PowerTig 225LX Foot Pedal stopped working, How to Ohm Test?

[Welderooni]

The Foot Pedal on my EverLast PowerTig machine stopped working and I want to buy replacement parts instead of an entire new pedal $$$. By stopped working, I mean it does not initiate any arc, nor gas valve, etc. The pedal is totally dead, so we think the Pedal's switch is the problem. The WP26's Torch's switch works fine, so I'm pretty sure it's just the pedal. Does anyone know how to ohm test the Pedal's switch and the potentiometer?

[Rambozo]

Check the switch between blue and white switch off = infinite ohms, switch on = zero ohms, or close. It all depends on the level of precision you are measuring with. For the pot, check between yellow and green, should be near zero changing to near 47KΩ as you move the pedal through it's travel in one direction. Then check between red and green and that should be the same, but going in the other direction. Depending on the amount of pot travel it might not hit zero or 47kΩ but in that ballpark. Typically you will find an open or a short if there is a problem. If things check out good, then recheck at the pins in the plug. You can search here for the proper pinouts, or just trace them yourself. It really sounds like a dead switch. Very easy to find that.

[Welderooni]

Thanks Rambozo. For the ohm test, it doesn't matter which terminal the red (positive) or black (neg) probe touches since ohms is resistance correct? I tested the resistance of the switch both ways using a FLUKE 75 Series II Multimeter and both times the ohms were completely 0 on blue and white terminals of the switch with switch ON and OFF. The potentiometer resistance did exactly what you said it would except mine wen tot ~50 instead of 47. So, I think that means the POT is good and the switch is bad, THANK YOU Rambozo!

[Paul Moir]

Yeah, that's a bad switch. I take it that the reading was 0L? (Either way, it should have changed reading when you clicked the switch).

[Welderooni]

...I take it that the reading was 0L?...

Yes, 0.L with switch on & off with the multimeter in the Ohm position. What does the L mean? I ordered 2 new switches and will use the one with the higher AMP rating(15A and 11A) when they get here and keep the other one as a backup. One is made by E-Switch and the other by Honeywell.

Btw, has anyone else had a switch in these pedals fail on them? Thank you all for your help, great community here! .

[Rambozo]

Yes, 0.L with switch on & off with the multimeter in the Ohm position. What does the L mean? I ordered 2 new switches and will use the one with the higher AMP rating(15A and 11A) when they get here and keep the other one as a backup. One is made by E-Switch and the other by Honeywell.

Btw, has anyone else had a switch in these pedals fail on them? Thank you all for your help, great community here! .

0.L means OverLoad as in infinite resistance. The opposite of zero. If it was 0 it would be on all the time. You can find that microswitch at any electronics shop.

[jakeru]

Nice diagnostic work! I've got an old Fluke multimeter as well... nice, trusty unit, has lasted many years and still as good as it was new.

I've had microswitches like that fail, although they had nothing to do with an Everlast product. One was in an old microwave (one of the door switches), and another was in a motorized water valve-timer. The microwave door switch, I first paid a pro to diagnose and fix. The second time it went out, I fixed it myself. By splitting the microswitch I could see the insides, and determined that it failed by arcing between the switch contacts. I learned through that not to open the door to shut off the cooking action of the microwave, but instead to press "cancel" button first then open door. I sure wish the "pro" appliance repairman would have given me that advice the first time it failed! (In honesty, I don't think he figured out the failure mode... he just told me "don't slam the door", which actually had nothing to do with the failure mode, and besides, I never did slam the door!)

In the motorized water valve timer, I was always able to get it working some more by tweaking the metal arm a bit. But it kept needing attention and this got to be tiresome - probably because it is a cheaply made switch. It's generally a very cheaply made product (comes from harbor freight after all) and I will probably just replace the whole thing with a better quality one sometime.

[Tcable5]

my pedal did the same thing, accept the gas would flow, everything on the pot was OL on mine. got a new one sent to me and it works great now, so thanks everlast! i just hope this pedal lasts a couple years until i upgrade it

[everlastsupport]

my pedal did the same thing, accept the gas would flow, everything on the pot was OL on mine. got a new one sent to me and it works great now, so thanks everlast! i just hope this pedal lasts a couple years until i upgrade it

The foot pedals are pretty simple inside and the parts can be picked you at many places. So you should be fine for years.

[Welderooni]

I put a new switch in and it works great! The only thing I had to do was extend the switch's metal tab because the replacement one from Honeywell brand was slightly shorter...hope this helps anyone else in the same situation .