Just got an old welder cheap, described as not feeding wire. Plugged it in and it hums, pull the trigger on the gun, and the contactor makes contact, but the motor never moves. Hooked motor to power source, and it works fine. Hook up the two wires going to the motor to a volt meter, turn on power, and pull the trigger, and nothing. Check the circuit diagram, and the motor is hooked directly to the circuit board. Fuse on circuit board is good, pull board, and find two bad traces on the board. HOPEFULLY these are the cause of the problem.

Now the problem: I can't find a source for the board online, looks like it's been discontinued. It's Miller part # 172543 Anyone know where I could find one?

The traces are small enough I think I could just replace them both with some 18 gauge wire soldered in, they just start at one point and end at another, no connections in between. There's also a great big relay on the board, I'm not sure how to test, but the relay is available separately.





Which goes in THIS monster:

check http://www.yorkelectronics.com/

Your thinking the two traces without the coating are bad? The coating isn't needed for the circuit to work. You can test the trace with an ohm meter from end to end and see if you have continuity. if so that's not the location of the problem. Yes a wire can be used to replace the bad trace. That trace looks to be quite a bit smaller in crossectional size than an 18 ga wire. Maybe more like 22-24

Wiggle the voltage nob. On those smaller welders if the knob is slightly between two settings, everything will work but the wire feed. Wiggle it and make sure it is lined up with a number.

The traces were actually pulled up from the board at spots. ALSO discovered some bad solder joints at the relay socket. Going to resolder those as well. If all else fails, I'll see what York wants to fix it, or I'm thinking of just making a new PCB and getting some better quality components from Mouser, looks like they have everything but the little Zettler relay, which is $5 on another site.

Also, there is these guys....
http://www.innovatcorp.com/repair_price_list_2011

The wire was probably stuck and it stalled the motor and overloaded the board. Try running some small gauge wire to fix the traces and see if it works. All else fails you can make a new board like you said.

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Red 86GT 4 Speed "MrDrift"

Just wondering, how did u check the fuse to tell if it was good or bad?

quote Originally posted by gridarmorfix: Just wondering, how did u check the fuse to tell if it was good or bad?

Removed it from the socket, and used a multimeter in continuity mode.

have you tried checking the contacts in the large relay? they may be burned.

I would start by replacing the the CB leads with 22/24 wire. Also ck the fuse to make sure it is the proper fuse for the unit. The PO may have put a larger fuse in for one reason or another and that may have cause the CB damage. The fuse is there to protect the circuits & wiring. The fact the circuit is fried leads me to believe the PO stuck a higher amp fuse in there...

The inside of the relay looks fine, but was thinking about getting another one just in case. The fuse is the proper size/rating as called for in the owner's manual, 5A 250V

Congrats on your quick diagnosis and repair job on your board.

You'll love the auto-darkening helmet --- just remember to protect yourself and wear gloves -- spatter and UV can do a nasty number on your skin even though it's easier to handle without gloves.


Happy welding!~

One of the best tools to have in your garage, right next to your angle grinder. Try not to get a God complex as you point the nozzel between two pieces of separately existing ferrous materials and, at the slight pressure of an index finger, they now enter a harmonious union encased in a blinding white glow impossible for mere mortals to gaze upon while bright amber sparks shower your creation like fireworks in your garage, letting all those around know that something truly amazing has just happened.
Amen.

Lmao, AMEN BROTHER!!!