4T operation

[joshuab]

I have never owned a welder with 4T, but I have seen the diagrams of how it works, and I think I basically understand them. Press the switch to initiate the arc, release the switch to begin upslope. After upslope, the welder holds at the welding amperage. Press the switch to initiate downslope, which plateaus at some low amperage. Release the switch to break the arc.

What happens if, during upslope, you press the switch again? Does the welder go straight to downslope?

Presumably if, during downslope you release the switch, the arc goes out immediately--right?

[Jason]

you don't have to hold the switch at all.. Just click it and upslope runs to max setting and click it again and downslop will run the arc out..

[Rambozo]

you don't have to hold the switch at all.. Just click it and upslope runs to max setting and click it again and downslop will run the arc out..

You don't have to, but you can. 4T has four distinct switch events, press, release, press, release, while 2T only has two, press, and release. At the end point I usually just tap the switch and let it go, but at the arc start I often hold the switch on to get settled into position and let my eyes focus before releasing to allow the upslope to begin. At super low start amps the arc is more of a light source and doesn't actually start to melt things.

[Rambozo]

What happens if, during upslope, you press the switch again? Does the welder go straight to downslope?

Presumably if, during downslope you release the switch, the arc goes out immediately--right?

I don't know about Everlast, but I can tell you what my Hobart does.

Yes, it does go straight to downslope, but there are some timers that can override some parts of the cycle if programmed for that. You can actually program some crazy cycles by setting the controls outside their normal settings, but with standard settings, what you describe is normal operation.

For example here are some settings that will work but be very confusing. Start at 100 amps, "upslope" to 50 amps over 5 seconds, then "downslope" to 100 amps over 200 seconds. I can't say that would be a useful program but it is possible. Some controls are main amp percentage, so they can't get that crazy, but others are just raw amp controls, so they can.

No, in the standard program the downslope will always complete it's cycle, there will just be no dwell at the end amps and the arc will extinguish as soon as the end amp level is reached. Again there are some controls like the pause button or the E-Stop that will override that, along with some weld length timers.