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Author Topic: Physical buttons for plasma  (Read 155064 times)

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Offline BR549

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Re: Physical buttons for plasma
« Reply #60 on: January 21, 2016, 05:08:02 PM »
NO I think it was just all covered (;-). Not much more to say. Mach3 is what it is and will never change. IF you want something better you have to move on to another brand controller (;-).

(;-) TP

Offline Hood

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Re: Physical buttons for plasma
« Reply #61 on: January 22, 2016, 04:28:36 PM »
Ian,
 kind of thought that was the way of it. My Plasma doesn't have the divider or arc signal. There was a CNC Interface option but I never went with it as I needed the machine ASAP and I didn't bother asking how much. Suppose I really should have as I may have been surprised at the cost.


Robert
 Dont think anything you said was an issue, just as TP says I think.

Hood

Offline stirling

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Re: Physical buttons for plasma
« Reply #62 on: January 23, 2016, 06:28:40 AM »
No worries. Although a divider etc. interface is dead easy to make, I just decided I didn't want to go near the H&S/legal nightmare of selling them.
Re: Physical buttons for plasma
« Reply #63 on: January 23, 2016, 07:01:09 AM »
yeah, I guess its also warrentee issues if its not been wired up correctly... looking at the hypertherm 65, the standard voltage divider output is 20:1, and then by buying the interface card and CPC (circular plastic connector), it adds the ability via a PCB, dipswitches and presumably a resistor array to select other voltage divider settings.

https://www.hypertherm.com/Xnet/library/library.jsp?file=HYP109602
page 258 / 258, bottom RHS of schematic

One of the reasons why I like hypertherm.... the service manuals and operator manuals are available and detailed...
Rob

Albert Einstein ― “If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself.”
Re: Physical buttons for plasma
« Reply #64 on: January 23, 2016, 11:35:47 AM »

One of the reasons why I like hypertherm.... the service manuals and operator manuals are available and detailed...


Not to be advertising, but this is one of the main things I look for before purchasing. And this .doc was well worth downloading.
Thanks for the link Rob.
Hoping Hood's choice works out very well and is equally, or better detailed and supportive.  :)

All this is just helping me to prepare for the day I delve into a project similar to this .... Thanks Hood.

Hijack over ... releasing the hostages.
 :)
Russ

Offline BR549

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Re: Physical buttons for plasma
« Reply #65 on: January 23, 2016, 12:47:34 PM »
Could you not buy a HT voltage divider card and install it on another brand  ????   

Re: Physical buttons for plasma
« Reply #66 on: January 23, 2016, 01:49:59 PM »
Glad to have been able to help, note the L1 and L2 are likley to be an inductive filter.

You can build a higher voltage, voltage divider very easily.

Sorry was not really advertising, just saying as it was if another manufacturer publishes their data so fully and freely I've not seen it.  Don't work for them, sell them or even do a day job in the industry.  The operator manuals are very good too for the cut tables, which I have wondered if you can equate them to other manufactures machines, although I'd suggest as I read somewhere... Don't focus on the ampage alone but the actual cutting power... Say the machine is set at 65a/140v, so the cutting power is 9100W... Rival machine... Say 60a at 105v... Cutting power is 6300W, so proportionally the cut speed of the rival is probably going to be about 70% of the ones in the published manual... At least as a starting point if you have only an ampage and target cutting voltage without any published data..

There are obviously other bits that come into it like air pressure, inverter frequency which may affect the concentration of the plasma flame?  Arc? ... Whatever the correct technical term is of the plasma cutting zone.
Rob

Albert Einstein ― “If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself.”

Offline BR549

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Re: Physical buttons for plasma
« Reply #67 on: January 23, 2016, 02:31:39 PM »
The cutting voltage is actually irrellavant. It is the cutting HEIGHT that is important. The voltage level will be what it will be depending on all the elctronics and calibration involved.  BUT teh cut charts are a great starting point.

The nice thing about the HT units are they STAY on the leading edge of plasma cutting technology. A lot of others may lag behind as much as 20 years in Plasma cutting technology and design. A lot of them are actually using OLD HT tech that the patents have run out. Most of the times even the NEW torch tech can be upgraded to an older unit.

(;-) TP
Re: Physical buttons for plasma
« Reply #68 on: January 23, 2016, 03:10:38 PM »
Sorry don't agree with you there the rated cutting voltage is important as it affects the power output of the unit, and provides a simple direct comparison between machines

Wrong forum... Suggest asking over on one of the CNC forums frequented by Jim colt I know he wrote a bit on it if I can find it again I'll post it.

If you have no cut table, it can aide you in setting something up.

Compare two machine with a similar rated cutting current, say a powermax 600 and powermax 45 or a powermax 1000 and the newer powermax 65, cut tables are not the same but current maybe... Why?

Here is an article
http://www.fsmdirect.com/cutting/laser-cutting/247-volts-amps-and-plasma-power

And another
http://www.hyperthermspark.com/taking-the-mystery-out-of-air-plasma-power-supply-specifications/
« Last Edit: January 23, 2016, 03:18:50 PM by robertspark »
Rob

Albert Einstein ― “If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself.”

Offline BR549

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Re: Physical buttons for plasma
« Reply #69 on: January 23, 2016, 03:53:12 PM »
I think you WILL find out differently in the real world (;-)  Even Jim will tell you two things.  Teh Amp rating sets teh power density of the plasma arc so always try to cut at  MAXIUMUM power density( 40 amp tip and 40 amp setting)  And teh Cut height is teh important value not arc voltage. They give you the arc voltage to get you in the ball park. You would set YOUR voltage value to represent teh actual cutting height listed in teh table BASED on your torch components reguardless of what your voltage display says.

Torch and tip design also plays a large part of what teh actual voltage will be cutting at a preset height.   A longer length combination of nozzle components will give you are higher voltage than a shorter length combination .

Just a thought, (;-) TP