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Tool Talk Discussion Forum

Esab Plasma electronics tough nut to crack.

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JL Sargent

06-10-2005 20:32:03




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I have a Esab PCM-875 plasma cutter that doesnt work. One of the two IBGTs tested bad and a few of the diodes on the driver board bad. I replaced bad components and tried it again. Hey, this time pilot arc is working. Yeah! Then I try to cut something and POP back down for the count again with some dead zener diodes on the IBGT driver board. Anybody work on these with an idea as to what the problem might be? I could use the help.

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David - OR

06-11-2005 07:29:17




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 Re: Esab Plasma electronics tough nut to crack. in reply to JL Sargent, 06-10-2005 20:32:03  
That's IGBT, not IBGT. Stands for Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor.

The whole point of the IGBT is that the driver circuitry can be relatively straightforward (a simple MOS gate input) whilst the hefty bipolar transistor takes care of connecting the plasma gun straight to Bonneville Dam.

If you are blowing parts on the driver board, I would take a look at the driver board's power supply. The control electronics will work at a lower voltage than the voltage used to generate the plasma. If the control voltage is too high, you could damage components on the drive board.a

Here is a pointer to a site with some IGBT theory.

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larry in tn

06-12-2005 06:22:53




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 Re: Esab Plasma electronics tough nut to crack. in reply to David - OR, 06-11-2005 07:29:17  
Have you checked the output board transistors? The control circuit/driver board zeners in these type circuits are useally low current devices that generate a reference for the gate/base of a power passing device. As long as the power transistor is working OK the zener is looking at a high resistance input and passes very little current. If the power transistor shorts out internally the zener is exposed to a low resistance/grounded condition which far exceeds it's current handling ability. Bye Bye zener.

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JL Sargent

06-12-2005 09:47:18




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 Re: Esab Plasma electronics tough nut to crack. in reply to larry in tn, 06-12-2005 06:22:53  
I have checked the waveform of the output board with an O scope and the wave form is there but the squarewave output is not as clean as maybe it should be. It has multiples or harmonics of the root signal present at both outputs (for two IGBTs). So instead of a single square wave signal its like there is a doz. of em and they are all syncronized. I figured maybe its my scope? Any ideas on this? Thanks for the IGBT thread.

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