stevebibby
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OK there are lots of us there! Does anyone have a spec or datasheet that spells out the amps/volts for the different settings? Has anyone measured them?
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greyshirtguy
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Hello and welcome to the forum...
I have the Transmig 165 also (nice machine for it's price)...
I do remember being a little disappointed that the settings didn't seem to have any real-world values because I envisaged one day having a large chart of perfect settings for every thickness/joint type/weldable metal…..
However on the Transmig 165 the welding voltage and wire speed are simply numbered with un-scaled numbers.
(Note, on my 165 the fine and course controls seem to be reversed/swapped – seriously they are...which to me is a bit of evidence that they are an Australian twin to the UK "Clarke" machines - some of which are said to have the same reversal of controls)
I'm not sure why they don't have real-world values. My first suspicion is that the output voltage (and the wire speed) is not super precise - which would make it difficult to “commit” to an exact value for each setting and print them at the factory. This is probably due to slight variances between circuits/transformers – especially if you take into account any real-world voltage drops that might occur across the full range of output current. (The open circuit voltage can be as high as 34V)
On top of all that, the output is not a perfectly flat DC value - but it varies slightly. The output ripple on the 165 is probably slightly higher than other machines that have output caps (no caps in 165) in addition to the output inductor/choke. (I might try adding caps to mine one day to see if I get a smoother arc for thin sheet welding)
In case you don’t have the manual….
The manual states the upper and lower limits of the welding voltages: 15V – 21V….so the voltage settings are presumably going to be values that are probably not too different from below: (assuming a linear, equal gap in voltage steps.)
15, 16.2, 17.4, 18.6, 19.8, 21
All that said, I have found it not to matter so much (so I have not measured) …
I got used to setting up the welder by the way the weld sounds and how the bead turns out – I tend to always do it by listening for that perfect arc sound and then fine-tuning if the penetration is to0 high/low. Which means I don’t have a chart of voltages and wire speeds – just tend to a have a play on scrap pieces of same size/configuration before each welding session.
As for amperage, well there are so many variables I can understand why the circuit designers would have a hard time trying to predict and display current values. Current will depend greatly on welding voltage, wire speed and wire size (and other variables I suppose such as wire type). Again the min and max values are given by the manual: 30A – 165A. I imagine 30A would be min voltage with 0.6mm wire using a slow sire speed and 165A would require 0.8wire on max voltage and a roaring high wirespeed.
Sorry if the answer was a painfully long-winded way to simply say:
you can’t tell – set up the welder by “feel”
I have the Transmig 165 also (nice machine for it's price)...
I do remember being a little disappointed that the settings didn't seem to have any real-world values because I envisaged one day having a large chart of perfect settings for every thickness/joint type/weldable metal…..
However on the Transmig 165 the welding voltage and wire speed are simply numbered with un-scaled numbers.
(Note, on my 165 the fine and course controls seem to be reversed/swapped – seriously they are...which to me is a bit of evidence that they are an Australian twin to the UK "Clarke" machines - some of which are said to have the same reversal of controls)
I'm not sure why they don't have real-world values. My first suspicion is that the output voltage (and the wire speed) is not super precise - which would make it difficult to “commit” to an exact value for each setting and print them at the factory. This is probably due to slight variances between circuits/transformers – especially if you take into account any real-world voltage drops that might occur across the full range of output current. (The open circuit voltage can be as high as 34V)
On top of all that, the output is not a perfectly flat DC value - but it varies slightly. The output ripple on the 165 is probably slightly higher than other machines that have output caps (no caps in 165) in addition to the output inductor/choke. (I might try adding caps to mine one day to see if I get a smoother arc for thin sheet welding)
In case you don’t have the manual….
The manual states the upper and lower limits of the welding voltages: 15V – 21V….so the voltage settings are presumably going to be values that are probably not too different from below: (assuming a linear, equal gap in voltage steps.)
15, 16.2, 17.4, 18.6, 19.8, 21
All that said, I have found it not to matter so much (so I have not measured) …
I got used to setting up the welder by the way the weld sounds and how the bead turns out – I tend to always do it by listening for that perfect arc sound and then fine-tuning if the penetration is to0 high/low. Which means I don’t have a chart of voltages and wire speeds – just tend to a have a play on scrap pieces of same size/configuration before each welding session.
As for amperage, well there are so many variables I can understand why the circuit designers would have a hard time trying to predict and display current values. Current will depend greatly on welding voltage, wire speed and wire size (and other variables I suppose such as wire type). Again the min and max values are given by the manual: 30A – 165A. I imagine 30A would be min voltage with 0.6mm wire using a slow sire speed and 165A would require 0.8wire on max voltage and a roaring high wirespeed.
Sorry if the answer was a painfully long-winded way to simply say:
you can’t tell – set up the welder by “feel”
Last edited:
stevebibby
New Member
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the settings are really weird!
Thanks Dan. I agree its all about the feel and sound but it would be nice to get a chart of some description. CigWeld customer service dont have them! You mentioned the manual but I didnt find one in the box - any clues as to where I can find one? Menwhile its back to experiementing.
Keep in touch
Steve
Thanks Dan. I agree its all about the feel and sound but it would be nice to get a chart of some description. CigWeld customer service dont have them! You mentioned the manual but I didnt find one in the box - any clues as to where I can find one? Menwhile its back to experiementing.
Keep in touch
Steve
greyshirtguy
Persistent Learner
- Messages
- 150
Before I bought my TransMIG165 I tried to source the manual - NO LUCK.
I was a bit surprised that I couldn't - I suppose my years in IT have built an expectation that any manual/info should be only a few clicks away.
That said, since the manual is so small (26 A5 pages) I will scan it sometime in the next week at work and send you a PDF if you like.... Don't get too excited - it's very light on information (especially for those "info-hungry" people like myself).
The manual covers the 100, 135 and 165 amp models and 8-9 pages are devoted to non-welder info (Safety etc).
I was a bit surprised that I couldn't - I suppose my years in IT have built an expectation that any manual/info should be only a few clicks away.
That said, since the manual is so small (26 A5 pages) I will scan it sometime in the next week at work and send you a PDF if you like.... Don't get too excited - it's very light on information (especially for those "info-hungry" people like myself).
The manual covers the 100, 135 and 165 amp models and 8-9 pages are devoted to non-welder info (Safety etc).
Last edited:
stevebibby
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- 3
Hi Dan,
Apologies for the late reply - been o/s. If you could scan the manual that would be great! Like you I am in IT and expect manuals to be available for everything.
Cheers
Steve
Apologies for the late reply - been o/s. If you could scan the manual that would be great! Like you I am in IT and expect manuals to be available for everything.
Cheers
Steve
greyshirtguy
Persistent Learner
- Messages
- 150
Scanned! The file is about 12Mb - My brief efforts to reduce file size resulted in images that were too-low resolution (loss of fine detail) - and I have no OCR software so I left it as is.
Hopefully the link works otherwise we can try something else - eg drop me a forum personal message with your email address.
Hopefully the link works otherwise we can try something else - eg drop me a forum personal message with your email address.
