The closest repair place is close to 300 miles. I have read the repair manual, and know that I am not qualified to do the repair testing myself.
It is a control board in behind that knob that I suspect has a loose connection on it. At some point I will make a visual inspection to see that all the cabling is connected tight.
This machine was shipped through UPS, so anything could have jarred loose in travel.
I have a thread started over there and hopefully Jim will jump in when he can.
Thanks.
Lee
Likely your unit is still in warranty...I suggest getting it to an authorized Hypertherm repair shop. Could well be an issue on the board....the amperage pot when fully counter clockwise turns on air flow for setting pressure....and when turned to the CW direction sets amperage. The switch/pot is part of the control circuit board, which is relatively easy to change out.
Jim Colt
Originally Posted by LeeWay
Thanks, Jim.
What is Hypertherms track record for an RMA? While I can get it to work okay now after fiddling with it a few minutes, I do want it right.
This machine came with a hand torch and I made the mode inside the machine that makes it think it is a machine torch, but other than that, I haven't messed with anything. I wasn't actually aware of it at the time when I initially tested it before the jumper, but it acted the same way when just operating the hand torch.
Couple time it wouldn't fire and then it did, and I thought it was just me or the ground clamp.
Rather than ship the whole machine, could I just return the suspected bad part and have it tested or could I just buy the control board? I am certain that I could replace it easily.
I really hate to spend that much time and money on possibly two near 600 mile round trips to get a circuit board replaced.
Thanks for any further insight on the way they deal with this.
Oh, my local dealer isn't a repair place. Could they order the part for me?
Lee
If you call Hypertherm tech service department and describe the exact symptoms.....often they will be able to determine the exact cause of the issue over the phone. In many cases....if you are capable of replacing the components that are suspect...then the local distributor can order the part for you. If it is warranty....then it is possible for them to handle that through the local distributor as well. The Hypertherm tech service team is very friendly, helpful and free! Give them a call.
Best regards, Jim Colt
Thanks for that advice Jim. I should have done it the first time you suggested it.
I guess it easier to sit here a whine about it.It was a nice guy on the phone. He said that issue is usually a ribbon cable came loose, however it has nice spring loaded clips that snap lock it into place. I did remove the entire control board and looked at it under the looking glass and it all looked fine. The one thing I did notice was the knob mechanism is a little sloppy in it's mount.
Reinstalled everything and still had the issue on start up. Once it starts though, it generally stays working if I am easy with the knob when changing amps. I think the circuit may heat up enough to hold it properly in place.
Anyway, he said if that didn't fix it to give him another call, which I will.
Thanks again, Jim. You dole out high quality info.
Lee
Well, as it turns out, my local distributor is also an authorized repair facility. He was unaware that the website doesn't list them as such. He said they have been doing it for many years, so it should be found in the search feature, but isn't. I will take it down to them as soon as I can let it go when I have enough production parts on hand. He said turn around time should be about 24 hours. Very cool, if not optimistic.
Thanks again for the help, Jim.
Lee
Excellent new hope it goes well. Did my first cut today, 90% happy. Tweaking needed for other 10%.
I just saw your first cuts. Looks great. Better than my first cuts. Nice little build you have, BTW. I have been getting some acceptable parts for awhile, but there are still more settings that I have been tweaking. Fine tuning really. I didn't need to do this with the mill, lathe or router. I think it is more akin to my 3D printer in that aspect. The more you dial it in, the better the produce will be. Dialing in can certainly take some time. It's nice to be able to have that kind of control over all the parameters though.
Once I get it all dialed down, I'll upload some videos of it doing it's thing.
Lee
Here is a little video I did showing this machine working. It wasn't cutting optimally, but well enough. It did better on the next sheet after making a few adjustments.
Last edited by LeeWay; 04-20-2013 at 08:11 PM.
Lee
Cool video but I was hoping to see the finished piece showing how well your scribe worked. Did you take any pictures?
It looks like you are ready to rock and roll!
It was getting dark, si I didn't snap any finished pictures. I have powder coated a couple hundred parts and the scribe shows up well after sanding and powdercoating. I can adjust the depth on it. It would cut all the way through the sheet if I raised the foot. No sweat and DAMHIKT.
I'll take some pictures when I cut out this weeks parts.
Lee
I just shot a picture of a finished product. This is after sanding and powder coating. Letters are 1/4". Picture is bad. Shows a lot better than it shows, but black is hard to photograph.
Lee
So are these pieces you slide together and weld?
They look good by the way.
Last edited by Frank W; 04-21-2013 at 05:04 PM.
No welding on any part of this product except for welding the formed dust ports in polycarbonate. That is done with solvent and considered welding.
These are splitters, but I cut most of the other sheet parts on this machine as well. Aluminum and steel.
This is a different model than what you see in the picture but you can see how the splitters are used in a table saw.
Delta Unisaw/Contractor
Lee
Hey Lee, can you post some pictures or drawings of your setup for your floating head? I think I have basically the same z axis I bought off of ebay and I'm having a hard time on how best to do the floating head. (I'm thinking I should have spent the extra money and bought the Z with it already installed.) I'd also like to have some type of scribe, how does yours work independent of each other? I'm planning on building my own breakaway which is also complicating the process.
Thanks,
Frank
It is basically an old Z axis I built a while back. It just had some linear rails. Not name brand. It had 1/4" plate mounted to the trucks. The trucks were just mounted inside a c Channel. All aluminum. I simply split the plate so the trucks moved independent from each other. Then mounted the tool holders for each side. Put a switch on the plasma side. I drilled and tapped for a bolt that holds the die grinder up when not in use. The bolt just supports the trucks.
I drop it down when I use that and it is longer with the tool than the torch. I just set the Z for the grinder about a 1/4" deeper than the plate. This puts the weight of the grinder on the plate and the foot around the tool keeps it from going too deep.
I'll try to get a couple more pictures to add.
Lee
I just snapped a couple and one is an older one.
Lee
BTW, I run two programs each time if I need something engraved. I do all the engraving first with the torch off. Then I raise the grinder and turn the torch on and cut out all the holes and profiles in the nest. Not quite as nice as an airscribe. I do have to rezero each time. I could just use offsets with an airscribe and it would all be done automatically, but I am comfortable doing it this way and it still flows pretty well.
About 6 hours of cutting gives me about 2.5 weeks worth of parts.
Another plus to this method is that I can machine other large items using the die grinder. This machine is double the size of my router.
A sub table, a little leveling and lock the grinder in the down position and I have a 4' by 4' router that can easily do finger joints and dovetails on longer boards when clamped on the ends.
Lee
Thanks Lee. How thick it the rail that they slide on? I just have a piece of leftover 30mm and with the bearing block plus the breakaway I'm planning it adds a bit of distance away from the z axis which translates into less usable table length. Do you have a picture from above that shows the bearing blocks?
Thanks,
Frank
The rails are about 1/2" tall and maybe 5/8" wide. The trucks are about 2" by 2.5" and sit maybe 3/8" proud of the rail. Then add the 1/4" plate and it all fits snugly inside the 5" by 1.5" aluminum channel. This is architectural channel, so has square corners rather than radiused like structural stuff. It doesn't really matter though.
I think 30 mm rail is way overkill, however, it would certainly be solid. A single truck that size would be fine.
I used two on each because I had them. These are probably 20mm rails or there about.
I built in a little extra travel in my machine, so I still get full 4' by 4' easily. Maybe two inches longer and 1" wider. Putting the grinder as close as possible to the torch helps with this.
Both are within 5" and are offset maybe 2.5" from each other.
Lee
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