FABGEAR AC/DC TIG

[customkraftmetal]

OK so here is my problem when researching buying a TIG WELDER one of our local gas suppliers (big national chain) had a full range of welders power tools consumables etc, Upon the Sales rep already selling me a Fabgear Mig years prior and still going strong used most days 10 yrs later its a good unit and the TIG he bought over performed better than i could have hoped for so i purchased it. The Rep also stated that all the main boards inside were between $200-$350 to replace if one ever failed GREAT well so i thought, i even got the bluetooth foot pedal whole new ball game compared to my cheap unit i had. So i mostly use this TIG for Stainless it was required to do a mint Alloy job the MIG wouldn't give the WOW factor so i flicked it over to AC set my normal Favourite start point settings push the pedal HF arc starts but weld arc fails to initiate, check everything, do some research fault seems to follow a common issue point gap gone out. Pull the covers give it a blow out bit dusty to see much, cant find them anywhere. Ring the supplier sales rep phone disconnected, ring their head office and ask for sales, sorry we don`t sell anything but gas now you will have to ring the manufacturer, i say you are the manufacturer or badge brander and ASIC still lists the company as registered to you for 3 more years. All she said was im sorry we cant help you. Found someone who has taken over the servicing, but they didn't really want my work and kept putting me off each time i rang to bring it down then after 6 mths they say well any board in your machine will be around $1500 + installation. I nearly fell over FO i told them blatant rip off. So i start looking for a new one and find a duralloy and one of our suppliers brings one down for me to test, FANTASTIC WELDS OMG loved it but couldn't afford the $2200 for it, but here is where it gets interesting i found in the manual its basic schematic guess what same as my Fabgear thats just died. Ali express has one of the boards (maybe looks close) need to check more but its $35 delivered. But its not the HF board or main board i`m thinking i will need. Any help repairing my TIG would be great if anyone knows something

 

[frank horton]

feel sorry for u....
similar thing on petrol fuel injectors, dealer wants over €100 each, local parts place 60, direct from china with all the correct codes €15euros.....

there's gotta be somebody/firm out there that can help...
I've been putting off buying and AC/DC tig due to the stupid costs but been offered loads of ally jobs n jobbing...not sure where to start looking....?

 

[customkraftmetal]

Mine only plays up on AC still using it for stainless. Bought a alloy MIG to do the bigger jobs i have been getting but still need to go ver some to pretty them up with the tig.

 

[eddie49]

G'day, and welcome to the forum!
As I understand it, the machine works on DC TIG, and MMA ( Arc, which is DC as well ), but not on AC TIG?
With the HF start being OK, it sounds like the board which produces the AC, known as the secondary inverter, is faulty. This AC can be a sine wave or a square wave. An example of a secondary inverter board is here:

WSE-200 250 secondary inverter ac square wave argon arc welding machine board. | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for WSE-200 250 secondary inverter ac square wave argon arc welding machine board. at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

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These boards typically have a large number of power transistors, which would be bolted or clipped onto a finned aluminium heatsink when the board is installed.
The block diagrams in user manuals for different machines do tend to look the same, especially for inverters. They are so complicated and have so many electronic components crammed into a small space that a single diagram is just going to show basic functionality.
The DIY repair of an inverter welder, especially one modern enough to have a Bluetooth footpedal, is going to be difficult. I would start by noting the part numbers printed onto all the circuit boards in the machine, and searching for them.

 

[customkraftmetal]

Thank you kindly for the link, will try and find a board as a swap is quicker than doing component repair, that said i do have the experience, knowledge, test equipment to do the repair just need the correct schematic, used to do audio repair and design. Audio engineer by trade.

 

[MetalMonkey]

Might be worth putting some pictures or details up of the machine - typically these units are rebadged a lot, so if you can't find it under one brand you might find it available under another.

For example, the fabtig 200p looks suspiciously like a SWP stealth digitig 200 ac/dc (which is branded as something else in canada and has an option of a bluetooth foot pedal) and the fabtig 205 looks similar to a parweld tig.
Most of these are made by a couple of big Chinese manufacturers, so if somebody recognises the faulty board, you might be able to get a spare from somewhere else.

 

[customkraftmetal]

@MetalMonkey I have the unit back together at the moment as i have a few S/S jobs to do this week, but got the boss to cover the cost of a new Duaalloy and i can pay him back weekly, once that arrives next week ill pull down the Fabgear and post some pictures. Be good having my welding bench now set with a dedicated machine for each process and not have to change settings all the time. Also have them now sitting up high to try and minimise metal dust etc building up inside.