is this a ground loop problem?

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bonneville baby cakes

Joined Jan 13, 2009
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i have a project at work. it is for my electronics hands-on practical exam and a promotion if i complete it. i am replacing a plc with another plc. i cannot access the program ladder logic to the old one, so i am mimicking the logic by watching the LEDs flash on and off.

it is an old cabinet. the power being used to run the old system, it's transducers, on/off, cabinet lights, everything in there is run from a single leg of 208 3 phase power. which is 110V ac.

neutral wires are everywhere and all neutral wires are tied in to the cabinet ground of the 3 phase 208.

shouldn't there be a transformer in there in which, all the stuff that needs 110V ac can get it off of the clean secondary side of the transformer?

i installed switches for the outputs in which, i can switch over to let my plc run the system, or switch it back and let the old one that's in place run it. my inputs are in parallel with the older plc, so i can watch the action and adjust timers, etc. the problem is, when i hit the switches to convert over this one single output, which activates a 110V ac solinoid, i lose power to the 110V ac input from the index conveyor. the solinoid turns the hydraulic motor on and off that indexes the conveyor. but the flap sensor loses power when i convert over. when i switch it back to the old system, everything fires up like there was nothing wrong.

last field test, i measured the output voltage from the sensor, which is the input to the plc. it was like 0.01V ac.

should i install the transformer and get everybody on the same potential. please advise. thank you.
 
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