200DX poor performance on A/C

[Joel Pineau]

Let me preface this with I am not a welder, but my shopmate is. I do/can weld but it's not something I do every day.

I will copy and paste my email with Everlast Tech support, they don't seem to be answering my emails and it will just be easier:

"Hello Everlast Support!

I have a 200DX I bought brand new last year, it came with a DOA pedal. So you sent me a new one. That one was also DOA, so you sent me out yet another. This one worked and I used it a few times without issue but the last time I went to use it, it was dead yet again.

The other issue I am having is poor performance on AC. This has been something I myself have not been struggling with but my shopmate, who actually does all the welding has been trying to get a grasp on. I have a nice weldcraft torch and gas lense, different cups etc..

He welds aluminum all day long on a Miller Dynasty with a liquid cooled weldcraft torch.

We use the same supplies (IE tungsten, filler and gas) on both machines from the same supplier, as he gets discounts through his work.

Attached photo 1 on the flange shows some quick work done at his work. Nice clean welds with little contaminant and a nice clean looking weld. this was also done on used intercooler piping.

The everlast unit however seems to have issues, it will leave smut in the weld, leaving porosity or it will burn up the tungsten and make poor welds.

The attached photo's show some of the best welds we can get out of the everlast unit. it is brand new aluminum from the local metal supply store. The aluminum is cleaned with scotch brite and then methyl hydrate. The same method used at his work.

We have ran a few bottles of argon through it, at first we thought maybe we had contaminated gas, this does not seem to be the case.

I am not a pro welder but I have done some work on A/C and did find it much harder to make a nice looking weld on this unit, if not impossible than his work welder. We use the welder at work 80% of the time simply because we cannot get the same quality on AC which is not why I bought this welder. We have given it a chance to try and "figure it out" but we are finally throwing in the towel and looking for answers as to what is either wrong with our settings, or wrong with the unit itself.

Thanks for your time.

Joel Pineau"

This is the work Miller, same tungsten, gas and filler as used at home.


This is the Everlast at home





Settings



And again this isn't just one isolated issue, we have been struggling with this thing for a while.

Thanks for you help and pointers/assistance!

[geezer]

To me it looks like low amps and no cleaning action,,not enough heat and no sign of frost marks for the cleaning action along side the bead...

[performance]

Are you using the same torch? And are you using the torch in the negative? What color tungsten are you using? Are you balling or using a point? I'd also lower the frequency a good bit and notch up the balance to 35%-40%.

There could be some oil or something left in the torch line.

We do have an SSC pedal available for the later model units. It's US made and doesn't usually give problems. But it is an option. Pedals and accessories warrantied are for 6 months. That's not long but about the industry average time of warranty. We also have a new style out that is relatively trouble free. Not sure which one you got. The older style pedals did give higher trouble rates. Last years units did not have this newer style pedal available.

What you are experiencing is contamination. If the welder is welding (and it obviously is) and putting out an arc, then there are issues with contamination from some where. This isn't an arc issue, but a shielding one or somewhere contamination is entering the system whether from a leak in the back cap or an inconsistent flow through a defective collet body or something.

[joshuab]

You know the gas is good. You know the tungsten is good. You're pretty sure the metal is clean. Next thing I would do is check for leaks in the air line and torch. Also, don't assume that settings are going to match up between the machines. Every machine runs differently.

[performance]

We don't know if the tungsten is good. That's why I asked to confirm what type he is using and whether it is being balled or not.

[joshuab]

We don't know if the tungsten is good. That's why I asked to confirm what type he is using and whether it is being balled or not.

Sorry. I was basing that conclusion the fact that he says they use the same tungsten on the Miller at work without issue.

[Joel Pineau]

We have tried both Thoriated and Ceriated Tungsten, with similar effect. I believe we have "red" tungsten at the moment.

If we turn the cleaning up, the results are much worse. More smut and contamination and arc stability seems to go out the window. It also burns the electrode up, even on a 3/32 unsharpened tungsten. I noticed that myself with the different pictures. Much nicer cleaning action on the work setup.

The machine at work is a new inverter style miller and uses a water cooled torch, so we are not using the identical torch. I believe he has a weldcraft WP7 at work, and I have a weldcraft wp17.



I can check the lines for leaks and perhaps even wash them out with a mild detergent and dry air to see if that helps.

At work he only ever balls the tungsten if he is going over 200a, otherwise for what he is doing he leaves it kind of sharp.

If he tries to ball the tungsten on the 200dx, it melts and falls off.

edit: yes electrode negative.

[performance]

Which regulator do you have LPM or CFH? Have you tried a gas lens? Also 3/32 won't go to 200 amps on our inverters. You're going to probably want to step up to 1/8" right around 150 amps or so...and 1/16" at 90- 100 amps or so. Many people say that our units run hotter than a Miller 200 which is very likely...because of the exact wave form differences and whether or not Miller puts out a full 200 amps in every wave form. Not all machines do...usually only about 160 or so on various wave forms and balance settings (yes even name brands). Increasing the cleaning also increases the heat placed on the tungsten. Not sure what thickness and what amperage you are welding, so this is just a guide...but the thickness you have looks like over 120 amps will be required. Running a tungsten beyond it's limits will definitely cause similar issues.

There's no such TIG torch as a "7". It's going to be a 20 or an 18 if its water cooled. Frequency also plays a part in puddle agitation. Not sure if you are getting too much, or not enough.

Not trying to take the blame off the welder, but 99% of the time this comes to environmental issues...as simple as running the welder next to the weldment and getting a draft going. Too much torch angle, or an elusive draft....Just ask the guys here who have been here a while and seen people report this time after time and people realizing it was an environmental issue or setting issue, and not a machine issue.