Plasma Cutter Help needed

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Lonewolf3165

Lonewolf3165

Living the Dream!
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I have this Daytona-Mig Plasma Cutter that I bought for home about 10+ years ago & it worked fine the few times I used it on some very small jobs, cut out a trunk floor & some other small jobs, so it's not like I have used it enough to wear out any of the consumable parts. But anyway I put the thing away in my dry garage & then went to use it about a year later & the damn thing wont work! It turns on but won't strike an arc. So I replaced all the nozzle tips & cups etc & still no good! Switch has continuity when closed. Does anybody know what goes wrong with these things just from sitting? I know it says Daytona-Mig on it but I'm told its an italian made unit by a company called Cebora. Daytona I'm told went the way of the Dodo bird. I'd like to get it working again if I can but don't want to keep throwing parts at it. I'm hoping some of you fabricator & welders might know what I can do. Thanks.
 
Make sure the metal is clean, ie, no paint. Have a good ground too.

I haven't used a plasma cutter much, so, this is all I can think of.
 
Make sure your compressor is supplying adequate air pressure. (Does it have a guage on the front panel?)
 
Plenty of dry air. It's not that I forgot how to use the thing it just stopped working! I went to use it the next time & it wont work. I've used plasma cutters before, I know how to operate it. I'm looking for someone familiar with what goes bad in the machine when they stop working.
 
The only thing I can think of is that when I squeeze the trigger on mine, the air starts and about 10 seconds or so after that the arc begins. Got me a few times as I'm kind of impatient!
 
I'm betting a capacitor crapped. Open it up and look over the boards for any burn marks. Keep your hands out of it.
 
check all the lead connections as it uses compressed air and moister might have built up and after sitting it glazed or rusted the connections.Make sure all the insulators are good also because it may be grounding out.
 
You have power but is it enougft? See if you have a breaker going bad in you box. It's like a weak breaker and a electric clothes dryer in your house. The lights will come on and the fan will run but not the power to make any heat.
I have a Daytona mig I bought in 1985 still welds like a dream. I keep it covered by a plastic bag when not in use. It's very important to keep dust out of a welder.
 
BigWhip said:
You have power but is it enougft? See if you have a breaker going bad in you box. It's like a weak breaker and a electric clothes dryer in your house. The lights will come on and the fan will run but not the power to make any heat.
I have a Daytona mig I bought in 1985 still welds like a dream. I keep it covered by a plastic bag when not in use. It's very important to keep dust out of a welder.
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Talking about a plasma cutter here though.
 
Dust build up affects the contacts in a welder,mainly by making them "sticky" so when you release the trigger it keeps welding.Not real sure how a plasma works(never looked in side one) but I assume it has a similar contact setup.Kinda like a breaker that flips when ingauged.So dust could have a huge affect on a machine.When I worked as a welder we had a plasm and it would act up some and alot of the time it needed a new lead.
 
So when you trigger it you do not get the pilot arc correct? Does it flow air? Have you tried to get it to start a cut by tapping the head on the metal you are trying to cut? I will see about pulling a wiring diagram for it tomorrow if I make it in to work
 
toplscuda said:
So when you trigger it you do not get the pilot arc correct? Does it flow air? Have you tried to get it to start a cut by tapping the head on the metal you are trying to cut? I will see about pulling a wiring diagram for it tomorrow if I make it in to work
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Air does go through it, have tried tapping it to start the arc, which is how it starts normally. By squeezing the trigger, pushing down on the tip & releasing the tip pressure from the work surface. No Good!

Plenty of supply voltage, I tied it in at least 2 locations where it had worked before(home & work). I know I have adequate power in my garage since it was all redone not even 10 years earlier. It's not stored in a very dusty garage. I have a water separator on the air supply line from the compressor. I never wound the cables or cords too tight when I stored it nor can I see any signs of external damage to it (cables, torch, main unit, etc.).
I'm thinking it must be something fairly common with these smaller units because a friend tried to sell me 1 before I got this unit & when we plugged his in & tried to use it his didn't work either & it did when he last tried to use it. I had seen his cutter working before when we cut out my brother's Dart trunk to Back-half his car with it. Tried his 2 separate places too. Must be something common that fails in them. Mine worked beautifully in my garage when I last used it!

I'm really looking for someone with 1st hand experiences with this type of plasma cutter & perhaps has seen or fixed one like this before.

Thanks FABO Guys!
 
BigWhip said:
Yes, I know.

Are you getting the correct volts and amps out of your power supply? If low the lights and fan on the machine will work but it will not cut.
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It's a 110v unit. Got plenty of juice going to it. It's not like a 220v where you lose a leg of the power & it still tries to run on 1/2 power. That's why a dryer won't get hot but the light comes on etc. (220v vs 110v)
 
jos51700 said:
I'm betting a capacitor crapped. Open it up and look over the boards for any burn marks. Keep your hands out of it.
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I'll have to take a close look inside when I get some time. And yes, I''l make sure it isn't plugged in & I don't touch anything hot!! It should be discharged after all this time.
 
I have some to this guy on the phone about buying one from him, he repairs them and is pretty knowledgeable on them. Found him through welding Web and a few other sites. georgesplasmacuttershop.com any ways give him a call might have to leave a message but he always calls back. He can probably give you some ideas on what to check.

Good luck with it.
 
ducter said:
I have some to this guy on the phone about buying one from him, he repairs them and is pretty knowledgeable on them. Found him through welding Web and a few other sites. georgesplasmacuttershop.com any ways give him a call might have to leave a message but he always calls back. He can probably give you some ideas on what to check.

Good luck with it.
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Hey thank you very much! When I get some time I'll give him a call. Delaware is only an hour ride for me so maybe its work it to have him take a look at it. I'll see what he says.
 
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