures.

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Topics: Top Drive Encoders, Oil and Gas Encoders

Real-World Troubleshooting--Are These Rotary Encoder Signals Good?

Posted by Brian Winter | View all of Brian's blogs on Apr 9, 2014 8:48:00 AM

This blog will help you understand rotary encoder signals on your drilling equipment and compare what is acceptable in the real world to the textbook pictures published by vendors.  Unfortunately, what you see in the real world doesn't look much like the textbooks.  This blog will help you determine if your encoder signal is good or bad.

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Topics: Top Drive Encoders, Oil and Gas Encoders

How Optical Encoders Work...

Posted by Brian Winter | View all of Brian's blogs on Apr 2, 2014 8:42:00 AM

Understanding how optical encoders work, especially rotary encoders, can help you eliminate (and understand) encoder problems on your drilling rigs.

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Topics: Top Drive Encoders, Oil and Gas Encoders

5 Ways You Can Prevent Top Drive Encoder Failure

Posted by Brian Winter | View all of Brian's blogs on Mar 12, 2014 9:58:00 AM

So you are staring at the inert chunk of metal you just pulled off your top drive, wondering why it isn't a working encoder any more, and what you can do to keep the spare running longer.  Is there a wiring error?  Did someone change the encoder wiring?

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Topics: Top Drive Encoders, Oil and Gas Encoders

Encoder Failure Modes on Top Drives

Posted by Brian Winter | View all of Brian's blogs on Mar 5, 2014 3:02:00 PM

To understand how to stop encoder failures on your top drives, you have to understand the failures themselves.

In my previous blog, we discussed some of the causes of rotary encoder failures on top drives.

In this blog, we'll dive a bit deeper and look at the failure modes themselves.

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Topics: Top Drive Encoders, Oil and Gas Encoders

The Causes of Encoder Failure on Top Drives

Posted by Brian Winter | View all of Brian's blogs on Mar 3, 2014 3:00:00 PM

Top drive encoders are mission critical. If you don’t want idle rigs sapping your profits, you need a clear understanding of the challenges and potential problems that can come to your operation.

Although top drive encoders are becoming more durable and reliable, there are still many problems that can arise. After all, a huge locomotive-grade electric motor meshed with a 750 ton capable gearbox is often left to depend on a rotary encoder’s glass disk, fragile electronics, and one tiny 40lb single-row bearing!

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Topics: Top Drive Encoders, Oil and Gas Encoders

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Reduce Encoder Failures

This blog is dedicated to finding and eliminating encoder failures on heavy duty industrial equipment.


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