Kemppi MLS 2300 AC Balance Reference Sheet

[superclarkey]

I made this reference card/sheet for the welder to just remind me where the settings are as I jump about from welder to welder and sometimes I do forget where I am with the AC Balance on this machine ect.

I hope you guys find it useful, and let me know if you spot any errors as I'm not expert on this subject!

Here is a link to the original size for printing off, let me know if this don't work ...

Original (1200 × 1430)

 

[Richard.]

Hey superclarkey. That is some useful information there. I have this machine and the number set has no references to the % achieved. I have my settings logged for what works but that little conversion chart is great. Nice work

 

[superclarkey]

I'm glad you guys like it I thought after I did it for myself I may as well share it.

Makes me realise seeing the actual % why when I make a 10 point adjustment the change is small, compared to other machines you can go from extreme to the other.

I did the square wave next to it just to help see the change your making ect.

 

[Chris Stevens]

Very useful...............the manual is about as much use as a politician!

 

[Jim Davey]

I didn't realise it let you have so little EP, very odd.

 

[superclarkey]

@Jim, I fairly sure my numbers are right but I could be wrong (was having a beer while I was playing on the computer) , but I did think it was very strange also, and why it took a little while when i first got the machine to get my head around, basically locking you down on what % you would want to use, this is why when I jump onto my Kemppi it takes me a while to think about the settings as other machines are much more straight forwards.

Its like instead of giving you a huge range they went for a more accurate scale, I mean most machines just in 1 point adjustments, to say this is 0.5 per step is a bit strange.

Would you notice the difference between 30/70 and 29.5/70.5? Got to be honest I wouldn't!! so the scale to me is a bit strange (word I should use is dumb!)

But I have to say its still my favourite machine to use (once you learn all the tricks) and is very capable indeed, just wish I had a water cooler.

 

[Richard.]

I didn't realise it let you have so little EP, very odd.

It's right the range on the Mls is 25-50% ep. I know that much but knowing all the increments in between is great info. I've printed that off and put it in my manual.
Huge well done and thanks super Clark. It's not a massive scope but it's a usable one. Thinking about it it's plenty big enough. I can't say I've ever needed to go above 75% DCEN or below 50%. I believe my old magicwave went 50-85.

 

[Jim Davey]

I quite often go fairly extreme in cleaning action if I'm on a contaminated casting. No use whatsoever on good clean material but it's been a big help when I need it.

 

[Richard.]

I quite often go fairly extreme in cleaning action if I'm on a contaminated casting. No use whatsoever on good clean material but it's been a big help when I need it.

Jim it allows you to go well into the cleaning cylce. 50% Dcep. Can't imagine you'd need more than that? It's the DCEN side that's limited to 75%.

 

[superclarkey]

Would you still refer to it as DCEP/DCEN even in a AC wave form, Just wondering if they ever refer to it as ACEP/ACEN.. just a random on that... anyways back on track..

I actually think the machine doesn't have enough range, I never go to 50%EN ever or even anywhere close to it, I normally sit -40 to -50 all the time with a pointed tungsten, On my other machines I would be between 90-80EN all day long but I only use very nice brand new alloy making intercoolers and catch tanks ect, so this does annoy me if I'm honest as the max i can go is 75EN.

I always wondered if there was a software or hardware change that could be made to allow more range, to me this is the ONLY down side to this machine, but it welded lovely at 75EN just bit too much cleaning action for me.

 

[Richard.]

as ACEP/ACEN..
No that's incorrect.
AC is achieved by a fluctuation of two DC polarities.
If you weld with the torch in the pos it's 100% DCEP and 100% DCEN with the torch in the neg. this never changes and using AC doesn't change it either.

 

[Richard.]

machines I would be between 90-80EN all day long

I don't think I'd ever go as high as 90 as your entering a territory there where the cleaning cycle may not be enough to move all the oxide layer and could cause contamination. On the other hand I do agree it would be nice to have 80 on the scale as it would be usable for holding points at high current.

 

[superclarkey]

I was only really talking about terminology used, point I was making is that yeah for a each cycle it has a moment where its positive DC and Negative DC, but we call that AC, Alternating Current, otherwise you could refer to single phase 240volt DC for a moment each way.. you see where I'm coming from here, square wave is just a delayed peaked sinusoidal wave in a way.

All I was getting at was is it right to call it DCEN when its part of a AC wave, would be logical to just call it EN or EP of an AC wave. (as both happen in 1hz / one cycle) because when you refer to 70% en, the total percentage is made up for that whole cycle.

Hope that makes sense the point I was trying to get at and not just being a dumbass.

Not trying to be funny just thinking out loud!

 

[superclarkey]

I don't think I'd ever go as high as 90 as your entering a territory there where the cleaning cycle may not be enough to move all the oxide layer and could cause contamination. On the other hand I do agree it would be nice to have 80 on the scale as it would be usable for holding points at high current.

Yeah, does depend on materials though, some of the really good stuff hardly needs any cleaning action at all (EN90%), I normally hover around EN70-65% most days, but the point is nice to have that head room where you want it, even just to 80% would have been perfect imho.

Some of the CNC stuff welds so nice that you want to get good penetration too, and allot of EN helps.. oh and I weld with Helium / Argon (with my own mixer) all the time, don't weld without Helium ever.

 

[Richard.]

Of course it makes sense the point I was making is the combination of the two derect current polarities make it alternating. Ac from a welding Output point of veiw is achied from dc switching pos to neg. when referring to them separately no matter what the hz or wave type they are dc polarities. Dcen and Dcep makes more sense than acen and acep in my way of thinking. En and ep makes sense too but they are both dc polarities

 

[Richard.]

Yeah, does depend on materials though, some of the really good stuff hardly needs any cleaning action at all (EN90%), I normally hover around EN70-65% most days, but the point is nice to have that head room where you want it, even just to 80% would have been perfect imho.

Some of the CNC stuff welds so nice that you want to get good penetration too, and allot of EN helps.. oh and I weld with Helium / Argon (with my own mixer) all the time, don't weld without Helium ever.

Helium mix is lovely to use its a great mix for clean shiney surface finish and reducing the current needed for thicker stuff. At home I'm on pure argon but I get to use the helium mixes a lot at work.
What ratio do you mix it at. Do you find striking can be a little more difficult with helium.

 

[HughF]

I couldn't live with only 50% EP, I like to wind it right up to 75% to prep my tungstens...

 

[superclarkey]

Helium mix is lovely to use its a great mix for clean shiney surface finish and reducing the current needed for thicker stuff. At home I'm on pure argon but I get to use the helium mixes a lot at work.
What ratio do you mix it at. Do you find striking can be a little more difficult with helium.

I have found on some material it can be a bit fussy, but the kemppi has a really strong start on it and I start close to work, also have a 1 second pre-gas flow as it take a moment to balance out and also give good coverage, as i can dirty the material on these settings if there is no gas flow and it arcs up, sometimes a black mark ect.

I only use ball valves to mix in on a Y connector with no return valves, it just float the ball in the meter, really doesn't need allot.. Helium is Very expensive at the moment specially the commercial grade pure stuff, you can get the cheaper stuff for blowing balloons up but I can tell the difference instantly.

As i do allot of difficult to get to areas I have to weld without a cup allot, (bare torch) in a chamber to get into some places, that burns through my helium but I always wondered one day if i would get to a mix where my cabinet floats away lol

I was going to go for the 300amp kemppi but this is like a 250amp machine with the helium mix.

Only problem is now without helium everything is so slow it annoys me, used to firing along and keeping the heat out the alloy best as i can..lol

 

[Richard.]

Yeah we have just rigged up the same set up. through a Y piece. Roughly 70/30 ratio. Makes a huge difference to the units capacity.