Pain in the butt....

[Railmen]

Ok first off, I have to say that my powermax 65 is AWESOME..... finally got it up and working real good on my table.\

Ok so here is what I don't like.... (its small problem) if I take the cap off to check nozzle, then you have to cycle the power off/on to rest the unit........... since the power switch is on the back kinda sucks reaching around the back to flip it on and off..... kinda like most welders tooooooo that's a whole different rant.....

Jim can there be a switched wired into the machine to reset the unit or a upgrade of some sort to fix this or even a way to have Mach3 reset it????

sorry for the rant...

Railmen

[_Ogre]

it's a safety and liability issue; neither jim or hypetherm will tell you how to do it
could it be done? sure. no reason to do it though
we have a 60 amp disconnect that is easy to see/reach that is how we turn off/on our pm65

doing so might earn you a mention on http://www.darwinawards.com/
do not click on the link unless you have the rest of the afternoon free

[Railmen]

it's a safety and liability issue; neither jim or hypetherm will tell you how to do it
could it be done? sure. no reason to do it though
we have a 60 amp disconnect that is easy to see/reach that is how we turn off/on our pm65

doing so might earn you a mention on http://www.darwinawards.com/
do not click on the link unless you have the rest of the afternoon free

Oh I under stand safety......................
but how is it not safe, once the fault has been corrected ie: the cap and nozzle are all back on the machine is in a safe state to run again............................

I'm not asking for a button to run it in a "unsafe" state, that's just asking for dumb stuff to happen, a simple reset button instead of tripping the power off and on

Railmen.

[tnbndr]

On another forum, I think Welding Web, there was a guy posted on how he opened up his Miller Welder and moved the on/off switch to the front by clipping and extending the wires and cutting an opening in the front panel. Have always meant to do that but haven't found the time.
I am sure you could do the same thing with the Hypertherm unit.

[jimcolt]

Currently the best way to reset is to build a box that the Powermax unit plugs into....that can turn off, then back on the main input power to the unit. Mount the box where it is convenient...and leave the Powermax power switch in the on position all the time. One that comes to mind is an off the shelf item....a pool or hot tub safety disconnect switch. Available at Lowes or Home Depot.

We will have a different style torch at some point in the future that will have a switch for changing consumables.....that will not cause the safety error code. It will require buying a new torch and lead assembly though. There is no way that I know of to disable the safety shutoff at the power supply....sorry!


Jim Colt

[GPM870]

I am confused enough that I had to go back and re-read the posts 2 more times to see what i am missing. I have never seen this error code on my PM85 (maybe the code is specific to the 65?). I own a POS Burntables so I am no stranger to inspecting and changing consumables.
Typical SOP... I jog the torch to the front of the table, raise it to max height, TURN OFF THE POWER SUPPLY on the plasma cutter, unscrew the retaining cap, inspect the consumables, then reverse the sequence.

The thought of some glitch in the universe happening the moment I grab the torch and having a 30,000 degree bolt of lightning run through my finger gives me the shivers.
Gerry

[Railmen]

I am confused enough that I had to go back and re-read the posts 2 more times to see what i am missing. I have never seen this error code on my PM85 (maybe the code is specific to the 65?). I own a POS Burntables so I am no stranger to inspecting and changing consumables.
Typical SOP... I jog the torch to the front of the table, raise it to max height, TURN OFF THE POWER SUPPLY on the plasma cutter, unscrew the retaining cap, inspect the consumables, then reverse the sequence.

The thought of some glitch in the universe happening the moment I grab the torch and having a 30,000 degree bolt of lightning run through my finger gives me the shivers.
Gerry

The reason you don't get a fault code is because you have already shut the unit off, I always trip Mach3 in to emergency mode before I check my consumables, just so you can't get burned by the CNC a table firing the cutter.

If you leave your 85 on as soon as you unscrew the cap the cap sensor trip the plasma and it can't fire....

Railmen

[Railmen]

Currently the best way to reset is to build a box that the Powermax unit plugs into....that can turn off, then back on the main input power to the unit. Mount the box where it is convenient...and leave the Powermax power switch in the on position all the time. One that comes to mind is an off the shelf item....a pool or hot tub safety disconnect switch. Available at Lowes or Home Depot.

We will have a different style torch at some point in the future that will have a switch for changing consumables.....that will not cause the safety error code. It will require buying a new torch and lead assembly though. There is no way that I know of to disable the safety shutoff at the power supply....sorry!


Jim Colt

Thx for the reply Jim, maybe you could pass it on to the build and design department........

[jimcolt]

It has been brought up many times.....the best way to react is with a different torch with a reset switch....which likely will be available in the next 3 to 6 months. I suspect future products will have a wired method of resetting the error. When it comes to safety....we do not take anything lightly!

The operators manual strongly suggests that you turn off the main power before changing consumables, and if you do so there will not be an error code! Under certain failure modes if you did not turn off the power....there could be high voltage on the torch electrode. It is best to have redundant safety features on any piece of equipment like this with high voltage.

Jim Colt

Thx for the reply Jim, maybe you could pass it on to the build and design department........[/quote]

[_Ogre]

i have to admit i was surprised to see the power switch on the back
not exactly a safety feature considering many cnc plasma apps are stationary rack mounts

for railman: my plasma is under the desk, the disconnect is behind the desk and 5 ft off the floor
i turned on the rear switch once; have never turned that switch off, i use the disconnect 100% of the time