PP256 Plasma stopped working

[Andy]

I finished making a cut and went to start the next one. Suddenly nothing. I get air and a very tiny spark between the torch and the metal, but thats it. I tried replacing the nozzle etc, no dice. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Andy

[Rambozo]

I finished making a cut and went to start the next one. Suddenly nothing. I get air and a very tiny spark between the torch and the metal, but thats it. I tried replacing the nozzle etc, no dice. Any ideas?

Basic checks of cables and such. Some people have had the wire pull out of the ground dinse plug. But from what you describe as just dying between cuts, I would say you probably have a problem. Give support a call on Monday and see if they have any other checks for you to try.

[acourtjester]

You need to check other functions of the unit Tig, Stick, ect. More info on the condition of the unit helps when trying to find a problem. This helps to isolate problem areas areas the more things that don’t work the bigger problem. If only the plasma is the only thing not working then that part needs to be looked at. With air flow and small arc means the trigger circuit is working. Testing tig and stick functions will tell you if the unit will produce high current. Do more home work before you call as these are things they will ask you and it helps to answer them up front when asking for help.

Have fun
Tom

[Andy]

You need to check other functions of the unit Tig, Stick, ect. More info on the condition of the unit helps when trying to find a problem. This helps to isolate problem areas areas the more things that don’t work the bigger problem. If only the plasma is the only thing not working then that part needs to be looked at. With air flow and small arc means the trigger circuit is working. Testing tig and stick functions will tell you if the unit will produce high current. Do more home work before you call as these are things they will ask you and it helps to answer them up front when asking for help.

Have fun
Tom

Tom,

Thanks. I should have mentioned that both stick and Tig are working. I ran both of them at about 90 amps with no problems. The PSI light on the front is lit. The regulator is set at about 50 PSI.

The only other odd thing I noticed was while doing Tig, the Over Current/Overheat lamp would come one when the machine had been idling for 5-10 minutes. Previous to that I'd done a weld for a couple minutes at 85 Amps. Power-cycling clears there error.

[acourtjester]

Andy
That may be your problem next time you have a problem with plasma look at the light to see if it’s on. I don’t know if Everlast uses a heat sensor on the heat sink or calculates the current/time to turn the light on. But you may have an intermittent problem in that area. Try using higher welding currents and see if the light comes on the duty cycle should allow you to use any function for a good amount of time before the light comes on.

[performance]

It's a heat sensor on the heat sink. But other things can cause the light to come on. What color is the light?

[Andy]

Mark, I think it was yellowish. I'll check the color the next time it happens. Any idea what might be wrong with the plasma cutter?

Thanks, Andy

[performance]

See if you can touch the torch cup to the metal, and start the arc...if so, it probably is a point gap adjustment.

[Andy]

Mark,

Sorry its take me so long to reply! I did try getting it to arc. You can see in the photo that I am getting a pilot arc. I'm also getting air.



Here are my settings:



The air pressure seems fine:



Lastly, after trying to cut, I see the caution light come on:



Is there something else I can try?

[performance]

For starters you are using 4T. Put it in 2T. It won't cut if it is in 4T, if you keep the trigger held down. Not sure why it went into duty cycle unless you were keeping the pilot arc on for extended time. You are under pressure though on your cutting psi, which should be about 70 for CUTTING, and probably higher if static. What size compressor are you using? (cfm/ tank size). Is your torch in the negative?

[Andy]

For starters you are using 4T. Put it in 2T. It won't cut if it is in 4T, if you keep the trigger held down. Not sure why it went into duty cycle unless you were keeping the pilot arc on for extended time. You are under pressure though on your cutting psi, which should be about 70 for CUTTING, and probably higher if static. What size compressor are you using? (cfm/ tank size). Is your torch in the negative?

I tried it in both 2T and 4T. No luck. I bumped the air pressure to 70+lbs at the welder, and 90 at the compressor. The compressor has a 15 gallon tank, and is rated at 4.9cfm at 40 psi, 4.5 at 90.

I don't think the compressor is the issue. I had made many cuts with the same setup without any problem. I had just made a cut before it stopped working.

The torch is connected to the negative connector.

Thanks for your help,

Andy