Tig aid 315 not working properly

[migman123]

Hi, I recently picked up a tigaid 315 ac/dc standard second hand with the intention of using it with my Clarke 235 te arc welder for having a go at some basic aluminium tig welding. With everything connected the unit powers up and when I press the torch switch a spark jumps between the tungsten and the metal and occasionally it does arc for a couple of seconds but only if I keep the tungsten an absolute gnats wotsit away from the metal. Also when it does arc the welder groans like when a stick electrode gets stuck. Does anyone have any idea which component inside might be faulty? As I'm not too clued up with electronics but I'd like to have a go at getting it up and running if I can.
Thanks in advance.....

 

[wheresmejumper]

Put up a pic of the front and back of the esab unit with the settings youre trying,just to rule out anything simple first

 

[migman123]

Put up a pic of the front and back of the esab unit with the settings youre trying,just to rule out anything simple first

I'll post some pics from the eBay listing of the unit, the settings are very simple it only has post flow, upslope, downslope, amperage (which only works if used with a remote), 2t and 4t, HF or scratch start and stick or tig. I've tried with the settings and switches in all positions incase they were connected wrong.

 

[migman123]

Pictures of the front and back.

 

[satro]

Pictures of the front and back.

 

[satro]

Hi,
Did you have it powered up with 24volts ac as well as the Arc welder power?
Cheers

 

[migman123]

hi, thanks for the replies I had a look today and I got it working, the electrode on the spark plug was broken off. Thankfully working at a garage we have some at work so I went and grabbed one and it's working great now . The other half isn't too happy though the HF was playing havoc with the Sky TV.

 

[satro]

Hi Migman,
I also bought one of those on fleabay. I have been waiting to find a 24v high current transformer to test it. what did you use, or does it work just powered by the arc welder?
thanks

 

[migman123]

Hi Migman,
I also bought one of those on fleabay. I have been waiting to find a 24v high current transformer to test it. what did you use, or does it work just powered by the arc welder?
thanks

I bought a 240V to 24V AC 150VA step down transformer from RS Electrical Supplies to power it.
http://www.rselectricalsupplies.co.uk/mobile/chint-multi-voltage-panel-transformer-150va-ndk150_1068
I connected it to the two power input wires from the round plug on the back panel, they were the brown and blue wires on mine.

 

[julianthegypsy]

I have one of these sitting in my workshop that I've never used (long story) but it has what I assumed to be a 240 volt power lead. Is that a different model or have I got something wrong? It's an ESAB 315 Tigaid too.

 

[migman123]

I have one of these sitting in my workshop that I've never used (long story) but it has what I assumed to be a 240 volt power lead. Is that a different model or have I got something wrong? It's an ESAB 315 Tigaid too.

There are two variants one is 110-240V the other is 24V.

 

[Mahmood]

 

[Mahmood]

أ I bought this machine new, but it does not work. What is the possible reason? Information from the specialists

 

[eddie49]

Hello and welcome!
At the front of the machine it looks like a TIG torch and a work return cable & clamp ( +ve ) have been connected.
In the second photo, with the machine on a shelf, there appears to be a thin AC mains power cord going to the back. However, there should also be two thick cables that join the external DC welding power source to the male Dinse posts on the rear of this ESAB 315 TIG add-on box.

 

[Mahmood]

هل يوجد شرح مفصل وكم نسبه التيار المطلوبه وهل يوجد فيديو كيفيه الاستخدم

 

[Mahmood]

أهلا ومرحبا!
في الجزء الأمامي من الجهاز ، يبدو أنه تم توصيل شعلة TIG وكابل إرجاع العمل ومشبك (+ ve).
في الصورة الثانية ، مع وجود الآلة على الرف ، يبدو أن هناك سلك طاقة رفيع للتيار المتردد يتجه إلى الخلف. ومع ذلك ، يجب أن يكون هناك أيضًا كبلين سميكين ينضمان إلى مصدر طاقة اللحام DC الخارجي إلى أعمدة Dinse للذكور في الجزء الخلفي من صندوق الإضافة ESAB 315 TIG هذا.

 

[eddie49]

Translation:
Is there a detailed explanation, how much current is required, and is there a video of how to use it?

The maximum capacity of the On/Off contactor in the unit is 200 Amps. The external power source required would be an arc welder, with current and voltage chosen depending on what material size you wanted to TIG weld. For aluminium, it would be AC, for steel - DC. With the optional foot switch FS 002, you can control On, Off, and the current.
There is a 2-page description of the TIGAID 315 here:

TIGAID 315 AC/DC - ESAB - PDF Catalogs | Technical Documentation | Brochure

pdf.directindustry.com

Click on the small pictures of the document to see them full-size.
And a full instruction manual here:

https://manualzz.com/doc/en/20324696/esab-tigaid-315-ac-dc-instruction-manual