Tried out my 200Dx

EDIT: Tested the amp clamp that I was using and found it to be faulty. Previously listed currents are not reliable.



Well, I didn't get to it last night, but I brought the machine in to work and, after going to Lowes to get dryer plug (yes dryer plug, with 30 amp fuses), I wired up a 10ft extension cord from 12/3 s00w cord (yes 12 gauge) and plugged it into the 208 single phase. We only had one drop that was 208, and that was for a dryer that is used for the shop jackets, etc.

This machine really isn't even rated on the nameplate for 208V use, but I had seen where they work with 208V on here. The nameplate shows 30.8 amps @ 240V for peak amps.

The welder worked very well, tried ac on aluminum first, then DC on stainless, and then 7018 smaw. All worked well.

I put an amp clamp on one leg of the 208V feed and only read 22 amps at full load on AC, and only 18 amps at full load on DC. Display on the machine reads 196 amps as the max output. I have not put an amp clamp on ground clamp yet to see what the machine is actually putting out, but it seems to be pretty accurate, according to our shop manager's feel.

This very low current reading for operation is very encouraging for two reasons. First, there is no need for a high amperage circuit, 30 amp is more than adequate. the 12/3 cable never even gained any noticeable temperature over room temp, even after running at 150+ amps for 10 minutes or so. The air cooled torch got quite hot, but that is to be expected at high currents. The second benefit of low current usage, is that this means the machine uses less power. Everyone can benefit from reduced power consumption, be it a commercial application, or the weekend warrior out int the garage.

He was impressed by the very low DC welding current...kind of surprised to be able to taper off and have the arc hold until pretty much nothing. He is "old school", and didn't really see a need for pulse or downslope as the foot pedal is his way.

A note about the downslope, when using a foot pedal, the downslope still functions At first, we thought there was an issue with DC, but after turning the downslope off, it would cut off with the pedal. Otherwise, with the dwnslope on, it, well, downslopes.

The pedal is designed with a cogged belt that wraps around a toothed sprocket to operate. It worked well and was smooth with no skipping. Downside to the foot pedal is that the rheostat on it to control the amperage had no markings at all and it was more of a guess. I will likely mark it with a paint marker, but it really should have some sort of marking on it.

We tried the pulse functions as well (again, the shop manager really didn't see much need for them, see above). Everything seems to work as intended. I think I would go crazy trying to weld with a low frequency pulse on anything for any length of time, just because of the flashing, might go into some sort of a fit or seizure or something :D

The knobs on the pots on the control panel aren't all positioned to stop at "min" and max out at "max". Should be an easy tweak, but as with the foot pedal rheostat markings, really should be done at the factory.

I put an amp clamp on one leg of the 208V feed and only read UNKNOWN amps at full load on AC, and only UNKNOWN amps at full load on DC. Display on the machine reads 196 amps as the max output. I have not put an amp clamp on ground clamp yet to see what the machine is actually putting out, but it seems to be pretty accurate, according to our shop manager's feel.

This very low current reading for operation is very encouraging for two reasons. First, there is no need for a high amperage circuit, 30 amp is more than adequate. the 12/3 cable never even gained any noticeable temperature over room temp, even after running at 150+ amps for 10 minutes or so. The air cooled torch got quite hot, but that is to be expected at high currents. The second benefit of low current usage, is that this means the machine uses less power. Everyone can benefit from reduced power consumption, be it a commercial application, or the weekend warrior out int the garage. These low numbers are very encouraging also for the potential to use the welder at the track, when powered by a generator.

These readings were taken at 208V. When I get the machine back home, I will test at 240V. I can only assume the current will be lower, probably just at or slightly under the 20 amp mark at full load, AC.

Overall, I am very impressed with this machine. I personally don't have all that much tig experience, but I certainly will post up my weld results once I get a bit more practice under my belt. Once I am a bit more comfortable, I will try out the Miller machined at work (some Syncrowaves and an Aerowave) and do some side by side comparisons on the same test plates / joints. Tomorrow, the machine will likely be tested a little by one of our other welders at work.