NEW 2013 EVERLAST PowerTig 255 EXT AC/DC DIGITAL TIG WELDER

[redbeard]

Hey Oleg, when are you guys going to schedule pickup of the 250ext units? I keep asking, but not getting answers. I'm not in any significant rush, just don't want to fall through the cracks.

I asked a few times too and got "no hurry" and "don't worry" so I stopped fretting about it. We are on the record as wanting replacements and I have zero doubts that Oleg will make good in the end. I appreciate having it available even though I don't fire it up very much. I do wish I hadn't been so hasty digging the crate out of the barn though.

[jakeru]

This is great news - so I assume the pros liked the units they tested? Any additional details on the reviews of these initial units would be highly welcomed.

[performance]

Ok guys. I had a 255ext to test for a few days before I passed it on this week. I'll be putting up some video of it. Do a video manual etc. Trying to get the video manual out tonight or Saturday as we speak. I made a couple of programming recommendations which can be done with a few key strokes on a laptop when they are set up in final production phase. About to take lunch, but will come back and give a few more details. We do have 4 excellent functioning AC wave forms, 500 hz DC(although the one I tested was set to 250hz...one of the programming things I referred to) and 250Hz AC pulse (advanced square wave, with the alternate wave forms capable of 10 hz each, which I think is a reasonable expectation. 3 amp operation on DC, 5 amp operation on AC. And for the videos, I took several "light ups" on a sprite can, which I'll put together. It doesn't like to start the arc if you run a ball. It prefers a point, which is not an issue at all. It will start, but it makes it more difficult. It is a capacitive discharge HF like the i tig 200T. I'll put up some "internal" pics later. It's pretty clean and doesn't have all those wires like the units in the past did. All main boards are plug and play. There is no hidden menu on this unit (as of now) and everything's been pulled out to the front of the panel. Right now, I've got a Dr's appt to keep with my kid, so I'll post more later.

[performance]

Here are a couple of pictures

[Mr120]

Wow. That really is a nice, clean and simple layout. If fewer parts have any bearing on reliability, it looks like a winner.

[Kempy]

Mark
You will have to put up some pictures of the welds you have done with the New Everlast PowerTig 255EXT.

[performance]

Mark
You will have to put up some pictures of the welds you have done with the New Everlast PowerTig 255EXT.

Kempy,

Didn't take any pictures, and only took a few short segments of video. It welds, and welds TIG fine. I lit up on a sprite can repeatedly. It started stably and held a stable arc with 1/16" Lan. 1.5%. with a foot pedal.

It welds as good as our 250EX, and has more features. I am not sure what you could really learn about a unit by looking at someone's weld though. I did some aluminum welds down to 5% AC+. A little dirty but manageable, especially on heavily oxidized plate. I wasn't welding for "pretty" but rather for "nasty" and extreme conditions.

[DVA]

Any update on the videos? Also, what is the expected arrival time?

[Kempy]

Mark
I like the two video's you have made and I am starting to understand how the AC Advance pulse works, now all I need is a 255EXT to try it out. Will you be making a manual soon?

[performance]

Here's one about what's included in the package.

[performance]

This ones about getting the connections right.

[johnnymg]

Ok guys. I had a 255ext to test for a few days before I passed it on this week. I'll be putting up some video of it. Do a video manual etc. Trying to get the video manual out tonight or Saturday as we speak. I made a couple of programming recommendations which can be done with a few key strokes on a laptop when they are set up in final production phase. About to take lunch, but will come back and give a few more details. We do have 4 excellent functioning AC wave forms, 500 hz DC(although the one I tested was set to 250hz...one of the programming things I referred to) and 250Hz AC pulse (advanced square wave, with the alternate wave forms capable of 10 hz each, which I think is a reasonable expectation. 3 amp operation on DC, 5 amp operation on AC. And for the videos, I took several "light ups" on a sprite can, which I'll put together. It doesn't like to start the arc if you run a ball. It prefers a point, which is not an issue at all. It will start, but it makes it more difficult. It is a capacitive discharge HF like the i tig 200T. I'll put up some "internal" pics later. It's pretty clean and doesn't have all those wires like the units in the past did. All main boards are plug and play. There is no hidden menu on this unit (as of now) and everything's been pulled out to the front of the panel. Right now, I've got a Dr's appt to keep with my kid, so I'll post more later.

Mark

Congrats on getting this unit ready for release.

JMO, but it would be a good selling point to have user upgradable EEPROMs. Flashing PROMs is pretty much SOP for consumer electronics nowadays.

cheers
JohnG

[performance]

It might be a good selling point, but not a good idea. There's really nothing that could be improved and only having something like that in the hands of people that aren't welding engineers that are well versed in Nomenclature. Those people are few and far between, who understand what it takes to make a welder weld correctly. Also, you'd be taking a chance on service problems and issues, if someone were to reprogram the pulse frequency and blow the machine, or mess with the error codes etc. No one is doing it with Miller or Lincoln except for some items that have USB and only allow factory authorized changes in SOME high end models. I expect we'll be ok. There are some "factory" serviceable upgrades that can be made available, if needed, but keeping those close to the chest is a good thing. I imagine someone will interface and try to reprogram the machine, if they know chinese. lol. But the instant they do, we no longer are responsible for the unit. It's their 2500.00 to waste then.

[Jason]

It might be a good selling point, but not a good idea. There's really nothing that could be improved and only having something like that in the hands of people that aren't welding engineers that are well versed in Nomenclature. Those people are few and far between, who understand what it takes to make a welder weld correctly. Also, you'd be taking a chance on service problems and issues, if someone were to reprogram the pulse frequency and blow the machine, or mess with the error codes etc. No one is doing it with Miller or Lincoln except for some items that have USB and only allow factory authorized changes in SOME high end models. I expect we'll be ok. There are some "factory" serviceable upgrades that can be made available, if needed, but keeping those close to the chest is a good thing. I imagine someone will interface and try to reprogram the machine, if they know chinese. lol. But the instant they do, we no longer are responsible for the unit. It's their 2500.00 to waste then.

Who needs to know chinese... I don't see how anyone could provide the ability to custom write the firmware for a machine like this and then offer support or any warrenty. There is always the chance that someone may damage the machine and then write the original code back to the machine leaving no indication that they made a change that was at fault if there is an interface but then thats a easy support/repair method over pulling off a chip to flash and resolder.

[JimMinKent]

We do have 4 excellent functioning AC wave forms, 500 hz DC(although the one I tested was set to 250hz...one of the programming things I referred to) and 250Hz AC pulse (advanced square wave, with the alternate wave forms capable of 10 hz each, which I think is a reasonable expectation. 3 amp operation on DC, 5 amp operation on AC. And for the videos, I took several "light ups" on a sprite can, which I'll put together. It doesn't like to start the arc if you run a ball. It prefers a point, which is not an issue at all. It will start, but it makes it more difficult. It is a capacitive discharge HF like the i tig 200T. .

Mark, can you please clarify a couple of statements from your earlier post, thank you.

First, regarding the frequencies stated, Does changing the waveform limit the AC frequency? Which would not be expected, or did you mean using Advanced Pulse limits the pulse frequency, which has been discussed and we are expecting.

Doesn't the AC frequency range run full scale regardless of which of the 4 waveforms is selected? I am not sure why you made the distinction between "advanced square wave" and the "alternate wave forms" with regard to the "10 hz".

If this was a slight misstatement, and you meant to describe "Advanced Pulse" mode, then fine, but then please answer this, Are all 4 waveforms still available in Advanced Pulse, at all AC frequencies, albeit limited to Advanced Pulsing at 10 hz?

Second, even a pointed electrode will ball slightly in AC, with any balance setting, at the very tip. Only a freshly ground tungsten is sharp on the first strike. You are not saying this level of sharpness is needed for good starts in AC are you? This would not be expected.

Thanks for the clarification,
Really ready in Kent now,
Jim

[performance]

Jim,

In context of the DC at 500 hz, and the word pulse, I thought it was clear, but my apologies for not communicating clearly. I'll try again.

I was referring to pulse frequency in AC, not the frequency of AC itself. The range of AC frequency is the same regardless of wave form. But in regular pulse mode, the alternate wave forms other than Advanced square is limited to a max of 10 hz. Advanced square itself, pulse frequency is up to 250 hz. DC is 500 hertz.

All AC wave forms in advanced pulse are limited to a 10Hz PULSE.

No, an electrode shouldn't ball with the lowest setting if it's right...or even up to 35% or so. Anything will ball if too much heat is used for the tungsten size. But in regular use, of course, a tiny amount may disappear off the tip, but it's going to do that with DC as well. It won't form a ball. If it does, something isn't just right. You shouldn't attempt low amp starts with a balled tungsten as it destabilizes the arc. Low amp starts was the context of the idea I was trying to communicate, but as a rule, balls just don't work as well for starts. There's really no reason to purposefully run a ball. This is why inverters don't run well with green tungsten and why it isn't used. Green tungsten forms a ball, and creates, a lazy, unstable arc in an inverter. None of our units run as well with a ball as they do with a pointed electrode.

[JimMinKent]

Jim,

In context of the DC at 500 hz, and the word pulse, I thought it was clear, but my apologies for not communicating clearly. I'll try again.

I was referring to pulse frequency in AC, not the frequency of AC itself. The range of AC frequency is the same regardless of wave form. But in regular pulse mode, the alternate wave forms other than Advanced square is limited to a max of 10 hz. Advanced square itself, pulse frequency is up to 250 hz. DC is 500 hertz.

All AC wave forms in advanced pulse are limited to a 10Hz PULSE.

No, an electrode shouldn't ball with the lowest setting if it's right...or even up to 35% or so. Anything will ball if too much heat is used for the tungsten size. But in regular use, of course, a tiny amount may disappear off the tip, but it's going to do that with DC as well. It won't form a ball. If it does, something isn't just right. You shouldn't attempt low amp starts with a balled tungsten as it destabilizes the arc. Low amp starts was the context of the idea I was trying to communicate, but as a rule, balls just don't work as well for starts. There's really no reason to purposefully run a ball. This is why inverters don't run well with green tungsten and why it isn't used. Green tungsten forms a ball, and creates, a lazy, unstable arc in an inverter. None of our units run as well with a ball as they do with a pointed electrode.

Mark, Thank you for the update,

I just want to be on the same page with what shows up Still I do wonder what is the challenge in pulsing over 10hz using a triangle, soft square, or sine waveform when the advanced square wave can go to 250hz.

I agree with everything you said regarding the tungsten, and would add that we are talking about not using a balled end where the diameter of the ball equals the diameter of the tungsten.

Jim

[performance]

Here's part one.
Part two will be up soon, hopefully by the a.m. which will include pulse and AC feature settings.
then part 3 etc.

But this is sort of the basic layout, and function of the machine.

Edit: Revised video below.