Amperage Creep

Hi
I have a Power Arc 300. I had to replace it with a new one because the job electrician wired my old one to high voltage and blew it up. Up to that point this machine had been bulletproof. I was very happy with it. My new replacement PA 300 which I've only used a few times has a small issue. While welding, the amperage seem to increase on its own. I noticed the dial turns much easier than the last one and is hard to adjust. very touchy. I think the inherent vibration of the machine might be causing the amperage creep. Is there a way to adjust the dial tension?

Also, do you think my old machine is worth fixing, or is it not cost effective?

Thank you, Mike

This is the action of the arc force, unless I miss what you are talking about.

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Originally Posted by performance

This is the action of the arc force, unless I miss what you are talking about.

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I do not think this has anything to do with arc force. In one instance, when I started welding I had the amperage set at 77A on the display. When I was done the readout on the amperage display was 106. This happens intermittently and to different degrees, but enough to be a problem.

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Originally Posted by plumber

I do not think this has anything to do with arc force. In one instance, when I started welding I had the amperage set at 77A on the display. When I was done the readout on the amperage display was 106. This happens intermittently and to different degrees, but enough to be a problem.

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Maybe mark the knob position to verify that it is moving physically and not just changing electrically. A quick fix if it is could be to pull off the knob, put an o-ring over the shaft, then replace the knob. That would give you some friction between the knob and the front panel and help keep it in place.

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Originally Posted by Rambozo

Maybe mark the knob position to verify that it is moving physically and not just changing electrically. A quick fix if it is could be to pull off the knob, put an o-ring over the shaft, then replace the knob. That would give you some friction between the knob and the front panel and help keep it in place.

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Thank you. I will try that.

The display will read the last amperage used for several seconds after welding. If it returns to what was previously set, it would be the arc force.