New CK Steady Grip TIG Amptrol For Everlast 200DV

[christian]

Well,

As I was wondering about this some time ago, regarding my own 210 EXT, there apparently is a source for the new CK Steady Grip amptrol for Everlast TIG welders.

http://tigdepot.net/cart-products-fo...-200dv-15-4559

And, I don't know why Mr. TIG himself didn't pipe up about this when I posed the question at his Weld.com forum, as I'm guess that there may be a good bit of interest from Everlast customers.

So, maybe this one for the 200DX/DV would work on many other Everlast units, as the pot for a 200DX/DV is a 47K one and the connector and pinout wiring are undoubtedly the same for many Everlast units, I'm guessing.

I'm pretty sure a 210EXT works fine with both a 47 or a 50K potentiometer.

Also, even though Mr. TIG sells these for the AHP units, in which the 2015 version has, I believe, the same connector as many Everlasy units, the pinout wiring is different, and neither the 2014-and-prior nor the 2015 version are 47 or 50K pots. But that may be a good thing for some Everlast unit owners, if those AHP rated pots match some Everlast units, as changing the pinout wiring at the connector is undoubtedly not a big deal for most here.

So, there's a couple ways to go for someone wanting to try one of these Pistol Grip amptrols on an Everlast TIG welder. Like I mentioned here before, Mr. TIG used one on a YouTube video with an Everlast 325EXT, and Mr. TIG was impressed.

I'll undoubtedly get one of these at some point, mostly to satisfy my own curiosity, and to actually use it, too, I think, with an air-cooled series 17 torch that I have. I'm still getting used to the amptrol that Everlast sells for a series 26 TIG torch, which I think has an added ability that a Steady Grip amptrol does not, in that the Everlast has an arc initiator button separate from the amptrol dial, which allows the use of the 4T function in conjunction with amperage adjustment. And, besides, the Steady Grip is pretty pricey, and will undoubtedly stay that way for a while, as it undoubtedly relies on the taxpayer-subsidized Statist invention known as Intellectual Property laws, i.e., a new US Patent, which is State-enforced for 17 or 20 years, I believe. I mean, the Everlast amptrol unit comes with the whole torch, hose, and Dinse connector as a complete assembly. But, the Steady Grip is a slight innovation that I do want to experiment with, so I'll probably purchase one at some point.

But, please, nobody here wait on me to try it first, as it may be a while. And if someone does try it soon, on an Everlast unit (besides Mr. TIG) as an end-user with one of these that needs no modification, please share how it goes with Everlast forum members here.

Peace to you all,
C. Livingstone

[Blaster]

You Do Realize just how much of an A$$-Hat "Mr Tig" is - right?

He's the laughing stock of So Many Discussion Threads I' wouldn't know where to point you to for a start. He rarely knows what he's talking about, the Only one who thinks he's "Mr Tig" is him (a legend in his-own-mind....)

Stick with Jody's site for accurate info!

[christian]

Yeah,

I'm a fan Jody's welding videos, but I'm not anti-Mr. TIG.

Mr. TIG videos are undoubtedly helpful to many, like the one in this thread, where he seems to be the only one currently demonstrating and making available the new CK Steady Grip unit for Everlast TIG units.

I enjoy giving good criticism as much or more than most, but ad hominems are not a valid criticism that have merit in an argument. But I'll go ahead and trust that you really do know of some points where Mr. TIG videos and the information they may contain could be worthy of criticism.

I'd really enjoy seeing Everlast users having these Steady Grip items as an off-the-shelf option. Who knows, maybe I'll order one of these Mr. TG ones from TigDepot, just to see for myself if it really is plug-and-play, so to speak, on my 210EXT.

Peace to you all,
C. Livingstone

[christian]

Well,

I went ahead a did it! That is, I just ordered a Steady Grip amptrol from TigDepot, which I believe will be a plug-and-play solution for many Everlast TIG welders.



Ideally, I would have preferred ordering one of these from Everlast, as they market the CK line already, and will probably carry these soon, I'm guessing. Otherwise, I'll undoubtedly let people here know if this works, off-the-shelf, on my 210EXT.

http://tigdepot.net/cart-products-fo...-200dv-15-4559

Peace to you all,
C. Livingstone

[zoama]

You paid $240 for that ???

[christian]

Yes,

You're seeing and perceiving correctly; I did.

And, like I mentioned, due to the State invented-enforced concept of "Intellectual Property", which effectively creates a granted monopoly and so-called ownership of an idea, for a period of around 17 or 20 years, this item will probably be priced abnormally high and reflects a mal-adaptation in what would otherwise be Free Market forces, without the intervention of a hostile State organization, which uses funds extorted from taxpayers and a phalanx of FBI employees, patent attorneys, and a court system to maintain these monopolies of artificially high prices for consumers.

It's one of many unfortunate realities caused by the advent of the State. Of course, the Invisible Hand and the Creative Destruction of the Market (individual decisions of consumers) could still conceivably help bring down prices at some point, even which a US Patent is still State-enforceable. But, of course, I've decided not to wait.

Peace be with you,
C. Livingstone

[zoama]

It's a $4 slide pot on a plastic pistol grip. Seems like a slide pot could be zip tied to the torch handle, add a few inches of heat shrink, a cord and connector and you'd be in under $25.
Good luck with it and let us know how it works.

[Rambozo]

Yes,

You're seeing and perceiving correctly; I did.

And, like I mentioned, due to the State invented-enforced concept of "Intellectual Property", which effectively creates a granted monopoly and so-called ownership of an idea, for a period of around 17 or 20 years, this item will probably be priced abnormally high and reflects a mal-adaptation in what would otherwise be Free Market forces, without the intervention of a hostile State organization, which uses funds extorted from taxpayers and a phalanx of FBI employees, patent attorneys, and a court system to maintain these monopolies of artificially high prices for consumers.

It's one of many unfortunate realities caused by the advent of the State. Of course, the Invisible Hand and the Creative Destruction of the Market (individual decisions of consumers) could still conceivably help bring down prices at some point, even which a US Patent is still State-enforceable. But, of course, I've decided not to wait.

Peace be with you,
C. Livingstone

It's not like the concept of a finger control is even a patatentable thing. Many companies have made many types over the years. This style is very much like an old Airco style. It's just that there is very little demand for them. While there are times and places where they come in handy, for 95% + of TIG, either a foot pedal or no remote amperage control at all are the preferred methods.

[christian]

Yeah,

I'm sure the true cost, before any profit, and after any capital investment for tooling and overhead, averaged over a five year period, if CK Worldwide does their own manufacturing, is around $50. But, with patent laws being what they are, this item does look like it is just slightly innovative enough to prevent similar designs from entering the Marketplace, unless a royalty is paid to CK first, if CK would even allow that.

But, who knows, the PistolGrip portion is detachable, so the forward sliding pot may be common enough already to fashion one yourself, as you suggest, or may even be worth it for some competition from a producer to release something similar, as a matter of prior art, without the PistolGrip, so that any patent infringement claims could be easily refuted.

I mean, Apple Computer sued Samsung, because its smartphones were similarly rectangular and had rounded corners. Ha, ha, ha!

So, for me, it's Time Preference issue. And maybe if I was younger and poorer, I wouldn't have decided to purchase this item. Ha, ha, ha!

Peace,
C. Livingstone

[christian]

Well,

The SteadyGrip arrive quickly, but it isn't plug-and-play on my 210EXT.

When I powered up the machine, it showed 805 amps on the display, so I went no further. But, I'm guessing that it's just that the pinout is different. I'll contact TigDepot for more information about it, and maybe it's just a small matter of rearranging a couple of wires.

Peace to you all,
C. Livingstone

[zoama]

You'd do better asking one of the tech guys here for the correct pinout. Ask "Everlastsupport" or "Performance".

[christian]

Yeah,

The Everlast 210EXT PDF manual has a nice pinout diagram for the my machine. It's the CK unit I'm uncertain about, even though they have the same 7-pin connector. The Everlast has a bridge between #6 and #7, which may be the difference. I'm going to wait for a call back, probably from Mr. TIG himself, to see if I can get the CK pinout, by wire color and pinout number, as I'm not a whiz with a multimeter. But, it's undoubtedly not going to be a big deal, as there's really only 5 functional wire, two for the switching action, and three for the pot, I believe. And I can solder OK. I just don't want start that process yet, as it may ruin the return policy.

Peace,
C. Livingstone

[christian]

Well,

Apparent the SteadGrip doesn't play well with an Everlast 210EXT, as the nice folks at TigDepot emailed promptly with:

"...we spoke earlier on the phone. The pistol grip you ordered will not work with the Everlast 210 Ext. In fact, there is no pistol grip that will work with the Everlast 210ext at this time. They have tried to manufacture one to work with that machine, but they have problems with the ohm resistance with that specific machine and as of now they are not making a pistol grip to work with it.

"You should have received an email... Customer Service informing you that we are sending a return label for the pistol grip, and once we have it back we can issue a full refund. I just wanted to give you a heads up and let you know why that pistol grip was not working with your machine."

[Rambozo]

There are more than one model of 210EXT, so unless you specify the exact build you may not be on the same page with the tech people. If you can't use a meter to figure out the CK pinout, you are probably better off waiting until you can buy a plug and play solution.
The reason the Everlast has a jumper in the plug is to indicate to the machine that a pedal is plugged in. The torch switch doesn't have that jumper, so that is how the machine decides what is plugged in.
Many of the digital machines are not very picky about the pot impedance as they are just using it as a voltage divider. You can even set the current by injecting a 0 to 5 volt signal instead. There is a thread here about using an Arduinio control to add functions to a basic machine, like that. But again, it sounds like you might be out of your comfort level and just better off sticking with what you have. You actually took something of a risk just plugging in a control with unknown wiring. While not likely to damage anything, it's protection from things like that which always come near the end of a product's development cycle not early on.

[christian]

Yeah,

I suspect that TigDepot may not have fully comprehended, when I emphasized how that mine was a 2015 210EXT model, and how that earlier models have a different pot and even a slightly different connector than the 2015 model 210EXT, which now has a pot and connector like more typical Everlast models.

I mean, it was on a newer Everlast 325EXT that Mr. TIG was demonstrating the SteadyGrip in his video. And the newest 210EXT has the same 47K pot as the 325XT, making things like amptrols and foot pedals undoubtedly perfectly interchangeable.

So, I plan to emphasize that one more time to the TigDepot people, for their own benefit, and for the benefit of Everlast users, including me, who may be interested in this slightly innovative and steady hand amptrol solution as a plug-and-play unit. And I believe TigDepot may already have that solution, even if they don't realize it. But, maybe I'm mistaken on that point. We'll see.

Peace to you all,
C. Livingstone

[christian]

Gee,

The SteadyGrip that I purchased from TigDepot may have been fine for my Everlast 210EXT.

I just watched the Mr. TIG video on the SteadyGrip again, and noticed that at the amps displayed, it also briefly reads 805 on his 325EXT when it tops out. And 805 is what my 210EXT was showing when I turned on my 210EXT with the SteadyGrip. But, I then just shut my machine down at that point.

I’m now thinking that I was just being too cautious, and could have slid the action into the start position and been good-to-go.

So, TigDepot may have the SteadyGrip solution right off-the-shelf already, even though I didn't realized it, due to my over-cautiousness.

But, we'll all undoubtedly know for sure, soon.

Peace to you all,
C. Livingstone