Draper 150AT Buzzbox Thermal Cutout:

[Blake's 7]

Hi all,

Recently I was given the welder pictured below - a Draper 150AT.



The previous owner had cut the leads off it so I have replaced them with two female dinse connectors on the ends of the existing leads.

Initially, When I used the welder it kept blowing the 13 Amp fuses I put in the plug so I replaced that with a 16 Amp plug and tested it out. I managed to use slightly less than two full 6013's before the thermal cutout tripped and I had to wait about 10-15 minutes before proceeding. This happened a few times.

Can the welder be saved from the scrapheap by replacing the cutout - assuming that is what's faulty?


Thanks.

 

[GrahamGKD]

Just a thought - does that machine have a cooling fan and, if so, is it working?

 

[Blake's 7]

Just a thought - does that machine have a cooling fan and, if so, is it working?

Yes, It has a fan and it's working properly as far as I can tell -When I turn on the welder the fan starts up and there's no suspicious noises from it or it stopping and starting or anything like that.

 

[GrahamGKD]

Yes, It has a fan and it's working properly as far as I can tell -When I turn on the welder the fan starts up and there's no suspicious noises from it or it stopping and starting or anything like that.

Oh, not that then!

 

[gt6s]

Perfectly normal. Lots of tea breaks.

 

[Munkul]

what are you using, 2.5 or 3.2?

It's a cheap welder with a very limited output, unfortunately. You either have to live with it, or replace with something better.

 

[eddie49]

The thermal cutout will go open-crcuit when whatever it is glued to reaches the designated temperature. In this case, the transformer winding. You could test it like you would a car thermostat - put an Ohmmeter across it and heat it up ( in a pan of hot water, or with a heat gun ). I guess it should open about 65 C, 150 F .

 

[Blake's 7]

Thanks for the feedback.

The guy who gave me the welder is a metal fabricator, he said that when he got it first it would weld for quite a long time before cutting out, but now it cuts out after only a few minutes use.

I have a good welder of my own - a GYS E200FV inverter - so am not relying on this buzzbox for anything I might need to weld.

I want to replace the thermal cutout if it is faulty and then give the welder to my teenage niece to use under supervision.