Frustrating Parweld won't adjust amperage!!

[lukegaiger]

Hi,
I have a Parweld xti 201 welder which was bought a few months ago. I decided I needed to start using it, so took it to my work for my boss to help me set it up, did some welds there all fine, and then bought it home.

However now after trying it at home, I've been getting extremely frustrated as I can't seem to adjust the amperage by either the torch or pedal, and the amperage keeps getting stuck on random values? For example, it just gets stuck on something like 32A, then 47A, then sometimes 5A or over 200A, and it won't let me adjust this at all to actually get an amperage I actually want?

Is there something I've just set wrong on the machine, or is there a fault with the welder?

Please somebody help me as it's getting me very frustrated haha!

Thanks!
Luke

 

[the repair man]

Have you tried disconnecting pedal, in case pot is gone in pedal?
I Don't know the welder off hand, but most are controlled by a potentiometer on the welder, but with torch/pedal plugged in, pedal takes over, with a passive torch the pot ( amp knob) on welder may work...
I'm sure you'll get some answers off the more experienced on here soon enough!!

 

[lukegaiger]

Have you tried disconnecting pedal, in case pot is gone in pedal?
I Don't know the welder off hand, but most are controlled by a potentiometer on the welder, but with torch/pedal plugged in, pedal takes over, with a passive torch the pot ( amp knob) on welder may work...
I'm sure you'll get some answers off the more experienced on here soon enough!!

Thanks a lot for the quick reply! But yeah, the welder can either be controlled by the pedal, or by the torch, so only one is plugged in at a time. I only want to be able to use the torch anyway as I find the pedal harder anyway

But yeah, I can see the torch is controlled by a potentiometer as on the handle I took the cover off to see if anything was damaged and there was one there, but even after removing it and putting it back in, it still won't work

 

[rtbcomp]

Have you got the manual?

www.parweld.co.uk/pdf/XTI201acdc_instructions.pdf

 

[lukegaiger]

Have you got the manual?

www.parweld.co.uk/pdf/XTI201acdc_instructions.pdf

Thanks, but yeah I've read through that but can't find anything to help me

 

[the repair man]

Thanks, but yeah I've read through that but can't find anything to help me

Have you checked connections on plugs etc, a random fault like that will be a bad connection, dirty pot ( clean with spirits or anything that will evaporate quickly ) or worst case...a board gone mad. My best guess would be bad or dirty connection somewhere.
Hope you find it

 

[lukegaiger]

Have you checked connections on plugs etc, a random fault like that will be a bad connection, dirty pot ( clean with spirits or anything that will evaporate quickly ) or worst case...a board gone mad. My best guess would be bad or dirty connection somewhere.
Hope you find it

Ok then thanks, I'll give that a go

It's just annoying as the welder is pretty much brand new still, and was working perfectly at the weekend, yet now it won't

 

[the repair man]

Ok then thanks, I'll give that a go

It's just annoying as the welder is pretty much brand new still, and was working perfectly at the weekend, yet now it won't

Only takes a wood louse to crawl in and take a dump on the pot lol, dust debris, tiny metal shards can get in lots of places!!

 

[lukegaiger]

Only takes a wood louse to crawl in and take a dump on the pot lol, dust debris, tiny metal shards can get in lots of places!!

Haha yeah good point! So do you mean to clean the potentiometer that's inside the torch?

 

[the repair man]

Haha yeah good point! So do you mean to clean the potentiometer that's inside the torch?

Yes, ideally spray with contact cleaner, but most alchohol, spirits etc will do it, so long as its something with some cleaning qualities and will evaporate quickly so not leaving it wet. Spray/wet whilst swiftly turning pot.
Failing that I'd look for a bad connection / broken wire on torch lead / connector plug.

Generally, electrical / electronic faults are, broken/intermittent. Completely random like yours sounds like bad/dirty pot/connection etc..
hope so anyway!

 

[lukegaiger]

Oh, one other thing I forgot to mention is that me being pretty stupid, I went to use the welder at first but had run out of gas and didn't realise! So would trying to use it without gas at first have damaged it at all?

 

[lukegaiger]

Yes, ideally spray with contact cleaner, but most alchohol, spirits etc will do it, so long as its something with some cleaning qualities and will evaporate quickly so not leaving it wet. Spray/wet whilst swiftly turning pot.
Failing that I'd look for a bad connection / broken wire on torch lead / connector plug.

Generally, electrical / electronic faults are, broken/intermittent. Completely random like yours sounds like bad/dirty pot/connection etc..
hope so anyway!

Ah yeah, I will try that then, thanks a lot, I appreciate the help! Also I forgot to say that I did by accident try to use the welder without the gas turned on - would this have damaged it at all?

 

[the repair man]

I'm NO expert at welders, I just repair electro/mechanical machines.
But I would say no, it may make your shroud dirty, but shouldn't bother welder at all.

 

[lukegaiger]

Ah good, I hope not then

Again, thanks very much for your help!

 

[zardoz]

This sounds similar to something i've got.

Moving it to work and back may have caused a fault to appear. Thats the problem with inverters. Lots of electrics to go wrong.

I have an amplifier which goes on and off, due to a cold soldered joint that has cracked. Once some heat goes though it, it starts to expand and then un connects itself for half a minute till it cools down again.

VERY hard to find, I have been over it half a dozen times with a magifying glass and it took months to find it.

Can you return the Parweld under warranty and get it seen to.