What's the deal with "digital" LCD screen welders?

[mrmikey]

I bet if you opened them up, you'd see degradation of the core. These are often exposed to humidity, and corrosive environments (like the smoke from welding) with little protection of the iron used and very little maintenance (if any).

I don't doubt you're right in the least. Point being even tho the insulation is going bad, it's full of iron dust, never cleaned etc ....it still works. If you get a microscopic piece of steel dust on the wrong pc board trace...poof, out comes the magic smoke.

Same exact type of argument that "transformer" guys are making. But people who do buy a good quality inverter, instantly know there is a difference in how they weld and perform.

I agree again, an inverter machine lays down a beautiful bead. I'm not in a high maintenance type of situation, for what I do I don't need it but yes, it definitely makes a difference if you're in a situation that you need it.
Me, I;m old school, I'm the type of person that rather than having an unserviceable driveshaft last a lifetime of 1000 hours and spend hundreds of dollars to fix it when it goes because you can't grease or replace parts on it. I'd rather have one you have to grease every few hours and last basically forever. If not at least replace just the joint itself.
I'd rather have to change points, plugs and condenser every 30K miles for $50 than spend thousands at a dealer for something electronic that you can't even diagnose without a 2K$ scanner not to mention what that little piece cost.
Taillight on a GM Traverse I think it was, (look up South Main Auto repair on you tube, great channel IMHO) the reverse light bulb burnt out, simple fix...not. The complete assembly has to be changed, $750 for what should be a $3 bulb.
I'd rather replace a $15 turn signal flasher that a $1000 BCM because the flasher is integrated into it.
The speed control for the blower fan on my truck is also in the BCM I've been told, so much for replacing the resistor pack when I lose my speeds.
When I start my truck, it takes 10-15 seconds for the radio to boot, go figure
Yes, technology is fantastic....until it breaks and then you're paying for the niceties.
Sorry....rant mode off LOL.......................Mike

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

You assume that because it is "technological" or has electronics, it is both unserviceable, and prone to damage. Just as with anything it is related to design. You also assume it is costly to repair. Our board that takes 10 minutes to replace will likely cost you less than what a switch (if you can still find it) would on another name brand transformer machine. PLus more and more people know how to do basic soldering and component on board replacement and repair. A part is a part is a part (if you know how to do it).

 

[California]

"just a transformer/rectifier" machine hasn't been built in a welder like a MIG or TIG if 40 years. After that they all have circuit control boards...From the 80's forward.

Go back a littler farther to this elderly AC stick welder from Montgomery Wards, mid 1960's. The cooling fan is the only thing aside from the transformer, inside it. Any similar fan could serve to replace that, there's plenty of space to fabricate a new mount.

The generic on/off switch has the only points in the whole welder. Current adjusts by moving a slug in/out of the core. Aside from the on/off switch there's nothing to arc and burn anywhere inside. I expect this thing will outlast all of us. Elegant, no, but similar units fabricated a lot of stuff up to shipyard size, long ago. (But I gotta admit my mig welder is a lot easier to drag out for a project that is within its capability! )

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

Go back a littler farther to this elderly AC stick welder from Montgomery Wards, mid 1960's. The cooling fan is the only thing aside from the transformer, inside it. Any similar fan could serve to replace that, there's plenty of space to fabricate a new mount.

The generic on/off switch has the only points in the whole welder. Current adjusts by moving a slug in/out of the core. Aside from the on/off switch there's nothing to arc and burn anywhere inside. I expect this thing will outlast all of us. Elegant, no, but similar units fabricated a lot of stuff up to shipyard size, long ago. (But I gotta admit my mig welder is a lot easier to drag out for a project that is within its capability! )

FWIW, on our welders use muffin fans, which will work if you match specs. Easy to find, cheap to buy. Same thing with the old Montgomery ward AC stick welder. You still need to match specs if you want the same duty cycle.

 

[workinonit]

I'll call you when mine short out and blow smoke.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

Ha. Heard that before...a week later, I'm making a sale. "I never thought it would give up, but I spoke too soon. Do you know how much they wanted to fix mine?" lol.

You have to understand this happens quite frequently. A good number of my sales are to former transformer owners whose gave it up and died.

 

[etpm]

I like all the options of modern welders but do not like how some of the controls are set up. Some welders are not that easy to adjust when wearing welding gloves. That's just poor design and has nothing to do with the welder itself being more or less reliable.
But when it comes to inverter welders versus transformer welders I'm all for inverter based machines. Inverter technology is mature and inverter power supplies are well understood. The same technology is used in every computer and every plug in power supply. Inverters are much more efficient than plain linear transformer power supplies. And inverters give you all sorts of options that transformer machines cannot. A prime example is square wave welding. Square wave AC welding of aluminum, and other alloys too, is way, way, way better than the old sine wave AC welding. I learned on sine wave machines because at the time that's all that was available for the most part. When I used a square wave machine the first time I was amazed at how much easier it was to use.
You can make a transformer machine that will output square waves but they use solid state devices to do the switching of the wave polarity. Just like an inverter machine. So I don't really see the difference.
Eric