Homebrewed Electricity > Other

Miller 400d welder not generating

<< < (4/4)

Scruff:

--- Quote from: bigrockcandymountain on December 16, 2020, 08:01:47 PM ---I don't even have a tig torch for it. It didn't come with leads at all. 

--- End quote ---

Neither does mine!  ;D
hehe...I'm tempted to build a blue trolley for my set now as a learner project and brand it Mullered in white!
....I'm supposed to run the Esab offa 6kVA so I best see if my (4kVA) Studer can punch that far above her weight before I get too carried away. I reckon she'll take names though.


--- Quote from: bigrockcandymountain on December 16, 2020, 08:01:47 PM ---I just tried stick welding with it.  I'm betting at 400a you better hope your tig torch is water cooled though. 

--- End quote ---

I think after ~200A you haveta...but then again I thought that was what MIGs were for...not an expert.
I asked my neighbour welder helping me with my van what to get. He asked me what I wanted to weld. I said rust! His look was priceless.


--- Quote from: bigrockcandymountain on December 16, 2020, 08:01:47 PM ---The 5 cylinder diesels.  We didn't get many of those over here.  They would be awesome i bet.

--- End quote ---

I learned to powerslide in one.  8)

Computers won't let you these days.  :-[

SparWeb:
Without a water jacket that torch will burn your hand in seconds.  I tried a Miller 180 TIG a few times.  Couldn't do more than mess around, stuff happening either way too fast or too slow for me.  I can't even imagine what 400 A would be like.

MagnetJuice:
BigRock, I feel like it would be useful to add some comments to this thread. It could help others deal with a similar problem.

I am sure that the welder was stored for a while in a place where temperatures and humidity was not ideal.

I suspect that the reason why the Generator in your Welder didn’t have any output when you first tried it, had to do with the control board. Most likely, the pins on the board or the contacts in the slot had a buildup of oxidation and some of the pins were not making contact. That could be the reason why the generator started to work after you reinserted the control board. Then the pins made a better connection with the slot and that ‘fixed’ it.

Over the years, I have restored many pieces of electronics test gear, audio amplifiers and other electronic equipment. Some of those have been setting in garages, attics or barns for years.

Whenever I get a vintage, valuable piece of electronic equipment, before I apply power to it, I remove the cover and make sure that there is nothing burned or damaged inside. Then I clean it with compressed air. After that I unplug all the wire connectors and clean the contacts with isopropyl alcohol or contact cleaner. I do the same with any circuit board cards, contact switches, rheostats and volume controls.

It would be a good idea, as soon as you get a break in the weather, (April?) to go over all the contacts and connections and clean them good.

That welder/generator is a nice piece of equipment. A lucky find for you.

Ed

bigrockcandymountain:
Thanks Ed, i think your advice is great and i will definitely take it.

The worst thing about this machine is it was pulled down roads covered in road salt a lot.  There is a thick layer of salty dust covering everything. The rubber cover is missing off the circuit breaker that is wrecked, so it was probably the salt that did that one in.

I was just going to blow the dust out, but i will take your advice and a can of contact cleaner and do some work on all the connections. 

I am very lucky to have this welder, so i will definitely take good care of it. 

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[*] Previous page