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Air contamination in an A/C system can ruin your day

February 2, 2022

I had a memorable encounter with air contamination in the mid 1990s.  I was conducting a lot of retrofit clinics at the time and had recently acquired a demo refrigerant identifier which I took to those clinics. At one clinic, there was a technician who was extremely interested in the refrigerant identifier.  
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The pulse width modulated duty cycle signal

December 7, 2021

Several years ago, when vehicles using these compressors were just starting to show up at shops for service with some regularity, we were searching to find some detailed information about their behavior to use in clinics.  There was not a lot of it available, so we borrowed several vehicles and did some videos.  The following are some clinic slides produced from one of those videos.
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Diagnosing electronically controlled compressors

November 30, 2021

When preparing to conduct diagnostics on a system using an electronically controlled variable displacement compressor, the diagnostic process needs to focus on four areas.
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Exploring electronically controlled variable displacement compressors

November 23, 2021

Electronically controlled variable displacement compressors (ECVDs) have been in use now for over 15 years.  However, there are a lot of technicians in the field who have very little knowledge about them and their operation.
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Electronically controlled variable displacement compressors

November 16, 2021

what if" this system used an electronically controlled variable displacement compressor instead of the pressure controlled variable displacement compressor?   What would the results be?
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Meet MACS member, Tom Lech

November 8, 2021

Stationed in San Francisco, California, Thomas Lech has maintained a bustling business for almost three decades. Lech Auto Air Conditioning has been busy for 365 days a year from opening at 7 a.m. to closing at 7 p.m. for the last 27 years, with summertime only increasing the demand for the shop’s services.
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What do you know about the fixed displacement piston compressor?

November 2, 2021

What do you know about the fixed displacement piston compressor? 
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Bring the heat!

November 1, 2021

At this time of year, I often end up with an earworm in my head from a Canadian rock band … Summer’s going fast, the nights are growing colder. Then it’s the line everyone knows from something more mainstream … Winter is coming. It’s early September, and the leaves on some trees are already starting to change. Winter is coming.
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The concept of superheat

October 19, 2021

We illustrated the concept of superheat in last week's article by boiling water and superheating steam in a moonshine still. This week we will apply this concept to refrigerant in an air conditioning system.  The still has been replaced with an evaporator. 
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Don’t try this at home

October 6, 2021

Don't try this at home! We do not recommend adding a machete to your mobile A/C tool kit. However, in Belize they do things differently. Sometimes necessity is the mother of invention.
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Behavioral characteristics of various compressor types pt. 2

October 5, 2021

So now it is time to provide the correct answer along with information on why it is correct and also information on why the others are incorrect.
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Understanding and troubleshooting data lines on heavy-duty trucks

September 23, 2021

Understanding and Troubleshooting data lines on heavy-duty trucks will be presented byLarry Turay of LETCO Enterprises. In Larry’s Saturday morning class, attendees will learn how components and subsystem inputs and outputs can influence HVAC operations. 
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