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Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / new lincoln v205t melting tungsten point
- - By ridesideways (*) Date 01-14-2006 19:53
ok so i bought a brand new lincoln v205-t and fired it up today on some 1/16" steel sheet metal. first off, the machine did not deliver any gas, so it blew everything to crap. after 1 hour of frustration and diagnosis, i unsrewed the back cover of the machine to discover that the gas soleniod wires were hanging free inside the machine. so i connected up the two solenoid wires and voila... gas flows. ok maybe the wires came free in shipping or something.

now i fire the machine up in 50 amp DC tig and the tungsten point is melted. so i resharpen and try again. same result. La-1.5% 1/16" tungsten. then i come to this board and do a search on "v205t" and found another person whose v205 is blowing off the tungsten point. his machine was recalled to holland for repair.

ok so i am not impressed with this machine so far. the miller dynasty 300dx we used all through school performed flawlessly every day. i will be calling my lincoln rep on monday and start the arguing.

any suggestions on what to do? the machine is brand new (purchased from weldingsupply.com) and is obviously under warranty. should i go after weldingsupply.com or just take it to a local lincoln dealer?
Parent - By medicinehawk (**) Date 01-15-2006 00:29
Not trying to sound smart, but are you set wit DCSP???? That is.the electrode should be set to the negative terminal. 50 amps should not be too much , but maybe you are getting a surge or something to blow off the tungsten. Try 3/32" tungsten

Parent - - By aevald (*****) Date 01-15-2006 03:41
Hello Ridesideways, when Medicinehawk asked, "have you checked to see if the output is DCSP" you could possibly take that one step further, if you have an electrical multimeter, attach the positive test lead to the positive output terminal on the welder and the negative test lead to the negative output terminal on the welder, do this with the machine on and set to the stick welding mode, not the tig welding mode or with the remote attached. ( you don't need to be welding to do this test) You should be able to get a reading of approx. 84 volts DC or in that general vicinity, you should also be able to tell if the polarity output of the machine is correct, if the multimeter is a digital model and the numerical display has a negative sign in front of the number showing on the display, then the output has been hooked up incorrectly from the factory. If it just reads the number then the output is correct. If you are using an analog type meter and you initially connect the leads and the needle tries to go the wrong way on the scale then the polarity is incorrect, if it sweeps the correct direction then the output is correct. If any of this testing yields an incorrect polarity reading then the machine obviously has a defect from the factory. As medicinehawk stated though, first check to see that the torch is connected to the negative output side of the welder and the ground is connected to the positive output side of the welder. One final note, on some of the newer power sources the open circuit voltage of the units has been modified to make them safer and to minimize the shock hazard, so if you don't have 80+ volts or so you shouldn't necessarily immediately think that there is something wrong with the machine. When you talk to the Lincoln rep. try to explain everything to him or her in detail and also be sure that you have gone over the instruction manual provided with the machine thoroughly so that you haven't missed anything obvious concerning correct set-up. Good luck in solving the problem, Regards, aevald (I JUST READ A DIFFERENT THREAD CONCERNING A SIMILAR QUESTION, IT SOUNDS AS THOUGH THERE IS A DEFINITE MACHINE PROBLEM, SO JUST IGNORE MY SUGGESTIONS)
Parent - - By ridesideways (*) Date 01-15-2006 16:37
The machine is definitely NOT IN DCEP. The work is positive and the electrode is negative. In fact, the V205 will not operate any other way because the argon gas supply is built into the negative terminal. There is no setting in the V205 to swap the polarity.

Here are some photos of my tungsten to show you what it does:
http://www.mission-designs.com/etc/v205t.htm
Parent - By aevald (*****) Date 01-15-2006 17:14
Thanks Ridesideways, after I saw your question on this thread and responded to it, I was reading another thread about the similar experience of another individual and there is obviously a problem with the design and or calibration,adjustment of this particular model of power source. I wish you luck in the resolution of this issue and definitely post what came of it on the forum here, I will be interested to know what the fix comes out to be. Thanks and regards, aevald
Parent - - By Lawrence (*****) Date 01-16-2006 02:49

http://aws.org/cgi-bin/mwf/topic_show.pl?id=7973#39582

Above is a link and some advice for another who suffers the same problem you do.

This does appear to be a systemic problem. I would print off the thread and hand it to your Lincoln rep if he says he is unaware of a problem.

Local reps don't always know right away about problems like this so don't be worried about going over his head and up the ladder. But hold their feet to the fire and demand Immedate replacement, repair or full refund. Do not allow a waiting period unless you are truly confident the outcome is working exactly as you wish it to.
Parent - By ridesideways (*) Date 01-16-2006 22:27
so i called the lincoln rep that i bought the machine from. they said they never heard of the problem and i would have to handle it through lincoln's warranty department. i said "well i would expect better service after having bought a $2400 machine from you". they said "sorry there is nothing we can do for you. you have to call lincoln and have them service the machine under warranty."

i called lincoln and got the usual run around (are you welding in DCEP, did you turn down the HF-start power, did you try 3/32" red tungsten, etc.) basically they referred me to a local lincoln authorized repair center, so i'm going there tomorrow, with machine and tungsten photos in hand.

everything about this machine, dealer, and manufacturer is totally unacceptable so far. will post further updates later.
Parent - - By ridesideways (*) Date 01-17-2006 21:43
Talked to the Lincoln authorized repair department today. They were ready with the statement "Our engineering department is still working on the software to fix this problem. In the meantime you can turn on the sequencer and set the initial current to the minimum of 6 amps and set an upslope of 1.0 seconds, and the balling should be a lot less."

I told them I would try it and see how it goes. Then I asked when the new software would be ready. They had no idea. Great. The kicker was when I asked the guy what he suggested I do until the corrected software is available. He says "I guess sharpen your tungsten a lot." He laughed but I told him his answer is unacceptable because I paid $2400 for this machine and have work to do.

Today's grade for Lincoln: F
Parent - - By Lawrence (*****) Date 01-17-2006 23:25
Check your warrenty language.

My understanding is that the options are: repair, replace or refund at the descretion of Lincoln. I don't believe "wait for our crack staff to figure it out" with no fix is part of the letter or the spirit of your warrenty.

Tell them you have percision welding to do and they need to get you back to work at once, or refund you in full so you may go out and buy a blue box.

Replace, Fix or Funds.

Accept no delays
Parent - - By cmdwelding (*) Date 01-19-2006 06:17
Hello Ridesideways, this problem is not a fluke at all really. One of the shops that I sub for sometimes tried these machines when they were faced with a descision between the new Dynasty 300DX or the Lincoln model. 2 of these machines encountered the same problem as you have and one of these machines accualy spit tungsten. We do alot of code work out of that shop and usually if you let Lincoln know this, as we did, they are willing to help fix the problem. That is disapointing to hear that customer service is not really the way they make it sound on "Industry Focus" section of their web site. Be persistent and let them know they are costing you down time and opprotunity costs. Hope all turns out well!!! ( By the way we went back with the Miller models anyway) : )
Parent - By Anthony James (*) Date 02-13-2006 18:58
Hello from across,the pond,
V205T got one,and if this was Lincolns flagship 2005.Well as far as i am concerned it's sunk.
I live in holland and mine has been back to the factory,they said it was fixed but no!It was a lot better but still took the point off,doing cryogenic work at moment,316L, 17mm dia 1mm wall.So i needed to be precise and i need a sharp tungsten.
Problem is machine starts up on pos electrode and then switches to neg,and that milisecond is just to long.Have been told that 2006 model doesnt have this problem and if i wait 2 or 3 months when new model is out i can get 2006 parts and this will cure my problem.Or i can have my money back from the dealer.Because the machine does not perform as expected or required,basic consumer rights.
Lincoln are aware of this problem,don't let your dealer put you of with sending it to holland to fix it ,they can't!
Get your money back and buy a Miller!
Cheers now
AJ

Parent - By yorkiepap (***) Date 02-14-2006 03:31
Hey guys...really good to see others who finally woke up to the "Lincoln Saga"......crap, B.S., pass-the-buck, "we're working on it", "never encountered this problem"........ALL THE SAME BULL !!! Get smart and buy MILLER......Denny
Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / new lincoln v205t melting tungsten point

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