The MiniTHC is manufactured by an individual (Denis Yusupov) out of Russia.
He sells two types. One with a Hypertherm interface and this one which is a universal interface that is advertised to connect to any plasma cutter.
The MiniTHC was ordered through Amazon on 12/30/2019. I paid $313 delivered.
They do not have a US distributor that stocks them so its going to take a while to arrive. The delivery estimate was 1/8/2020 to 1/24/2020.
You can pick up a MiniTHC universal system here:
MiniTHC Torch Height Controller Universal kit.
Update 1/7/2020 - I received the following message from Amazon.
“Because shipment of this order has not yet been confirmed by the seller, your credit card has not been charged and we are not able to provide you with shipment details.
If you would like to ask Robotics and Plasma for more information about the status of this order, including the expected ship date, you may contact them directly.”
I sent a message off to the seller to ask them for a status. I will let you know when I receive a response.
Update 1/9/2020 - I received a messages that the unit has shipped. It still has a delivery estimate of 1/8/2020 to 1/24/2020.
Update 1/11/2020
I received the MiniTHC universal kit today. The components received do not match those that were shown on the posted Amazon product picture.
Once I start installing this system, I am hopeful that the components I received match the documentation.
Days from order to first delivery - 13 Days
Update 1/17/2020 - Looking closer at what I received, it looks like I got a Hypertherm interface but not voltage divider card. While I can probably make this work with both my Hypertherm and Everlast plasma cutters, it is not what I ordered, and does not match the documentation.
I reached out to the Amazon seller and asked what the deal was. I got a prompt reply apologizing for the mix-up in shipping and that the missing parts would arrive in a couple days.
Update 1/21/2020
I received the missing components so I now have what is shown here.
Days from order to final delivery - 22 Days
Now that I have all these components, I can show you what you get with both THC kits.
Shown here is what you get with the MiniTHC Torch Height Controller Hypertherm kit.
Note that you will also need two Ethernet cables to connect the two components to the main box (head unit).
Shown here is what you get with the MiniTHC Torch Height Controller Universal kit.
This is the system I will be testing here. At a later date, I will look into connecting the MiniTHC via the Hypertherm kit option.
Again, you will need two Ethernet cables to connect the divider board and LPT board to the main box (head unit).
Mounting the Main Module and Boards
The MiniTHC is meant to be installed into some sort of enclosure with a cutout for the main box. This presented me with a problem as I wanted to install it on my accessory pole as I did with the other units.
For now I just installed it on top of my PriceCNC unit using some double stick tape. Once I am happy with its operation, I will work on a more permanent installation.
I mounted both the divider and LPT boards on my test DIN rail.
Notice the boards next to the PriceCNC and PlasmaSens sensor modules.
First Connections
I connect a two conductor cable to the input power terminals on the main interface module.
On the other end I connect them to my 12V terminal block and my ground block.
If your MiniTHC displays in Russian, press and hold the knob for seven seconds and it will switch to English.
I connected some leads to the 50:1 arc voltage input terminals shown here.
Plug one end of an Ethernet cable into the divider card jack on the main module as shown here.
Plug the other end of the Ethernet cable into the jack on the divider board.
Plug one end of a second Ethernet cable into the LPT jack on the main module as shown here.
Plug the other end into the jack on the LPT card.
Voltage Test
I connected a variable voltage power supply to the 50:1 arc voltage input on the divider card.
I set the power supply to 1.58 volts.
On the main module I see a voltage reading of 82 volts.
Everything seems to be working, next we will connect the Arc OK, Up, and Down signals to the CNC.
To be continued …….