I am in iraq right now and I am trying to wire up a plasma cutter that is 208/230 1ph/3ph 50/60hz to a panel with L1 L2 L3 all reading 230 volts how do I do this. I also have a Welder I am trying to hook up also that is 230/460 volts 1ph/3ph 50/60hz. Help thanks

Are you US Military?

Is the panel 3-phase? It sounds like it. Do they even have 3-phase there?

Where are you taking those voltage readings? You say they all read 230v. From what to what??

What do these tools draw?
What wire are you using?
What conduit/cable/raceway are you using?



I CERTAINLY hope he is NOT US military! Or a US contractor.
It'd be pretty sad if the US military was on an internet message board looking for advice on how to hook something up!

The first one is probably easy, because rotation doesn't matter. Set whatever taps to 230 volts and connect L1, L2, L3 and ground.

Probably it's 1 PH/3 ph is because there is a transformer with three primaries. If the primaries are phased properly (all in phase) they can be connected to a single phase.

Or they can also be connected independently to a three phase source. Again, order of L1, L2 and L3 doesn't matter.

The later is probably the same way.

I know it's kind of odd to be 1 ph/3ph, but with a plasma cutter this makes perfect sense to me.

I CERTAINLY hope he is NOT US military! Or a US contractor.
It'd be pretty sad if the US military was on an internet message board looking for advice on how to hook something up!

As a civilian Contractor I have done Final Connections and Laser Testing For Military, I like to believe the Guys with the M16's were protecting ME. The thing about Military and Corporate Is the Lag due to Beuracracy, Red Tape, Procedure. Corporations have to go through Board members, research teams to MAKE SURE there is MAXIMUM Profit. I have a small Security/Electrical Contracting Company, Can Design, Obtain, Build, and Install most systems faster than other methods. I like Emergencies and the difficult. And don't try to get All work, slipping in emergencies won't usually be too difficult.

Strat - et al,

Personally, I don't like to answer questions from the war zone. You don't know who you are actually speaking to. I know full well that if he's a bad guy, he'll never tell the truth, so I don't answer.

Any way, my lengthy experience with the military in general and contractors has taught me that 1: No US personnel would use the open Internet for assistance. And 2: I can't imagine that as US trained electrician or US contractor would have only one person in the immediate vicinity to assist their own.

And as far as I know, you can't swing a wet towel in that corner of the world without hitting someone from the US.

Personal opinions, no need to respond and I do apologize if I offended anyone.

Don, that is an absolutely valid argument and pretty much my point about our guys. I never thought about the other ramifications.
NO need to apologize for anything.

Donf, as fas as answering questions from the war zone, The World is a War Zone.
I think If asrelek were Terrorist, he probably would have said he was from Peroria, not Iraq.
If he is in the War Zone, These communications would have been traced.
There are not Qualified Personnel in ALL fields ALL the time. Communications may be kept to a minimum. I suppose Our Forces could have a message board and have everyone read every morning to locate qualified person, however, they may be busy with other issues.

Hey asrelek, can you tell anything about yourself, you've got a couple of people worried.
Take Care

I found a wiring diagram for a 3 phase plasma cutter. http://www.esabna.com/literature/Archive/Mechanized/F-15-108%20ESP%20400%20Plasma%20Power%20Supply.pdf

In this case there is a slave power supply that is single phase.

I suppose this is another way of looking at the specs.

I'm not worried so much about terrorists than I am about someone completely unqualified working on 3-phase equipment.