I’ve seen lots of people asking a bunch of questions about these things, so I figured I’d post up how I’ve got mine set up. Be forewarned, this will be long winded and I’ll split into sections.
One thing I noticed off the bat was the torch wiring, scotch-locks aren’t in my vocabulary, so as soon as I saw those, I looked for another way. When I bought my Hypertherm 45XP, I specifically bought it because they have the most trouble-free track record of communicating with all sorts of different control software. As well as they’re made in the states and I was buying it to run a business, not just as a hobbyist. Also, I got the model that came with 2 torches, one normal handheld and another 15 degree torch, which is really for gouging, but I’ve been using a normal hand torch to gouge for over a decade. My original plan was it would be married to whatever cnc table I bought, which I also got one with a cpc port. If you have a hypertherm machine, with a cpc port, this is actually really easy to make a hand torch a machine torch, as Hypertherm wires them intelligently. To make a hand torch a machine torch, pull the machine end connector apart, the plug is numbered on the inside, the #6 pin needs removed from the plug, extended an inch and reinstalled in the #8 port. This bypasses the trigger safety(but will still not fire if the consumables are throwing an error, which is GOOD, that way the machine can’t short itself out). You’ll need a tool to remove the pin, I got this one off amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006962LBU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
If you need pins, I’ll list them below.
Button the plug back up and zip tie the trigger. You now have a machine torch, that will only fire if the machine is commanded to via the CPC port.
DISCLAIMER: this goes against Hypertherms warnings and they tell you NOT TO DO THIS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, as it bypasses their safety measures. Just so you know.
As for wiring in the torch firing wiring, if you want to do it properly, control it via a CPC port as Hypertherm designed it to do. If needed, add a cpc port to your machine. A plug for the cpc port can be had here:
The cable clamp for the back of the plug, that I didn’t realize was a separate piece and didn’t buy
Along with pins:
Now hooking these up can be done a few ways. One would be to cut the connectors that Langmuir has on the torch wiring plug off and put the new pins on those wires. I chose to buy some 4-wire control cable from McMaster. The part number is 9936K12, I got a 20’ piece. Put pins on the #1 and #2 wires and hooked them to Langmuir’s wiring(so now its like 30’ long, but my machine doesn’t have to be right at the table, small shop problems). The other ends of those wires get the same pins aforementioned crimped on and go in the #3 and #4 ports in the cpc plug. Doesn’t matter which one, they simply complete a short(just as the trigger does), to initiate/extinguish the arc.
Pic of the wiring:
Self explanatory,but I’ll share anyways
