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Re: Esab Smashweld 180

Hello Solderer,

I’ve had this issue a number of times on my Smashweld 185. The welder remains still alive and humming but there is no wire feed. Remove the plug from the socket. Bear in mind that capacitors can retain charge despite the machine being switched off. There is a small circuit board behind the wire speed knob. Remove the right side panel for access. Slide out the circuit board, you don’t need to undo anything, carefully use pliers on a section of unprinted board if necessary. Take a pic of the board to ensure that you can replace wires in the correct positions later. Pull the two clips from the connector on the left and it will come apart easily (the shapes of the upper and lower sections indicate the orientation, use pliers when replacing to keep the clips pointing the right way - almost impossible with fingers). Remove the red, green and two black wires from the top. On reassembly it doesn’t matter which way the two black ones go on. Undo the small screws to remove the red, white and green wires. The circuit board is now free.

I have experienced three issues with this board, all easily fixed. Your user name suggests some expertise here.

1. Diodes: There are four. Just replace the lot. They’re about $2 each AUD. Make sure you orient them the same way - they’re one directional! Markings on the circuit board match the band on the diode for orientation.
2. Transistor: This is centrally located. Despite appearances, it also only mounts in one way. Undo both screws before desoldering. Also only a few $.
3. Relays: If the circuit board rattles, it is likely that one of the two relays has fallen apart. It may also show some physical damage. These are around $9 AUD. Replace both if these are the issue and keep the good one for an emergency spare.

Do the rattle test first. Otherwise replace the diodes and check if it functions before replacing the transistor or relays. I keep spares of all these components now. It is much easier than having to wander off to your electrical components store in the middle of a job, especially if it an 80 km trip! It is worth taking the board with you when sourcing components to ensure that replacement parts are correctly identified.

Simply restore the wiring, check against the pic you took and slide the board back in, ensuring that no wiring will be trapped when reattaching the side panel. Voila! Think about what you were doing when the wire feed stopped. Was the tension adjustment on the feeder screwed down too much? Is the tip correct/not worn too much? If the wire is melting onto the tip it could be low feed rate / excessive voltage, tip wear, junk or wear in the core of the trigger line, etc. if the wire jams excessively it will overload the circuit board described eventually. Make sure you don’t keep pressing the trigger, hoping it will somehow fix itself. Address any feed issues promptly. My MIG gets a fair bit of work and I’ve had to effect these repairs 4-5 times since buying it 15+ years ago. Doing it yourself is far cheaper and quicker, but be cognisant of the potential risks of working on electrical equipment and only do this if you can do so safely.

Re: Esab Smashweld 180

HI L.B

Are you still in possession of the pcb digram of the smashweld 180?

Re: Esab Smashweld 180

Well it seems my smashweld180 is dead. They traced the fault back to a transformer section.? Something bout the resistors have to be replac ed & its a real pita job. Sooo.....
I have heard of it being fixed on other forums. But just might let this one go.
While talking to the shop foreman he said i might interested in a demo welder they had for sale.
Lincoln Electric powerplus 350hd 3 phase for 1500 aud....only used a couple times for demo's. Whats the opinion on this machine folks?
Looked up the market value,its a 5000.oo dollar machine!

Re: Esab Smashweld 180

Yes that did help in the end thank you very much guys.I got onto Jason Curmi at ESAB Aust & sent me the diagrams I was looking for.Ive sent them off to the work shop so hopefully they can now fix it.
Id post the file up here but dont know how to....file is 180mb & site only allows 150 sorry.

Re: Esab Smashweld 180

Hi L.B,

Were you able to find the help you needed? (Thanks ccawgc for pointing L.B in the right direction!)

Please let us know if you still need assistance, and we'll help you find an answer. Thank you!

Re: Esab Smashweld 180

Go to esabna.com. support then download. In the download area look for the global manuals link. Click on link. you can down load the directory or find the search window at the bottom of the page. enter 0317 090 025 click on arrow to the right. manual will down load. Manual is in three languages. It only has the machine diagram and not the pcb diagram. What country are you in.? you might be able to get an ESAB repair shop to ask for the pcb diagram. Sometimes we can get them on older machines. new units are real hard to get. Or try your self. Go to ESAB web site for your country and ask. see what happens. Tell what you ave found and ask for the information you need to complete repairs. You might get lucky.

Esab Smashweld 180

Have a smashweld 180 240v/single.Has a wire feed problem,something has burnt out & need wiring diagrams in english please.
Can anyone help?