Opperation of Home Made Plasma Cutter

[beancube2010]

Concentrated sunlight can break water into gas fuel and filter sea water into fertilizers and minerals.

[meagain2222]

interesting project.Definately needs care to use this.

Wish I could see the circuit diagram better.

Do you have it posted on flickr someone?

[swaks808]

I don't want to sound like some little kid but my curiosity gets the better of me; is it possible to make a plasma sword?

[swaks808]

@marieomagpie you can!? second questions can it be made portable (like can one person carry it with ease) and can you use it fully submerged under water?

[tamnil]

Another dangerous problem is the capacitor, it will never discharge, cuz lacks of filter/safety circuit, so at charge of 220 V AC, it can reach 1,43 times this rms voltage... so the capacitance laws and body resistance says everything...... injury or death.

... nice circuit for electrochair... but bad for plasma cutting. DC keeps you glued in the wires with a nice toasty sensation.

Sorry to talk about the problems, but I see a lot of people without knowloge, trying to build this.

[tamnil]

Another dangerous thing is the water resistor, because it put metal ions in the water, so the resistance will down agains the time, passing more current, more currents produces more ions and so on..... (basic electro physico-chemistry). if you use stainless steel it delivers CR6+ to the water.... and all the problems involved in chromium toxicity (like the fake HHO "clean" energy DIY)

[slackbr]

Can yopu explain to me somethings ?

. The water is to work as a resistence, limiting the current right ?

. Thouse 38amps are in primary or secundary ?

.

[marieomagpie]

There is something wrong with this schematic. I have tried to build this machine, and when I try to use the HV starter, it cooks the rectifier.

I have the spark gap set to the maximum distance. Everything is hooked up as in the schematic. Most diode bridges are rated for 1kv. There has to be a diffrent high voltage setup!

[marieomagpie]

I think I have just figured out why I was killing the rectifier, I'll let every one know if it works. sorry...... thanks.

[yqnyq]

THIS KILLS YOU:

- If the relay in the positive line fails

- If you touch the torch tip

- If you touch with the torch an isolated metal part that

 has contact to your body

In addition to that:

- it runs the torch with up to 340 volts, which is approx. three times the rated and permissible voltage

I can only emphasise: DO NOT USE THIS CIRCUIT!

[insomartin]

at what pressure do you run for the torch?

[ShadowDiman]

кто знает что за музыка играет? хоть автора айте

[SupermaxCNC]

DO NOT BUILD THIS! IT IS A DEATH TRAP!

By code and law plasma cutters are required to have their output isolated from mains power. This means that there is a isolation transformer in between the mains and the input rectifier.

If you were to come in between ground (Lets say kneeling on wet pavement) and the tip it would kill you in a split second. There are NO safeties in this machine.

[ChrisPCrunchy]

A 50 amp safty switch (earth leakage) unit could be fitted to the 240v mains input to torch however this would up the cost.

[BogdanCatalinAlex]

or you could do just like on arc soldering, put the ground on ground and active on piece of work. if you heve enough skill's on electriciti you could do it yor self in secure maner.

[cheaphardwarez]

Or reconfigure to use only 110 volts and ground work. Even isolated cutters have killed people. When you dont have the funds you can get the job done, or wine about safety in a perfect world.

This device has the ability to kill, but so does the lamp on your desk if you do not know how to handle it.

[SupermaxCNC]

The torch you are using is intended for about a 200v DC operating voltage so it may not work well at 120v.

Show me an example where someone had been killed by a plasma cutter.

Lack of funds is no excuse to not be safe. That like making your own nitroglycerine because you can afford to have someone blast a stump for you.

[NOBOX7]

thanks for the scematic'sbut i cant read it

very cool torch

[LilGreenFiero]

@SupermaxCNC

Isolation transformers just make it slightly safer since you can't short the transformer outside on the pole by shorting the output circuit. They still have a fuse or GFI inline with their output. If you didn't have that it would still be powerful enough to kill you several times over, just slightly less than without it.

[tamnil]

I agree with supermax CNC and cheap hardwarez.... dont build this circuit at home, unless if you have knowledge of the quantum physics involved in thermal plasma generation, safety eletronics, instrumentation (osciloscopes, multimeters and so on) and engineering involved to blend this things, probably it costs more than a plasma cutter machine. A plasma lighting works like a short circuit with near zero resistance with a lot of current passing trough(more than 40 Amps). ignorance may kill you!

[tsarvey123]

@SupermaxCNC You could easily be killed by the electricity from an isolation transformer whose secondary is supplying dozens of amps.

[SupermaxCNC]

@tsarvey123 From the direct output of an isolation transformer, yes. But you would have to be touching both lines where this plasma cutter could kill you by just touching one line and anything else lying around that happens to be grounded. Also on a real plasma the output is isolated DC which is much less likely to kill you than the half rectified AC you would get shorting yourself to ground.

[Mrpsychotehpyro]

@SupermaxCNC Wayne ?

[metalmuncher49]

Very interesting. Are you interested in selling the plans to build this unit?

[ChiefStressman]

Yikes! This guy's an accident waiting to happen! No safety gear, gloves or goggles either! Your eyes won't last 5 minutes at this rate if you don't get electrocuted first! Wiser to save up & get the proper equipment! Just bought a brand new 3-in-1 TIG, Stick welder & Plasma cutter plus light reactive welding mask, gloves & particle filter mask, all for under $300 bucks. Why mess about?

[mohinix2]

Where? i want one like that at 300$

[brentbps1]

where? I want one.

[ChiefStressman]

Ebay's a good start, but these are from powersellers based in Hong Kong so spares may be tricky!

[rondoc36]

I can get one from Chinab for you for $200

[blackmetalurgist]

Did you all know that an improperly made plasma cutter can kill you. This looks looks pretty cheezy to me!

[a100029384756]

Where is all your "safety gear" you were obsessing about?

[Sixta16]

The tex, on the beggining of the vid, can it be much shorter time? ]:> That text SUCK

[nycresistance]

Your work is great and I am very interested, but can you some how lay all the parts out on a table and put it together piece by piece, I think that will be the best how too video on Youtube.

[omaga99]

Ahh. there you go! a scematic! You should have put that in how to make the cuter. you should consider some organization.

[ohmannhey]

At .47:

Please don´t take it badly ... this is great, thanks BUT WHERE IS YOUR SAFETY GEAR!?!

[acaponelli]

Hi Cheaphardware. My name is Andres and I am from Argentina. I am very interesting to built a plasma cutter, and your machine is amazing and cheap!!! Just one doubt, in the first circuit (in the videoHome Made $260 plasma cutter) have one small cap betwen torch and work, is this for keeping the diode bridge from HV starter? and the last circuit, in this video, i can´t see this cap, is not dangerous for the diode? Thank you for yours answers, I am sorry my poor english, and congratulations again!

[joshifix]

wow i dont know how to do that well i am not a nerd

[cheaphardwarez]

I started using a modified tig torch tip then I started using a "replacement" plasma cutter torch because the cut was so much better. A arc welder can not plasma cut but can gouge. Welders voltage is so low that to get the power flow required you would need huge parts and everything would burn up. Higher voltage allows higher power throughput and makes parts cheaper and simpler. You must have 90+ volts while cutting or it will stop.

[cheaphardwarez]

This ultra cheap setup is dangerous so I think if a person does not understand these video then that person should not build such a dangerous device.

[Tonitzi91]

slavisa1976, I think that there reads 1mH.

[slavisa1976]

I send email to cheaphardwarez and he said that value is 12 mH for all toghether inductors in series

[cheaphardwarez]

12mH

[slavisa1976]

Hello cheaphardwarez if you could send me the values of inductors all together from the picture i cant see and i vould try to make the inductor by my self -air core inductor but if you made yours send the values please and thanks

[Tonitzi91]

Sorry for double posting, but I make mistake, I think that there reads 6mH and not 1mH.

[cheaphardwarez]

Its not a critical value unless you start doing series resonance to make the cut smoother, so go with what ever you have then if you cut is no smooth enough add some more inductance. The inductor limits surge current and works 180 degrees out of phase as the capacitor to provide power while the AC wave is falling back to 0.

[shiba72]

the plasma cutter tip, does it have center hole to pass a 95 psi air

[pedrocesarfa33]

Hello cheaphardwarez, my name is Pedro Cesar, I am Brazilian.

I need to do a Plasma Cutter, here in Brazil it is very expensive, I cannot buy.

Can you help myself?

Can you sell the detailed project?

I await answer, thank you very much.

Pedro Cesar.

[cheaphardwarez]

I will help if I can

[Conejodex]

please...

[Conejodex]

Please, upload more videos about this plasma. Alberto from Mexico.

[cheaphardwarez]

They are in the making, just a buzzy life at this time.

[cheaphardwarez]

All the data you need is here, in the videos and in the text comments to the side. Please be sure you know how to handle electricity before you do this project.

[cheaphardwarez]

LOL I feel safe with it having placed volt meters on everything to me and ground. However, this could kill you and breathing stainless dust is a bad idea.. So I can must say you must wear all safety gear.

[Conejodex]

why u dont use the safety gear haha?