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Up Topic Welding Industry / Technical Discussions / Lincoln Idealarc 300 / 300 No High Frequency Spark?
- - By Rat_motor_head Date 03-31-2016 01:33
I just purchased an old Lincoln Idealarc 300 / 300.  There is no  high frequency spark.
My question is do I have to have the foot pedal connected in order to have high frequency spark?
Thank you in advance for any input.
Parent - - By welderbrent (*****) Date 03-31-2016 02:32
UUUMMM, I don't think so.  Don't think I have ever tried it without the foot pedal though.  Are you sure you have all the switches in the correct positions?  If you could attach a pic of the front of your machine we might be able to give you more help. 

Brent
Parent - By welderbrent (*****) Date 03-31-2016 02:35 Edited 03-31-2016 02:38
Wait a minute, too little sleep here, high freq without the foot pedal?  This is useless, my mind isn't processing this at the moment.

For some reason my mind is swimming with 'sure, you should be able to do that' and 'no, there is something about it that doesn't work'. 

I'm sure one of the other guys will chime in here and get you all fixed up.

Brent
Parent - By Trackergd (**) Date 04-01-2016 06:32
Brent, you were on the right track from the start.  HF will not work without the foot pedal attached according to the Lincoln guys at my table last night.
Parent - By welderbrent (*****) Date 03-31-2016 02:33
OOPPSS, careless me,

WELCOME TO THE AWS WELDING FORUM!!

He Is In Control, Have a Great Day,  Brent
Parent - By Trackergd (**) Date 03-31-2016 10:36
There are a ton of pictures of this model online, including some interior ones.  We "might" have one here I can go look at.  Post the Google search image that is closest to the one you have and I will do some investigating.  Have an AWS meeting tonight and the Lincoln folks will be there.  Mr. Mcquaid will be giving the lecture, so anyone who is anyone in welding in this neck of the woods will be there.
Parent - - By Lawrence (*****) Date 03-31-2016 11:37 Edited 03-31-2016 11:39
Hey Rat,

There are several generations of Lincoln Tig 300/300's   Meaning the High Frequency (HF) controls can be quite different from one unit to the next.  But don't let that worry you.

All you need to do is find the "Code" number on the ID plate and then go here:
http://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us/support/Pages/operator-manuals.aspx?type=text&q=TIG 300/300

The operators manuals are free for download.

I think you will find in most if not all units that the HF can be used in two different modes..  "Start" and "Continuous"  The Start mode is for DC welding without a scratch start and Continuous is used for welding aluminum.

To your question:  I'm also pretty sure that the HF in either mode is best used with a foot pedal (rheostat).  The "contactor" that links to the foot pedal can also control the water for water cooled torches and the gas flow for inert gas welding.  You are much better off having a foot pedal, though they may be hard to come by, Lincoln no doubt has some kind of adaptor out there so that newer pedals can be put to older machines...

What you DON'T want is the HF running when you are not trying to strike an arc.

The manual will also give you guidance for setting the HF "point gap" and how to control the intensity of the HF.

Let us know what you find out with your unit.

I used these in the Navy back in the Mid 80's for welding on A4's, A7's and FA/18's...  They were the NEW and fancy machines at the time, replacing old P&H units.
Parent - By Trackergd (**) Date 03-31-2016 16:01
"The manual will also give you guidance for setting the HF "point gap" and how to control the intensity of the HF"

Nice link Lawrence!   I was getting to the point gap from another direction. :grin:

Also look at the condition of the points while you are setting the gap.
- - By welderbrent (*****) Date 03-31-2016 23:34
When I asked for pics it was my intention to see exactly how 'his' machine was set up and what position the switches were in.  I had one of these for years and probably still have the book somewhere but that won't tell me what his problem is if the machine isn't set right. 

Anyway,  good points guys.  I knew someone would be able to guide him.

Brent
Parent - - By Rat_motor_head Date 04-01-2016 00:32
Hi guys.  Back to the Idealarc 300 / 300, I got it working to day as it should.  It seems that the high frequency will not work unless the foot pedal is hooked up. 

I spoke to a friend today and he informed me that after you clean all the contacts and set the points, just turning the high frequency switch to "on"  will not work.  You have to trick the welder into thinking it has the pedal attached.  On this welder it has five pins.  I put a jumper wire between letter E and letter D pins and then turned on the high frequency switch.  I set it for TIG welding.  I had very bright blue high frequency arc. 

Thank you for all the quick tips and information.  I was impressed how quickly I got responses.  Hope this helps someone else out that might encounter the same problem.  The switch plugs may be different on the other welders.  This is what I used for the five-pin plug.
Parent - - By Lawrence (*****) Date 04-01-2016 02:44
Take off the jumper

What you are doing is dangerous.

Get a foot pedal or amptrol or don't use HF
Parent - - By Rat_motor_head Date 04-01-2016 23:51
I was only doing this as a test to check for high frequency.  I am not using it to actually weld with.  I was just checking for high frequency spark.  I did verify that I had hf spark.  I am ordering a foot control.  Thank you, again, for your input!
Parent - By Lawrence (*****) Date 04-02-2016 15:17
Glad to hear it.

It would be a nasty surprise :)
Up Topic Welding Industry / Technical Discussions / Lincoln Idealarc 300 / 300 No High Frequency Spark?

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