The Rotary tattoo machine is not working

What if the rotary tattoo machine is not working? What if your tattoo machine is stopped during work? Then how you can troubleshoot the problem? So, there are many issues that may cause or stop the working of tattoo machines. It can be because of the power supply, clip cord, contact screw, and armature bar. It may be because of wire of the clip cord is broken or the foot pedal connector is broken. So, there may be many reasons behind this question that why the rotary tattoo machine is not working. In the following post, we will discuss all the problems in detail. 

For better understanding, I will disassemble the tattoo machine and after disassembling, I will assemble the machine again. So, if you face any issue you can resolve it by yourself after reading the process. The machine which I use is made of zinc alloy. Now I’m going to disassemble this machine. Please attention during the disassembling of the machine. First, you need to look at the aa of the contact screw. This is called a contact screw which works as an on-off switch. This screw touches the spring directly. When you switch the current goes through the spring which causes electromagnetic power. 

Materials in tattoo machine

The contact screw of a tattoo machine can of different materials like brass, iron, or silver. The contact screw made of brass and silver is good. Some contact screws are brass. Choose those that are silver and bras because these are good. Between the screw and spring, there may be sparks so we can say that the contact screw belongs to consumable goods. If the contact screw causes sparks then it will be attrited. This happened when it touches the spring. 

After the contact screw is attrited your machine will work very fast or slow. And the power of the machine may be strong or weak when you use it. This all happens due to the contact screw. But how did it happen? You should know that this happens because of the amplitude of the spring. The spring depends on the pressure which is exerted by the contact screw. You don’t make the contact screw too tight. If the armature bar cannot move then as a result machine will not work. 

Why The Rotary tattoo machine is not working?

If The rotary tattoo machine is not working or the coil tattoo machine is not working then you don’t need to worry. These are the following issues that may cause stopping the working of your machine to. 

• Voltage issue
• Armature bar or coil issue
• Power supply issue
• Clip cord issue
• Contact screw
• Rubber band issue
• Wire of Clip cord 
• Foot pedal connector issue

Voltage Issue

The machine cannot work if the voltage is too low or if you set up the contact screw loosely. The contact screw should not be too tight or too loose. When the contact screw has been attrited, then the space between the contact screw will be changed. After the machine worked for a whole day I adjust the contact screw instead of the voltage. You will find out your voltage are high but your machine is not strong. This is because the issue is in the contact screw. High voltage can cause machine heat and you will face other problems. In this case, your machine can be damaged. So instead of voltage setting, you should adjust the contact screw. 

Armature bar and Coil 

The armature bar should be paralleled. The gap between the armature bar and the coil should be A4 paper. Armature bars should not touch the coils if they touch them they will absorb into the coil. The gap should not be big otherwise electromagnetic force and armature bars will not work powerfully. 

There is a contact point of coils behind this accessory and there is a washer. This washer is necessary for the machine if this washer will not use in the machine then the machine work slowly. Without a washer, the machine works slowly. For this, we use a frequency regulator. If you want to take complete advantage then remove the rubber ring then you can make special effects on the shade with the machine. So, let me remove the rubber ring. 

At the contact point for the armature bar, there is a tattoo tube clamp. Now install this tube. First, insert this tube and twist the tube clamp. Take the tube off and fix the tube clamp with the screw. Now there are two coils left. You can see 2 screws below the coils. You need to unscrew these two screws which are below the coils. After this, you need to add the yoke under these two coils for the strongest power.  

Power supply 

After installing the tattoo machine you need to check the power supply. Current it depends on the different power supplies. If you provide a different power supply then the current will be different. For working on designs the different tattoo machines need different power supplies for different strengths. Usually, most tattoo designers adjust the voltages to 6-7.  But remember voltage should not be too high or too low. That’s why I adjust the voltage to 7. You can set it to 5V but at this time I set the voltage at 7. After adjusting the power supply if the display is on then the power supply is okay. As I said there are two wholes in one whole is clip cord and the other is for a foot pedal. 

Clip cord

If you check the power supply and the power supply works correctly then check the clip cord. Check the problem with soldering. For this instead of pulling the wires during unplugging we need to pinch the connector. After this, you need to confirm whether the clip cord hooks the machine or not. In some machines, clip cords are covered with paint. And in some machines, clip cords have long insulators. Therefore, when the machine starts working then the insulators can separate the clip cord from the machine which may cause a short circuit. The clip cord of the machine will not always be parallel to the tattoo machine. This is because we need to change the angle. 

As the result, the machine has poor contact with the coils. Then the machine will stop working. This happened because the clip cord is not in the right position it goes wrong. For the correct contact, you need to fix the clip cord. Don’t hang the clip cord on anything during the tattooing. If it dragged then we can face trouble during the tattoo design. So, you need to leave the clip cord alone and don’t need to hang it. If your work is long then you can hang it on anything in a high place. But it is better if you make the clip cord freely move. In the end, I will suggest you that leave the clip cord freely to move it easily. 

Contact screw 

After checking the clip cord working you need to check the contact screw. You need to check whether it that its touch with the spring or not. You can check if there is any other dirt in the spring by twisting the contact screw into one and a half or two circles. Actually sometimes during tattooing vaseline or hair can stuck and may cause of short circuit. So for checking any problem you need to move the armature bar. If there is any issue during the movement of the armature bar then you need to check the armature bar. If it moves normally then it is good. Then your armature bar is okay and good for working. If you feel any stuck during movement then clean the armature bar. 

Rubber Band

After all these steps you need to check the rubber bands in the end. You should know also why we fasten the rubber bands to it. A needle in the machine is fixed with an armature bar. So there will be space inside the tips of the machine. You can observe that the needle will swing when its moves. The needle and tip should be parallel. If they are not then for making them parallel you need to pull the rubber band until they parallel to each other. Don’t tighten the rubber band because the rubber band strength is good. Tattoo beginners mostly make this mistake. Mostly they make the rubber band too tightly. 

If the rubber band is too tight then the armature bar and the needle will be tight. In this way, the armature bar will not move and it may cause a circuit break. So it is very necessary to check the power supply, clip cord, contact screw, and armature bar. After checking these you will definitely know why the rotary tattoo machine is not working.

Conclusion