General welding questions that dont fit in TIG, MIG, Stick, or Certification etc.
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burnttoast
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    Fri Sep 23, 2016 9:28 am

Hello all, recently purchased a auto darkening helmet on ebay. the batteries are chargeble by sunlight and also while welding. today was doing a little welding for a few secs. and I was seeing spots. the helmet was sitting in my garage for several days and it has been cold. would this be enough to drain the batteries? Thanks
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    Sun Nov 19, 2017 10:09 am

What setting do you have your helmet set at? It sounds like your lens is not dark enough. I use a #10 setting on my Lincoln helmet. Also your delay maybe set to slow. I think your batteries are fine. You can check them with a volt meter.
Lincoln MP 210, Lincoln Square Wave 200,
Everlast 210 EXT
Thermal Dynamics 25 Plasma cutter

" Anything that carries your livelihood wants to be welded so that Thor can’t break it."
CJ737
cj737
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    Thu Sep 29, 2016 8:59 am

May well be a case where the sensitivity is not set right, or the sensors are disrupted by background or ambient light. Are you sure your lens is darkening when the arc is struck?

Open garage doors with sunlight beaming in can wreak havoc with your sensors. Or your arm in the way of a sensor due to welding position. Lots of possibilities...
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You don't say what the brand is, certainly cold weather can effect batteries, but if they were new, and a brand name they are probably ok. I have bought electronics that came with inexpensive chinese batteries that didn't last long, take a look.
Richard
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ljdm1956
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burnttoast wrote:Hello all, recently purchased a auto darkening helmet on ebay. the batteries are chargeble by sunlight and also while welding. today was doing a little welding for a few secs. and I was seeing spots. the helmet was sitting in my garage for several days and it has been cold. would this be enough to drain the batteries? Thanks
Don't know your brand, but my Lincoln needs to see light every now now and again to work, also, don't remember offhand, but there is a minimum operating temperature
Lincoln Weld-Pak 180
Lincoln spool gun
Everlast PowerUltra 205p
AHP AlphaTig 200X
Assorted stuff
burnttoast
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    Fri Sep 23, 2016 9:28 am

Thanks everyone for responding. It's not a brand name, but in the description it's suppose to be certified by CE and ANSIZ87 standards. I have it adjusted all the way to 13. all the other settings is set to the max for sensitivity and darkening response. sent a message to the ebay seller. hopefully he responds. in the meantime I'll just use my passive helmet. might have to invest in a brand name.
homeboy
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    Mon Dec 19, 2016 11:52 pm
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I bought a new helmet last year and got a flash every time. I checked the batteries and they were ok. Took it back and and the store swapped it for another and it works fine. Apparently just a factory defect.
FreeTheHousePlants
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If you end up getting another helmet, I'd act fast to save some $. There's probably all kinds of black friday, cyber monday deals on the web.
DennisCA
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burnttoast wrote:Thanks everyone for responding. It's not a brand name, but in the description it's suppose to be certified by CE and ANSIZ87 standards. I have it adjusted all the way to 13. all the other settings is set to the max for sensitivity and darkening response. sent a message to the ebay seller. hopefully he responds. in the meantime I'll just use my passive helmet. might have to invest in a brand name.
Have you tried and welded with it at the lowest setting instead of the highest? I had the same problem with my cheap helmet when I got it despite having it on high I was seeing spots.

By chance I found that the lower I went on the shade setting, the more it darkened. Turns out the underpaid chinese worker putting it together must have crossed the wires to the potentiometer on the side of the helmet that sets the shade so the adjustment is reverse of normal.
burnttoast
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    Fri Sep 23, 2016 9:28 am

it was a defective panel. the seller sent me a replacement lens and everything appears to be working ok. Thanks for everyone's advice.
drizler1
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    Thu Oct 11, 2018 12:37 pm

I have a sale HF air chisel I bought 20 years ago for $10. Never worked worth spit. If you got it going it worked sort of as long as you didnt really try to do much. I got desperate one day and tore it open by screwing off the end cap. Sure enough must have been Monday at the gulag factory. They put the air vein in backwards. Works fine now and has for years .


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