A ? for the techies....

[Seano]

I know this probably does not belong here so please (MODS) feel free to move if you so wish..... Please excuse my dumbness, but Can someone please explain the difference to me between, say an older transformer type ESAB DTA 200 ac/dc tig and say a... Fronius magiwave 2000 ac/dc inverter tig, I sight the ESAB because this is the stone age ...... machine that I use at work and find it such a different machine to use compared to some of the inverter's at college, in as much as the way it handles and sounds, it seems to be a lot more fierce in its arc characteristics and produces more heat and is a lot louder ie, crackling quite loudly (no matter what your settings and distance from work piece are) rather than humming nicely as the inverters do, this is only during AC usage I hasten to add, any info would be great to help me understand the technical difference's between the different technologies.....

Sean.

 

[dannyweld]

are you burning sticks or tig welding alu?

 

[Seano]

are you burning sticks or tig welding alu?

tigging only......

 

[shenion]

Transformer machines produce more of a sine wave out. Some came close to s square wave. There is a break in the arc as the voltage is too low to maintain the arc.

Inverters can switch polarity real fast. That means the arc can be maintained often without the need for continuous HF.

Inverters can also run at a different frequency. With a transformer TIG, you are stuck at 50/60Hz depending on your mains frequency.

My Airco beast has a real harsh arc on AC. Nater of the beast

 

[snowcat]

transformer machines handle very different to a transformer, the magicwave is the Fronius take on the original miller idea of square wave, so therefore its possible to run A/C without the need for H/f to control the current, also things like Tung+ starts on D/C etc, were never possible on transformer machines,

Normally the inverters are more aggressive because they have a higher default setting on the A/C balance, this gives em more pen but less clean, however of course its all changeable, the noise is created by the square wave type arc.......

 

[dannyweld]

tigging only......

never tig welded AC with inverter, only transformer (nearly sure) the DC seems the same to me, if not maybe the transformer is a bit better for DC but that might just be my machines. i know on some AC inverters you can weld alu with a point on the tungsten. my transformer is a noisey thing, the fan is very big, welding in AC is a bit noisey i think, have never done with an inverter though so its hard for me to judge.