My PowerPro 205 Won't Weld

[scootarida1]

Hello I just received my power pro 205 and I cannot seem to get it to weld. The machine powers up fine. For some reason the max amps in tig on the display is 140-141. When I hit the button on the tig torch I can hear the high frequency and see the high frequency arc to the metal but it wont start an arc and I do not hear any gas coming out. The gas valve was open but I don't hear it coming out as the high frequency kicks on but an arc wont start. The ground is connected. Also in stick mode it will not strike and arc either. Same thing, hooked up the ground and put in an electrode and tried to strike an arc but nothing. Am I retarded or am I missing something here?

[geezer]

Could be a multitude of things, do you have 220 power to it , did something come loose/unpluged during shipping or it could be a dud from the factory, things happen

[scootarida1]

yeah there is 220 powered to it. I'm not sure if something came loose or not but the lowest amps reads 11 on the panel and highest reads 140 while on tig. I tried multiple 220v sources and still the same thing. Wont strike and arc or make a hf arc.

[sportbike]

This may sound trivial, but do you have a good ground to your workpiece with your ground clamp?
Could also try it in scratch start mode.

Do you have a rod that you can use with the stick welding stinger to set it up to try it?

[geezer]

yeah there is 220 powered to it. I'm not sure if something came loose or not but the lowest amps reads 11 on the panel and highest reads 140 while on tig. I tried multiple 220v sources and still the same thing. Wont strike and arc or make a hf arc.

best to start from scratch, exam the plug you installed, could only be feeding 120 instead of 220, look for a loose connection inside (turn off and let stand for 20 minutes so the capacitors bleed down) check your switch settings, don't want plasma on or anything like that, other than that it sounds like a job for tech support.

[performance]

Yes geezer is right. It sounds mis-wired. I'd wager that section in the manual may have been skipped and you have matched up the wire colors. It would give you only 120V if you did. White and Black are hot. If you are using a dryer or stove connection with 4 wires, Red and black will be hot. Some systems my be red black and white as well.

Quit trying to use it until you try to remedy it or call us. Also sometimes the plug wire can get loose, depending upon the brand 220 plug you are using. Some have sleeves that bottom out before the wire gets tightened.

[scootarida1]

Thanks for the help. I got it figured out, apparently the wiring for the plug said to put white for the ground and I didnt have the manual handy so I went with that diagram. But now its working fine.

Admin can delete this thread if they want now.

[DaveO]

Glad to hear you got it sorted out. Are you working on anything in particular?

[performance]

Glad you got it worked out, but I won't delete it. I'll leave it to help others. So many people freak and panic when they buy a welder over little things and this demonstrates what we have been saying: Most of the issues we encounter with customers are easily corrected, if not caused by the customer.

If you used any plug from the US/Canada, it wouldn't say use white for the ground, at least not in any circumstance that I am familiar with. You should be using a NEMA 6-50P, and it wouldn't say that either. But if you are using a 14-50, white would be used for the common, and green for the ground.

[scootarida1]

Nothing in particular yet just getting familiar with the machine. I'm only in from school for the weekend so I dont have much time to get use to it but I did get to lay a few beads down. Arc is really smooth on steel and I did a little bit of aluminum but for some reason my tungsten is balling up and burning away. Its 3/32 2% Lanthanated at about 140max amps on 1/8" Aluminum. I dont know if thats to much for the 3/32 or not. But i do have a cold air intake I will be making and I need to weld on MAF flanges

[performance]

Again, referring to your manual will be helpful. You either are using to much AC balance. What is your setting?

[everlastsupport]

Thanks for the help. I got it figured out, apparently the wiring for the plug said to put white for the ground and I didnt have the manual handy so I went with that diagram. But now its working fine.

Admin can delete this thread if they want now.

Brandon,

We can leave this thread for now, however in the future please try to pick one line of support (forum, PM, email, phone). I did not mind helping on the weekend via PM and Email, but was not aware you had a thread going on here as well.

[SeanMurphy265]

Hey I think it's good to leave these types of threads up. Sometimes people get on these sights and blast a company when they made a mistake. A repped products that were sold at lowes in the garden and outdoor power dept. A guy purchased a push mower from Lowes last summer, and the darn thing would never crank. He called and talked harsh to the guy that sold it to him. The salesman replied "did you read the directions?" The guy said of course, he brought the lawn mower back to Lowes full of gas. The salesman went outside pulled the safety lever back and she fired up on the first pull. The guy turned read and took his mower (practically running) back to his truck and left. The fact is we all make mistakes, and scootarida1 handled himself well. I use to be one of those quick to blame others, but I learned the hard way it could be my fault!

[scootarida1]

Yeah it is deffinately the AC Balance. For some reason I thought it the knob adjusted the percentage in DCEN rather than DCEP so I was running it at 65-70% which is very high since it is the opposite. But anyways here is the best of the 3 beads I ran before I got frustrated with the balling up tungsten:


Nothing to special but I thought it was alright for not having the machine set correctly. In two weeks when I get back from school I will work on the cold air intake and post some pictures up in the project section.