Z axis

jay1st I am aware that a plasma machine does not have to be HF to be a pilot arc. I will be the first to admit I should have not pinched pennies when I bought my plasma machine. Reading the link you provided it appears l have a very similar problem to what you had, but correct me if I am wrong your machine is a HF type right ? As I do not have a HF type plasma machine, your approach does not apply. I could be wrong wrong though.

motal2004 wrote: when I used the hand torch I squeeze the trigger and it cuts .25" thick steel like a hot knife cuts butter. when I hit the pulse button in the plasmac gui, after a 3 second delay the torch fires up, for about 2 seconds.

The Torch On should behave exactly the same as the trigger on the hand torch.

phillc54 wrote: The Torch On should behave exactly the same as the trigger on the hand torch.

Twice i had plasma cutters that would wait longer when fired from the CPC port than from the torch trigger. One of them, an older Hypertherm wait about 3 to 4 seconds when triggered from the PC. Strange, but must be they use different timers as the PC part must be isolated from everything.
All other ones i used do the same wait regardless from where they are triggered.

tommylight wrote:

phillc54 wrote: The Torch On should behave exactly the same as the trigger on the hand torch.

Twice i had plasma cutters that would wait longer when fired from the CPC port than from the torch trigger. One of them, an older Hypertherm wait about 3 to 4 seconds when triggered from the PC. Strange, but must be they use different timers as the PC part must be isolated from everything.
All other ones i used do the same wait regardless from where they are triggered.

That certainly doesn't make things easy.

phillc54 wrote:

tommylight wrote:

phillc54 wrote: The Torch On should behave exactly the same as the trigger on the hand torch.

Twice i had plasma cutters that would wait longer when fired from the CPC port than from the torch trigger. One of them, an older Hypertherm wait about 3 to 4 seconds when triggered from the PC. Strange, but must be they use different timers as the PC part must be isolated from everything.
All other ones i used do the same wait regardless from where they are triggered.

That certainly doesn't make things easy.

That does not affect anything, the machines will not move without receiving the ARCOK signal, just the wait time is a bit longer.

motal2004 wrote: jay1st I am aware that a plasma machine does not have to be HF to be a pilot arc. I will be the first to admit I should have not pinched pennies when I bought my plasma machine. Reading the link you provided it appears l have a very similar problem to what you had, but correct me if I am wrong your machine is a HF type right ? As I do not have a HF type plasma machine, your approach does not apply. I could be wrong wrong though.

Nope, it can be pilot arc without HF.
There is still a ground wire coming back to the generator, and if the torch keeps firing over a gap without any metal around then it's a pilot arc system llike mine.

So the THCAD will never be able t detect any variation in voltage due to height change as the gap inside the torch never changes thus keeping the voltage more or less constant. See picture attached for the principle of pilotarc