I've been electronics for over 30 years and still in business I'm going to tell you did one heck of a job in presentation, totally awesome!!!!!!! Thank YOU
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Thanks for the video. Not only did I replace a 5 legged transistor and solder a jumper wire to a burned up Hypertherm Powermax 30 plasma cutter PCB with amazing results but I also replaced a burst capacitor inside a brand new SIMADRE CUT 50 Chinese "plasma cutter" very much like yours sadly with no luck. It does have a dead black digital panel so I will look inside it again to hopefully get it going. It was received DOA by my friend that gave it to me. The Hypertherm was a $100 gamble and with the short cut testing I have conducted thus far it works fine.
Thanks for covering a majority of the possible issues and test procedures. Even though it turned out to be a resistor and a relay only, It helps to know the other points to check.
Excellent!! Very clearly spoken and explained diagnostic video. I was, however, expecting you to show a dissected view of the faulty relay. Very nice work. I like the way you repurpose the relays from other sources. I do that as much as possible, saves $$ outlay on repairs, plus the fact some parts may be obsolete or out of stock that these can work as well or better. Thanks for posting. 😏
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Love your videos! Very well explained and it is really handy how you show how to test the components and also name what they exactly are. thank you so much for these.
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Very comprehensive! I have a Lotos 3 way machine LTPDC2000D that has that same issue of not turning on. I'm thinking the power boards may be similar. The other day I used the plasma cutting function to cut a 1/4" X 4' bar, turned it off and that was the last time I used it. It now won't turn on. I'm hoping the relay issue you've discovered is it. But I do realize the rest of the board needs looking at as well.
Plasma cutter does not arc! Hi. Excellent video.., well done! Wish I had your knowledge... and I'm hoping you might see my post and reply! I have Jasic ct312dc Arc, Tig and Plasma... imported from China in 2009 and replaced a capacitor and the on/off switch. In general very happy with the machine, though! I have not used the plasma function for almost a year and my welder stood unused for the whole of last winter in my workshop. This summer I have used the arc weld function without problems. This morning I hooked the cutting torch up and could not get it to arc. After opening up and cleaning with compressed air, I managed to get an arch and do a cut. Glad that I seemed to have solved the problem, I replaced the cover and again no spark! I found the wires in the torch head shorted due to wear. Soldered, insulated and continuance test positive from the trigger button, to the connection point. Spark gap set at 1mm (0.04") and sparking. No visible damage to any parts, fan operates and compressed air flow set at 0.4Mpa. Earth functioning perfectly when tested with stick welding. Water trap in-line and always worked. I adjusted the spark gap from 1.2mm down to .8mm, with 10mm intervals. Still no spark... any ideas ? thanksdt
Thank you very much, great video. I just now fixed mine. I had one bad power supply board relay, and both diode bridge rectifiers! I replaced both relays since they came 3 in a pack. Works like a champ now!
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@@anthonylester3247 well, I wasn't getting an arc across the electrodes inside...looking at the relay it had discoloration to its plastic cover. Email me, I'll send some photos I found. Campbell donald at hot mail
Thank you for the great video I have the exact same plasma cutter, you inspired me to take it apart and try to repair it, I removed one of the boards you did and what I found are 6 of the 9 pins on the transformer with broken solders.
Great video! Love your detailed, yet concise explanation and narration. Attempting second repair of a 520D plasma/TIG/stick combo machine. First time it failed with a very loud pop when I turned it on. A 1" or so length of thick solder tracing below Relay 1 ( occupied by the exact model of Songle relay that you replaced ) had blown completely off. Replaced the relay (which may have been ok), and it worked again. This last time it broke I was cutting steel which had a lot of holes in it, causing the plasma arc to repeatedly go out and back on. At one point the machine suddenly shut off, and has not come back on since. Not sure what the problem is this time, but my large caps are slightly bulging.
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Great video, I always make a point of checking the resistance of mosfet to heat sink if thermal transfer insulation pads are used, Had a few faults due to badly aligned insulation pads in production. Big Thumbs Up.
Excellent video, clear and precise working through the machine in a clear logical manner. Fixed my CUT 50 badged as an LTSUK. The spark gap was too wide! simple intermittent fault which had been with the machine since I bought it. Thank You :-)
Thank you so much sir for very instructive video,i bought a plasma cutter from tosense from China its look like others brands,it was runing ok till it doesnt start,i am not an electronic trouble shooter but i found these twoo electrodes was not enough tightened and since this video i know now how to adjust it
Fantastic explanations and demonstrations mate. Top class video, the dislikes are probably from ppl who do not have a good grip on electronics components and testing procedures... Prefect level of diagnostics for those that do!! Cheers.
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Dear friend, I watch your video again & again, very enjoyable video, nice & clear expalained, Thank You so much So, it is auxilary psu issue, right? Hope you'll explain about pin8 0v on sg3525 someday, it will be geart. Thx You anw
I agree with everyone here. The video is amazing. You are easy to understand and follow. In my case my machine is completely dead. No lights or noises. From your video, I think my problem is somewhere on the board with the 4 large capacitors. I have checked for power going to that board and it is good. Have you any idea or tests a non pro can do at this point?
what a great video! I have a Hypertherm Powermax 600 and it's acting like my ground cable isn't connected. It arcs but doesn't penetrate. I have not opened it up so the problem might be obvious, but until i do... any ideas and suggestions will be greatly appreciated. New electrode nozzle and drag shield cap from Amazon. also I just subscribed may not mater but it's refreshing to listen to someone who knows what he's talking about instead of blowing smoke.
Very nice instructional video... easy to understand and a great source for checking a faulty plasma unit. Thank you for taking the time and sharing your knowledge! Great job and congratulations to you owning a hopefully long living plasma cutter. ;)
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Yeah I have a lotos had many learning curves or so it may seem not to be about me for a change Upon veiwing your video on this machine I can try and give it another change as it has been sitting in silence for many months Not knowing what could be the function that can render it a paper weight you ideas on how to troubleshoot possible problems was what I needed now we hope to do some cutting once the rest of my trouble shooting is complete Thank you
I very much enjoy your videos. I am learning basic electronics and want to turn an old PC power supply into a bench power supply. There are of course loads of videos doing such things. But it would be great if you should show how to safely test and indeed discharge such power supplies or capacitors (you only mentioned it here) as well as any other potential danger things to look out for in such a project for a noob like me. It is something I worry about a little because I don't yet know enough and I would just like to be safe. BTW. I am asking you because as mentioned, your instructions are very detailed, and you speak very clear and concise. I very much enjoy your videos.
Great video, there have been literally hundreds of thousands of Chinese plasma cutters & welders sent back to the manufacturer or dealers because of little problems. There is almost always a few on Ebay for parts because they claim the boards are bad but in truth they just have no idea how to test and replace what actually is broken.
Hello Doug. Has always an outstanding How to video. I think I have the same model. it's duty cycle isn't 100% So I let mine cool for a bit between cuttings. If you didn't get a manual with it I will try and make a PDF for you,no charge. All my very best. Bobby
Funny is that i see that the pcb on the top is the same or almost identical to his "stahlwerk" plasma/tig welder also a china made unit but the fault on his was the dc dc converter where the thick black/red cables are connected on the circuitboard R210 was burnt so it could not start to oscillate but if you gave the gate a touch with 9V thru a 10k resistor then it started up So replaced the resistor and it works now.
Hagis2k Not surprising if the boards are very similar. US companies use Chinese companies to make their products. The Chinese then copy the product and sell it for less. LOL. Not good.
So true then the specs and quality on parts are lower too most often with shitty ChonX capacitors that work a year or so until they are cooked, yeah most products are designed either in us or europe then manufactured in china... And as we all know they do not give a hit about copyrights and so lol same with CE mark.. Oh that must mean Chinese Export :D It is kind of shocking when you buy items on ebay etc sometimes you can recieve really good quality almost for free then like the last powersupply 230V to 12V 1A which i dismantled in pieces as i always do... to find the small cap for the startup almost dagling free and then the optocoupler was almost not soldered in... Quality control? Wont pay for this item for sure.
High currents cause components to fail over time. Nothing lasts forever. Glad you enjoyed my video! Please be sure to look over my extensive video playlists below for other great videos of interest to you. Thanks ua-cam.com/users/electronicsnmoreplaylists
Great video thanks for posting info on these machines. I have the same machine with no air flow. Valve not getting voltage. Everything else working fine. Any suggestions would be helpful. Once again thanks for such a great video.
Thanks mate Just picked up a second hand unit similar to yours. The pilot arc was very intermittent. Cleaned and opened the spark gap and is now much better. Not 100% but useable. Pilot arc is not as strong as others Ive seen so may another look possible a sick cap? Will now search for a cct. Cheers
Keep playing around with that gap. :-) I have a lot of excellent videos on my channel that cover many different subjects, so be sure to check out my extensive video playlists for other videos of interest to you, rate thumbs up, and most importantly share my channel with others. Thank You
I have a thermal dynamics dynamics pak 4xi that I just bought used only to find it didn't have a pilot arc when I got it home. since I came across this video and you mentioned a relay in there that controls it come to find that was the case with mine cleaned it with sand paper and good to go great video!!!!!!!!
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Thank you for sharing your Knowledge friend. A Cal Electric cut 50 has the same boards. I will need to refer back to this Awesome video when i hook mine up to a cnc table and have to hook up a torch height adjustment into the mix (adjusts height for optimum efficiency by reading torch voltage).
What you are hearing is a arc inside the capacitors. That is to the best of my knowledge with what i can hear. Could be wrong or again I could be right.
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I found this video very interesting. I enjoyed every moment of it, however not understanding Electronics it really did seem all foreign to me but the thing that stood out the most was his patience I would have hit this thing with a hammer long before I found any signs of discoloring inside. To someone who doesn't understand Electronics regardless of the little that you do know about these things, there sure seems like an awful lot of Gidgets and Gadgets in there for just making something get hot.
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Very good job explaining stuff.....hold tip straight up and down or slightly leaning back and push the arc. Dragging arc backwards is not effective for clean cut.
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I have a thermal dynamics stacpack power module 6030 in 60/40 which is about over a 20-year old machine anyhow the machine used to work good every once in awhile it would have an issue you would have to tap on the torch and everything else it is a 70 amp machine I really like the way that this machine performed when it did perform anyways I was had the cap off it blowing it and tightening up a couple things that need to be tightened up on the inside for the air fitting I did quite extensive work trying to get that all configured so it fits tight against my back wall cuz where I'm using and I don't have a lot of space unlike some other plasma cutters I've seen like Lincoln they put a really thick film on all your little small components so they don't get loose this machine did not have that so that being said I'm moving it around I'm sure of being a 25 year old machine one of the little things got loose I think it's called a crystal I took it to a few different places they cannot fix it because they don't know what the exact name is of the peace that it needs and they cannot find no information supposably is what they say but if I really wanted to I can have the board fixed for over $1,200 they will fix it at one place called Gelco Electronics anyways I don't want to spend that much when the machine is you know 25 years old if I had to I would if I had to I would because I know the machine but I really don't want to when this part that I unsoldered is probably a less than a dollar or a couple dollar part and I've checked all the other things and everything else seems to be working properly I am just not getting a narc out of the gun air pressure works all that and the air pressure stays now running when it never did before so trying to find out maybe I can send you pictures of this board and a video of the symptoms that has since this little transistor or electronic piece of part resistor capacitor or Crystal is what I'm thinking and what a few people had said did it possibly is but they wasn't a hundred percent sure if I could send you some photos and a video of what the machine doing that would be awesome Lee great thank you so much for posting this video and hope that maybe you can guide me in the right direction of where to get this part from so I can get this machine back up and running like I said I know it's an older machine but man it worked great
I bought this same plasma cutter and would like to use a torch height controller for CNC machine cutting. A torch height controller is a feedback system that locks onto a desired analog voltage level provided by the plasma cutters arc. This voltage is dependent on the material being cut, so the THC has to be set at a certain voltage depending on the thickness of metal. If the gap gets bigger it results in rising resistance due to the increase of arc gap. If the gap gets smaller voltage drops because of less air gap. The z axis uses arc voltage sensing to maintain the proper distance. Metal sheets are not flat enough to just set the height of the torch above the machine and start cutting. I need to hook the torch height controller to the arc voltage of the machine. Is there a voltage divider in the machine or some way to get a arc voltage reading from this machine?
Fantastic job! I have the same brand, different model..runs fine on 240 volt, serious power loss on 208. My mobile generator is a 208 3 phase so could I use a 3 phase full bridge rectifier to feed this unit with DC? That way my generator sees a balanced load over all three phases. This is a 12 kW Lima MAC generator, more than enough kVA for the advertised power factor of 0.93. This generator does fine on my Miller Dynasty which is 3 phase.
Love Your Brain, Wow.. Need you to fix a Genie TMZ50 Towable Lift That has a electrical Issue that no one is smart enough to troubleshoot like you can.. Do you know anyone as good as you near Atlanta Ga that could help me out ??? Thanks ..Loved your Video..Amazing
Boy I wish I had Your knowledge. Bought a Chinese (Infinity) 200amp TIG welder and it had no HF start from day 1. It was going to be such a pain to return and take too long (I have work waiting) that I just brought it to "Toll Welding" to have them hopefully fix it. I checked the points gap Myself (.029 I thought was a decent gap) and looked for burning etc on the boards I could see. I had very light voltage across the points (did not measure it) and got a light spark when I placed a screwdriver across the two. Frustrated. I sold My old welder to buy this so i am stuck without a welder until it's fixed. I hope they can fix it, if Not I call Infinity in California and order a new HF board and fix it Myself-I hope.
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Nice discussion and diagnostics. But then when you said 'piece of heavy gauge steel' -- I thought, 'Hmm, if that is heavy, what would be the thin stuff?' :)
It is normal for plasma cutters to make that high frequency noise. Whatever the frequency that the switch mode supply runs at must be somewhere in the high audio range 15 to 20 khz maybe?? We had an older NC machine at work that had a 50 horsepower spindle on it that the SCR based spindle drive sounded about the same.It was a bit scary to work on since it almost always sounded like it would blow up in your face. Actually had an SCR blow up once while working on it. Sounded like a bomb going off. MOSFETS and IGBT's are a definite improvement.
Hi well done very informative video. Just one question from me. I have a three phase SAF nertazip plasma cutter and when I switch on the machine only the fan works but nothing else. The two contacts that must have a distance between them they are exist in all the machines even they are inverter or transformer?
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@@electronicsNmore well I just figured out that I don't have sparky in the gap it has, the pieces for the gap were offset, wire leading to it is frayed, and a diode up the line a ways was bent. I'm going to have to watch a few more of your videos and others to diagnose any circuit issues if the wire fray isn't the issue
Mine had exactly the same symptoms but it turned out to be a bad connection in the torch cable so please try that first before you give up and throw it away in frustration!
My Plasma cutter pulses when it makes the ark with the cutting surface. what would you recommend? Has a good ground and accurate air pressure. Its the same unit in your video. Its a week old. it also doesn't seem to be cutting very good, i can only cut very this stuff. pilot ark seems to be working fine.
I have a lotos ct520D which looks very similar on the inside. It does plasma cutting, tig welding, and arc welding. My device powers on and everything appears normal except I cannot get the welder to produce an arc. I have checked the ground and electrode holder for continuity and both are good so that is not the issue. Any idea what would cause such an issue?
thank you i been trying to find out what those PTC they are never labeled PTC so thanks it has been driving me nuts what they were, all i knew is they were black box with ceramic disks inside.
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I watched your video looking for an answer to why I'm getting intermittent cutting, or interrupted cutting at both 120 and 240 volts. Is it possible for the contacts to be dirty or incorrectly set on a new machine? This is one of the Chinese-made "Cut 50" machines. Thanks for showing us how to recognize faulty components and check them.
Actually, it was my not knowing how to position the tool. Anyway, I realized I had 19 volts on the display when I turned the unit on. I turned out to be the fan voltage. The fan was frozen until I worked it free. Then when the fan turned off the voltage went to zero. The funny thing is the unit will cut metal with the dial at minimum setting while displaying 19 volts. Anyway, after unsuccessfully trying to convince me that intermittent cutting was normal for these machines, they rendered a $100 refund to me for repair it. I put a clothes dryer cord on it to make sure it gets good power. Like I told the seller, this will work for a hobbyist. Wish me luck. Thanks again for a great video.
Hey, great video, however, I get no arc from the two contact behind the resister. Any sugestions or direction to a previous vid. Thanks. althoug mines is not the same model, they seem to be quite simular in design.
I have a question, maybe you could give me some advice. I would be very appreciate . I bought a Longevity Force Cut 40d and found it not working, but after bridging the overheat fuse it started and working. However, when I press the switch in the gun, nothing happens, but this does not mean that it is damaged, because I checked it with a multimeter and the switch works properly. I think something is damaged on the bottom PCB board and the relays are not turning on. I took out the board but I don't know how to check it with a multimeter. Can you help please.
Cool video. I'm looking at getting one of these for a small cnc plasma table. I want to use a proma thc that requires ark ref voltage. Where would I hook it up on that machine?
a common problem with this brand is the faulty HF generator. it have a very simple design where are not protected the critical components by the correct spacing between components the manufacturer want save the most material possible compressing the space in each part. and with the HF generator need space between components but is set so close and some times the HV spark jump to the board and burn itself making he burn track conductive and absorbing the HV spark instead to be discharged in the spark gap. and this cause the unit can't open the plasma arc even if the terminals have voltage when you press the trigger
Would you know if a faulty HF generator would produce the following? 1. I turned the machine ON . 2. The amperes (AMPS) are displayed (I see how many amps I have set the machine to - set to 15 amps). 3. The green LED (light) is ON (showing power to the unit) 4. The red (temperature) LED is OFF. 5. The cooling fan is running. Problem 1. When I press the switch to start the cut, immediately the red LED (overheat) comes on. The fan continues to run. 2. There is no arc (electricity flowing top the nozzle). The unit is not cutting. 3. The ground wire was checked several times. The problem is not a bad ground. The cutter worked once before, then problems started the next day Thanks
HAPPY NEW YEAR!. First in the front panel there a indicator that say OC you make sure if this turn on when you press the torch trigger. if stay off so make the next test. Take a tester select DCV and connect to the output terminals is you get a reading near or over 233v DC this mean the inverter circuit in you machine is in good working. Now the next is repair the HF starting circuit. disconnect any power first and wait like 15min for the capacitor bank discharge completely. take the cover out and check the HF transformer. 1 this is a square ferrite core with yellow tape surround the core or 2 is like a tiny tv flay-back. i need to know the tipe for assist you further
I've been electronics for over 30 years and still in business I'm going to tell you did one heck of a job in presentation, totally awesome!!!!!!! Thank YOU
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Thanks for the video. Not only did I replace a 5 legged transistor and solder a jumper wire to a burned up Hypertherm Powermax 30 plasma cutter PCB with amazing results but I also replaced a burst capacitor inside a brand new SIMADRE CUT 50 Chinese "plasma cutter" very much like yours sadly with no luck. It does have a dead black digital panel so I will look inside it again to hopefully get it going. It was received DOA by my friend that gave it to me. The Hypertherm was a $100 gamble and with the short cut testing I have conducted thus far it works fine.
Thanks for covering a majority of the possible issues and test procedures. Even though it turned out to be a resistor and a relay only, It helps to know the other points to check.
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Excellent!! Very clearly spoken and explained diagnostic video. I was, however, expecting you to show a dissected view of the faulty relay. Very nice work. I like the way you repurpose the relays from other sources. I do that as much as possible, saves $$ outlay on repairs, plus the fact some parts may be obsolete or out of stock that these can work as well or better. Thanks for posting. 😏
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Really clear and detailed instructions for trouble shooting. Like the fix for the relay, no waste of good parts.
Love your videos! Very well explained and it is really handy how you show how to test the components and also name what they exactly are. thank you so much for these.
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Very clear, concise video. I have the same cutter and this gives me a much clearer understanding of it's operation. Thank you
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This was one of the best videos I have seen for trouble shooting something I've seen in a long time keep up the good work.
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Very comprehensive! I have a Lotos 3 way machine LTPDC2000D that has that same issue of not turning on. I'm thinking the power boards may be similar. The other day I used the plasma cutting function to cut a 1/4" X 4' bar, turned it off and that was the last time I used it. It now won't turn on. I'm hoping the relay issue you've discovered is it. But I do realize the rest of the board needs looking at as well.
Hope you figure it out. Thanks for watching!
Great video with plenty of clear explanations. It seems that there are quite a few people out there with dead Lotos equipment
Plasma cutter does not arc!
Hi. Excellent video.., well done!
Wish I had your knowledge... and I'm hoping you might see my post and reply!
I have Jasic ct312dc Arc, Tig and Plasma... imported from China in 2009 and replaced a capacitor and the on/off switch. In general very happy with the machine, though!
I have not used the plasma function for almost a year and my welder stood unused for the whole of last winter in my workshop. This summer I have used the arc weld function without problems.
This morning I hooked the cutting torch up and could not get it to arc.
After opening up and cleaning with compressed air, I managed to get an arch and do a cut.
Glad that I seemed to have solved the problem, I replaced the cover and again no spark!
I found the wires in the torch head shorted due to wear. Soldered, insulated and continuance test positive from the trigger button, to the connection point.
Spark gap set at 1mm (0.04") and sparking. No visible damage to any parts, fan operates and compressed air flow set at 0.4Mpa.
Earth functioning perfectly when tested with stick welding.
Water trap in-line and always worked.
I adjusted the spark gap from 1.2mm down to .8mm, with 10mm intervals.
Still no spark... any ideas ?
thanksdt
Could be MANY things. Inspect all wiring connections as well as the relays.
I have learned a lot from your videos. Very clear and concise! Thanks.
Thank you very much, great video. I just now fixed mine. I had one bad power supply board relay, and both diode bridge rectifiers! I replaced both relays since they came 3 in a pack. Works like a champ now!
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What where the signs of your bad relay
@@anthonylester3247 well, I wasn't getting an arc across the electrodes inside...looking at the relay it had discoloration to its plastic cover. Email me, I'll send some photos I found. Campbell donald at hot mail
Excellent video! I am so glad you were able to fix it. I hope you get a lot of use out of it.
I could not have made this video without you giving me the plasma cutter. Thanks Steve!
Thank you for the great video I have the exact same plasma cutter, you inspired me to take it apart and try to repair it, I removed one of the boards you did and what I found are 6 of the 9 pins on the transformer with broken solders.
Great video! Love your detailed, yet concise explanation and narration.
Attempting second repair of a 520D plasma/TIG/stick combo machine. First time it failed with a very loud pop when I turned it on. A 1" or so length of thick solder tracing below Relay 1 ( occupied by the exact model of Songle relay that you replaced ) had blown completely off. Replaced the relay (which may have been ok), and it worked again. This last time it broke I was cutting steel which had a lot of holes in it, causing the plasma arc to repeatedly go out and back on. At one point the machine suddenly shut off, and has not come back on since. Not sure what the problem is this time, but my large caps are slightly bulging.
Always replace bulging caps.
Nice n precise explanation- It has increased my confidence to repair Plasma cutters....
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I watch with care n attention- your videos increase my knowledge-
This was such an enjoyable video to watch. I love how meticulously you explain everything. Thumbs up and a subscription from me!
Great video , good camera work . Everyone should make videos this good .
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Amazing job sir! We need more like you.
Friend, you are a gift that keeps giving !!
Glad you enjoy the videos Paul! Please be sure to share my channel with many others so I can continue to create helpful and interesting videos well into the future. Thank you!
Great video, I always make a point of checking the resistance of mosfet to heat sink if thermal transfer insulation pads are used, Had a few faults due to badly aligned insulation pads in production.
Big Thumbs Up.
Thanks for watching Mike!
Excellent video, clear and precise working through the machine in a clear logical manner. Fixed my CUT 50 badged as an LTSUK. The spark gap was too wide! simple intermittent fault which had been with the machine since I bought it. Thank You :-)
@@nathanielwyeth3778 No, just wouldn't start.
@@dianasmith8890 how wide did you set your start up gap? Thanks.
Thank you so much sir for very instructive video,i bought a plasma cutter from tosense from China its look like others brands,it was runing ok till it doesnt start,i am not an electronic trouble shooter but i found these twoo electrodes was not enough tightened and since this video i know now how to adjust it
You're welcome! Please share my videos with others. Thanks
Fantastic explanations and demonstrations mate.
Top class video, the dislikes are probably from ppl who do not have a good grip on electronics components and testing procedures...
Prefect level of diagnostics for those that do!! Cheers.
Glad you enjoyed the video John!
Extremely good walk thru of troubleshooting! Kudos and thanks!
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How lucky I'm found your video, I'm repairing plasma cutter unit, thank You
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Dear friend, I watch your video again & again, very enjoyable video, nice & clear expalained, Thank You so much
So, it is auxilary psu issue, right?
Hope you'll explain about pin8 0v on sg3525 someday, it will be geart.
Thx You anw
That was a nice repair I have that same model cutter. pretty handy machines hope it stays working well for you
It should! :-)
Awesome vid
I agree with everyone here. The video is amazing. You are easy to understand and follow. In my case my machine is completely dead. No lights or noises. From your video, I think my problem is somewhere on the board with the 4 large capacitors. I have checked for power going to that board and it is good. Have you any idea or tests a non pro can do at this point?
Power supply board issue, or bad connection.
Excellent video wish I had someone to check my plasma cutter in or around NYC! Willing to take it apart
Such an excellent tutorial. Thanks very much, I've learned quite a lot.
Great to hear. :-)
what a great video! I have a Hypertherm Powermax 600 and it's acting like my ground cable isn't connected. It arcs but doesn't penetrate. I have not opened it up so the problem might be obvious, but until i do... any ideas and suggestions will be greatly appreciated. New electrode nozzle and drag shield cap from Amazon. also I just subscribed may not mater but it's refreshing to listen to someone who knows what he's talking about instead of blowing smoke.
Very nice instructional video... easy to understand and a great source for checking a faulty plasma unit. Thank you for taking the time and sharing your knowledge! Great job and congratulations to you owning a hopefully long living plasma cutter. ;)
Thanks Frank! Be sure to share my channel with others, rate thumbs up, and check out my video playlists.
Excellent troubleshooting and explanations!
Glad you enjoyed the video! I have a lot of excellent videos on my channel that cover many different subjects, so be sure to check out my extensive video playlists for other videos of interest to you, rate thumbs up, and share my channel with others. Thank You
Yeah I have a lotos had many learning curves or so it may seem not to be about me for a change
Upon veiwing your video on this machine I can try and give it another change as it has been sitting in silence for many months
Not knowing what could be the function that can render it a paper weight you ideas on how to troubleshoot possible problems was what I needed now we hope to do some cutting once the rest of my trouble shooting is complete
Thank you
David Steinfeld You're welcome Dave.
I very much enjoy your videos. I am learning basic electronics and want to turn an old PC power supply into a bench power supply. There are of course loads of videos doing such things. But it would be great if you should show how to safely test and indeed discharge such power supplies or capacitors (you only mentioned it here) as well as any other potential danger things to look out for in such a project for a noob like me. It is something I worry about a little because I don't yet know enough and I would just like to be safe.
BTW. I am asking you because as mentioned, your instructions are very detailed, and you speak very clear and concise. I very much enjoy your videos.
Hi. In my (2) popular microwave oven repair videos I explain how to safely discharge capacitors. :-)
Thank you. I will check those videos now. Keep up the great work. I learn a lot from you. :-)
Wow you know your shit man. You must be an electronic engineer. Good job.
:-). I'm not an electronics engineer, just an electronics hobbyist for many years. Thanks for watching!
Great video, there have been literally hundreds of thousands of Chinese plasma cutters & welders sent back to the manufacturer or dealers because of little problems. There is almost always a few on Ebay for parts because they claim the boards are bad but in truth they just have no idea how to test and replace what actually is broken.
Glad you enjoyed the video!
that is the problem these days. just trow it away. i try to fix it first. its broken anyway 😂
Hello Doug. Has always an outstanding How to video. I think I have the same model. it's duty cycle isn't 100% So I let mine cool for a bit between cuttings. If you didn't get a manual with it I will try and make a PDF for you,no charge.
All my very best.
Bobby
Hi Bobby. I think the duty cycle is 60%. I downloaded a pdf manual online. Thanks
Great job! You made the unit look brand new like freshly out of the box :)
Yes. I like everything to look nice, including my equipment/tools. :-)
Funny is that i see that the pcb on the top is the same or almost identical to his "stahlwerk" plasma/tig welder also a china made unit but the fault on his was the dc dc converter where the thick black/red cables are connected on the circuitboard R210 was burnt so it could not start to oscillate but if you gave the gate a touch with 9V thru a 10k resistor then it started up
So replaced the resistor and it works now.
Hagis2k
Not surprising if the boards are very similar. US companies use Chinese companies to make their products. The Chinese then copy the product and sell it for less. LOL. Not good.
So true then the specs and quality on parts are lower too most often with shitty ChonX capacitors that work a year or so until they are cooked, yeah most products are designed either in us or europe then manufactured in china... And as we all know they do not give a hit about copyrights and so lol same with CE mark.. Oh that must mean Chinese Export :D
It is kind of shocking when you buy items on ebay etc sometimes you can recieve really good quality almost for free then like the last powersupply 230V to 12V 1A which i dismantled in pieces as i always do... to find the small cap for the startup almost dagling free and then the optocoupler was almost not soldered in... Quality control? Wont pay for this item for sure.
Hagis2k
I can say that Chinese product quality is getting better, they're forced to produce better quality items.
Great grab on this Doug. A little work and you have a fine tool. Really good fix it tips as usual.
Carl
Thanks Carl!
So in your best opinion why did these components go out in the first place. Thanks for explaining In such detail. Very good.
High currents cause components to fail over time. Nothing lasts forever. Glad you enjoyed my video! Please be sure to look over my extensive video playlists below for other great videos of interest to you. Thanks
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This was very educational thank you.
This is such a good analysis! Great job
Great video thanks for posting info on these machines.
I have the same machine with no air flow. Valve not getting voltage. Everything else working fine. Any suggestions would be helpful.
Once again thanks for such a great video.
Thanks mate
Just picked up a second hand unit similar to yours.
The pilot arc was very intermittent. Cleaned and opened the spark gap and is now much better. Not 100% but useable.
Pilot arc is not as strong as others Ive seen so may another look possible a sick cap? Will now search for a cct.
Cheers
Keep playing around with that gap. :-) I have a lot of excellent videos on my channel that cover many different subjects, so be sure to check out my extensive video playlists for other videos of interest to you, rate thumbs up, and most importantly share my channel with others. Thank You
I have a thermal dynamics dynamics pak 4xi that I just bought used only to find it didn't have a pilot arc when I got it home. since I came across this video and you mentioned a relay in there that controls it come to find that was the case with mine cleaned it with sand paper and good to go great video!!!!!!!!
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Thank you for sharing your Knowledge friend. A Cal Electric cut 50 has the same boards. I will need to refer back to this Awesome video when i hook mine up to a cnc table and have to hook up a torch height adjustment into the mix (adjusts height for optimum efficiency by reading torch voltage).
Nick Vee Thanks for watching Nick!
Perfect explanation, thank you !
Great Video... Thank you for taking the time to teach us... Very Helpful...
Thanks for watching! Be sure to check out my extensive video playlists for other great videos of interest to you, rate thumbs up, and share.
What you are hearing is a arc inside the capacitors. That is to the best of my knowledge with what i can hear. Could be wrong or again I could be right.
Capacitors don't arc, if they do, they're damaged.
@@electronicsNmore Thanks for letting me know fella.
You are very clever, I wish I knew what you know, keep up the great work. Regards from Denmark
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Wow... what a great Chinese plasma cutter trouble shooting video. Thanks
Be sure to look over my extensive video playlists for other great videos of interest to you and most importantly share my channel with many others. Thanks!
I found this video very interesting. I enjoyed every moment of it, however not understanding Electronics it really did seem all foreign to me but the thing that stood out the most was his patience I would have hit this thing with a hammer long before I found any signs of discoloring inside. To someone who doesn't understand Electronics regardless of the little that you do know about these things, there sure seems like an awful lot of Gidgets and Gadgets in there for just making something get hot.
Glad you enjoyed my video Joe!
Absolutely amazing video! Very well done!
Nice work . Very thorough .
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Thanks for the video, it was really insightful.
Excellent information - you are terrific presenter!
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Very nice video and explanation. Thanks.
You are welcome, glad you liked it! Be sure to rate thumbs up, subscribe, and look over my video playlists below for many other videos of interest to you. Taking one minute to share a link to my channel with others on social networking sites would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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Thanks friend for your prompt response, which tells me to calibrate the spark and try it, and it did not work
Excellent video!
Thank you Mark! Be sure to check out my very wide range of videos and share.
Very good job explaining stuff.....hold tip straight up and down or slightly leaning back and push the arc. Dragging arc backwards is not effective for clean cut.
When I use it in the future, I'll do that. Thanks for watching!
Liked your video! Steve called, he wants his plasma cutter back : )
:-). Thanks for watching Matt!
@@electronicsNmore when you tested the relay did you just measure continuity between the two non coil points
@@anthonylester3247 Yes. Making sure they open and close properly at a very low level of resistance.
@@electronicsNmore ok man thanks what would be a low resistance value on those or one like it? 14v or something
Yep thanks for this info, it was very well put together, and I’ll just stay with what I’m good at, thumbs up
You're welcome Steve! Please share. Thanks
nice job of troubleshooting!
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I have a thermal dynamics stacpack power module 6030 in 60/40 which is about over a 20-year old machine anyhow the machine used to work good every once in awhile it would have an issue you would have to tap on the torch and everything else it is a 70 amp machine I really like the way that this machine performed when it did perform anyways I was had the cap off it blowing it and tightening up a couple things that need to be tightened up on the inside for the air fitting I did quite extensive work trying to get that all configured so it fits tight against my back wall cuz where I'm using and I don't have a lot of space unlike some other plasma cutters I've seen like Lincoln they put a really thick film on all your little small components so they don't get loose this machine did not have that so that being said I'm moving it around I'm sure of being a 25 year old machine one of the little things got loose I think it's called a crystal I took it to a few different places they cannot fix it because they don't know what the exact name is of the peace that it needs and they cannot find no information supposably is what they say but if I really wanted to I can have the board fixed for over $1,200 they will fix it at one place called Gelco Electronics anyways I don't want to spend that much when the machine is you know 25 years old if I had to I would if I had to I would because I know the machine but I really don't want to when this part that I unsoldered is probably a less than a dollar or a couple dollar part and I've checked all the other things and everything else seems to be working properly I am just not getting a narc out of the gun air pressure works all that and the air pressure stays now running when it never did before so trying to find out maybe I can send you pictures of this board and a video of the symptoms that has since this little transistor or electronic piece of part resistor capacitor or Crystal is what I'm thinking and what a few people had said did it possibly is but they wasn't a hundred percent sure if I could send you some photos and a video of what the machine doing that would be awesome Lee great thank you so much for posting this video and hope that maybe you can guide me in the right direction of where to get this part from so I can get this machine back up and running like I said I know it's an older machine but man it worked great
i can recoomend this video!!! excellent fix
Thank you! I look forward to more of your videos and learning from them.
Jim M You're welcome! Be sure to check out my extensive video playlists, rate thumbs up, and share my channel with others. Thanks
I bought this same plasma cutter and would like to use a torch height controller for CNC machine cutting. A torch height controller is a feedback system that locks onto a desired analog voltage level provided by the plasma cutters arc. This voltage is dependent on the material being cut, so the THC has to be set at a certain voltage depending on the thickness of metal. If the gap gets bigger it results in rising resistance due to the increase of arc gap. If the gap gets smaller voltage drops because of less air gap. The z axis uses arc voltage sensing to maintain the proper distance. Metal sheets are not flat enough to just set the height of the torch above the machine and start cutting. I need to hook the torch height controller to the arc voltage of the machine. Is there a voltage divider in the machine or some way to get a arc voltage reading from this machine?
Tngks for the video tutorial god bless...
Welcome 😊
Fantastic job! I have the same brand, different model..runs fine on 240 volt, serious power loss on 208. My mobile generator is a 208 3 phase so could I use a 3 phase full bridge rectifier to feed this unit with DC? That way my generator sees a balanced load over all three phases. This is a 12 kW Lima MAC generator, more than enough kVA for the advertised power factor of 0.93.
This generator does fine on my Miller Dynasty which is 3 phase.
Love Your Brain, Wow.. Need you to fix a Genie TMZ50 Towable Lift That has a electrical Issue that no one is smart enough to troubleshoot like you can.. Do you know anyone as good as you near Atlanta Ga that could help me out ??? Thanks ..Loved your Video..Amazing
Glad you liked the video, I don't know anyone.
Boy I wish I had Your knowledge. Bought a Chinese (Infinity) 200amp TIG welder and it had no HF start from day 1. It was going to be such a pain to return and take too long (I have work waiting) that I just brought it to "Toll Welding" to have them hopefully fix it. I checked the points gap Myself (.029 I thought was a decent gap) and looked for burning etc on the boards I could see. I had very light voltage across the points (did not measure it) and got a light spark when I placed a screwdriver across the two. Frustrated. I sold My old welder to buy this so i am stuck without a welder until it's fixed. I hope they can fix it, if Not I call Infinity in California and order a new HF board and fix it Myself-I hope.
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Bravo, great job!!!
Thank you! I have many great videos on my channel that cover a wide range of subjects, so be sure to look over my video playlists and most importantly share with others. Thank you
Nice discussion and diagnostics. But then when you said 'piece of heavy gauge steel' -- I thought, 'Hmm, if that is heavy, what would be the thin stuff?' :)
Thin is like what you'd find on your car door. :-)
It is normal for plasma cutters to make that high frequency noise. Whatever the frequency that the switch mode supply runs at must be somewhere in the high audio range 15 to 20 khz maybe?? We had an older NC machine at work that had a 50 horsepower spindle on it that the SCR based spindle drive sounded about the same.It was a bit scary to work on since it almost always sounded like it would blow up in your face. Actually had an SCR blow up once while working on it. Sounded like a bomb going off. MOSFETS and IGBT's are a definite improvement.
Yes. I heard a few switching power supplies make noise before, but I was unsure if the noise from this unit was normal. Thanks for watching!
Have to take a look at one of the newer tig welders
Hi well done very informative video.
Just one question from me.
I have a three phase SAF nertazip plasma cutter and when I switch on the machine only the fan works but nothing else.
The two contacts that must have a distance between them they are exist in all the machines even they are inverter or transformer?
All the plasma cutters I've seen have a discharge electrode gap.
electronicsNmore thank you very much for your help.
Very good and informative video.
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Thanks for the excellent video.
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Excellent as always. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed the video!
Great video with lots of information 👍
Do you have a repair shop I can send my plasma cutter to?
I'm hoping to use this video to troubleshoot a little ltec I got at a garage sale for 20 a few years back and never got working
Hope the video helps!
@@electronicsNmore well I just figured out that I don't have sparky in the gap it has, the pieces for the gap were offset, wire leading to it is frayed, and a diode up the line a ways was bent. I'm going to have to watch a few more of your videos and others to diagnose any circuit issues if the wire fray isn't the issue
Mine had exactly the same symptoms but it turned out to be a bad connection in the torch cable so please try that first before you give up and throw it away in frustration!
My Plasma cutter pulses when it makes the ark with the cutting surface. what would you recommend? Has a good ground and accurate air pressure. Its the same unit in your video. Its a week old. it also doesn't seem to be cutting very good, i can only cut very this stuff. pilot ark seems to be working fine.
Very informative. Thank you.
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Excellent video you have great skills in electronics i wish you good luck and making more great videos.
Regards.
Thanks! Many more great videos to be uploaded to this channel in the future. Be sure to rate thumbs up, and share my videos with others.
+electronicsNmore
Ok.
excellent tutorial- Thanks!
You're welcome!
NICE VIDEO
DO YOU FIX MACHINES??
Glad you liked it Juan. I only make YT videos, I don't have extra time for repair jobs on the side. Thanks for watching!
Hi very good video. Just like to ask you do you test boards separately from welders .
I have a lotos ct520D which looks very similar on the inside. It does plasma cutting, tig welding, and arc welding. My device powers on and everything appears normal except I cannot get the welder to produce an arc. I have checked the ground and electrode holder for continuity and both are good so that is not the issue. Any idea what would cause such an issue?
Check the gap!
I have the same issue did you ever get your lotos ct520d working ..?
I tried everything …. Then just found the awesome video for more fix tips.
@@J-n-J-2016 Mine was from amazon and even though it was past the return date they exchanged it for me!
@@Chadward_ That’s where I got mine I’m gonna see if I can return it
Thanks for the info
@@J-n-J-2016 For sure! I got on the live chat with someone and explained that it just happened on its own, good luck!
thank you i been trying to find out what those PTC they are never labeled PTC so thanks it has been driving me nuts what they were, all i knew is they were black box with ceramic disks inside.
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I watched your video looking for an answer to why I'm getting intermittent cutting, or interrupted cutting at both 120 and 240 volts. Is it possible for the contacts to be dirty or incorrectly set on a new machine? This is one of the Chinese-made "Cut 50" machines. Thanks for showing us how to recognize faulty components and check them.
Ben Bennett Definitely check the contacts.
Actually, it was my not knowing how to position the tool. Anyway, I realized I had 19 volts on the display when I turned the unit on. I turned out to be the fan voltage. The fan was frozen until I worked it free. Then when the fan turned off the voltage went to zero. The funny thing is the unit will cut metal with the dial at minimum setting while displaying 19 volts. Anyway, after unsuccessfully trying to convince me that intermittent cutting was normal for these machines, they rendered a $100 refund to me for repair it. I put a clothes dryer cord on it to make sure it gets good power. Like I told the seller, this will work for a hobbyist. Wish me luck. Thanks again for a great video.
Hey, great video, however, I get no arc from the two contact behind the resister. Any sugestions or direction to a previous vid. Thanks. althoug mines is not the same model, they seem to be quite simular in design.
Try making the gap smaller.
I have a question, maybe you could give me some advice. I would be very appreciate . I bought a Longevity Force Cut 40d and found it not working, but after bridging the overheat fuse it started and working. However, when I press the switch in the gun, nothing happens, but this does not mean that it is damaged, because I checked it with a multimeter and the switch works properly. I think something is damaged on the bottom PCB board and the relays are not turning on. I took out the board but I don't know how to check it with a multimeter. Can you help please.
good video informative and great gift
..
I'm glad Steve didn't throw it in the trash.
Cool video. I'm looking at getting one of these for a small cnc plasma table. I want to use a proma thc that requires ark ref voltage. Where would I hook it up on that machine?
Excellent
a common problem with this brand is the faulty HF generator. it have a very simple design where are not protected the critical components by the correct spacing between components the manufacturer want save the most material possible compressing the space in each part. and with the HF generator need space between components but is set so close and some times the HV spark jump to the board and burn itself making he burn track conductive and absorbing the HV spark instead to be discharged in the spark gap. and this cause the unit can't open the plasma arc even if the terminals have voltage when you press the trigger
Would you know if a faulty HF generator would produce the following?
1. I turned the machine ON .
2. The amperes (AMPS) are displayed (I see how many amps I have set the machine to - set to 15 amps).
3. The green LED (light) is ON (showing power to the unit)
4. The red (temperature) LED is OFF.
5. The cooling fan is running.
Problem
1. When I press the switch to start the cut, immediately the red LED (overheat) comes on. The fan continues to run.
2. There is no arc (electricity flowing top the nozzle). The unit is not cutting.
3. The ground wire was checked several times. The problem is not a bad ground.
The cutter worked once before, then problems started the next day
Thanks
HAPPY NEW YEAR!.
First in the front panel there a indicator that say OC you make sure if this turn on when you press the torch trigger. if stay off so make the next test. Take a tester select DCV and connect to the output terminals is you get a reading near or over 233v DC this mean the inverter circuit in you machine is in good working. Now the next is repair the HF starting circuit. disconnect any power first and wait like 15min for the capacitor bank discharge completely. take the cover out and check the HF transformer. 1 this is a square ferrite core with yellow tape surround the core or 2 is like a tiny tv flay-back. i need to know the tipe for assist you further
Thank you for the information. Much appreciated.
so are you saying avoid this brand ,,, is there a decent low cost plasma cutter you would advise to buy