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Re: Miller DialArc 250 AC/DC - Tripping 50 Amp Breaker on Start Up

If you want an excellent small Stick machine, my current favorite for

> small machines is the Miller Maxstar 200STR. > For $1650, it really can't be beat. > > If you need really small the Maxstar 150s are good, but limited to > 3/32" electrodes for 110 volt input. > On 220 volt input you can just run 1/8" rods. > We had one for 1 week at school before we traded up to the 200 STR. > > In article , rvb > > wrote: > > > > > >> > > >>How old is the 50 amp breaker?  The Dialarc has a huge startup surg e > > >>normally..and if the breaker is old..it may be tripping below the 50 > > >>amps. > > > >>Replace with a 60 amp. > > > >>Also, remove the cover of the welder and check for any of the big cop per > > >>straps running hither and yon in the machine touching any of the fram e. > > >>Ive seen that on two machines so far..both Dialarcs. > > > >>Facing the machine, check the left hand side for burned straps. Both > > >>were there > > > >>Gunner > > > >I took it to the Miller fix-it place and they told me I was duped. > > >That it was missing half the parts it was supposed to have and they > > >weren't going to even touch it. > > > >They said I'd be better off buying another one with the price it would > > >cost to fix it.  So, I guess it's to someone who needs one really ba d > > >or to the scrap heap with it. > > > >:( > > > Oh and I forgot to mention that I did replace it with a 60-amp it was > > still blowing the breaker albeit rarely.  One other thing the guy > > mentioned is that it had some new fangled poteniometer.  The original > > one was a clay model.  For what it's worth. > > > Maybe it's time to just go buy a stinking thunderbolt or one of those > > Maxstar 150s models. > > > -- > > As Iron Sharpens Iron, > > So One Man Sharpens Another. > > Proverbs 27:17

Hey, Ernie. Does that Maxstar have lift-start only? I haven't done much TIG at all and thought you needed HF for use with a foot pedal or your had to scratch start like with Stick. Not true?

Reply to
Rick Barter (rvb)
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It's fairly easy to find the specs on the miller site:

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The 200 STR that Ernie mentioned above seems to be mostly a Stick machine though it does TIG as well but only lift-start and no HF. You can use a foot pedal with lift start.

Lift start is not the same thing as scratch start in case you didn't understand that. Scratch start is what you do with stick. The current is always on and you have to touch the weld metal with the electrode to start the arc but do it a way to keep it from sticking. You can scratch start TIG but it's tricky because you risk contaminating the weld by melting some of the tungsten into the weld if it sticks.

Lift start is a special electronic control feature built into some machines that keeps the current off (mostly) when not welding. You touch the tungsten to the weld for a second, (no worry about it sticking because the high current is not on - only a very low voltage low current sense current is active). You then lift the tungsten off the metal and that signals the machine to turn on the high current (aka start _after_ lifting) - so the arc starts instantly _after_ you lift the tungsten off the metal preventing (or at least reducing) any problem with it sticking. So you don't scratch it, you simply touch it, and then lift it to start the arc. Lift start is not bad and easy to get used to. And it has the advantage of not creating any HF interference with near by electronic equipment.

There are other machines in the Maxstar line like the Maxstar 200 SD that does HF as well as lift start if you want that (but they cost more):

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All the Maxstar machines are DC only (no AC Tig). If you want DC and AC in an Miller inverter machine for Stick and Tig, you have to move up to the Dynasty line:

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Which costs another $800 or so more than the Maxstar machines.

Or down to their bare-bones TIG only DC/AC inverter the new Diversion 165:

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Reply to
Curt Welch

Thanks for the info, Curt. I should have dug a little deeper for the specs. But, I appreciate your very good description of touch-start. I thought it meant the same as scratch start like I've seen with stick machines set up to do TIG.

Thanks again,

rvb

-- As Iron Sharpens Iron, So One Man Sharpens Another. Proverbs 27:17

Reply to
Rick Barter (rvb)

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