esab plasma.....need help

[ryno]

does anyone have a GOOD repair company or know a buddy that can repair, not replace the pc board in my esab plasma?

i sent it into york electronics and it came back with the same problems. really great people at york, just cant get the correct factory esab parts i guess.

 

[35mastr]

Have you priced the board. We ended up buying a brand new plasma because the board was close to the price of a new unit.

 

[ryno]

Have you priced the board. We ended up buying a brand new plasma because the board was close to the price of a new unit.

yes. thats why im looking to get it repaired.

 

[Skyline]

I don't know what prices you are seeing for the board. But I bought my esab plasma for $875 NOS on eBay, (it was a somewhat older model than the current ones). I would not pay more than that for a repair.

I had a Miller plasma with a bad board, and the board was going to be $1,500 to replace. So I sold it broken on eBay, and made about $100, (I bought it knowing the board was bad, but only paid $100 for a $2,500 machine). The guy that bought it had a cheaper source for the board, I think.

These inverter machines are fantastic...until they break.

 

[milkovich]

These inverter machines are fantastic...until they break.

dont' say that! I definitley can't afford to replace my 375 x-treme.

 

[RPH]

Post a pic and see what we can find.

 

[unclethumbtack]

does anyone have a GOOD repair company or know a buddy that can repair, not replace the pc board in my esab plasma?

i sent it into york electronics and it came back with the same problems. really great people at york, just cant get the correct factory esab parts i guess.

I sent you a pm. I work in Joplin, I think there is a guy in our shop that you should talk to.

 

[ryno]

sorry for the slow response

i actually talked to the esab tech guys and figured out that it was a special chip that only esab has. it has a special program on it and only they can fix it!

their support was great and very helpful. they updated my board for $381. i should be getting it back today, so ill keep my fingers crossed.

thanks for the replies.

 

[mrshaun]

you can find those around here pretty easy. the army guys bring them back from Iraq/Afghanistan in their shipping containers. they usually sell them on craigslist when they get home.

 

[Professur]

it was a special chip that only esab has. it has a special program on it and only they can fix it!

Whenever I hear something like that, I start looking to see how fast I can unload it once it's working again.

 

[Skyline]

Whenever I hear something like that, I start looking to see how fast I can unload it once it's working again.

Trust me, $381 to put an inverter plama board back in working order is not bad at all. I think you'd be much worse financially off if this same issue happened with a Miller plasma...and the Spectrum machines do experience board failures.

This is NO reason to steer away from ESAB; sounds to me like their customer service/tech support went out of their way to help out ryno.

 

[Professur]

Not the cost ... but the lack of ability to have it fixed anywhere else. I loved my subaru Loyale, but unloaded it when I couldn't get it reliably fixed anywhere but the dealership.