SERVICE BULLETIN

NOTICE: The Type of Change and Recommended Compliance specified reflects Solar’s best judgment regarding the Service
Bulletin. All questions should be directed to your Solar Field Service Representative. Solar, Saturn, Centaur, Taurus, Mercury,
Mars, Titan, SoLoNOx, and Turbotronic are trademarks of Solar Turbines Incorporated. Cat and Caterpillar are trademarks of
Caterpillar Inc. Specifications subject to change without notice.

NUMBER: 7.4/106
ISSUED: May 2006
REVISED:
PRODUCT: All
MODEL(S): All
Specifics: Enclosed Units with Nova 5000 Fire Systems

SUBJECT: NOVA-5000 FIRE SYSTEM 5240 OUTPUT CARD (P/N 70-30870-1)

CAN OVERHEAT WHEN RATING IS EXCEEDED

PRODUCT SAFETY

Type of Change: Product Safety

Recommended
Compliance: Earliest Convenience

Purpose:
To provide a safe circuit for annunciation when an alarm is required.

GENERAL INFORMATION:
On one reported occasion, a NOVA-5000™ Fire System indicated a fire, and the horn and strobes
annunciated for one hour. During that time, a 5240 Output Card overheated and caught fire. Early
model NOVA-5000 systems use the 5240 (Solar P/N 70-30870-1) output card.

If you have a Solar® Enclosed Package that was built prior to 2000 and you have a control console,
you may have the NOVA-5000 Fire System (Figure 1). These systems are of the 19” rack-mount
style, can be found in our 1, 2 or 3 bay control consoles, and are visible as mounted in the door.

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NUMBER: 7.4/106
 Figure 1 NOVA-5000 Detection and Control System

Systems that have had the output cards updated to the P/N 70-30870-2 (5241) card have internal
circuit protection for the card. This circuit is still rated at 2 Amps but offers protection and is re-set-
table. For systems continuing to use the old 70-30870-1 (5240) card, risk of fire can be reduced by
following the recommendations in the Action Required section.

ACTION REQUIRED:
To insure against future output card overload incidents, place the strobes on separate channels as
described in the following steps.

Perform a Workplace Hazard Assessment and a Task Risk Assessment

before starting any work.

Perform a normal system shutdown, allow equipment to coast down to

a complete stop, and allow the post-lubrication cycle to automatically
stop.

Follow appropriate hazardous energy sources lock-out and tag-out

procedures for the entire turbomachinery package, ancillaries, and
associated equipment.

Isolate the package from all sources of fuel and start gas including any
start gas exhaust system and vent system.

Allow surfaces in the proximity of the work area to cool adequately to

eliminate any burn hazard to personnel.

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Referring to Figure 2, install jumpers as described below:

1. Ground (0V3) #6 & #9

2. Power (24V3) #4 & #7
3. Trigger from Input B to Input C #14 & #15
4. Move one of the strobe grounds to channel C NO (normally Open) terminal #8. This
will require the use of an additional wire from TS398-60 back to the console on a spare
terminal.

Figure 2 Wiring Modifications

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NUMBER: 7.4/106
If you are unable to immediately perform this recommended action, it is highly recommended you
at least remove one strobe from the system. This may be accomplished by removing one of the
strobe ground wires from TS398-60. (Verify this terminal strip number with your schematic; it will
be located on the skid near the strobe)

Replacement Output Cards

If you must replace a 5240 output card, Solar P/N 70-30870-1, you will find that a direct replace-
ment is no longer available. The current replacement, as of this writing, is Solar P/N 70-30870-2.
This is the 5241 output card manufactured by Safety Systems (NV), Incorporated®. Replacing a
5240 card with a 5241 card requires some additional modifications to the wiring of the output de-
vices ( alarm bells, horns, lights, etc.). The retrofit instructions are provided by Safety Systems on
their website. These instructions can currently can be found via the following link:

http://www.safetysys.com/manuals/control/5241-ret.pdf

Contact your local Solar District Service Office if you require assistance.

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