Invertor welder has stopped working

[teleco]

Hi All,

Purchased a 200amp invertor welder in China. (that was my first mistake)
I used it on 2 small jobs, first job was about 10 minutes use and about 5 minutes into the 2nd job it tripped a fuse in the house and never worked again.
The on/off switch lights up but thats it,
I contacted the company but they are not much help and dont provide a warranty.
Anyone any ideas

Thanks

 

[PTvor]

Cheap Chinese inverters are notorious for loose wires. it would be worth taking the covers off and having a look.

Apart from that, there are companies which do inverter repairs, but I gather prices start from about £100 which is likely a good chunk of the cost of the inverter

I think you've probably got a door stop there.

 

[Windy Miller]

Try getting in touch with Plasmapart. There's a guy there called Mike who's a whizz with Chinese inverter technology. No idea how much it will cost but worth a phone call.

 

[teleco]

Ok Thanks, had a look and all wires seem ok..

must be pretty poor quality when they dont last 5 minutes.

Anyway spoke to salesperson in China who sold it to me and as goodwill gesture they are going to send over the spare parts such as the boards etc but probably only get 5-10 minutes when they will blow out too.

When i ordered this first he said it would take 5 days to manufacture the welder for me and then it was tested in workshop few times before being sent out but doesnt seem like it

 

[PTvor]

It might well have been put through its paces in the factory and been damaged on the journey from China. Generally, inverters don't take much dropping or rough treatment and the dearer ones have bracing to prevent the heatsinks moving with shock and causing damage. In the cheaper ones, corners are cut to keep the price down.

I think it pays to deal with a a proper importer in the UK, not someone who buys a load and shifts it without knowing anything about it, but someone who knows a bit about them and can back up the guarantee, carries spare boards, and can supply a replacement machine if needed.

Anyway, it sounds as if the service you've got from the maker in China is better than you expected.

 

[Wedg1e]

One thing that tends to suffer from transit shocks is ferrite-cored transformers: can be hard to diagnose as the core can crack but appear to stay in one piece, however the discontinuity means the transformer no longer works as one even though it will measure OK on basic tests.

 

[waldron]

Hi Teleco,

Can you post a photo of front panel and a view looking down on top PCB, will see if I can help.

Mike

 

[teleco]

One thing that tends to suffer from transit shocks is ferrite-cored transformers: can be hard to diagnose as the core can crack but appear to stay in one piece, however the discontinuity means the transformer no longer works as one even though it will measure OK on basic tests.

ok thanks so if the company decides to send me over spare part, say for example a ferrite cored transformer for this there is a good chance this could be damaged too and i wouldnt know

 

[teleco]

Hi Teleco,

Can you post a photo of front panel and a view looking down on top PCB, will see if I can help.

Mike

OK Mike i will do soon, thanks

 

[waldron]

Thanks, I just need the photo's to establish the type of machine you have. From experience, the electronic circuits in all the machines are similar but can be a lot different in detail. The quality of manufacture can also be quite different, some very good, some dreadful! Hopefully I can take you through some simple fault finding if you want to try.

Mike

 

[BillFarworth]

Sorry teleco but .This is the reason I am constantly saying that only I may purchase a welder direct from China.
It is a different scenario if you purchase a kit, made in China but supported from a reliable company in UK .Anyway now is late! As waldron suggest you, post some photos and maybe someone able to help you.I suspected that even with the replacement the kit will not last long.
Hope I am wrong but from my experience the components that these fellows use are pretty cheap this is the reason of the low low price of the entire kit.
Deep from my heart Good luck to you!

 

[BillFarworth]

Sorry teleco but no I meant !

 

[teleco]

Well the replacement parts were fitted and they must be faulty too as welder wouldn't work...
The company will now not answer any of my emails and ignore me.
Ive been conned its seems and they are still advertising this rubbish.
Was going to publish the company name here so others would know to avoid as they sell other equipment too.
If only i had knew about this forum first i wouldn't have purchased from these scammers.

 

[mike 109444]

Teleco where in the uk are you.? Could be someone may be able to point you in the direction of a repair place near you. Sorry to hear that the parts have not fixed it.

 

[teleco]

Thanks but don't think they can be repaired from what i hear...I'm in Armagh, I probably should have knew they would be rubbish parts too anyway

 

[Wedg1e]

Sounds like a classic case of misdiagnosis: the original parts probably weren't faulty, the trouble was something else... or there's something wrong that took out the parts you've replaced and in all probability has taken the new ones out as well.

 

[the snooper]

there was a guy on here sometime back repairing these machines and in the process apparently making them more reliable maybe someone could pm you his contact details

 

[Country Joe]

there was a guy on here sometime back repairing these machines and in the process apparently making them more reliable maybe someone could pm you his contact details

Might have been the guys on this thread.

Which points to this site.

Or send a PM to "Windy Miller", on this Forum.

All the Best,
CJ

 

[the snooper]

Might have been the guys on this thread.

Which points to this site.

Or send a PM to "Windy Miller", on this Forum.

All the Best,
CJ

thats the one