lotos plasma torch issue

[corvairbob]

is there anyone her that has the lotos plasma torch model en60974-1:2005? not sure what the 2005 is for unless that is the year they made it. i got it brand new in the box. i plugged it in and it trips the breaker. so i took off the cover and unplugged the power wire at the switch and ohed it and it is wired correct. then i checked the stitch and it is correct. so i unplugged all the plugs on the power board and tried it and it did not blow the breaker. so i stated plugging them back in and when i got to the bridge rectifiers with either one plugged in it showed like it was running, but with both in it blew the breaker. so then i unplugged the connector coming from the bridges and going to the high freq section and this time i blew out the start relay on the power supply board. now that should not have happened as unplugging things should not cause that type of failure. so my guess is that relay may have been the issue and it just failed after all those tries.

so what i could use is a wire diagram for this model if anyone has one or knows where i can get one. i tried the mfg. and they just will not answer emails. also does anyone happen to know if this will run on both 120 and 240 with out any reconnecting? i do not see anyplace that show reconnecting the power for 120 or 240. or maybe if anyone know of a forum for the lotos brand of welders/plasma torches? thank bp.

 

[California]

I did a little Googling and found that EN60974.1 [:year] is an industry standard, probably a safety standard, and broadly applicable across many brands.

Is there anything else to identify a similar brand and model that might have documentation?

Dead on arrival? If you have a warranty, I would request an exchange for one that works properly.

The Amazon 1 and 2 star reviews for this Lotos LT50000D cutter are similar to your experience. Dead after a short while and no cooperation from Lotos. One of the 3-star reviews said they received it for repair then apparently lost it, the FedEx tracking number they keep showing is the number from his original purchase not the returned repair.

https://www.amazon.com/Lotos-LT5000D-Plasma-Voltage-Compact/dp/B004VFJL14

 

[dee_veloper]

what's the amperage rating on the breaker and what are the amperage requirements on the machine ? How long is the electrical cord in use ?

 

[corvairbob]

well it is 40 amps and i have it on 40 amp breaker. the cord for the torch is like 3ft and the extention is maybe 50ft/ but the is well in the range for a 50ft extinion cord. at 10 ga wire.

anyway i contacted the tech at lotos and they told me the bridge diodes are real bad for shorting. so i ordered 35 amp diodes. it came with 25 amp diodes. if i was to unplug one bridge it would turn on but gave no output did not make a difference what bridge i unplugged. anyway when i unplugged the high freq for one side that is when it took out the starting relay for that side. the techs did not have a clue for that. so when i get the parts back and installed i will wire it for 120 volts as it senses the input voltage and then pug it into a bult test light so if i have a direct short anywhere the bulb will be bright and if the new bridges work and the light is dim then that must have been the issue. this way using a bulb in the circuit will be like having a resettable breaker and will help prevent more damage.

i took them out and tested them and one did have like 3 ohms between the ac side of the bridge so it must have been somewhat shorted. the techs said they had issues with bad bridges. they wanted me to get them from there supply but i figure if they are having lots of issues then i will go with a larger amp bridge and from another source.

the damage it had i do not think would have the cause for the issue. but bad bridges can cause it. now i have to replace one starting relay and the bridges and see if that fixes it if not i guess it will become parts. thanks

oh for my very first post and i get a spam wanting me to check out there naked photos. wow the first time i ever had that happen on any forum. so i turned it in.