Problems with TWECO 211 welder

[DennisK]

My TWECO 211 is not holding the AMP and Volt settings when I start my arc. I'll notice the weld doing strange things. Stopping the weld and looking at the machine, I see that both gauges read "000". After about 5 or 6 seconds, the settings will return, but as soon as I start the weld, everything zeros out again. Could it be the liner in my cable? Has anyone experienced the same affliction with their machine?

[CAVEMANN]

Check your cables, my little mig was acting crazy and a quick check of the DINSE connectoers fixed the issue, I had it set at about 19.3 volts and whatever the wire speed was, I don't remember but the volts would jump really high to like 80 volts, shoot the wire out like when loading a new roll and if it touched anything to complete the circuit the entire amount of wire would immediately get red hot. IMO, probably not your liner but I could be wrong. best wishes with it.

[Lis2323]

Highly likely you need a better ground connection close to your weld.

And try what CAVEMAN suggested also.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DennisK]

Check your cables, my little mig was acting crazy and a quick check of the DINSE connectoers fixed the issue, I had it set at about 19.3 volts and whatever the wire speed was, I don't remember but the volts would jump really high to like 80 volts, shoot the wire out like when loading a new roll and if it touched anything to complete the circuit the entire amount of wire would immediately get red hot. IMO, probably not your liner but I could be wrong. best wishes with it.

Thanks for your suggestion, CAVEMANN. I did check both of my DINSE connectors, and since I had a TWECO 450 spraymaster cable and gun that I was running some .45 wire through, I switched to it to see if there was any difference. My welds seem to improve (I'm not sure if that was just because of me), but the display kept zeroing out during an arc, and it takes a bit to reestablish after I stop. The welds seem to be OK, though ... I'm puzzled ... something to do with the gun I am using ... maybe ....

[DennisK]

Highly likely you need a better ground connection close to your weld.

And try what CAVEMAN suggested also.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the reply, Lis2323 ... getting the ground close to my work was the first thing I tried - I also checked the DINSE connectors, but that didn't change the way the display zeroed out. I 'm not exactly sure what I am going to do with this machine yet.

[N2 Welding]

Is this a new to you machine or is this a machine you have had for a while and has recently started acting up?

[Lis2323]

Did you try contacting ESAB?

Hope you get it figured out.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[John 53]

Hello My tweco 211 is doing the exact same thing what i have done was take off the cover and blew it out, the problem did go away for a few months but it is doing it again.Funny how it started just after the warranty ran out. I did run it off my generator for about a hour one time so i dont know if that had anything to do with it. My generator was brandnew Fireman 8000 and I just just use the welder for hobby use only and probably only have less than 100 hrs on it

[smithdoor]

This why do not electronic controller on welding machines.

It maybe over heating do cooling fan not working or block air vent.

Some manufacturer's will have a safety thermocouple and auto change settings to protect.

FYI this may or may not be problem but something to check.

Dave

My TWECO 211 is not holding the AMP and Volt settings when I start my arc. I'll notice the weld doing strange things. Stopping the weld and looking at the machine, I see that both gauges read "000". After about 5 or 6 seconds, the settings will return, but as soon as I start the weld, everything zeros out again. Could it be the liner in my cable? Has anyone experienced the same affliction with their machine?

[DennisK]

Is this a new to you machine or is this a machine you have had for a while and has recently started acting up?

I've been using this machine for a few years, now. It had been giving good service until just now. Switching gun cables doesn't seem to help. The weld quality is sporadic.

[DennisK]

Hello My tweco 211 is doing the exact same thing what i have done was take off the cover and blew it out, the problem did go away for a few months but it is doing it again.Funny how it started just after the warranty ran out. I did run it off my generator for about a hour one time so i dont know if that had anything to do with it. My generator was brandnew Fireman 8000 and I just just use the welder for hobby use only and probably only have less than 100 hrs on it

I'll give blowing out the innards a try. I do all my welding out of the shop, so I have always powered the welder with a generator - fact is, the sun has made a mess with the plastic face cover. Still, I should be able to expect to get a longer period of service from this thing. This problem is a disappointment.

[DennisK]

This why do not electronic controller on welding machines.

It maybe over heating do cooling fan not working or block air vent.

Some manufacturer's will have a safety thermocouple and auto change settings to protect.

FYI this may or may not be problem but something to check.

Dave

k
Thanks for the reply, Dave. I am going to take the cover off and see if there is something obvious that I can correct ... I'll check the cooling fan and thermocouple. I'm not sure what you are referring to when you warn against using an electronic controller - not sure what that is.

[John 53]

Hi Dennis I bought my machine in 2016 and like I said very little use .I did use it on the weekend and it was still going to 0 and after about 14 seconds it would display the wire speed and voltage.I am thinking maybe some control board?

[smithdoor]

A pain in the backsides.

It one thing see easy to over look and the electronic repair guy can jump for joy on big fat bill for removing a blockage like a leaf.

Dave

k
Thanks for the reply, Dave. I am going to take the cover off and see if there is something obvious that I can correct ... I'll check the cooling fan and thermocouple. I'm not sure what you are referring to when you warn against using an electronic controller - not sure what that is.

[jrporter]

Dennis and John - please post if you figure out what is going on. I have the same machine and am dreading the possibility of having the same problem.

[Ruark]

Dennis and John - please post if you figure out what is going on. I have the same machine and am dreading the possibility of having the same problem.

Same here. I love my 211i, never had a problem of any kind, and this is the first case I've heard. Please let us know if you get a specific diagnosis.

[John 53]

Will do Like i said I did buy the machine brand new in Febuary 2016 .When it started acting up in around March 2019 maybe because I used my generator to power it only about 3 times ( Firman 10000 duel fuel). V.ery disappointing as only has about 100 hrs on it It is a very nice machine to weld with when it works like it should

[Rondo]

When you let off the trigger do your meters go back and show your settings? They don't stay at 000 right? Others out there that have 211's do yours show 000 while welding. I remember something about this from when I was a Tweco rep. If my fried memory serves me right, They all do that. I have a couple similar machines I'll see what they do and report back.

[jrporter]

No, while I am welding my readouts show actual amps and volts, not the set ones. They switch back faster than I can usually turn my head and focus on them, so I have video'ed them to see how close I came to guessing what amps I was using based on wire speed and voltage.

[DennisK]

When you let off the trigger do your meters go back and show your settings? They don't stay at 000 right? Others out there that have 211's do yours show 000 while welding. I remember something about this from when I was a Tweco rep. If my fried memory serves me right, They all do that. I have a couple similar machines I'll see what they do and report back.

Yes, the meters go back to the original settings, but it takes about 15 seconds after I stop, to do that. I will start a bead, get spattering - just generally a mess, so I stop and look up at the machine and I see all zeros. About 10 to 15 seconds later, the settings will return. Holding the gun close to a scrap piece of steel, I pull the trigger while looking at the machine's display and I see that the amps immediately zeros out. Now, I would expect to see some fluctuations in the readings while welding due to fluctuations in the distance I hold the gun to my work, but I wouldn't expect to see my settings to be completely dumped.
Currently, I am in the middle of a project, so I switched to my old transformer Holbart stick welder to finish what I'm doing. I have the TWECO bolted to a toolbox, and after I complete my project, I will take it down to further investigate this problem - should be another couple of days.

[DennisK]

Hi Dennis I bought my machine in 2016 and like I said very little use .I did use it on the weekend and it was still going to 0 and after about 14 seconds it would display the wire speed and voltage.I am thinking maybe some control board?

Yes, that could very well be the problem. If it is just a simple board swap, I wouldn't mind that so much, but what would cause the board to go bad in the first place ... things are rarely simple these days.

[John 53]

Hi Dennis I hope it is not the generator that I run mine off a few times a year .My generator is a Firman duel voltage 10000 watt and I will try to find out what the THD is on the generator. Esab/ TWECO might recommend less than 5% THD for running the welder

[DennisK]

Finally, I got some time to further investigate my broken TWECO. I decided to run some beads with various settings to see if there were any differences in the welds. I ran beads with settings for 18 gauge, 16 gauge, 1/8”, 3/16” and I tried setting to 1/4”, but the display would not go up as high as 326 – 21.2. So, I threw down beads for each setting I could dial in. The beads were all the same – regardless of the settings. They were all high piles with very little penetration, and they were grainy – like the gun was not giving very much shielding gas. . . Well, I now know what my problem was. The cable to the gun has two wires that go into a very delicate plug. The plug has a screw cap that tightens to the receptacle. With it tightened all the way into the receptacle, I noticed that the body of the plug sill rotated when I turned it with my fingers. It seems you can tighten the plug with the screw cap, but leave the plug body not fully engaged. Somehow the thing got pulled away from its receptacle without any indication from its tightening cap. So! Now I can dial in settings all the way up to 3/8” steel, and the beads are appropriate for the settings, with no graininess.

[DennisK]

No, I don't think you will have problems with running your welder on the generator because I have been doing it for a number of years. My problem was from a lose plug on the welder.

[jrporter]

Glad you figured it out - if only all fixes could be that easy!