Maiden Voyage EXT325

[SteveY]

In my introduction, I made reference to my purchase of a 325EXT and cooler. I thought I should check it out before my 5 year warranty expires! (I've already lost 14 months before I even opened the package, today, LOL!
Anyway, here goes! I had purchased a Harbor Freight welder cart #61316 (currently selling for $39.95, POS is only worth about $20, really) Has a tilted top shelf, middle shelf and bottom shelf all on wheels. I took the middle shelf out and cut it in half to graft it onto the top shelf to accommodate the 325EXT and will make the top shelf sit flat. So, my first project is to weld the top shelf and partial half of middle shelf together with the 325. I vise gripped the 2 pieces together and took the 4-1/2 grinder and ground the surfaces to shiny silver metal.

Now I set up my 325EXT. I set it on top of the Miller and now the control panel was nearly at eye level. I used the Argon, regulator (Victor) and gas hose off the back of the Miller to expedite the set-up. I wired a NEMA 6-50 male plug to the power cord of the 325. Black and white wires to the 2 flats, and green wire to round ground pin. Red wire taped to cord. Hung a 60 amp dual pole breaker in the fuse box with 20 feet of #4/2 wire and terminated with a female plug. Plugged in the 325 and turned on breaker. ALL GOOD! Now I have power and gas hooked up. Ground clamp to + port, insert and twist, check. Connect ground clamp to vise grip holding table to bench and sitting on shiny bare metal, check. Now, foot pedal, plug-in and screw retainer to controller input port, check. The pedal is about 2/3s the size of the SSC from the Miller, sitting next to each other on the floor. The Everlast pedal has a higher triangular profile. Not good or bad, ou just need to get your foot in a comfortable position to rock it down, keep it from scooting around, and make sure you don't get a cramp or muscle fatigue. (this is where I nearly fell off my deluxe 18" Harbor Freight $9 roll around stool. Irritating!) OK, so far. Gas, Elec, Ground, and pedal, all good! Now for the torch. This is a quickie so no water cooler today! Grab what turns out to be the #9 flex cable torch. Plug in the dinse, twist and turn, check. Now only to cbles on a non-water cooled torch, the Dinse/ power cable ( big around as your thumb) and the 9mm gas feed line with quick push connect. One slight concern is that the gas line on the torch is red. On the water cooled torch the heated water return line is red and plugs into the red port on the cooler. I instinctively knew where the gas line went, but it might should have been colored black for consistency. Blue = cold water, red = hot water return, black = gas flow but only a small detail for newbies.
Now torch is hooked up and all connections are complete.
Torch set-up, #9 is a series 2 size torch and consumable, same as a 20 style water cooled torch. I took the consumables off the WP 20 on the Miller.
3/32 gas lens, #8 pink cup, 3/32 collet, and long back cap. Grabbed the 3/32 2% lanthanated and ground a quick fresh point and loaded everything together, check.

Now the moment of truth. Power on, space voyager!
HOLY POLAR VORTEX BATMAN! the fans sound like to helicopters landing. Since I have the unit sitting 4 feet off the floor, the wind is blowing my face and hair, and it's cold! DUH! Oh well, plenty of air movement for the components, LOL!

Now to the panel! lights up on stick mode, bing, bing up to HF tig, check. Everything is starting to light up now for the tig gig! Normal set-up in the box is lit up, check. Up to top right hand corner of panel, it's on DC, leave it, check.
Down to control box. it's on 2T, bing, bing, on pedal, check.
Tig pulse box is showing off, leave it, check.
All boxes are now good to go!
Now to weld cycle middle section.
Welding Amps shows 65 Metal table looks to be about .060" thick, leave it
Yellow pulse box and green AC box not involved (turned off) over to Down Slope.
Set on Zero, leave it.
Poock over to end amps, showing 5, leave it!
Poock (pushing advance arrow) to postflow, turn rotary know to show 6 secs, good
Poock pre-flow, tick, tick, etc, .5 sec, leave it.
Poock upslope zero, leave it
Back to welding amps
We're ready to sail! whoops!
Gas flow on regulator ??????
Hummmmm! Wong Fong Chu didn't build a gas purge button into the system, irritated!
Thought for 2 seconds, then American welder boy remember, up to 25 sec for pre-flow
Multiple Poocks around to pre-flow, push rotary knob in and twist to 25, all good.
Walk to pedal, one stomp, please, walk 15' to back of machine, twist reg to 20 cfh, bingo.
Back to front of machine, turn preflow back to .5 sec.
Hold memory button for 3 secs and program one is set.
To weld, tally-ho, ER70s2, 1/16, wearing an Optrel welding cap (light and great lens clarity)
Action, pedal, dab,dab, STOP, too cold!
Over to panel, push in rotary knob, tick tick, 85 amps, hold memory button with glove, can't see number or green light.
Memory shows program #2, tick, tick, 9 times back to program 1, still showing 65 amps
Push, click, click, to 85 amps, use gloved little finger on memormy button, 3 secs, all set at 85 amps
Lights action camera, welding, better, kinda, keep filler in, move faster, the metal is starting to smoke, WTH! I nearly fall off the stool, loose rod and burn hole thru metal
This must be junk metal, it's ground to a silver new metal, (I didn't use Acetone), no telling what is in it!
Hmmmm! Let's try pulse to be a little more gentle with the heat
To panel, over to pulse box, set to standard AC/DC, check
To weld flow boxes and set Pulse, time on 50, amps 50, freq 1.2, good
Turn amps to 100, hols MEM button 3 sec
Pedal down, HO_HUM, not enough juice!
OK let's get serious, Mitutoyo calipers say metal is .080' thick, ahh haa!
Turn amps to 160, hold MEM 3 sec
Hold petal, ahh $hit, too hot
Turn pulser functions down to 30, 30, still 1.2 hold MEM button 3 secs, (always hold MEM after changes or they will not take
Pedal, still too hot, Amps down to 130, pulser functions 30, 15, 1.2 MEM
Pedal, better, oooh! faster, more rod, this is dicey metal.
Amps turn down to 120, MEM
Action, OK gettin close, let's weld air, weld a bead around the holes and start filling in, this metal is junk, that's why it's all stamped out, painted and bolted together.
Ring, Ring Phone, can you got to the Balkins? (ND), No too cold! WILL you go to the Balkins? NO too cold!
Time OUT! No more welding today, phone negotiations LMAO!

[SteveY]

PS Ya I know, pictures, My IPhone 6 battery is brand new from Apple but still wonky. I had to preserve the battery for calls only!

[performance]

We have the NOVA Pedal, which is all the way around better for control and better in my opinion, than the SSC, and similar in size.