Smith-roles comet arc welder

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Hello everyone, first off I'm new to the forum.Secondly you'll have to pardon my less than acceptable knowledge lol but here goes. I've acquired a Smith-roles comet 180 arc welder, didn't cost me a dime so I figured what the hell. It came with the cables and a bunch of different sticks and I figured I'd be able to find some form of documentation on this thing online but evidently not as it's qc date on the lid is from 1968. I am Curious to know if anyone is able to direct me on what goes where under the lid as it's missing what I assume to be a power switch of sorts on the front panel and looks to have 4 or 5 other wires that are loose ended. It'd be cool to be able to get this thing running and teach myself how to use it. I will post pictures just as soon as I'm able to figure out the function to do so! Thanks for any and all replies /help it will be greatly appreciated.Last edited by Deez666; 05-26-2021 at 01:28 AM.Reason: Pictures
Reply:There's a few pictures, if anyone needs anymore I can provide
Reply:That’s an interesting welder you have there. Maybe someone will come up with a schematic. Can’t tell a whole lot from the pics. Let’s say it had two incoming power wires to the switch,one incoming ground wire to the chassis, and two wires fromthe switch to the transformer. Are you saying there would stillbe 4 or 5 extra wires? Does it have a cooling fan ?Miller a/c-d/c Thunderbolt XLMillermatic 180 Purox O/ASmith Littletorch O/AHobart Champion Elite
Reply:I can get some better pictures this morning here it was fairly late and I was trying to hold the light and take the pictures lol. No cooling fan, and as far as I can see or tell there isn't much a place to put one, but to the question you asked, no. I think there is 5 wires total, possibly 6 but I'm pretty sure 5 is the number. It's 530 am currently so I'll go out in about half hour when there's a bit more light and take better pictures
Reply:Here's a link that I found to this Canadian-made welder:http://islandblacksmith.ca/2012/04/smith-roles-comet/
Reply:The power switch for a welder like this usually disconnects BOTH of the 220 volt wires coming in.So, if there is a cord, 2 wires from the cord go to the switch, 2 go to the transformer, then there is at least one wire for ground,,So, that would account for at least 5 wires,,The switch on my Miller welder died,, this is what I ordered to replace my switch,,https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1Last edited by SweetMK; 05-26-2021 at 09:27 AM.
Reply:Yes I've been led to this link several times throughout my search, it doesn't actually say anything about the I inner working of the machine. Just explains a bit about the company's and the history of it. Thank you though.
Reply:Awesome, yes there is 6 wires total 3 that come in from the cord and 3 others all loose ended.
Reply:so here is from the side, the black cable on the top of the transformer goes back behind the transformer and hooks to 1 side of what I'm going to guess is some sort of capacitor? The white wire from the cord coming in is sitting at the bottom of the picture by itself, that leaves the 3 in front where the power switch should be all black from reading the prior reply I'm going to assume 2 are for the switch so what would the other one below them in the picture Aswell as the white one go to? Attached ImagesLast edited by Deez666; 05-26-2021 at 09:50 AM.
Reply:You may have to "judgement call" figure where the wires go by the length of the wires,,Where can the wire reach to? In this pic, the upper wires go to the machine, the lower wires go to the power cord,,in my machine, the power cord ground is bolted to the chassis somewhere.I took this pic because ,, even though the terminals were numbered the same, the new switch was wired differently.The old switch conducted up and down,, the new switch conducted side to side,,that was a surprise!!
Reply:Originally Posted by SweetMKYou may have to "judgement call" figure where the wires go by the length of the wires,,Where can the wire reach to? In this pic, the upper wires go to the machine, the lower wires go to the power cord,,in my machine, the power cord ground is bolted to the chassis somewhere.I took this pic because ,, even though the terminals were numbered the same, the new switch was wired differently.The old switch conducted up and down,, the new switch conducted side to side,,that was a surprise!!
Reply:I've used a Smith Rolls Comet and it welded pretty good for a buzz box. Ran some Blueshield 7018 just fine.
Reply:So I think I've got er worked out for the most part the only thing I can't quite factor in is the unit that's behind the main coil in the machine I've learned is a big *** capacitor of sorts, it's pretty badly corroded on the spade Connections on the top of it, is it absolutely necessary for function of the welder to have that thing wired in with the rest of it or will it work without? If it won't work without it can someone show me a diagram of any sorts on how I'm supposed to have it hooked up with the 2 thicker or 2 thinner leads that come from the main coils? And what's its function anyways? I only ask cause my century 80 doesn't have a cap that I can decipher anyways so I'm a bit lost on the topic
Reply:I’m not sure what your capacitor does, but I was looking at a schematic for a Lincoln Idealarc machine and some have a power factor correction capacitor that is connected right across the primary(input side) of the transformer. On that machine, the capacitor is optional,sothat machine obviously works without it. If the top of your capacitor is corroded, it may have failed.Miller a/c-d/c Thunderbolt XLMillermatic 180 Purox O/ASmith Littletorch O/AHobart Champion Elite
Reply:Originally Posted by Deez666So I think I've got er worked out for the most part the only thing I can't quite factor in is the unit that's behind the main coil in the machine I've learned is a big *** capacitor of sorts, it's pretty badly corroded on the spade Connections on the top of it, is it absolutely necessary for function of the welder to have that thing wired in with the rest of it or will it work without? If it won't work without it can someone show me a diagram of any sorts on how I'm supposed to have it hooked up with the 2 thicker or 2 thinner leads that come from the main coils? And what's its function anyways? I only ask cause my century 80 doesn't have a cap that I can decipher anyways so I'm a bit lost on the topic
Reply:The battery charger is kind of what I was thinking Aswell, but I just wanted to make sure before trying to plug er in that it wasn't entirely needed for operation. Will let you guys know how it goes when I go get a 4 prong 230 plug so I can plug it into my genny. I have an extra dryer plug that would work but I don't really care to have to haul its heavy *** down the basement stairs to try it out lol. The cord is only about 4 ft long, too but an extension cord for a dryer is some special kinda cost lol. The 230 plug is only about 30 bucks seems like a no brainer to me! Hopefully all goes well and she fires up without too much grump about it, if so I'll tear it down one day soon here and repaint the ol girl.
Reply:I got er figured out, thank you to all that chimed in and helped me get there much appreciated!
Reply:30 amp dryer plug may not be enough. Most buzz boxes use a standard 50 amp welder plug.