Ok, I turn to the brain trust on a PT Tech electric/hydraulic clutch. This machine has a 12VDC sub-module that controls the clutch for the tines that are driven over the rows of compost or mulch. Somewhere down the line, recently, there must have been some trouble engaging the clutch, and apparently some operator (speculating here just a little) replaced a 10A fuse that had blown with a 15A, blew that, and ended up with a 30A in the circuit. Of course that one held, and whatever was causing the overcurrent took the hit and died. It's a small board with SMD's littering it. All of the discrete components check out, I have no way to test the IC's. Naturally, it's getting power now, bit throws an error code (imagine that!) on the main display in the cab. The PC Tech PN is CMCMU-008-DA, which according to PC Tech has been upgraded to a -009, interchangeable. The error code is T2235.9 0CC: 1 Desc: No messages from Clutch ECU Clutch ECU CAN error Machine SN 1W98252K1AF351705 It is a Vermeer Wildcat model SPB 718 Here's the rub. Vermeer says 35 days delivery on the ECU, if that is the real problem. No assurance that is the only problem. The company owner says this is just about an emergency. The compost apparently will go bad, from overheating I believe, and be worthless. Plus there is some involvement with a state agency regarding the turning of these windrows. Now, how would you approach this? Board repairs are possible, but long lead times as well. I don't know if there is a workaround to engage this clutch or not (actually a dual clutch), but I'm open to any ideas to get this thing to run for just a few hours. It isn't used daily, maybe once a month. I've been told that Peterson uses the same clutch setup and I might find one through them. We have a couple of their grinders, so I have a dealer. Vermeer nationwide has nothing on the shelf.
I'm struggling to picture this. It sounds as though there's a PWM valve that engages a mechanical clutch. Can you just energize the solenoid directly or open the valve otherwise?
FarmWrench, not according to PT Tech. There are multiple sensors that must be satisfied to engage. I'd liken this controller more as a PLC than anything. It must have the correct engine speed (and thus PTO speed), sufficient hydraulic pressure to move the clutch packs with proper engagement power once engaged, and slippage management to coordinate all of this. It actually is a pretty slick setup. That maker offers several different designs that handle up to about 1,000 HP. On this model, there are 4 separate valves/actuators so I believe it engages in stages, although I don't know for a fact. Never got to a point on this one where I needed to understand exactly how it worked internally. On this machine, the problem was very simple. My apologies for leaving it hanging. Had a round or two with Covid, so haven't been doing much. At issue was the power supply to the controller. The machine is a 12 V chassis, and the controller runs on 24 V. Therefore, a DC-DC converter is employed to supply the 24 V. It was bad. It's potted, so not practical to get into and fix. Once replaced, and controller current draw verified, everything operates normally and there are no DTC's.