200DX control automatically goes down to ~20 Amps?

I've been mainly stick welding with the machine (which I found good, except when it comes to 5p) and I need to brush up on my tig. Problem is every time I push down on the pedal or hold down on the torch the machine automatically starts to rev and stay down to 20 amps. I contacted technical support and they said it may be a gas issue. I got my argon switched out, made sure there aren't any leaks, and checked the gasflow of the torch. using 3/32" and the 4 cup that came along with the machine. Any time I start an arc whether its HF or lift my tungsten gets eaten up. I tried welding some filler metal and it doesn't melt, just eats the tungsten. Gas is at 25 SCFH, Downslope is off, DC, have the pre-flow ~.5, read the manual to have a steady amp pulse (low), etc.

Is there something wrong with my machine? or am I just not doing it correctly?

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Originally Posted by JayV

I've been mainly stick welding with the machine (which I found good, except when it comes to 5p) and I need to brush up on my tig. Problem is every time I push down on the pedal or hold down on the torch the machine automatically starts to rev and stay down to 20 amps. I contacted technical support and they said it may be a gas issue. I got my argon switched out, made sure there aren't any leaks, and checked the gasflow of the torch. using 3/32" and the 4 cup that came along with the machine. Any time I start an arc whether its HF or lift my tungsten gets eaten up. I tried welding some filler metal and it doesn't melt, just eats the tungsten. Gas is at 25 SCFH, Downslope is off, DC, have the pre-flow ~.5, read the manual to have a steady amp pulse (low), etc.

Is there something wrong with my machine? or am I just not doing it correctly?

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You need to list all your settings and what you are welding. It sounds like you might just have a setup issue. If you are eating tungstens on DC the two main culprits are gas issues or the torch is plugged into the wrong port. When switching from stick to TIG, remember you have to swap the leads.

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Originally Posted by Rambozo

When switching from stick to TIG, remember you have to swap the leads.

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From what you are saying it never occurred to me DC could mean torch on negative and ground positive. Always thought (or so taught) AC was for switching the torch to negative. I'll give that a shot.

I'm trying to weld some filler onto some carbon steel, or at least attempt to.

As said before for gas, downslope 0
Pre flow is around .5
post flow at 2.
2t

Question about pulse: if I have it on off, does that mean it will weld at a constant amperage or not at all? I have it on low right now with these settings so I can theoretically not have that much change in amperage

low pulse
pulse freq: middle between .5 & .25
pulse amps: 95%
pulse time: 10%

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JayV

From what you are saying it never occurred to me DC could mean torch on negative and ground positive. Always thought (or so taught) AC was for switching the torch to negative. I'll give that a shot.

I'm trying to weld some filler onto some carbon steel, or at least attempt to.

As said before for gas, downslope 0
Pre flow is around .5
post flow at 2.
2t

Question about pulse: if I have it on off, does that mean it will weld at a constant amperage or not at all? I have it on low right now with these settings so I can theoretically not have that much change in amperage

low pulse
pulse freq: middle between .5 & .25
pulse amps: 95%
pulse time: 10%

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There are two types of DC welding. DCEN (DC Electrode Negative (Straight polarity)) the names have changed over the years but it all means the same thing. DCEN is a lot more descriptive than straight polarity. This is the standard setting for most DC TIG welding.
DCEP (DC Electrode Positive (Reverse polarity)) This is the standard for stick welding, and very rarely used in TIG.
AC actually switches back and forth between these two, very quickly. In theory you could connect the leads either way on AC, but for all the controls to work right you want to connect the torch to negative and the work clamp to positive for AC TIG.

While learning, keep the pulse off. You want to do any pulsing with the pedal so you can see the effects based on foot position. With the pulser turned on, you won't learn the relationship between current and puddle control as quickly if at all. Learn the basics first, then add one feature at a time.
25 CFH is way too much for a #4 cup. try half that or less.

Again without knowing what you are welding it's hard to give settings. You should get in the habit of providing as much info as you can when asking for advice. There is a big difference between welding 24ga. steel and 1/4" steel.

A good place to start is with 1/8" plate. Not too thin, not too thick. Make sure it's clean. If hot rolled, grind off the mill scale, then wipe with acetone. If cold rolled, just do the acetone wipe.
Set your machine to one amp per .001" or 125 amps as a baseline and use the pedal for fine control. You will probably find that for a bead on plate, you will use between 60-90 amps, so about 3/4 pedal. You might start a little higher, but as the metal heats up, you will back off your pedal or bump up your travel speed to keep the same size puddle.
Preflow of .5 is fine, but I would bump up the post flow to 5 or 10. What you want is the post flow last as long as the tungsten is red, plus a little extra.
A 3/32" tungsten is good for that current range. You can use 1/16" if you keep things under 90 amps or so. 2% thoriated or lanthenated is a good choice.
Run in 2T and set up and down slope to minimum and start and end amps to minimum as well. You will control the slopes with the pedal. Use a light pedal to start the arc, then add pedal until you get a good puddle. Make your weld and adjust the pedal as needed to keep the same puddle size. If it gets too big, back off, too small, add a little more. At the end of the weld, add a little extra filler, then slowly back off the pedal until the arc goes out. This will keep from leaving a crater and possibly starting a crack. Once you understand all these things you can use some of the features of the welder to do some of that automatically for you.
In summery:
1/8" steel settings
DCEN
125 amps with pedal control
.5 preflow 10 postflow
Start, End, Up and Down to minimum.
Pulser Off
Arc force Off
3/32" 2% tungsten pointed
7-15 CFH argon #4 - #6 cup

Have fun

Please read the manual. It deals with all of these for you and explains it. It would save a lot of frustration. Not sure why tech support would think it was a gas issue without verifying polarity first. Never assume the simple things, because that is what is wrong 95% of the time in life.

Yeah..switching the leads did it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by performance

Please read the manual. It deals with all of these for you and explains it. It would save a lot of frustration. Not sure why tech support would think it was a gas issue without verifying polarity first. Never assume the simple things, because that is what is wrong 95% of the time in life.

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Its funny because I've read the manual extensively yet I never bothered to check the page that has the polarity/gas flow specifications.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rambozo

There are two types of DC welding. DCEN (DC Electrode Negative (Straight polarity)) the names have changed over the years but it all means the same thing. DCEN is a lot more descriptive than straight polarity. This is the standard setting for most DC TIG welding.
DCEP (DC Electrode Positive (Reverse polarity)) This is the standard for stick welding, and very rarely used in TIG.
AC actually switches back and forth between these two, very quickly. In theory you could connect the leads either way on AC, but for all the controls to work right you want to connect the torch to negative and the work clamp to positive for AC TIG.

While learning, keep the pulse off. You want to do any pulsing with the pedal so you can see the effects based on foot position. With the pulser turned on, you won't learn the relationship between current and puddle control as quickly if at all. Learn the basics first, then add one feature at a time.
25 CFH is way too much for a #4 cup. try half that or less.

Again without knowing what you are welding it's hard to give settings. You should get in the habit of providing as much info as you can when asking for advice. There is a big difference between welding 24ga. steel and 1/4" steel.

A good place to start is with 1/8" plate. Not too thin, not too thick. Make sure it's clean. If hot rolled, grind off the mill scale, then wipe with acetone. If cold rolled, just do the acetone wipe.
Set your machine to one amp per .001" or 125 amps as a baseline and use the pedal for fine control. You will probably find that for a bead on plate, you will use between 60-90 amps, so about 3/4 pedal. You might start a little higher, but as the metal heats up, you will back off your pedal or bump up your travel speed to keep the same size puddle.
Preflow of .5 is fine, but I would bump up the post flow to 5 or 10. What you want is the post flow last as long as the tungsten is red, plus a little extra.
A 3/32" tungsten is good for that current range. You can use 1/16" if you keep things under 90 amps or so. 2% thoriated or lanthenated is a good choice.
Run in 2T and set up and down slope to minimum and start and end amps to minimum as well. You will control the slopes with the pedal. Use a light pedal to start the arc, then add pedal until you get a good puddle. Make your weld and adjust the pedal as needed to keep the same puddle size. If it gets too big, back off, too small, add a little more. At the end of the weld, add a little extra filler, then slowly back off the pedal until the arc goes out. This will keep from leaving a crater and possibly starting a crack. Once you understand all these things you can use some of the features of the welder to do some of that automatically for you.
In summery:
1/8" steel settings
DCEN
125 amps with pedal control
.5 preflow 10 postflow
Start, End, Up and Down to minimum.
Pulser Off
Arc force Off
3/32" 2% tungsten pointed
7-15 CFH argon #4 - #6 cup

Have fun

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Thanks for the great advice. I've welded tig before but never with a pedal/control nor HF/straight torch so this is all completely new to me. I'm used to a flex torch and walking the cup so having to keep steady is gonna take some time. I have a couple of carbon steel 5" pipe coupons that I'm practicing on. I won't hesitate to ask questions.

You can still walk the cup. In fact, walking the cup with a straight neck torch seems easier to me without having to feel the flex of the neck, unless you are the type that holds the torch somewhere else but the handle.

happy i ran into this, i just received my 200dx and no instructions were in box? maybe because i ordered the upgraded deluxe kit and they forgot to add instruction ? maybe ..
anyways i to had the torch and the ground in the wrong ports (reversed) while welding, lol wow! right. prob why i was burning out my tungsten ...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Frank

happy i ran into this, i just received my 200dx and no instructions were in box? maybe because i ordered the upgraded deluxe kit and they forgot to add instruction ? maybe ..
anyways i to had the torch and the ground in the wrong ports (reversed) while welding, lol wow! right. prob why i was burning out my tungsten ...

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You can download your manual from the website. Have fun.

http://www.everlastgenerators.com/product-manuals

Direct link.
http://www.everlastgenerators.com/si...0DX%202013.pdf

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Frank

happy i ran into this, i just received my 200dx and no instructions were in box? maybe because i ordered the upgraded deluxe kit and they forgot to add instruction ? maybe ..
anyways i to had the torch and the ground in the wrong ports (reversed) while welding, lol wow! right. prob why i was burning out my tungsten ...

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Not sure why you didn't get it. That unit along with all the other powerTIGs and most of the PowerArcs and Plasma cutters and even the PowerPros are supposed to have the manual in the box.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by performance

Not sure why you didn't get it. That unit along with all the other powerTIGs and most of the PowerArcs and Plasma cutters and even the PowerPros are supposed to have the manual in the box.

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I was surprised aswell, i'm looking around to download it