Spectrum 3080 is a no go

[mill3rman3]

Have a spectrum 3080 with no pilot arc or cutting capability. The machine turns on ready light goes on. Pull the trigger and nothing. No lights or anything. Trigger in torch is good air solenoid kicks but does not let air go to torch. Have a hypotherm that does the same thing. Air pressure out of the wall is constant 110 psi. with around 10cfm. Got spectrum to cut once then nothing after that. Checked ground clamp, Torch connections, air input. Manual says replace consumables then try again but don't think thats the problem. Wouldn't there be a cup light coming on or something along those lines? Has anyone ever had this happen to them?

[fun4now]

i have had it happen when my cup was too tight. not shore why but yep it was too tight, losend it up to light finger tight and all was good again. i hope its some thing small like that for you as well. good luck
that and a bad ground is the only truble i have ever had with mine, usualy its a bad ground or i forgot to ground it at all. LOL

[cruizer]

How do you know that your trigger is ok? Have you metered it, Also meter to conduit, won't come on if the uniit senses this fault as well.

[flukecej]

Have a spectrum 3080 with no pilot arc or cutting capability. The machine turns on ready light goes on. Pull the trigger and nothing. No lights or anything. Trigger in torch is good air solenoid kicks but does not let air go to torch. Have a hypotherm that does the same thing. Air pressure out of the wall is constant 110 psi. with around 10cfm. Got spectrum to cut once then nothing after that. Checked ground clamp, Torch connections, air input. Manual says replace consumables then try again but don't think that's the problem. Wouldn't there be a cup light coming on or something along those lines? Has anyone ever had this happen to them?

Spectrum 3080? Can't find this model in my literature. Is this one of your Spectrum 375's? You say you have a Hypertherm unit doing the same thing. What model Hypertherm?

If two machines are doing the exact same thing, it doesn't sound like a machine issue, but rather an electrical issue. Are these wired in 230V Single Phase? If they are, you may only be powering half of the machine. I have seen 230V single phase check OK by a meter and then loose one hot under load. Bad underground wire, bad overhead wire grounding out in a tree, defective transformer, even a bad circuit breaker or weak dual element fuse. Double check you power source, from the Power Company Pole all the way to the plasma cutter. Something is causing the power to drop out when load is applied. If two different machines are doing the exact same thing, its most likely a power issue. Also, do you have any other 230V equipment, i.e. another welder, air conditioner, electric water heater, acting up? If yes, definitely power problem. If not, then it's isolated down to that one circuit.

If its not a power issue, then its a component issue. Like cruzier asked, have you checked your torch trigger with a meter to make sure its making connection of the circuit? The same would apply on the other plasma unit not working as well.

Your Hypertherm Unit: what model? When was it purchased? When was it built? I am asking this because, Hypertherm makes the smaller plasmas for Miller. Our Hypertherm Powermax 1000 was built at the end of 2006 and was in the serial number range of a group of machines that had bad solder joints on key boards inside the machine. Everything would power up fine, pull the trigger, fault light would come on and no pilot arc. Resetting the machine would reset everything but the problem persisted. If both your Miller Plasma and Hypertherm Plasma are of the same unit size, i.e. same Amp output, and are the same age and around same date of manufacture, it could be a internal component issue and subject to warranty replacement by the manufacturer.

Check everything out that I have asked you about and let us know what you find out. Hopefully we can get this fixed for you quite easily.

[flukecej]

Jay, mill3rman3,

How is the plasma doing? What was the issue? Just wondering what your outcome was.

[flukecej]

Inquiring minds would like to know?

Jay,

Where you able to track down the source of your problems with your plasma cutters?

I still say its a problem in the circuit these two machines are plugged into. Two different makes of plasma cutters or even different capacity machines don't the exact same problem at the exact same time when something goes wrong. There has to be a common failure point for both machines to be acting the same way.

Charlie

Bump this back up to the top.

[mill3rman3]

update

Really sorry i havent been able to sign on in a while been swamped at work. Any ways the miller plasma is a spectrum 3080 and it currently resides at one of the chicago community colleges and the hypertherm resides at another college i neglected to mention this sorry. I wont be able to find out the model type till at least saturday the 14th. I have put the millers trigger on a meter to check if it is making a connection and it is. I didnt try loosening the comsumables yet but i will try that on wednesday. I work for three colleges and all of them are cheap so they dont want to send out their equiptment for repair. I am also only there on certain days. Both machines are wired into 220 single phase lines at the breakers. Both machines are not in the same place so i hope its not the same power issue in both schools. Thank you so far for the suggestions and i would love to fix these problems asap. I do not want to deprive the students of using plasma cutters like the other instructors seem contempt with.