- Thread starter Turbo
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Yep I'd agree with that. A full torch is going to be a much better idea.
When it arrives, could you measure up the ring size? Just wondering if it'll go on a standard binding post.
Onoff
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The pilot arc torch as found by @zx9 arrived. First off the 2-pin DIN connector was all loose though it fits the Parkside plasma socket fine. Soldering looks OK inside the plug. All tightened up now.
The air connector won't do up tight as this video shows:
Needs the little raised lip taking off:
I'll undo the new gun sometime and have a peek inside.
The air connector won't do up tight as this video shows:
Needs the little raised lip taking off:
I'll undo the new gun sometime and have a peek inside.
zx9
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I am sorry about it not fitting, the one I ordered has not arrived yet.
Do you think it is workable with some kind of washer or spacer or is it send it back time?
Edit: I should have a couple of Dinse plugs and sockets on the way to make a Dinse Y cable to plug into the front of the cutter.
Onoff
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Seriously, just hold in in the vice & file that lip off & job done I reckon. The cone fitting inside looks the same.
As for the Dinse connection: The rubber boot on the Parkside one just slides back (also acts as the "spanner" to tighten it).
The earth lead is clamped via a big a screw.
On the new pilot arc torch, on the ring crimp, on the end of the red lead, the crimp is stamped "2-8" and "14-16". I reckon it's 2mm2 cable on an 8mm stud. You could either jump into the big screw clamp or slip or as a quick fix push the Dinse plug through a copper tube crimp lug. The Dinse plug measures nom 8.75mm dia so the lug on the red wire doesn't quite fit. I'm betting it's supposed to though!
zx9
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I am with you now, I thought that it was the cone / bull nose that was the problem, it sounds like an easier fix than I was imagining.
Mine has still not arrived
Kram
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Can you poke the pilot arc earth connection into the earth leads dinse screw clamp? It does mean they become inseperable for storage but it'll work atleast as a short term bodge.
Zoro have dinse sockets and plugs quite cheap if you wanted to make up an adaptor.
I'd like to know if the PA torch is worthwhile before I order one
Zoro have dinse sockets and plugs quite cheap if you wanted to make up an adaptor.
I'd like to know if the PA torch is worthwhile before I order one
Onoff
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Can you poke the pilot arc earth connection into the earth leads dinse screw clamp? It does mean they become inseperable for storage but it'll work atleast as a short term bodge.
Zoro have dinse sockets and plugs quite cheap if you wanted to make up an adaptor.
I'd like to know if the PA torch is worthwhile before I order one
I'll video it in use. Yep as I said above whacking the wire in under the screw clamp will work. Just a bullet connector m/f would do tbh.
I got to use my Lidl pilot arc (no on-board compressor) for the first time in a while today (cutting a 1.3 metre long, 75mm diameter, 4mm thick-walled pipe in half lengthwise to split it into 2).
The halves were to join 2 driveway tubular frame gates together to make one long gate.
I also used another Lidl tool, a little 80 Amp Inverter arc welder, to weld the pipe to the gates. That little gadget (which I only bought to play with to have a bash at stick welding) did the job well too (though it'd have been much neater without this Chimp waving the torch about).
The halves were to join 2 driveway tubular frame gates together to make one long gate.
I also used another Lidl tool, a little 80 Amp Inverter arc welder, to weld the pipe to the gates. That little gadget (which I only bought to play with to have a bash at stick welding) did the job well too (though it'd have been much neater without this Chimp waving the torch about).
Onoff
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That red wire is a pi$$y little cable CSA wise. I'd look but just back from the pub.
zx9
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Progress has been made, all the bit turned up yesterday quite late in the evening.
I did need to file off a couple of MM from the air connection to snug up the bull nose. I made the Dinse Y cable from a substantial set of old but very short jump leads, short as in way too short to connect the jump points on modern vehicles but significantly they were copper not CCA.
The torch return looks a bit odd but it works.
I put a clamp on the little red return and it does indeed take full current when started up in free air, which looks to be just over 40A, once cutting and the earth clamp is in use that falls to under 8A . Take all those figures with a pinch of salt as the clap meter is un calibrated and certainly for the in use figure a bit vague as I bet it was picking up some magnetic field from the main return cable.
In short it works and I am very happy, it will strike an arc to cut through paint and rust but I am not going to post any pics of my attempts to use the torch single handedly whilst looking away from the job to watch the clap meter.
Now to look at the air filter, something for the afternoon unless I get distracted by work emails.
I did need to file off a couple of MM from the air connection to snug up the bull nose. I made the Dinse Y cable from a substantial set of old but very short jump leads, short as in way too short to connect the jump points on modern vehicles but significantly they were copper not CCA.
The torch return looks a bit odd but it works.
I put a clamp on the little red return and it does indeed take full current when started up in free air, which looks to be just over 40A, once cutting and the earth clamp is in use that falls to under 8A . Take all those figures with a pinch of salt as the clap meter is un calibrated and certainly for the in use figure a bit vague as I bet it was picking up some magnetic field from the main return cable.
In short it works and I am very happy, it will strike an arc to cut through paint and rust but I am not going to post any pics of my attempts to use the torch single handedly whilst looking away from the job to watch the clap meter.
Now to look at the air filter, something for the afternoon unless I get distracted by work emails.
zx9
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I think somewhere someone, sorry I forget who did say that fitting a filter that would work with internal and external air was doable but not as easy as you might think.
Basically the internal air meets the external air at a T just behind the front panel, all the connections are with 8mm push fittings so all good there. You need to re configure the T such that the current connection to the front panel becomes a connection to the external filter and bring a line back from the external filter to the front panel.
The front panel connection is the only one that is not push fit and requires a small single ear hose clamp, as the airlines run past one of the main board heat sinks I stopped at this point to order more heat resistant tubing.
Basically the internal air meets the external air at a T just behind the front panel, all the connections are with 8mm push fittings so all good there. You need to re configure the T such that the current connection to the front panel becomes a connection to the external filter and bring a line back from the external filter to the front panel.
The front panel connection is the only one that is not push fit and requires a small single ear hose clamp, as the airlines run past one of the main board heat sinks I stopped at this point to order more heat resistant tubing.
zx9
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Not yet, it has started chucking it down here and the only safe place I can be chucking sparks around is outside.
How ever on the mods front I think I have hit a dead end.
There is no solenoid for the external air, as soon as it is connected to air it flows from the torch, how I did not notice this when I had the case open I have no idea.
I did take a general board photo but I can't see an un populated connector which could drive a solenoid unless it could be connected to the internal compressor's supply. I need to take it apart again to try and work out how the compressor is switched but that will not be until Sunday at the earliest.
Onoff
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Not yet, it has started chucking it down here and the only safe place I can be chucking sparks around is outside.
How ever on the mods front I think I have hit a dead end.
There is no solenoid for the external air, as soon as it is connected to air it flows from the torch, how I did not notice this when I had the case open I have no idea.
I did take a general board photo but I can't see an un populated connector which could drive a solenoid unless it could be connected to the internal compressor's supply. I need to take it apart again to try and work out how the compressor is switched but that will not be until Sunday at the earliest.
We can wait
zx9
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It certainly switches the internal compressor out, if it just breaks the power after the run on timer that is good and could be used, if it is logic to the board not so good, we shall see.
charlysays
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Finally got my green lidl plasma cutter out yesterday. Pps30 with the pilot arc.
Literally 10 mins and I was cutting stuff up. Great bit of kit. Must have done about 15ft of cutting on thin stainless sheet, so fast and pleasant compared to a grinder. I made a garden incinerator out of a couple of washing machine drums (could do with another to increase height).
I did see the black pps40 ones in Lidl the other week. Never seen any Lidl professional stuff in my local store before now and they only had 6 or 8 of them.
Kinda wish I had waited for one of those instead of the green one which I bought months ago but to be honest the green one is more than enough for me and I found myself using a LOT of compressed air, which I suspect the onboard compressor in the Lidl professional ones wouldn't have kept up with.
Literally 10 mins and I was cutting stuff up. Great bit of kit. Must have done about 15ft of cutting on thin stainless sheet, so fast and pleasant compared to a grinder. I made a garden incinerator out of a couple of washing machine drums (could do with another to increase height).
I did see the black pps40 ones in Lidl the other week. Never seen any Lidl professional stuff in my local store before now and they only had 6 or 8 of them.
Kinda wish I had waited for one of those instead of the green one which I bought months ago but to be honest the green one is more than enough for me and I found myself using a LOT of compressed air, which I suspect the onboard compressor in the Lidl professional ones wouldn't have kept up with.
