Author Topic: Help, No power  (Read 4161 times)

Biofuelstudent

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 2
    • View Profile
Help, No power
« on: September 10, 2006, 03:25:14 AM »
Sorry that this isn't about a lister but I am not sure who to ask.

I have a Hobart gen/AC welder. 4500watt I think the AC welder is 160 or 180 amp bought new around 1989
It has been sitting a while and when i started it only about 2 volts are produced.
I read somewhere that after sitting a while the field needs to be  re-excited, so i hooked up two different drill (I read to do this some where on the internet) with the gen running  and turned them with a battery powered drill to push power into the gen. I ran them clockwise, counterclockwise, and I flipped the reverse/forward switch on the AC drill, while holding the the trigger down on the AC drill.  Still nothing.

I looked under the panel with the receptacles on it, but I don't see any bad wires. There are no fuses or reset switches only a disk thingy with three wires going to it some of which look like they are coming for the outside coil. I didn't remove the cover off the welder part, because the gasoline tank is bolted to it.

But the main thing that puzzles me (not hard for me to do) is when my DMM is set the diode test it beeps showing a connection when hooked to the "hot" contacts in the receptacle (not the ground) and to the side of the machine.

Tomorrow the I will try a 175 watt inverter to excite the coil if no luck maybe 110 from the wall which I am wonder if it will smoke something (Like me) 

Any Ideas? Make a Good Boat anchor?

Thanks greatly Justin

Doug

  • Guest
Re: Help, No power
« Reply #1 on: September 10, 2006, 03:38:55 AM »
Try this dirty and ugly but often effective....

Make an extension cord with two male ends and a light switch between....
Put a light load on the welder 500-1000 watts.
Fire up the genset.

MAKE SURE THE SWITCH ON THE EXTENSION CORD YOU MADE IS OFF!!!!

Plug your special cord into the welder and an AC power suply ( house wlll do or inverter )
Turn the switch on and off once quickly and see if the generator comes to life and produces power.

DON'T GET A SHOCK AND SUE ME!
DON'T leave the switch on for more than a second.
DON'T KEEP DOING THIS IF IT DOESN"T WORK IT THE FIRST OR SECOND TIME!!!!!!

I shouldn't even post this trick an extension cord with two male ends is bad news and messing around with electricity can seriously injur....


gpkull

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 204
    • View Profile
Re: Help, No power
« Reply #2 on: September 12, 2006, 12:04:51 AM »
it is much safer to exict the rotor (providing it has brushes) than to try the gen to utility trick. i would have a breaker in line if i was to try the energize stator move .  you should not have continuity between the frame and (hot) side of the stator. i have seen the nuetral bonded to the frame. you can evcite with a car battery and speaker wire. i would remove one of the wire giong to a brush first

Doug

  • Guest
Re: Help, No power
« Reply #3 on: September 15, 2006, 02:57:29 AM »
I never claimed it was the right way to do it....

Years ago my boss at the time put a lot of presure on me to get machines in and out of the shop. This place worked on the principle of "do you want it done right, or done right away" and it was usualy a  50:50 split dependig on the days presure level.

I am all for taking the time to do a job right, but as I understood his post he was about to try and do this without my input.

Doug