trying out PowerPro 205

[joe]

I received my PowerPro 205 Tuesday evening. Got it set up enough on Wednesday to try out TIG on steel and Plasma cutting on steel. Both seemed to work. I am a complete noob on TIG welding so I've got a lot of practice ahead. Today I tried TIG and Plasma on .062" aluminum. Things seem to work fine so far. I've done lots of stick and MIG welding, just never done TIG till now.
The one thing that I find that I really dislike on the 205 is the manual's poor explanation of pulse settings. I am an electronics engineer with 35 years of design experience. I completely understand the graphic showing how the pulse waveform would look. But there is no method for turning off the pulsing. And the worst part is that there is no way to know exactly what the pulse amp setting is since there is no digital readout for it and it is not a percentage like on the 256. If some of you guys have recommendations for pulse knob settings to reduce its effects, I'd sure appreciate them.

[joe]

I forgot to mention another question. Why is the low limit on Plasma amps 24??

[performance]

Why not??? LOL

The machine has excellent cut characteristics at 20 amps (rated). The display can be off slightly. I bet it may go an amp or two over 50 wide open.

There is no need for a lower amp rating. The lowest amp plasma cutters are typically around 25 amps. Any thing lower has a difficult time with anything but tin foil.

[performance]

Boy,
How many EE's do we have here? Everyone has that title it seems.

The pulse does not turn off on these units technically. This is the characteristic of the 205. Its our entry AC/DC model. We have discussed this several times. If customers wish the full featured model, then they might want to purchase the 256. We make a difference between the models so that people can have the basics or the fully featured units, depending upon budget. Each feature represents added costs.

If you set the dial "approximately" via the control knob, the amps will be quite close to the actual setting. You can either equalize the amps or turn all controls fully left.

Yes, you can set the actual amps. Turn the pulse rate to the minimum setting first and the unit will bounce between the two current values at a slow enough rate to register the actual amps set.

When writing a manual, you must strike a balance between brevity and verbosity. While you may be an EE, others are not and cannot even fathom such a wave shape and what the unit is actually doing. We are not here to write detailed explanations for the EE or to train in welding technique.

Customers should seek out local training to learn basic welding techinques and gain undeerstanding. Just as a operator's manual for a car does not teach you how to drive, neither can a operator's manual for a welder teach you how to weld.

[Slick]

Woah, easy on the attitude!

He asked a simple question, and have you picked up or read a owners manual on a car in the last decade? They are at least 3/4 of a inch thick, and many do cover basic driving! My buddies Mercedes came with 4, 3 ring binders!

With the cost of these machines you will get plenty of beginners, and plenty of "annoying" repetitive questions!

Heck I never really got my question answered on how to properly remove the stand off on my plasma torch. Something that needs to be covered, as they are not listed on this site, and aren't the cheapest on the Canadian site! (yes I am cheap!)

[performance]

Slick,

No attitude, only a little humor.

I have picked up several manuals in the last decade. If you aren't familiar, Dodge now only supplies a cd.

I am quite aware of the nature of the questions that we get, without any need for reminding. I answer them everyday. But no matter what kind of manual you come up with, it will be deficient for a beginner. Welding textbooks are written that are over 500 pages long and still do a poor job of instruction. If you don't believe me, take a look at Larry Jeffus's textbook on this: Welding Principles and Applications. A beginner can fully read the book and still be wanting on instruction and experience. Or take the Haynes Welding Manual available at any local auto parts store, and as long as it is with as many illustrations, it fails to cover many basic aspects. Other manuals have been written, each one trying to correct one deficiency while creating another one.


But still, our attention is better left to explaining basic functions and covering issues that are intrinsically important like safety, which is probably the most detailed, yet most underead section of the manual. From the sheer numbers of people that call me asking me how to do something, and that the manual didn't cover it...when I point out the exact page and paragraph it is found, I can tell you that no matter the amount of or lack of information we have, most people do not read the manual completely or fully.

We do offer basic instruction and help in the manual. Its not perfect...but have you picked up a Miller manual? No instruction whatsoever, only identification of parts and a few safety warnings. That's it. Lincoln is the same too. Thermal Arc has the best manuals. But we don't dedicate the corporate resources to write and publish whole books like this.

Again, there are plenty of instructional materials on the NET and local of courses that are offered that should guide a Newb through the welding process. In fact, it is STRONGLY recommended that all new come welders get some sort of training whether officially or through a mentor. This is the way welding has been learned for years, and it still works. A book is fine, but 5 minutes with one skilled welder and watchful eyes following the technique can do more than any volumes of welding books.

Of course that's still going to leave out a few customers without a welding contact, or a considerable distance from a welding school or high school with a young farmer program with training seminars. For those, we can encourage them to fully read and question thing not understood in the manuals. That is the best we can do...short of showing up on his/her doorstep and pound on the door with welder in hand.

Practice, Practice, ask questions, and practice more.

Slick,

You did get a reply. Slide the standoff down from its ring groove toward the nozzle. Don't open it up or stretch it. Put it on from the bottom (nozzle of the torch) and slide it up until it clicks in place....Or a more long term or simple solution, a simple rolling standoff for this torch can be made easily from a few washers, locking collar and some screws.

[everlastsupport]

Woah, easy on the attitude!

With the cost of these machines you will get plenty of beginners, and plenty of "annoying" repetitive questions!

Heck I never really got my question answered on how to properly remove the stand off on my plasma torch. Something that needs to be covered, as they are not listed on this site, and aren't the cheapest on the Canadian site! (yes I am cheap!)

Slick,

We have a couple style torches. The snap on type, 60 amps and lower, just grab the bottom and rock it forward and back and it will pop off. On the 70 amp and higher torches (wheeled stand-offs), you unscrew the set/locking screws.

Hope that helps.

[Slick]

The one thing that I find that I really dislike on the 205 is the manual's poor explanation of pulse settings. I am an electronics engineer with 35 years of design experience. I completely understand the graphic showing how the pulse waveform would look. But there is no method for turning off the pulsing. And the worst part is that there is no way to know exactly what the pulse amp setting is since there is no digital readout for it and it is not a percentage like on the 256. If some of you guys have recommendations for pulse knob settings to reduce its effects, I'd sure appreciate them.

I seem to remember someone saying that you set the knobs to cancel each other out. How you do that I do not know. Maybe someone will chime in.