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@fizzy.bleach
Welcome to part one of a series where I invite bored men on the internet to speculate about metalworking equipment I don't fully understand but bought cheaply at auctions.
Today's specimen is the Cebora TIG Star 200 (art. no. 239), purchased from the now defunct Cope Engineering of Radcliffe, Lancs. for £50 + VAT + hammer fee. I got the machine only – not torches, bottles or PPE.
The machine can weld up to 200 A DC or AC and has an AC balance control, which is useful for aluminium.
Here it is:
The big issue, as you can see, is the plug/power supply. The plug clearly says 3P on it (and 380-430 V), which worried me. I thought I'd basically bought a very heavy brick. But consulting the manual (page 12) reveals that the machine is, in fact, single phase. So that confused me. The same page of the manual also seems to suggest you can set the machine for a variety of supply voltages by switching some jumpers around inside the box. So we're getting some way to a machine that can take a single-phase household power supply.
"BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PLUG!" I hear you cry.
Well that's why I'm here. I'm way out of my comfort zone. I'm reluctant to wire a poxy little plug onto that fat power cable, not least because I doubt I could get a sufficient fuse. The plug that's on there is rated to 32 A and the specifications on the back panel have a list of amperages depending on output current, but that table has baffled me. The key to deciphering it is to look at I1, which gives the "Input Amps absorbed corresponding to different output levels (I2)." Given I'm going to be on 230 V, I'm going to be drawing up to FIFTY AMPS(?!??!??!?!!), meaning my house might collapse? No idea. Am I going to need to buy a generator to run this?
And any tips on a good beginner torch? I'm doing a TIG course at the moment and I think we're using Parweld with buttons on. Only done one lesson so far but that seems to be a setup I like.
Stay tuned for part II, by the way, where I invite you to inspect the safety and integrity of an oxy-fuel welding/brazing/cutting kit.