MAX 100 troubles

[matttargett4]

Hi,

I need some help

Today i went crazy and bought a used max 100, that wasnt the crazy bit, the guy i got it from had it hard wired and had removed it so i couldnt see it running, he assured me it worked, the trusting soul i am i bought it, that was the crazy bit.

So i got it home and hooked it up, it switches on, the safety interlock works, the torch fires te pilot arc but dooesnt transfer to the main arc, the earth cable is in place, the consumables are all new.

Reading the trouble shooting section of the operators manual i have done the pilot arc test, d5 on the main control board is lit, d8 is not, i have 12 between pis 3 and 4 on cs1 and 12 v on pins 13 and 14 on the main board plug, the manual says this means i need to change cs1, part no 029202. Will this solve my problem? I googled the number and found nothing, is it igoing to be really difficult to get since im in the uk? could it be matched from a components supplier? When inspecting the consumables it appears the electrode has been arcing to the inside of the nozzle? is that normal and just caused by the fact the arc isnt transferring or does it mean something?? i can see lightening go from the torch to the plate and ive tried lots of different height settings.

Also when i fire the hf start the power of it is incredible, we have a good 3 phase supply and it makes all the lights in the shop flicker and also the lights in the house 5o yds away, it also makes my steppers move without even having my power supply or computer turned on, how can i stop that happening? im currently upgrading to servos, willl they deal better witht he hf or not?? Is the hf usually this powerful or is there something wrong there or its just being caused by running for too long because the arc doesnt transfer?

Thanks for any help

Matt

[jimcolt]

Your best bet is to call Hypertherm tech service to sort out the issues with the Max100. This is a high frequency start plasma system....it will produce electrical noise interference durring the starting sequence, however it sounds like ther is a malfunction the keeps the high frequency on too long. Tech service contact info can be found on the www.hypertherm.com website under the "contact us" tab.

Jim

[matttargett4]

jim,

i spoke to the tech guys, they were very helpful and we got sorted out, another quick question im sure you can answer so i dont bother them again - the torch leads are in a wire braid sleeve, this has a wire connected to it and going back into the plasma cutter, there is currently nothing connected to it on the terminal block, should i connect it to my ground rod??

Thanks alot

Matt

[jimcolt]

The braided wire over the torch leads is to help suppress the high frequency RF noise. This shield should be connected to the chassis of the Max100 power supply only, and the chassis should have a heavy gauge wire connected directly to the ground rod. If you connect both to the ground rod you will create a "ground loop" which will be counter productive!

Jim