sa200 with no arc

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I have a mid 70 =s sa-200 and it dosent have any arc .I have heard about flashing the exciter but have not heard how to do it .The idle up switch on the front also does not work .I am able to fix most things ,I just need a little instruction ..Thanks ya,ll and happy welding ....Tom.. One other item is the outlet on the front has no current on it .. Thanks ya,ll...Tom..Last edited by thomasg990; 09-15-2009 at 08:59 PM.
Reply:You flash the exciter by applying 6-12vdc to the exciter brushes (+ on right, - on left) for a couple seconds.  Can be running or not.  You'll get a fairly good spark so don't touch the brush lead stud threads.By not working so you mean the unit won't come off idle when you turn the switch OFF or it won't idle down when you set it to AUTOMATIC?You won't have any power (115vdc) at the auxiliary outlet if the exciter is producing power as that's where it comes from.Check out Bill's Welder Repair http://billswelderrepair.com/Engine-Drives.html for more information as needed.MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:I don't know if this is the best way to do it but here is what I did.I verified that the welder wasn't welding. I checked my ground and idled it up by hand just to make sure that the idle wasn't too low for it to kick in. Nothing worked.I turned the engine off.While the motor was off and the rear cover was removed I stuck a screwdriver in the housing and put it up against the exciter armature and the coil that was on the left of the housing. I did this to see if there was any magnetism in the coils.There wasn't any pull on the screwdriver at all.I used a 12V battery charger and set it to 10amps.I grounded the black lead from the battery charger to the generator housing and clipped the red lead to the coil on the left as you are looking in the end of the housing.I did my screwdriver trick again and felt a strong pull.I wondered if this was going to mess anything up and also wondered how long I should leave the power applied. I left it on about a minute.I took off the charger lead and did the screwdriver thing again.This time there was some pull on the screwdriver even though the battery charger was off.I thought great, maybe I put some residual magnetism back in the coils.I fired up the welder and voila! I was welding.It was nice to hear the engine idle up when I struck the arc.I don't know if this is the proper way or the best way or if I could have blown something up.You might want to wait for someone else that is more knowledgable about these things to chime in to the thread. I'll take some pictures of what I did and how I did it if you want to take a chance using my method.
Reply:Well it obviously worked shanghyd.  Although a quick zap is probably quicker, you used a very logical approach to deduce what was needed.MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:Thanks for the info ,this thing has a few bugs but I think I can get it going again.. Just the auto idle stays low ,the 110 outlet and of course noarc.
Reply:Here is an image of where I flashed and where I tested it. Attached Images
Reply:I know duane is going to have a great answer because he squared me away on mine but I'd like to attempt an answer.Does the welder have an electronic idler board and an idle solenoid with a pin?This thread has some good info when testing the board to narrow down your search.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=32366Last edited by shanghyd; 09-15-2009 at 10:09 PM.
Reply:I,m not  sure ,I think there is a circuit board no the backside of the front panel .It dosnt seem that the rod that gos to the carb is able to move .The one from the governor does but not the other one .
Reply:Here's my understanding of how it works. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong. It won't hurt my feelings.The governor wants to hold the throttle in an open position.The idler solenoid when energized will pull the pin in the solenoid and override the pull of the governor spring which will bring the idle down. So in order for the idle to go up the solenoid has to let go. That's where I would start looking.I would check to see if the pin moves freely in the solenoid when the engine was off. It could be stuck in the solenoid. If it moves freely when the engine is off I would check it running. If it is held in place by magnetic force when the engine is running then I would go from there.That link to the other thread has some good info that duane passed on about the operation of the idler board and troubleshooting it.
Reply:Originally Posted by shanghydHere is an image of where I flashed and where I tested it.
Reply:Originally Posted by shanghydHere's my understanding of how it works. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong. It won't hurt my feelings.The governor wants to hold the throttle in an open position.The idler solenoid when energized will pull the pin in the solenoid and override the pull of the governor spring which will bring the idle down. So in order for the idle to go up the solenoid has to let go. That's where I would start looking.I would check to see if the pin moves freely in the solenoid when the engine was off. It could be stuck in the solenoid. If it moves freely when the engine is off I would check it running. If it is held in place by magnetic force when the engine is running then I would go from there.That link to the other thread has some good info that duane passed on about the operation of the idler board and troubleshooting it.
Reply:any luck with this welder Thomasg?