ESAB (Snap-on) Smashweld 180 Stuttering

[ostosix]

Great write up, i dont get wire feed on 3 and the rotary switch is hard to turn past 3 sometimes but not others, but never works. The rotary wiring duants me a bit.
Other wise a nice little welder.

I like having access to wire and tensioner, cos you can rewind the wire easily

 

[ostosix]

Hi there, is this switch suitable? 7 positions 20amp?

AC660V 20A Rotary Cam 12 Terminal 7 Position Universal Combination Switch 702105746707 | eBay

Specification: Descriptions: Please Pay attention to the Voltage before ordering to make sure the Universal Switch work successfully. When installing this Universal Changeover Switch, professional technique is required. Combination switch mainly suitable for electrical wiring in the power switch...

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[eddie49]

Yes, I think so !
I have always found these rotary cam switches totally baffling. The one you have linked to is similar to the one in post #19 of this thread, in that it has 3 segments and each segment has 4 terminals. The Forum member Graham Francis worked out how to link these 12 On/Off switches to make a 1-pole 6-way switch, and he said it was "easy" !
The switch in your eBay link already has some links fitted, between the segments, but I am not sure if those links will be correct for your application. Note that the welder originally has seven voltage ranges, but these switches offer only 6 ways.

 

[ostosix]

Yes ive bought and have the first one, ive figured it out but not how he linked the on off switch(in series) or why?

Ive ordered the second switch in order to pick up the 7 settings.
After a decent scrub with a fine wire brush, the insulation looks a lot better than it did. In fact i was worried when i opened it up but if i replace the bus bar and extend the insulation it’ll look passable.

Once ive got a switch sorted i’ll have board out and see if the relays are causing the live torch occasionally.

Thanks Ed you’ve come to my rescue in a previous post about thermal arc fabricator 200! Very much appreciated.

 

[eddie49]

Both of these rotary switches have 12 terminals, so I think they are effectively six On/Off switches that close and open in sequence. The "second" switch, from eBay not Amazon, has 7 positions and starts with a "zero" setting, where none of the six switches are closed. So that would be closer to the original ( which had a double-pole On/Off switch, open at the "Off" position of seven, interrupting both Live and Neutral to the whole machine ). See diagram on Page 9 of the Manual attached to Bobbes' post #4 of this thread.
With this switch, you would not need to add a separate double-pole main On/Off toggle switch, as Graham Francis did. However, even this 7-position version is only capable of operation as 1-pole, 6-way switch, so to use either of them you would lose one of the original 7 voltage ranges of the welder.
I think that in Position "0" none of the six switches are closed. In position "1", one of them - possibly the first one clockwise on the first cam segment, closes. In position "2", that switch opens, and the next switch in line closes. This may be the first one clockwise on the second segment, so that is why you need a link from one pole of the first switch on the first segment across to the second segment...?

[ In your previous Thermal Arc Fabricator thread I mentioned John Birkett's electronics shop on The Strait in Lincoln. I have now learned that he died on 30 April 2022, aged 93.

John Birkett 1928 – 2022

John Birkett 1928 – 2022 President Lincoln Short Wave Club 1979 to 2022 John on his stand at the National Hamfest John was born in Lincoln in September 1928 and lived in Hykeham village. John left …

www.g5fz.co.uk

Click here to view the tribute page for John BIRKETT

Friends and family can add photos, memories and messages on their lasting tribute page today.

funeral-notices.co.uk

John Birkett G8OPP SK | Southgate Amateur Radio News

John Birkett G8OPP passed away peacefully in the Lincoln County Hospital on the 30th April 2022, the funeral takes place on the 30th May

www.southgatearc.org

RIP John Birkett, Parts Vendor Extraordinaire

It is with sadness that we note the passing of John Birkett, proprietor of the legendary eponymous surplus radio and electronics store on an unassuming street in the British city of Lincoln, at the…

hackaday.com

I started going to his shop in 1961, excitedly checking the windows at 8 am most mornings on my way to school. Without the local availability of components and surplus equipment from him, I probably would not have started my 44-year career in electronics.]

Quote Reply

 

[ostosix]

Thanks for those John Birkett links he made it to a good old age but never the less it’s still a sad day. I actually live in Bracebridge Heath opposite where the lancaster bombers were built, they used to tow them down my road to the airfield at waddington just a mile down.

As for the switches i’ll have a play with multimeter, it should be here this week. The original switch is very large in comparison to the new one, once its out i might give it a clean up.