On Wed, 10 May 2006 13:23:50 -0700, "Gary A. Gorgen"
wrote:



Eric R Snow wrote:
snip

If it turns out that the pulse and pause times are always the same
I'll just gang the pots. I am keeping a list of parts and the cost,
including shipping, of some mail order stuff.
ERS

I looked at the Idealarc SP-150 manual, my machine is 50 miles
away currently.
It HAS seperate controls for on & off times. So you need that.
My head was someplace else when I wrote, you may not need it.
Times for the SP-150 are .5 - 2 on, .25 - 1 off for stitch,
.5 - 3 for spot.
The dials are numbered 1 - 10, which doesn't help much.
For thin material 22ga & up, you need short on times &
long off times, to keep from buring through.
Also, the gas has to flow while the trigger is on.
I think this may help cool the weld zone & prevent oxidation,
durring the off time. There is a huge difference using stitch
vs. pulsing the trigger.
When you start using it, it helps to have someone there to twiddle
the times for you. Once you get it dialed in, just point the gun
where it needs to be durring the off time, the machine sets the
pace.
Thanks Gary for the info. The way my timer works means I should be
able to have up to 5 second periods for both pulse and pause. Since I
work alone I'll have to do the knob thing myself. That's no problem
though.
Eric