Spectrum 375 Plasma cutter

[trash collector]

I'am considering buying a spectrum 375 with dual input voltage of 115 or 230. What is the difference between 220 and 230 or 115 and 110.

Thanks
TC

[mikeswelding]

Miller 375

I'm not sure of the differences between 220 and 230 or 110 or 115. I am sure, however, of the differences between the 375 and the 375 Xtreme.

I had a 375 for about two years and had to run it pretty much on 220-230 because it would always trip a 20 amp breaker on 110-115.

The Xtreme performs very well on 110-115 and is only $50 more. It is also smaller and way lighter and seems to cut thicker material than the 375.

[fun4now]

location, or slang is the difference. they are referring to standard house current of single phase 120V and 240V, some times referred to as 110V and 220V. put a meter on your house and you could get any where from 110V to 125V same with the 240V side. power is a little different depending on location. if you have 110V and 220V at your house you are fine.

[Handy560]

What will u be cutting?

Hey TC, curious what you want to be cutting with the 375? I have a 375 and when I bought it I thought I would be slicing through everything! It is great for certain applications but do your research so you don't end up disappointed.

Take into consideration the guage of the material and the cfm output you will need to cut well. There is more to cutting mobil than just being able to plug into a 110V outlet.

I would search all the previous threads regarding the 375 before making a decision.

Good luck,

John

[trash collector]

Hey John,

Thanks for the advise, I will be using it at my home shop. I doubt that I will cut anything thicker then 1/4" but then who knows. Again thank you.

TC

[triggerman]

The difference.

I'am considering buying a spectrum 375 with dual input voltage of 115 or 230. What is the difference between 220 and 230 or 115 and 110.

The difference is this. "Modern" power supplied is 120/240V. Anything within 10% of those (108V-132V and 216V-264V) is considered within tolerance.

If you are plugged into a circuit (say a wall outlet) with a voltage reading of 120V with the equipment off and you start to pull a lot of current, the voltage will sag. As the voltage sags, the current will increase proportionally to the sag. In other words, drawing lots of current makes the voltage drop which results in more current draw, the voltage dropping more and further increasing the current draw. It quickly turns into a self-eating watermelon.

To run a 375-X on 120V power, a 30A circuit (yes, I know it is a 20amp plug) is recommended (15A for 240V). For the purposes of portability (since I can't always count on having access to a 240 circuit), I made a special extension cord adapter that allows me to plug my 375-X and my 150STL into 240V by pulling the hots from two separate 120V circuits at once. Thus, my amperage requirements are only for about 15 amps. Voila! problem solved.

HTH,
Ben