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AHP WELDS alphaTIG 203Xi, Operator'S Manual, Page: 19 / 32

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19

 

Control Panel Features

 

The control panel layout below works in conjunction with the display. 
Some buttons perform a different function based on the mode they are 
used in. Read the information on 

“

Control Panel Features

” 

carefully to 

determine how they are used. The Rapid Set feature of this machine 
allows the user to set an amperage automatically based off of user 
inputs of material thickness, tungsten diameter (for TIG), and electrode 
type and diameter (for Stick).  All other settings should be selected and 
adjusted before entering Rapid Set mode. See 

“

Notes on Rapid Set 

Operation

”  

in the next section for more information.

 

Component Identification and Explanation of Function

 

alphaTIG 203Xi 

1

 

2

 

3

 

4

 

5

 

6

 

7

 

8

 

9

 

Control Panel Features

 

1. Power Indicator and Warning Light.  The LED Power Indicator will remain on while the switch is turned on, if power is being supplied.   If the warning light comes on 
during use, then check the error code provided to help determine whether it is an over current or duty cycle issue.  If it is a duty cycle issue, allow the unit to continue to 
run, without welding for 15 minutes. The unit will automatically reset.  If the code is a over current issue, then switch theunit off and check the cause.  The unit may not 
clear the code when it is switched back on, or may instantly display again when welding is attempted.  In this case, immediately switch the unit off and contact Ahp tech 
support as soon a practically possible.  Do not attempt to weld or allow the unit to continue to run if an over current has occurred.

 

2.  Mode Selector.  This button is used to select the welding mode.  Select from AC TIG, DC TIG, AC Stick, or DC Stick operation.

 

3.  Rapid Set Selector.  The  Rapid Set function of this machine gives recommended Amperage settings for this machine by allowing the user to input basic operating 
information such as electrode type, size,  and work piece thickness (exact information required to be entered varies between the TIG and Stick Process.  Once the required 
input values are selected on the screen, the machine computes, displays and sets the recommended Amp setting for the user.  However,  some conditions such as weld-
ing position, joint design, work piece temperature, operator preference etc., may affect the accuracy of these settings. If this is the case, the unit allows the Amperage to 
be fine tuned to suit the welding environment.  The recommended amperage will also be indicated on the screen using a dial gauge with the arrow pointing vertically so 
that the user may return at any time to the recommended setting. Pressing this button turns Rapid Set on and off.  Additional information is input via the parameter 
selector button (#7) and adjustment knob (#9) NOTICE:  The Rapid Set function only sets Amperage.  Other features such as AC frequency, AC Balance, Pulse, Pre Flow, 
Post Flow, Start Amps, End Amps, Up slope, Down Slope, etc. must be set before entering the Rapid Set mode.

 

4.  TIG Pulse Selector/Rapid Set Selector (Left Arrow Button) . This left arrow button serves two functions. First, this button turns the pulse on and off while in manual 
mode.  Pressing the button will turn on the pulse the pulse and bring up the pulse adjustment menu.  Pressing again will turn off the pulse and make the pulse adjust-
ments disappear from the screen.   Second, In Rapid Set mode this button selects Tungsten diameter, or Stick welding rod and type.  NOTICE: 

When operating on 120V, 

while selecting stick diameters and types, some selections may be blocked from selection because of poor performance of the rod type and size on the lower output..

 

5.  HF/Lift Start Selector.   This button selects either HF Start (touchless start 

<1/8” 

arc gap) or Lift Start (touch down and lift up start) in TIG mode.  NOTICE:  Lift Start is 

not a 

“

Live

” 

lift start where the Tungsten is always live. It  must be used in conjunction with either the torch switch or foot pedal to activate the power to the torch.  The 

torch switch or pedal should be activated before touch down of the Tungsten.  

While in stick mode, this button can be temporarily pressed and held to display Open 

NOTICE:

 

Because of the limited output of the unit while operating on 120V, while Rapid 
Set is turned on, some limits are placed on selecting a Stick electrode type and 
size as well as material thickness in both TIG and Stick modes.  These selec-
tions will still appear on the screen.  However, they will be locked and will not 
be selectable. This is not a fault or error.  It is intentional to promote the best 
welding practices according to industry recognized standards and limits.  Of 
course, if a larger diameter or different type of electrode, or thicker metal 
thickness is desired while welding in 120V mode, turn Rapid Set Mode off and 
adjust manually.   However, keep in mind that the results may not be satisfacto-
ry due to limited output of the machine while operating on 120V.

 

Summary of Contents for alphaTIG 203Xi

Page 1: ... Date AttachReceiptto CoverFor Proof of Purchase Need Information Contact sales ahpwelds com 925 391 3599 Technical Issues Contact tech ahpwelds com 925 391 3599 Ext 102 Issue Date 07 13 2021 Publication AHP203XI 101 Ahp Welding Systems 380 Swift Ave 11 South San Francisco CA 94080 ...

Page 2: ...ap Maintenance 12 TIG Shielding Gas Information 13 TIG Polarity and Tungsten Type 14 Tungsten Preparation 15 Stick Polarity and Electrode Types 15 Front Panel Features 17 Rear Panel Features 17 Control Panel Features 19 LCD Screen Features 21 Using AC Controls in TIG Welding 23 Using 2T 4T Pedal Functions 24 Pulse Use and Operation 25 Starting the TIG Arc 26 Welding in Stick Mode 27 Useful TIG Set...

Page 3: ...Please do not delay in doing this Ahp needs to know if there is any damage caused in shipping as soon as possible Damage caused by shipping and discovered after 30 days due to lack of inspection will not be covered under the free 30 day shipping policy Please contact us immediately should you have any questions or concerns about the welder after delivery We ll be glad to help SHIPPING ISSUES ...

Page 4: ...hout notice or revision to this manual In addition minor changes in product cosmetics accessory type and quantity may change without notice These do not constitute a major change in function or opera tion Ahp Welding Systems makes no warranty for merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or application Any claims of such are expressly denied by Ahp Welding Systems Fur thermore Ahp Weldin...

Page 5: ... FOR THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF THE PEOPLE AND ITEMS AROUND YOU If you feel you do not have the resources to provide a safe work environment or do not have the skills or for whatever reason the capability to safely oper ate this unit do not use this unit until you seek professional instruction in safe operation and care of this unit NOTICE Welding and cutting operations may generate undesira ble H...

Page 6: ... leather welding gloves closed toe preferably reinforced or steel toe leather shoes and long sleeved flame resistant clothing i e denim Do not wear Poly Nylon blend materials DANGER Welding cutting poses shock and electrocution risks Keep this welding equipment dry Do not weld in the rain or where moisture accumulates Use dry rubber soled shoes gloves and cloth ing when welding Do not rest or cont...

Page 7: ...an failure and death If degreasing of a part is necessary use Acetone or an ap proved pre weld cleaner Use the proper personal protective equipment PPE when handling any cleaners solvents DANGER People with pacemakers should consult a physician and pacemaker manufacturer before welding There is a potential for damage or serious malfunction resulting in death High Frequen cy energy HF Electromagnet...

Page 8: ...ding Do not allow others without proper Personal Protection Equipment PPE suitable for welding to stand in the welding area or to observe welding and welding related activities If protection is not readily available use a welding screen to separate the welding area from the rest of the area If no protection or screen is available physically exclude them from the welding area by a wall or other sol...

Page 9: ...in items such as torches foot pedals and easily serviced parts may be individually exchanged without returning the entire unit assembly should a failure with these items occur at AHP Welds discretion AHP Welds will not be responsible for time contract loss from unit failure damages occurring from improper or unskilled operation damages resulting from improper maintenance improper wiring poor quali...

Page 10: ...ontrol Sequencer or Pedal Control AC Frequency 20 200 Hz AC Balance 20 80 of Electrode Positive Start Amps 5 20 to 200 Amps End Amps 5 20 to 200 Amps Pre Flow 0 10 Seconds Post Flow 0 25 Seconds Up Slope 0 10 Seconds 2T 4T Use only Not for use with Pedal Down Slope 0 25Seconds 2T 4T Use only Not for use with Pedal Pulse Frequency DC 5 250Hz AC 5 150Hz Pulse Time On 10 90 Pulse Amp Ratio 5 95 TIG A...

Page 11: ...et during this time turn the machine off and back on to reset it Even though this unit is equipped with a duty cycle safety feature intentionally and repeatedly surpassing the duty cycle will shorten the lifespan of the unit Routine overheating damage will usually leave signs that can be determined during warranty repair Damage caused by intentional abuse of the duty cycle will not be covered un d...

Page 12: ...of the customer Point gap adjustment and normal cleaning maintenance does not fall under the warranty terms for this welder If you have any issues or questions concerning point gap adjustment call or contact Ahp tech support before attempting the adjustment The HF system used in this unit is only used for starting the arc They do not stay on while welding in DC or in AC They have no effect other t...

Page 13: ...t a distance When installing the regula tor and making it ready for use be sure to snug all fittings using two wrenches One will hold the stationary fitting the other will be used to turn the rotating fitting If you do not hold the stationary fitting either on the regulator or on the back of the unit you can crack or damage the fitting Once installed and all fittings have been tight ened test all ...

Page 14: ...rch Thoriated Tungsten before you make your mind up one way or the other Be informed There are other types and colors of tungsten rapidly becoming availa ble that are being promoted as 3 in ones tri blends rare earth blends special treatments etc Keep in mind for general welding purposes these are still considered novelty products and most have very little research to support their claims of super...

Page 15: ...usually performed in DC with the electrode positive DCEP or Reverse Polarity However certain electrodes also referred to as welding rods also allow operation in AC or in DC electrode negative DCEN For example the E6011 may be operated either in DCEP DCEN or in AC Some people mistake it for an AC only rod because of its ability to be used with old style transformer buzz box welders that only produc...

Page 16: ...nds to find the best one for your use This is of course true for all welding rods but especially for E6011 with this machine For general purpose fab rication and practical use consider using E7014 This is considered a fabrication rod With this rod high quality rapid self releasing welds can be made without having to have a hot box that is required to maintain low hydrogen type rods such as E7018 w...

Page 17: ...k mode this is the usual location except of applications requiring DCEN of the electrode holder The stick torch should remain in the positive while welding in AC as well In TIG mode this is always the loca tion of the work clamp 5 Gas Connector The gas connector supplies gas to the torch This is a quick coupler type connector The unit is supplied with a gas cooled torch also referred to as air coo...

Page 18: ...bolt and connect it directly to a separate ground rod driven into moist ground outside of shop or structure Also con nect and ground all metal items including plumbing and the structure itself via wire and ground to a separate ground rod driv en in the ground at 10 foot intervals This is not a recommenda tion unique to Ahp It is a standard recommendation across most manufacturers in order to preve...

Page 19: ...age to be fine tuned to suit the welding environment The recommended amperage will also be indicated on the screen using a dial gauge with the arrow pointing vertically so that the user may return at any time to the recommended setting Pressing this button turns Rapid Set on and off Additional information is input via the parameter selector button 7 and adjustment knob 9 NOTICE The Rapid Set funct...

Page 20: ...lance Also when the pulse is turned on with selector 4 it is used to toggle through the pulse frequency base amps and pulse time on settings In AC stick mode this toggles the AC Frequency and AC balance However in DC stick mode this button serves no function 8 LCD Screen The screen is a LCD screen with high visibility colors with good contrast so that it can be read and adjusted in bright environm...

Page 21: ...ombination of 2T Pedal or 4T Pedal is reserved for special optional torches with a separate start stop switch and a amp control knob This type of torch is usually used in settings where a foot pedal isn t practical and where some amp modulation may be required between welds It works similar to the standard torch switch with the 2T 4T sequencer but the amp control knob on the torch pro vides limite...

Page 22: ...malfunction For best results with the foot pedal set Start and End Amps to a lowest setting unless a larger tungsten size is used Then adjust up only 5 to 10 Amps Pre and Post flow should be set according to patterns of use High amp sustained output will require more post post flow Pre Flow can usually be set to 3 to 7 seconds If it is windy or a long torch cable is used more pre flow may be requi...

Page 23: ... speed But as it turns out it does not take a 50 50 split in the balance of Electrode Negative and Electrode Positive to provide enough clean ing for welding Aluminum In fact thanks to modern technology that is able to take the basic sine wave input from the power company and chop it up into pieces and reconfigure it good welding results on Aluminum have been achieved with as little as 5 or 10 ele...

Page 24: ...rc arc wander and increased rate of tungsten erosion However you can boost the capability of the weld er by using a lower frequency as long as you are aware of the tradeoffs and willing to manage them Normally frequencies between 90 and 120Hz are desirable and offer a nice broad range that balances arc cone width tungsten life and noise levels without presenting problems associated with either ext...

Page 25: ...Amp setting has been reached Once the pedal is fully released post flow will start NOTICE A special 2T Pedal or 4T Pedal mode is available on this ma chine Operation is similar to 2T or 4T modes but is designed to allow amperage to be set and fixed at the torch handle on special torches equipped with both an amp control and a separate torch switch to start and stop the arc This type of setup reduc...

Page 26: ... weld metal with tiny pieces of Tungsten It is also pre ferred for most DC applications that are performed in shop environ ments However HF can interfere with sensitive electronic equip ment See the safety and warnings sections for more information concerning the use of High Frequency See the illustration below how to properly start a TIG arc with HF selected on the machine There are times when an...

Page 27: ...The tip of the electrode is quickly flicked across the metal This should not be an exaggerated motion but a tight con trolled one for best results Use the illustration below to guide you in performing arc starts in the stick welding mode Welding in Stick mode involves simply dragging the rod in a straight line along the metal Years ago it was common to manipulate the rod in tight circles or C shap...

Page 28: ...ency 1 5 to 3 Hz for appearance 100 to 200 Hz for Heat control Pulse Time On 50 65 Notes on Rapid Set Operation Rapid Set mode is useful for quick setup and adjustment of Amper age without having to refer to complicated charts or computer apps However you will need to know and input several pieces of infor mation about what you are welding to accurately use the Rapid Set mode For TIG you ll need t...

Page 29: ... Type 4 Heat Shield 17 26 18 NVA HS172618 Heat Shield Interchanges with similar aftermarket 5 Collet Body Universal one size fits 1 16 to 1 8 Stock Stock Universal Collet Body and Collets supplied with original starter kit 5 Collet Body 040 NVA 10N30 10N30 1 0mm match to collet size 5 Collet Body 1 16 NVA 10N31 10N31 1 6mm match to collet size 5 Collet Body 3 32 NVA10N 10N32 2 4mm match to collet ...

Page 30: ...tion and Explanation of Function 7 PIN CONNECTOR To Pedal or Torch Switch ON OFF To Pedal or Torch Switch ON OFF 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Low Middle High Bridge a Jumper to Pin 6 Bridge a Jumper to Pin 7 Potentiometer VR alphaTIG 203Xi ...

Page 31: ...Bad HF board Check for HF spark through vents in front panel Check clean and adjust point gap contact Ahp if not sure Tungsten balls or is rapidly consumed Porosity in weld Wrong Polarity Wrong AC balance Bad or Wrong Shielding gas Low gas flow rate Welder is too close to weld area gas is blown off weld Draft Put torch in negative Set Balance to 30 Check to ensure gas is 100 Ar gon and not mixed g...

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