Cobramatic?

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Guy I know is selling a cobramatic - main slave motor not working.Any thoughts on if it would be worth fixing?Thanks Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:I've still got the one I was trying to sell way back when I first got on here. I'd take $100 + shipping for it. If nothing else it would give you parts to fix that one of vise versa.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...ale&highlight=Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Sounds like a possibility Irish - I'll check his machine out tomorrow.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:We have the suitcases one for aluminum and one for steel. Same power supply feeds both cases. You have to switch the coolant and gas valves each time you change from steel to aluminum. I had no idea such a machine like the one you posted even existed. Because I only knew the suitcase type. The idea was you could take your suitcase that contained the spool of wire and motor, to feed wire to the motorized torch, up in the air with the boom that was attached to the base of the machine, and reach stuff high up, or go out onto a boat and leave the heavy power supply, water tank, and argon tanks behind. With the twenty five foot torch, and 25 feet of coolant, power cable, and gas line, you could go fifty feet from the welder. A lot of hoisting equipment is so high that you cannot reach it with 25 feet. That is why ARC welding is still popular it goes anywhere, if you have the cables. The Cobra Matic Suitcases are great for large aluminum boats. You can reach the whole boat, from the pier.  The parts for the gun are expensive, that is why it never caught on.                       Sincerely,                            William McCormick
Reply:What makes you think the slave motor is dead. Main motor is in the gun, Slave is in the box.Switch on front panel controls how much power the motor has. Small or large wire.The motor in the gun will not work if the speed control pot circuit is open.You can go the the MK Products web site for phone number and owner's manual.Plus they have a chat window that will open and you can ask questions.Fixed lots of these, Replaced very few motors. Have replaced circuit boards, control pots and cables. Few weld  power leads, Looks like a system 3 gun. might have to take the handle off and give MK part number off gear box with color of gear box.  Usually come set up for AL. A different liner and tip is used for steel.
Reply:Cobramatic's never caught on??? They were the cat's meow for push/pull feeders decades before the big names had them. I think Lincoln ended up buying MK or at least had some affiliation with them as they were in the Lincoln catalog a few years ago. I think the Cobramatic guns came out in the late 60's and are still considered the standard by which all others are judged. Even if you need a new motor, a good motor shop could rewind the original for you. CEP had a Cobramatic, might still have it. I don't think the one in the picture is that old as it's a Cobramatic II.
Reply:Originally Posted by ccawgcWhat makes you think the slave motor is dead. Main motor is in the gun, Slave is in the box.Switch on front panel controls how much power the motor has. Small or large wire.The motor in the gun will not work if the speed control pot circuit is open.You can go the the MK Products web site for phone number and owner's manual.Plus they have a chat window that will open and you can ask questions.Fixed lots of these, Replaced very few motors. Have replaced circuit boards, control pots and cables. Few weld  power leads, Looks like a system 3 gun. might have to take the handle off and give MK part number off gear box with color of gear box.  Usually come set up for AL. A different liner and tip is used for steel.
Reply:Originally Posted by Welder DaveCobramatic's never caught on??? They were the cat's meow for push/pull feeders decades before the big names had them. I think Lincoln ended up buying MK or at least had some affiliation with them as they were in the Lincoln catalog a few years ago. I think the Cobramatic guns came out in the late 60's and are still considered the standard by which all others are judged. Even if you need a new motor, a good motor shop could rewind the original for you. CEP had a Cobramatic, might still have it. I don't think the one in the picture is that old as it's a Cobramatic II.
Reply:Originally Posted by William McCormickI used to have the king Cobra setup too, but I don't think you should use that in a residential area. All the neighbors could get on their TV was my torch. Ha-ha.
Reply:Picked it up today - $80.Girlfriend came over to cook me dinner and saw this on the table...She laughed and said "are you welding in the house again?" I'm wiring an extension cord to the board so I can turn it on - I don't have a 14 pin yet to hook up to the end.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Can I send my wife over for supper? She was getting all bent out of shape because I was shooting pics of ceramic beads and fried torch valves on her good Tupperware.250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC StickF-225 amp Forney AC Stick230 amp Sears AC StickLincoln 180C MIGVictor Medalist 350 O/ACut 50 PlasmaLes
Reply:Originally Posted by whtbaronCan I send my wife over for supper? She was getting all bent out of shape because I was shooting pics of ceramic beads and fried torch valves on her good Tupperware.
Reply:I've wired an extension cord in, it powers up and both motors are turning.Guess I'll have to actually wire it to a welder to see why he said the slave motor didn't work?Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:if the feeder is complete with gun, and you do aluminum, those things are too awesome NOT to have!i operated a spoolgun for what little aluminum we did until we acquired a company that did large irrigation valves  and such and they came with a couple cobra-matics.blew the spoolgun out of the water! so much easier to keep consistent and welding, not replacing contact tips, untangling drive-rolls, etc like i did with the crappy old spoolgun.bosses stuff:trailblazer 325maxstar 200my stuff:sa 200fronius transpocket 180100 amp Lincoln w/f97 f350 DITKevin
Reply:I have a spool gun and do not like it - my tig is much better.Never used a push-pull so this will be new - provided I'm able to repair it that is Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:I bet he thought the push motor wasn't working because it stalled out so easy. They're made to stall and only help the wire into the gun. I believe mine had two setting for the push. It's been a while since I used it. I only quit using it because it was so bulky and water cooled. I really just don't have room in the shop for it. I managed to get the Miller push pull setup which is more portable like that one. The truth is I had less feed problems with the Cobramatic than any other setup I've used. It worked great.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:You remember right, two settings for push on this one.I laid my finger on the drive roller and it didn't stall - I think maybe because I wasn't actually welding so it had no reason to slow down?On Wednesday night or Thursday morning I'll make a couple jumpers to hook the two contactor wires to my millermatic 210 and see if I can figure it out with welding current going through it.If I'm lucky I might learn how they work - then figure out what's wrong with it? :Seems weird to have a 14 pin connector on it, but only 5 pins inside it: hot, nuetral, ground, two trigger wires.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:I remember that motor having trouble pushing wire through the liner sometimes. It's strong enough to be hard to stall with you finger but it takes a pretty good push to get the wire through the liner.   It's pretty common actually. Heck even my wireless remote doesn't have all the pins. It basically allows for future expansion.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:I just checked it again, you're right - I didn't push hard enough.There is a discernible difference between the two settings.I flipped the pin switch for panel speed control and that knob works. It's smoother than the gun control I think.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:I have a couple of those boxes. Does yours have the instructions for adjustment on the inside door? Let me know if you need any pics of the insides of mine.
Reply:Hey thanks for the offer - the inside door has the directions. But I'm unclear about why there is a 4"-5" piece of plastic tube laying in there. Thought maybe it was an inlet guide but it doesn't seem to fit.Also, there is a flap of fabric hanging from the top that is supposed to keep the wire from jumping, is the bottom of the flap supposed to attach somewhere?Thanks Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:I looked and don't have any fabric on mine. I was in a rush and didn't have time to take out all the screws from the other side. I will try to get it there later to see about the 4-5 inch tube.
Reply:Originally Posted by MinnesotaDavePicked it up today - $80.Girlfriend came over to cook me dinner and saw this on the table...She laughed and said "are you welding in the house again?" I'm wiring an extension cord to the board so I can turn it on - I don't have a 14 pin yet to hook up to the end.
Reply:Originally Posted by gimpyrobbI looked and don't have any fabric on mine. I was in a rush and didn't have time to take out all the screws from the other side. I will try to get it there later to see about the 4-5 inch tube.