AC DCEN/DCEP independent current control on PP256?

[performance]

Okay,
Even though I gave you basic settings to start at, you never posted pictures or gave a full description of what you were trying to do, or what joint type you were trying to weld in. You say corner joint: inside? outside? T type? etc. Joint prep? Single pass?
Lets break your essential beef down:

You want exact settings that can tell you where something should operate:
Lets consider the variables involved:

1) Tungsten size, type and Manufacturer. Manufacturers of tungstens though supposedly uniform in make are anything but that. I have found great difference in brands and even in packages of the same manufacturer

2) You have infinite settings between the controls. There is a UNLIMITED possible number of settings that will work.

3) Skill level. No matter what setting is given, if the skill isn't there it won't work period.

4) Stickout. How far does you tungsten stick into the join?

5) Arc Length, related to stickout, normally kept as close as possible. This controls you arc cone diameter and the "spread" of heat.

6) Torch manipulation. If the torch isn't worked between the two pieces of metal, and evenly spreading the heat between the two pieces, knitting the puddle together, it'll take more heat to get the job done.

7) Amount of oxidation. Heavy oxidation requires more input to break up the oxidation and a bigger electrode.

8) Gas flow rate. How much gas is flowing? This affects the heating up of the tungsten to a point and the oxidation removal.

9) Gas type...A major factor when welding TIG. A little helium can increase penetration and weldability of some aluminum. Argon is still fine, but a small percent of helium less than 20-25 percent can make a difference.

10) Tungsten point shape to begin with.

There are other factors, but in my mind, this is what usually affects what settings are used the most. I am sure I missed some. It is hard to give hard and fast settings based off the unlimited possible conditions you face. I am not there and cannot possibly give you anything but the broadest guidelines. Experience and one on one training is the only thing that can help get you where you need to be. Tungsten melting can result in wrong AC balance for sure, but if your polarity is set wrong as your plasma torch was, it won't work right when you adjust your AC balance. Long arcs can also overheat the tungsten by spiking up the voltage.(this goes back to corner stickout)

I don't want you to thick I knee jerked my response to you. I thought it out carefully. The point is, people are fooled into thinking there is a magic setting that can make them a good welder or make something work better for them. When, in fact, skill and technique are the #1 and #2 determining factors.

[Wrenchtamer]

Those are all good questions and I can answer all of them. the "beef" was not that I was looking for instructions as to how to successfully fuse a particular joint, but to make sure the balance control functions on the machine are working properly. that is all. Once again you mentioned operator error and once again, I acknowledge it as a possibility. I dont get why you are getting still nasty. I dont think this is getting anywhere but my question was not about the corner joint anyway. I was just looking for some parameters to start from at which the tungsten should not be melting so I could make the determination of machine versus operator error. I was not looking for "a magic setting that would make me a good welder". You had a loyal customer this morning who would buy another welder from you in a heartbeat. I have built a 14 year career in automotive diagnostics on good customer service and I have come behind many who could not resist hurling a volley of insults at the customer upon the hint of disstisfaction. when one of my customers has a problem I take it seriously because I believe in the quality of my work and stand behind it. I know you guys are something of an upstart and I know you have done a lot for your customers. when I have time I will set the machine back up, call tech support and maybe we can sort this thing out. I can answer all of your questions over the phone.

[performance]

My point is:

Operator error is the cause of 80-90% of our service calls. We take them and work through each from a basic to more advanced approach. When we do get a few units back, still several of them are problems with operator error. I am NOT saying this is your case, never have...but it must be a possibility, especially when a person is inexperienced. AND it is nearly impossible for a beginner or even a seasoned pro coming from another welding discipline to make a determination for themselves whether it is operator error or not. And it is equally hard for a new comer to take an advanced piece of equipment that they are not familiar with and use another advanced piece of equipment to make a determination whether or not it is the machine. It can be done, but it is difficult...

I have not insulted you with a volley of insults. I have only defended the principles by which we have operated in regards to your posts. Yes, I have mentioned inexperience, as a part of the barrier we have working with you or any one for that matter on gaining "common" ground to understanding what is going on and giving us helpful feedback. I cannot see how that is considered insulting, unless there is something at play with you that I don't understand. If there is, please PM me, and I will make things right with you as I am trying to do now.

Its like a new NASCAR race driver, telling the seasoned crew chief there is something wrong with the car....and not being able to give exact feedback. Yes, you can make some educated guesses as a crew chief and listen to the driver, but that is all they are (educated guesses) until you can get someone with experience in behind the wheel and confirm the problem and give some feedback from experience on what the car is doing.

You said this:
I posted in the help forum and they just told me to watc the video at jody's site. I wish somebody in tech support could gie us a definitive step by step test tomake sure the balance settings are functioning properly. I understand why they dont, ut most of us are technically competent, and able to perform our own troubleshooting if we have the procedure. I even have a labscope I could view the waveform
o, I ust am not sure what points to monitor from.

To which I responded that was not accurate and more was done for you and posted the links so people could read all in context.
I then in my next post proceeded to identify exactly WHY it is DIFFICULT to give you a one size fits all diagnosis approach.

As far as insults? Please tell me where I hurled insults at you? I don't intend any insults, but I don't like to see people misinformed about our service on this forum either. We told you MORE than to go to Jody's site. Which you said you only were told to go to Jody's site. That is where the rub began. If I drop the ball or Mike drops the ball on something, then we deserve it, but in this case, we exercised our due diligence in the matter in regards to the post. I never received a call from you directly and if Mike did, then I am not aware of it. And you never followed up with more feedback or questions. What are we to do?

[Wrenchtamer]

Ok. i appreciate that. I will acknowledge that the original post wasn't entirely accurate as far as your respnses to my requests for help. I think the days of thunder analogy is quite appropriate. I was a little bitchy yesterday morn and perhaps I should not have said what I said in the manner that I did. I failed to consider all angles of what effect that post might have. In my industry, great service is soon forgotten by most, but the memory of poor service is eternal it seems. Like I said, I beieve in your company and want to see you gys flourish. no hard feelings here. That being said, is there a way that you are aware of to connect my scope and monitor the waveforms frequency and balance? I guess that is what I should have asked in the first place. I would think it should be a fairly simple matter, but I thought you fellows might have a specific test procedure for the rare case that you need to examine a suspect or questionable unit. If it would be better for me to just get the machine in order and call mike or yourself then I will do that too.

[performance]

You can talk directly with Mike. He should be able to walk you through the basics.

However...You can severely hurt yourself if you are not up to speed on the dangers lying inside. That is why we don't put this information out there(one reason anyway, out of several) for ANYBODY to do. Scopes and diagnostic equipment has gotten relatively cheap now, and it is easy for many people to be "tempted" to do something that could come back on us if we just "dispense" this information publicly.

[maxspeedman]

If you want to monitor the waveform with a scope use a 2' long x 1" wide x 1/16" thick piece of steel and lay it on an insulating surface. Connect your ground clamp to one one end and short your torch to the other end. Set the current to 70A. Connect your scope ground to the ground clamp and the scope probe about 1" to 2" from the ground clamp. This is a cheap current shunt and can be used to see the wafeform but is not accurate for current measurement. To increase the signal seen on the scope move the probe closer to the shorted torch, or to decrease the signal move the probe closer to the ground clamp. Its simple and you can measure the frequency and balance easily.