Dead Clarke Pro weld 90

[dazbaby]

Hi,
Just wondered if anyone can point me in the right direction......put welder in garage last october working fine and brought it out today and it was dead as a Dodo. I have checked the fuse and inside there are no loose wires, however the garage was quite damp over the winter.....anything obvious likely to be the matter?
Thanks and regards
Darren

 

[pedrobedro]

Switch problem ?

 

[dazbaby]

I have just had the switch to bits and on the face of it, seems okay inside.

 

[biodoctor]

could it just be damp ?,put it somewhere warm for a couple of days then try it,i'm not saying it'll work but worth a try.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Dazbaby, do you have a test meter? Or at the very least a 'voltstick' of some sort - even a light-up neon screwdriver?

You also need a little idea of what you are doing - and more than a little care being taken!

The general process is to remove the casing to expose the back of the control panel, plug 'er in, turn 'er on, and then just check for voltage where the mains 'live' comes in, goes to the ON/OFF switch, comes away from there to the tranny and PCB etc etc.

Also check for continuity between the neutral wire inside the case and the plug-top pin.

WATCH OUT FOR THE LIVE WIRES - ONLY DO THE ABOVE IF YOU ARE CONFIDENT ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

Seems a strange one - unlikely anything major has happened to it. Most likely it's surface corrosion on the internal switch contacts - just enough to prevent a current flow. You could try spraying WD40 or proper contact cleaner (from Maplins, etc) INTO the switches, including the hand trigger one. Make sure the spray gets inside, and then operate the switches repeatedly on and off. Plug it back in and see if it now works.

Er, bear in mind that WD40 is flammable, should your welder suddenly decide to strike up...

 

[dazbaby]

Cheers

Thanks for the reply....I do have a meter somewhere in the shed and I like to at least try to fix problems without giving in at the first hurdle.
I will dig it out at the weekend and have a shot at it.....would be foolish to spend £££'s on a new welder and then find out it was something cheap and easy to fix.
Cheers
Darren

 

[brightspark]

Dazbaby, do you have a test meter? Or at the very least a 'voltstick' of some sort - even a light-up neon screwdriver?

You also need a little idea of what you are doing - and more than a little care being taken!

The general process is to remove the casing to expose the back of the control panel, plug 'er in, turn 'er on, and then just check for voltage where the mains 'live' comes in, goes to the ON/OFF switch, comes away from there to the tranny and PCB etc etc.

Also check for continuity between the neutral wire inside the case and the plug-top pin.

WATCH OUT FOR THE LIVE WIRES - ONLY DO THE ABOVE IF YOU ARE CONFIDENT ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

Seems a strange one - unlikely anything major has happened to it. Most likely it's surface corrosion on the internal switch contacts - just enough to prevent a current flow. You could try spraying WD40 or proper contact cleaner (from Maplins, etc) INTO the switches, including the hand trigger one. Make sure the spray gets inside, and then operate the switches repeatedly on and off. Plug it back in and see if it now works.

Er, bear in mind that WD40 is flammable, should your welder suddenly decide to strike up...

spraying wd 40 into any switch isnt policy as soon as it breaks contact the arc sets it alight . use proper switch cleaner made for the job . non flamable

 

[Tom_M]

The best way to trace the live is to use a volt stick http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Volt-Pen-VOLT-STICK-Safety-Voltage-Tester-AC-100v-600v-/370342750906. Just start from the mains plug and fallow the wire to the on off switch, then if the live is getting that far, check to see if it's getting past the switch to the transformer. Of course it won't tell you if the neutral is open circuit but it's a good tool for fault finding.

Tom

 

[madkayaker]

volt pens are use full but not that accurate for tracing wiring within a machine. Its better to check for continuity dead and work point to point through the machine

 

[brightspark]

volt sticks are just a rough test on wiring . there not to be relied upon to show the circuit is dead . they will pick up voltage down to about 12 volts if u want to do a half decent test just buy a cheap digital meter for a tenner it will be acurate enough for what u want to test . voltage and continuity

 

[brightspark]

volt sticks are just a rough test on wiring . there not to be relied upon to show the circuit is dead . they will pick up voltage down to about 12 volts if u want to do a half decent test just buy a cheap digital meter for a tenner it will be acurate enough for what u want to test . voltage and continuity

this is what happens when u rely on one

 

[madkayaker]

bet your glad there VDE

 

[brightspark]

bet your glad there VDE

£18 quid up the swanny in one cut

 

[exminiman]

check out my thread.....i just fixed mine