Power TIG 225 LX???

[jtybt]

Hi all. Very first post.

I just bought the 225LX last week and was pointed here to get a readable/understandable owners/operating manual. I've never done aluminum TIG before and need help.

Turns out there's no specific manual for the 225LX. It seems to have much the same features as the 250EX at a lower amp rating but some differences in dials and settings.

Does anyone have a link to this machines manuals and why it isn't in the product list.

P.S.
I have gotten to laying beads in aluminum by trial and error but still need a lot of practice in keeping them even. I've never use a foot control either so that's a learning experience.

Thanks for any help.,,

Charlie


Oh! And I plan to get the 50 AMP plasma cutter and was wondering what the latest model with the latest torch was.

[performance]

I had just finished updating the manuals, when the computer crashed. I will have to do it all again. But, if you have specific questions, feel free to ask them. The controls have been increased on the LX. The basic functions have remained the same, except we have added lift start as a selectable feature. We have improved the naming, and location of many of the controls, but in essence they all still function the same.

[acourtjester]

Hi
You are in the same boat many of us are Everlast manuals say what.
Try this site of some basic tig info and google tig info using different wording and you will find helpful info to pick from. no one has a very easy set up. But you can fine what the knobs do and how it effects welding.
here is one
http://www.millerwelds.com/pdf/gtawbook.pdf

have fun
acourtjester.

[performance]

Jester,

We have received MANY positive responses about the manuals. So, I don't know exactly what to say, except, you poke a empty hornets nest long enough, a few dead hornets will fall out.

We have gone over this before, but I will say it again. We are not here to write a definitive manual on welding, but give a basic overview of controls and operation. Welding textbooks are typically several hundred pages long. Most Miller manuals only reach the teens in pages only to cover WHAT the functions are, not how they operate.

They do have online resources, but they have a whole department dedicated to churning out limitless amounts of information. But some times, they purchase rights to previously written material.

We maintain this forum to get answers to the questions our customers do have about the finer details.

I have reviewed Millers material on this page before...It is NOT that much different than the type material found in our online manuals. HOWEVER, the information contained in the Miller info you posted is NOT, repeat, NOT recommended for inverters. Inverters are much different in nature and function, just as the OP says. For starters, MILLER is recommending pure tungsten. That is a sure sign it is not designed for inverters. Other details are listed as well that are for transformer based machines. Following this information will most likely lead many customers to frustration. Also, keep in mind, this is a SUPPLEMENTAL manual to a Miller manual, so it only says how spartan a Miller manual can be. So, while it is a good read, it is only useful for basic information which again can be found in our online manuals.

Tungsten selection, and shaping for aluminum is wrong for starters. Also, they are discussing 65% electrode negative operation. Our balance control deals with electrode positive percentage. This is the new standard, and we observe this in our welder. In fact, we have added - and + signs to denote that.

Again, the correct information can be found in our manuals for our machines. If you'd like some good "outside" sources, I'd suggest Mr. Collier's website: weldingtipsandtricks.com. Of course I might be biased as he is a fellow guy from Georgia. He is an expert, professional, and level headed nuts and bolts type of guy. We are going to be adding how to videos soon to our site, and our manuals will be RE UPGRADED again. As soon as the new site is up, I will again update the manuals as my OS is stable and running again, and I will back it up on disk this time.

[jtybt]

One of the questions I have is in what direction does the pulse Frequency/Amps/Time effect the schematic/output of the unit. Same with the AC Frequency and balance. Mostly I want to know what these adjustment do and how they effect the weld...and what direction turning the dials are supposed to do so I can judge what effect to look for.

Also, while registering, looking for the serial # there was a tape over whatever the original number was.

The tape read 02900057

and under/partially obscured, a # looks like EN/IEC 60974.1

Can you give me more info on this unit.

I bought this unit from the warehouse/distributor in South San Francisco.


The front of the 225 doesn't match any of the welders on the site or the manuals. The nomenclature of the functions don't match either.

[performance]

The warehouse in San Fran is our home office. The "tape" is the serial number. It is not a "distributor", but rather company hq.

If you'll study the functions, you will see that many of the functions do match. Preflow, Start current, Post flow, Up slope, Down slope, AC balance, AC frequency control all match the same . The positioning is different, but it is there. The only lower panel control that is different and it is not present on the lx, is the crater current which is the same as the end current. It is all there, and is explained. When I was proofreading the manual, I missed an error which tells the operator that more DCEP is preferred, but I have announced that error before. It is not. More DCEN is preferred for AC operation. Also, if you'll search the forums, and read the articles, you will find the information you are looking for. Also, a lot of it is in the manual, even though the functions may be renamed. Simple deduction and elimination can solve most of the problems regarding the naming/controls issue we have right now until we get more manuals re written for the new series.

AC frequency is explained in the manual, even with a graphic picture to show what difference it makes. But it improves the focus of the arc, with a higher frequency pinpointing the arc and thereby increases penetration. AC balance controls positive versus negative polarity while welding aluminum in AC. Positive=cleaning, Negative =penetration. More cleaning or more penetration? Generally, plenty of cleaning can go on at 30-40% DCEP (+) setting.

Pulse helps reduce overall heat input by reducing the average amps, and helps control the heat on sensitive, and thin materials. It can reduce the formation of the HAZ and keep tubing such as Moly from cracking.

The arrangement of the Pulse controls has not changed, and the function of them though the names have changed slightly for more intuitive understanding has not changed. The operation simply remains the same. Pulse operation is not required to make a sound weld in most cases. But it can speed up the learning curve for beginners as a slow pulse cycle can help time the dipping of the filler material.

Do you have any specific questions regarding each control? Again, please read the manuals, the machines are very close to the older ones, in the lx case, it has more features, but they are all covered in the existing manual. Some names have been changed slightly, but should be able to make heads or tails out of it. If you have any function issues, you can pm me your number, and I will call you.

[jtybt]

Thanks Mark. I will go over the manuals.

The thing I wasn't sure of was how to increase the pulse width and amp in the neg cycle. What knob turning what direction increases amp and time of pulse.

Most of the functions are intuitive or else I wouldn't have been able to lay beads in aluminum within the first week. I was only looking for a way to easier understand how the dial affected function as I am not experienced enuff to get a consistent bead every time with the same settings.

I gotta admit, this is a very easy unit to learn on.

[jtybt]

Just to clarify...

The 250EX shows the Base/Peak Ratio and the 225 LX shows a Amp ratio which I presume are the same function.


Next..

My main confusion is the main Amp control (in reference to the pule function)
was considered the BASE amp control.

The main Amp control, in reference to Pulse, is the PEAK AMPs and the BASE/PEAK dial controls the BASE amperage? If this is so, I am learing.



The rest I will learn. I was trying to see if there was a way to control the sine wave schematic in the Miller link. If it was possible to increase/decrease the time of the neg/pos pulse.

[performance]

There is NO negative or positive pulse. You cannot set the amperage values for positive or negative stages of the cycle with our machines. Its not necessary with a pulse unit, in general. The benefits of a individually set positive and negative amperage is similar to a frequency control on the amperage. Our units only have overall amperage pulse.
AC balance control sets the time spent in the positive/negative parts of the cycle as a percentage of time spent in positive stage of the cycle.

The main amperage knob is the peak part of the welding cycle, or without the pulse what controls the amperage for general welding. The Pulse amps /Base peak knob is expressed as a ratio or percent of Peak amperage. For example, set your main amperage at 100 amps. Turn your pulse amps to 10 percent or so and you should start to see the unit pulse between 100 and approximately 10 amps.

In the original manual, we had published the manual before we had the final units, so some alterations were made after the fact. I had updated the manual once with the corrections, but somehow the web guy lost the update. I am going to have to reconstruct several of the manuals to update them, and in so doing many of these "changes" will be made.

[everlastsupport]

First off, pulse mode is not required for a good weld or learning to weld. I recommend you start without pulse. You will be better off if you do. Unless you are doing some really thin metal.

I do use pulse on thin metal where you need to keep the heat down, otherwise, I do not use it.

The large AMP knob is the peak/max current for the weld, the ratio knobs lets you lower the base current to a lower value than the AMP knob (the peak). Look at the display when you do this and you can see it will alternate back and forth to the PEAK and BASE amp range.

There is a pulse time ON to the right of it that allows you to set the time the PEAK current ON and the BASE current is on. You get a ratio of the PEAK and BASE to the work.

If you turn the knob counter clockwise, you will lower the BASE current more, clockwise to increase it..

Hope this helps.

[jtybt]

OK! Thanks guys. I think I'm getting an idea how things work. Now I can try to put these thing into practice