jbirdlebough,

In a welding system, a digital welder is simply defined as a micro processor controlled welder. All primary functions are controlled through a processor chip. The PowerPro are analog welders. They use electronics but have no central core to manage the functions. Welders don't lend themselves to supporting things like wi fi or blue tooth because of the severe HF interferance. Unless you are welding on a welder that costs in excess of 20k, you won't need to worry about cooking up your own welding recipe...Even guys welding on Nuke plants don't worry about such minutia. Nor do welding engineers. IF a unit is capable of a process, then it's generally assumed that the welder will make a sound weld. It's the operator that is usually the problem...and no amount of tuning will fix that. The output of the welders are optimized and standardized pretty much across the industry. Duty cycle is controlled by a simple thermostat type control. When it reaches the temperature limit, it cuts out. While we do have an industrial line that we can special order (and a good bit of it goes overseas to the oilfields) that even goes into touch screen technology and USB downloading of some synergic programming for MIG, it is generally prohibitively expensive even for Chinese made eqiupment. So little additional benefit is achieved by having things programmable for the average or even above average welding shop. K.I.S.S. is the main principle that guides the welding industry. Companies like Fronius have gone overboard, and overpriced to try to provide a higher level of technological achievement with adjustable programming and the like but really has fallen flat on its face in the Western hemisphere because of its lack of practicality and need of an computer programming degree along with an engineering degree coupled with 40 years of welding experience to get one to work correctly. Quite simply...this is not our market. Nor should it be.

There's no such thing as AC MIG unless its a cheap piece of you know what. True multiprocess has nothing to do with how many functions it carries. To be multiprocess, it only needs to be capable of two processes. Traditionally though, multiprocess means that you are dealing with both CV and CC welding processes, and that includes MIG (CV) and Tig/stick (CC).