Got my Powermaster 256..

There was a big box on my doorstep on thursday and inside was a shiny new PM 256!.

Checked it out.. had a couple of things to fix
- gas coupling was on the wrong hose..
- Pedal was warped... looks like something hit the box.. took it apart and fixed it.

I'm still running wires, so I haven't got it up and running yet. Will try to do that this weekend and send a couple of pictures.. I'm effectively a newbie at welding (haven't done any in 30 years or so). it ain't going to be pretty :-)

The one concern I have with the unit is the power cord.. the labeling on the cord says it's only 12 ga wire... doesn't seem at all adequate to carry 50 Amps..

Nano,

The wire gauge is plenty for the distance the amps are carried.
Amp capacity is determined by wire length.

The maximum inrush current is only 42 amps. The continuous current is around 25 amps or so.
The rules for Amperage capacity on duty cycle limited devices are different as well.
Glad you got the unit.

Let us know how it works. I still find it unbelievable that they can't get the packaging right and stuff gets damaged and also the units can't be tested properly if fittings on wrong hoses.

2 Rods,

The torches come from another factory. We are looking at our options on this now, but it takes a while for evaluation. We do not want to jump from the frying pan to the fire....

The units and the torches are tested separately. The units are tested on a static load bank and have nothing to do with the torch. Now the plasmas are tested both ways, from my understanding...with the torches also receiving separate testing then again on the machines Duncan is the expert on the factory testing, maybe he can clarify when he has time.

The packaging HAS been upgraded again with additional foam. I have evaluated the shipping myself. We comply and exceed the UPS shipping standards. The panels that are broken do not break easily. Anyone with left over pieces will tell you that they are not that brittle, they have plenty of give and flex in them. UPS is the cause of the damage, not poor packaging or product quality. The blame lays squarely on their shoulders now, when it happens.

2 rods,
The good thing was that other people had seen the torch issue before and I knew to check before starting it up :-).. I do tend to agree though, while they're packing this stuff into the box it would be nice if they just blew through the tube to see if it's connected right. I figure I just got unlucky and got one of the ones that got packed before they figured the assemblers were maybe not quite as attentive as they should have been...

Mark,
I wasn't too worried that it would burst into flames :-) flat out, I calculate the cable is dissipating about 70 watts. with a voltage drop of about 1.4V... probably not critical in this usage..

It just struck me when I was trying to put a connector on the cable... for 60Amp circuit, the connector of choice seems to be the 6-50P. when I first attached the wires from the welder to the plug, they just fell out.. Had to "adjust" the plug wire clamps so it would hang on to the 12ga wired.. :-)

-- Hope to try it out soon... just finishing up the conduit and wiring in the garage...

--marcel

Quote:

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Originally Posted by performance

Nano,

The wire gauge is plenty for the distance the amps are carried.
Amp capacity is determined by wire length.

The maximum inrush current is only 42 amps. The continuous current is around 25 amps or so.
The rules for Amperage capacity on duty cycle limited devices are different as well.
Glad you got the unit.

---

I was seting up my tig today and my lines are screwd up as well...

Tall guy.

Do not screw with the lines, only swap the quick connect nipple over to the shiny lines.

GUYS, We realize its an inconvenience for the ones that are backwards...But It only takes 30 seconds to swap!! And its not necessary to check by squirting water all over the place. Simply blow through the lines first to check for proper flow...that takes 15 seconds...less than a minute in all to do it.

We are working out the reason why it happened again. This is not a reflection on the welder factory, but rather an issue from the torch factory.

So.. maybe it's just me, but it looks weird that the Argon line is NOT the one that connects in at the terminal plug... I suspect that's why people are thinking that the Torch is mis-plumbed..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by performance

Tall guy.

Do not screw with the lines, only swap the quick connect nipple over to the shiny lines.

We are working out the reason why it happened again. This is not a reflection on the welder factory, but rather an issue from the torch factory.

---

Nano,

People that have used water cooled torches before have missed this as well. I have received the same questions from them. I have told them to go and look back at their water cooled torches, and they come back saying their torches have the same setup as ours, just never noticed it. The hookup for an air cooled torch is backwards from that and the line that was plumbed incorrectly is the one that is the gas line on all the other air cooled torches. However the the argon is used to cool the internal cable and that is why its plumbed this way. On the water cooled torches, the water is used to cool the cable and not the air..otherwise, there wouldn't be much need for water.