Hobart stickmate won't weld in DC anymore

[2tay530]

Just last night I was out practicing my 7018 DCEP and I had been welding quite a while with brakes ever 2 passes on a 6" plate just to cool it off in the sink. All of a sudden all I would get is a spark and then it would stick. Could not get a steady arc.

I thought maybe I over heated it do I let it cool for probably 15 minutes. I checked the breakers, I checked the plug and I'm getting 244-245 volts. Came back and tried to weld in DC and still didn't get anything but a spark and then it sticks. I flipped it to AC and it welds fine. Flipped it back to DC an still no go.

What did I break? Haha

[cruizer]

Open it up and look for a busted winding off a DC output stud or rectifier

[Sberry]

I wonder what the numbers are, I know the service guys see every problem but how many of them don't they see? I think over 30+ years I could easily count on one hand the buzzers I see that didn't work or had failed, I really bake on my DC buzzer, way beyond its rated output, only a time or 2 it ever really temp rise, in the middle of summer burning a whole handful at a time of 1/8 lo hi turned up to smokin.

[2tay530]

Where in the machine are the output stud or rectifier?

[cruizer]

Hmmm, behind the output studs, what do you think when I say that.

Rectifier, hmmmm, probably a thingy with 4 diodes in it. If you ask whats a diode, then I'd suggest bring it in to a service shop

[2tay530]

Well excuse me sir for not being a gosh dang expert on the internals of my machine. How many farmers do you think have been running a stick machine their entire lives know what a dang rectifier is and where in their cracker box it's located?! I tell you what for a "senior member" I'd expect someone that wasn't such a smart @$$ when someone is asking for help.

[Weldotron]

hmmm

Just last night I was out practicing my 7018 DCEP and I had been welding quite a while with brakes ever 2 passes on a 6" plate just to cool it off in the sink. All of a sudden all I would get is a spark and then it would stick. Could not get a steady arc.

I thought maybe I over heated it do I let it cool for probably 15 minutes. I checked the breakers, I checked the plug and I'm getting 244-245 volts. Came back and tried to weld in DC and still didn't get anything but a spark and then it sticks. I flipped it to AC and it welds fine. Flipped it back to DC an still no go.

What did I break? Haha

I'm still pretty new here, but perhaps its an issue with arc blow? Perhaps some troubleshooting techniques for that? I.e. magnet, switching ground around, etc. It came to mind when you said it worked fine on AC. Just a thought - maybe it will jog another. Best I got!

[GilaSlim]

Well excuse me sir for not being a gosh dang expert on the internals of my machine. How many farmers do you think have been running a stick machine their entire lives know what a dang rectifier is and where in their cracker box it's located?! I tell you what for a "senior member" I'd expect someone that wasn't such a smart @$$ when someone is asking for help.

Calm down, Son. Getting hot won't help.

Look at the parts diagram and listing in the back of your owner's manual. Assembly #10 is your recitifier that changes AC output to DC. Look at all the wire connections on the rectifier for loose connections. Look over the rectifier for burned components. Also check the wire connections on the rotary selector switch.

You mentioned you were using DCEP when it quit working, and you tested it sucessfully on AC. Did you try the DCEN? If it works in DCEN but not DCEP, I would guess a bad switch or connection to the switch. If DCEN is also dead, I would guess a fried rectifier or some bad connection to the rectifier.

No, I would not know a diode if Cruizer handed me one. I just read the owner's manual and look for keywords I recognize from reading posts on here. If I look over the assembly #10 and see a loose wire or damaged component, I'm pretty sure I found the problem. I would have to have someone else replace components.

I have a Stickmate LX AC/DC and I really like it.

[cruizer]

Well excuse me sir for not being a gosh dang expert on the internals of my machine. How many farmers do you think have been running a stick machine their entire lives know what a dang rectifier is and where in their cracker box it's located?! I tell you what for a "senior member" I'd expect someone that wasn't such a smart @$$ when someone is asking for help.

OK, the output studs on the front of your machine is where you plug your arc cables into. Thus in behind the out put studs is likely where you may have a winding pulled out of, or have a broken winding.

The recitifier converts the AC into DC. you may have a broken winding there.

Its such a small machine, very difficult to miss. Basically just look for a broken winding, pretty tough to miss.

Now asking for help here, without even thinking of reading your owners manual, which happens to show you where all the parts are is nuts.

You explain the problem, I tell you where to look, and you don't have a clue as to what an output stud is.