Number 5: Counting down the five most common Powermax fault codes, 0-19
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Even if Powermax plasma systems are known for consistent performance, you will occasionally see a fault code on the LCD status screen of your Powermax65, Powermax85, Powermax105, and Powermax125. In this five-part blog series, we countdown the five most common fault codes Powermax system owners call us about and then we’ll tell you how to reset your system, if you see one of these five codes appear.
Fault codes, along with icons and signals, are like check engine lights on a car and mean “stop cutting”. Powermax Software Engineer, Junsong Mao explains, “The plasma system has powerful instruments that act intuitively, automatically shifting the power supply into safety mode to protect both the operator and the machine.” These codes need to be cleared before it is safe again to operate the system. The instrument panel readouts will quickly tell you where to begin troubleshooting, making diagnostics significantly easier to perform.
The LCD status screen shows the fault code in the lower left corner of the screen.
The 0-19 fault code protects the power board from voltage instability by shutting-down the inverter, preventing the torch from firing for several seconds. Normally, this fault is caused by electrical noise created by powering other equipment in your shop at the same time. The fault will typically clear on its own after just a few seconds as the power stabilizes. A 0-19 can occur up to three times in short succession, but after that, this fault code will change to a 0-99 fault, an indication that there is a major system hardware fault.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to clear a 0-99 fault on your own. You’ll need to turn the system off and take it to an authorized Hypertherm repair center for service. For help locating authorized repair centers, visit our website for a list or contact your local distributor for assistance.
Check back next week as the countdown continues. That’s when we reveal the fourth most common fault code that operators call us about.