Welding Tips and Tricks

I've seen a few threads about wiring this machine, but none of them really explain things to the uber stupid.

OK, here is what I get.....

I get that the machine can use a 1 phase or 3 phase power source and what that is.
I get that I can wire the machine to accept plugs for a regular 110 outlet or 460 or all the above with a twist lock doohicky.
I get what a duty cycle is and that the more demand you ask of the power source (outlet) the less cycle time you get.....or more....whatever you get less welding time before you have to stop.

Here is what I dont get......
Whats the difference between hooking up an outlet with a dual pole / 20 amp / 250v outlet, VS a dual pole 30 amp / 250v outlet VS dual pole 50 amp / 250v outlet?
What can you do with the dynasty hooked up to an outlet with more power VS a regular 110 outlet besides work longer before having to let the machine cool down?
I hooked up a 30 amp 250 plug to the dynasty which I yanked out of the box, do I need to hook up any wires inside the machine or is it good to go?
Is it normal for the machine to sound kinda loud like a toy lazer guns you see kids run around with at Xmas?
Are there projects you simply cant do on a 110 but can on a 220 or 460 outlet?

ok, more of what I dont get......

What the heck is a power inverter doing? I get that it converts AC to DC, but is it also acting like a battery tha stores "juice" for welding, or is it all about just converting the power available from the outlet into an arc for welding?

When the duty cycle expires, ..... what are you waiting for, the machine to cool down, recharge, both?
If its all about just cooling down the machine before you start working again, and since temperature is relative based on lacation, work practice, etc, is miller's manual that states a 15 min waiting period just an arbitrary number or is there a more precise way to measure if the machine is ready to start working again that doesnt rely on a stop watch?

Any help clarifying these things would be greatly appreciated.

Amperage is 2 things in welding, but they both refer to the amount of power you are using. (Voltage refers to the pressure of the electricity, but that is a whole 'nother thing.) The 1st type is the amperage setting on the machine when you weld. The higher that number, the more power that is flowing into the weld to melt the material that you want to weld. The amperage you're asking about is the amount of power that the machine needs to draw from the line to do the job you want it to do. The thicker the material, the higher the amperage setting= the amount of electricity the machine will try to draw.. Thin materials will not need that much power to weld and if you're only going to weld thin sheets together, a 20 amp circuit will probably work. Once you start to need more power for welding thicker stuff, the machine will try to draw that much, say up to 30 amps of power or more, but since the breaker is only a 20 amp breaker, it will trip. The breaker is a safety device that won't allow over a certain amount of power to flow through it. Once you start to go up in breaker size, you will also need to go up in wire size.

What's the thickest metal will you be welding ?.....that will help answer the size breaker you will need.

110 vs. 220 vs. 3 phase........this all refers to the voltage ( the electrical pressure) the machine receives to run. It all has to do with efficiency . A 220 hookup is much more efficient than a 110 line because it goes to basically 2 inputs of power vs. just one. 3 phase is the ultimate because you have 3 inputs of 120 power. I don't believe you would have much success welding 1/2" thick plate with a 110 welder, but a 220 welder would have a lot less problems.

I hope that makes sense.

Hi there,

If you are not 100000% sure of what you are doing, get a sparky in. Besides is it not illegal to wire up your own shit if you are not qualified. It is in Australia.

Mick

Thank you for the reply, it was very helpful.

Im using this machine to learn how to tig weld (at least once the dinse connector comes in the mail ). Ill be trying to mostly practice on thinner material, and 98% percent will most likely never be thicker than 1/4" mild steel. However, that being said, I hope there wont be an issue trying to tack weld using Jody's tip on setting machine settings to twice what you would normally set it at for any given thickness to tack when I use a 240v on a 30amp breaker. I can easily switch it out to a 50amp breaker if I need to, but Im really trying to figure out specific limitations to each given wiring setup so I know what I can or cant do if I need to weld on location where I can control what plug or breaker I use. Seems to me if (hypothetically) a dynasty can only effectively weld a metal with a thickness of 1/16" when plugged into a 115 outlet, then it should be stated somewhere rather than trying to fugure out why you are having issues welding 1/2" steel.

Still have these ponderings too

What the heck is a power inverter doing? I get that it converts AC to DC, but is it also acting like a battery tha stores "juice" for welding, or is it all about just converting the power available from the outlet into an arc for welding?

When the duty cycle expires, ..... what are you waiting for, the machine to cool down, recharge, both?
If its all about just cooling down the machine before you start working again, and since temperature is relative based on lacation, work practice, etc, is miller's manual that states a 15 min waiting period just an arbitrary number or is there a more precise way to measure if the machine is ready to start working again that doesnt rely on a stop watch?

There should be a chart in your owners manual that tells you what you want to know about input power and what you can expect out of your machine. It all ties into "duty cycle" which is a percentage of time the machine can run based on the input power and the amperage needed to weld whatever thickness you want. If we break down a duty cycle into a ten minute block of time, a 60% duty cycle would be 6 minutes of work and 4 minutes of rest to cool down (within reason), likewise a 20% duty cycle would be 2 minutes work 8 minutes rest. Other factors , like how hot it is where you are welding will affect duty cycle somewhat, but I've never noticed it to be a really significant amount. If the cooling fan should happen to come on while you're welding, it's a good time to give yourself and the machine a nice rest.

Duty cycles will vary with different models and different power inputs. A 110 low peak amperage welder will have a much lower duty cycle as you get into thicker metals, whereas a 220 or 3 phase higher peak amperage welder might be able to handle that same thickness with a 90% cycle or more.

Steve

(are you the guy who works for a prop house? Do you ever do work on soundstages? If so, I'll show you a power hookup i made that works pretty good for 95% of the stages I've worked on. It ties into the same power system the lighting guys use, so you will almost never lack for adequate power}