Anything welding

i've got an oldish i7 lenovo i could send for the purpose if you wanted.

 

Big gesture to offer but I'll wait to see what the experts say. But I do greatly appreciate that.

My assumption is this -

"Check this, then this, then this"

And if the results aren't satisfactory, they'll send me a replacement part.

I'm guessing a troubleshoot method not often suggested to the "standard user". I've run into that sort of thing before.

 

@RedManRocket

We've narrowed it down to 99% the driver

I need to yank it out and confirm the dip switches are still in the correct place

If so, it could mean a bad driver but only after I uninstall and reinstall Firecontrol to confirm it isn't software related still

 

@soundman98
@RedManRocket
@Wsidr1
@koditten

Issue resolved; I took a picture for Langmuir and the group and they suggested I flip dip switch #2 down as they were all up



Doing so solved the issue as I now have a cut height of .06"

 

Isn't always something stupid simple!

I went a year manually adjusting my z axis by hand. I could not figure out why the head would not lift between cuts!

Found out by accident that I needed check the fucking box that said" use z axis "!

Damn! I felt stupid!

 

See, I'm like you...I will admit fault on my end easily and without shame.

It's why I posted that my coupler was slipping, which it "kind of" was but realistically not enough to create the issue I was having.

In this particular case however, the THC system is mailed out as a "ready to install" kit meaning, no user input is even required for the dip switches which is why the guide or installation manual doesn't cover the topic.

For once, I wasn't the idiot

 

And to fully test it, this is the first piece cut right after confirming height



Some would say it's pretty risky running new 4' x 2' sheet of steel as a test run



I said fuck it; came out perfect

 

Ballsy for sure!

 

https://youtu.be/4WwJ6OVSwkM?si=LGw1zKACWr5JC3ha

 

Glad to hear!! And it was free!

 

Langmuir was probably like -



thinking they'd have to send me some replacement parts

I'm still under warranty! Only had it since Dec of last year.

 

Oh and I must add, because knowledge is power, the new torch (UPM-105) uses shielded consumables.

The old torch (PTM-60) used un-shielded consumables.

This means the electrode and nozzle combination sits .03" back farther resulting in a cut height of .09" from work material to shield.

I'll have to adjust a bit to make up for this; Hypertherm users with these consumables don't have to worry about the change as their output voltage is much higher but to confirm what I'm saying, the newer models like those that have the SYNC system (different cartridge/consumable) actually have a cut height of .12" due to their focused plasma cutting.

 

Had to work for half an hour today, tough day today

 

glad you figured it out!

dip switches can be the bane of existence sometimes. you don't know how many times i've screamed into the wind that i wish companies would just clearly label what every position does!

a co-worker is dealing with what i think is an similar issue right now. it's a remote-controlled relay box where the controller and relay box are both digitally addressable via dip switches, because i guess simplicity was too easy. but no official documentation lists the correct pattern for the dip switches... the benefit is that he's now figured out 4 different ways it doesn't work...

 

Six days worth of trouble shooting from 6-7 different people on the Langmuir forum

One guy even said he's surprised at how patient I was considering all the troubleshooting and my thoroughness of everything

When I opened up the control box and saw the other two drivers also had switch number 2 down, that tells me it changes the resolution for the stepper motors they communicate with

However, nowhere in Langmuir's instructions did it state to check/change/confirm dip switch position as X and Y axis drivers are already installed in the control box, and the Z axis is part of a kit that only requires physical install of the driver, wiring some stuff up, and physical install of the motor assembly and such. Nothing about the driver dip switch positioning

I suggested that at least with their Z axis kit, they should supply that as a small disclaimer

For your co-worker, there's no reaching out to the manufacturer?

 

not by us 'lowly techs'... corporate policy at work is that we're not officially allowed access to the internet, or computers (funny how my bay magically grew a laptop that has a phantom internet connection though). interactions with suppliers/manufacturers happens 2 tiers up within the management structure. for efficiency reasons, and because some tech abused the internet access permission somewhere in the past. it just tends to take much longer to work it's way back down the chinese telephone to get us the answers that work.

 

Building a fire pit grate from scratch. Gave myself a project to learn TIG. It’s my first project after just running beads and simple butt joints on scrap. This is 11 hours of work and I’m still not done yet. My productivity ratio is crap!

 

Well, a job like that would be suited for MIG, but it will definitely help with dialing in your TIG skills.

 

Totally agree. Which is why I did it this way. I definitely learned a lot!

 

Great opportunity to learn for sure!

Most fillet welds; after a few passes you'll learn which way your torch likes to be angled. Can tell you're picking it up as some look better than others.

Go faster and up the heat; some look like you've got too much filler from going slow not to mention the heat affected zones are big. Trust me, more heat and faster movement.

Otherwise looks great!