Google Maxstar info

[Scott V]

I got this off of Google.
Is this guy on the level?
A guy was asking about problems with his Maxstar 150.
This does not sound right?

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/sci.engr.joining.welding


Serial Number is everything. Do a search of this group for maxstar and
serial number.
If you're unit is pre- LF 010173M, they'll exhange it free with a new
Chinese made Maxstar if it's causing you problems. Ask for Mark
Cadillac at Miller. It could be the cord, but that's really unlikely. I
use 67 amps for 3/32" 6013-6011, 75 is right for 3/32" 7018.
That's using 5 12ft computer power strips in a row, each with a 15amp
breaker all on a 15amp brach. You can run all day at 67amps. 70+, and
it will trip a 15amp if you run it constantly. Remember, the heating of
a wire or a rod is given by the area of the circle you get when you it
in half. Pi times radius squared gives:
1/16 gives 30 amps max for 6011-6013
3/32 divided by 2=0.046875 squared=.00220 times pi=.0069 or 69amps max
1/8 divided by 2=.0625 times pi/2 =98amps max
1/4"=.125^2 times pi gives 491 amps max
These are real maximums, reduce 0-10% for 6011-13, increase 10% for
7018, 15% for 8018-9018, and 20% for 10018.
Don't use 6010 with the Maxstar unless it's you ex's new husbands car
you're fixing.
6011 is pretty.
7024 is like a stick version of mig. Not close really, but unique
enough to be compared

[arcdawg]

ahhh what ? I like the whole 5 power strips in a row set up..........

dawg

[dseman]

Scott,
If you google his name in the welding group you can read his previous posts about the 150 sth problem. After reading it I advised some of the 150 owners on this site, though I don't recall right now if their units were of the earlier vintage. As far as Ben indicating the unit is made in china?...well we know that is not true. And his calculations on max. amperage for smaw electrodes?.. well the absolute maximum electrode amperage limit is more likely based on the degradation of the flux coating and not the filler metal area. The useable amperage range will be considerably below that.

-dseman

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/sci.engr.joining.welding/browse_frm/thread/634cea3c558220e5/9fe7b4cd25dbf4e4?q=ben+woodward&rnum=11#9fe7b4cd25dbf4e4
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/sci.engr.joining.welding/search?q=ben+woodward&start=10&

[Scott V]

Ok,
I am alright with it now. I wish people would not post things that have no basis in fact. Making a Miller welder in China would be almost like shooting yourself in the foot. That happens to be one issue that matters to Miller customers.
Also that it works right too!! ;)

[Sundown]

Scott,

Some 150 Maxstars with LE serial numbers had a problem that sometimes occured during tacking operations. The blinking blue light would come on and the machine needed to be rebooted. This was fixed in the offending machines with a capasiter upgrade, or in a very few cases a PC board upgrade. I won't even comment on the China comment, also I don't think you will find a guy by the exact name of Mark Cadillac working for Miller, but don't quote me on that. My machine has been upgraded with a new PC board and runs like a striped ape, also my understanding was that it only affected 5% of so of the LE (2004) run of machines. So if you are not having a problem, don't worry about it would be my advice, if there is a problem then take it in and get it fixed. The Legandary Miller service guys will take care of it. As to the numbers and power strips, and all that stuff, I don't even own but one power strip so I guess I will just keep going the way I have been.

[wb5jhy]

Scott,

I bought a Maxstar 150 STH about a month ago from BR Welders. It died after about two minutes of weld time. The dreaded flashing blue light. Checked the power and even rebooted several times. No dice.

Factory rep sent out a new one immediately. I don't have the serial numbers here at home but I do at the shop. The rep decided to send the new one without much hesitation which leads me to believe there's been a few more like this.

The new one is solid. Tested all modes and features and it puts out the heat just fine. My first experience with inverter sparks. Sure is smooooth.


tjj

[HAWK]

Sundown,

Mark Kadlec works in the TIG applications group at Miller. He is a super guy and a fantastic TIG welder. Apparently the author of the post did not understand how to spell Mark's last name. The Maxstar 140 units were made by Fronius outside the US, but the M150 units are American made.

[Danny]

Considering the serial # on my STH starts with LE, this thread is definitely making me nervous. I truly hope i don t end up regretting my first inverter welder purchase, maybe i should have pushed my budget, and went with the proven Maxstar 200. Up to this point though, I am truely impressed with the TIG performance of the unit. I really have no need to stick weld with it, so I ve only ran 2 or 3 rods on it, just to make sure the function performed properly. Just wait and see, my unit will run trouble free, until one day after the warranty is up. :D

Scott, it was definitely better for my blood pressure, when you didn t have any Blue in your blood. :D

[cope]

Considering the serial # on my STH starts with LE, this thread is definitely making me nervous. I truly hope i don t end up regretting my first inverter purchase, maybe i should have pushed my budget, and went with the proven Maxstar 200. Up to this point though, I am truely impressed with the TIG performance of the unit. I really have no need to stick weld with it, so I ve only ran 2 or 3 rods on it, just to make sure the function performed properly. Just wait and see, my unit will run trouble free, until one day after the warranty is up. :D

Scott, it was definitely better for my blood pressure, when you didn t have any Blue in your blood. :D

Dan, I suspect yours is a later build than the problem units, but even if it isn't you know as well as I do that Miller won't leave you hanging if there is a problem.

George, correct me , but didn't your problem show up pretty soon?

[Sundown]

Sundown,

Mark Kadlec works in the TIG applications group at Miller. He is a super guy and a fantastic TIG welder. Apparently the author of the post did not understand how to spell Mark's last name. The Maxstar 140 units were made by Fronius outside the US, but the M150 units are American made.

I knew about that, I wasn't sure he wanted to put his name out, but now that problem is solved. I have yet to meet, or speak with anyone at either Miller or Hobart that hasn't been right on top of things.

[Sundown]

Dan, I suspect yours is a later build than the problem units, but even if it isn't you know as well as I do that Miller won't leave you hanging if there is a problem.

George, correct me , but didn't your problem show up pretty soon?

Cope,

The first one I had blew a capaister after about 5-10 seconds of tig, it was replaced within 2 days with a new one. The new one starting showing problems shutting down while tacking with SMAW soon after I got it, using tig it was ok. I didn't need the stick side for a few months so I forgot about it, the next time I used it the problem came back. I took it into service and they decided to put a new PC board in it, took about a week to get the parts here. I have since ran about 10# of various stick in it and about 100 CF of Argon (how much ever time that takes) running tig without a single problem.

[Sundown]

Considering the serial # on my STH starts with LE, this thread is definitely making me nervous. I truly hope i don t end up regretting my first inverter purchase, maybe i should have pushed my budget, and went with the proven Maxstar 200. Up to this point though, I am truely impressed with the TIG performance of the unit. I really have no need to stick weld with it, so I ve only ran 2 or 3 rods on it, just to make sure the function performed properly. Just wait and see, my unit will run trouble free, until one day after the warranty is up. :D

Dan,

I don't know when they located what the problem was and came up with the fix but I think it was late in the model year. Tig service told me that only a few had this problem and that normally a capasiter change was needed to fix it. I think the only way you see if you have the problem is to do some SMAW, and mostly tacking operations. If it happens the blue light will start flashing then you will need to reboot the machine to get it operational again. You have about two years worth of warrenty left, the problem is that it seems to be inermittent, service had mine a week trying to make it fail. I was beginning to think it was me that was causing the problem as I am not the best stick welder in the world. I also want to say that Miller took care of the problem in their usual manner. I have had some thoughts of getting a Maxstar 200SD or DX (Dynasty's are too pricey for me), but in reality this 150 STL does everything I need and I like the smaller size better. In order to put your mind at ease maybe you should call Tig service and talk to one of the engineers about it.

[Scott V]

That guy has had all sorts of problems with his Passport too. He has came to the conclusion that all the feed motors are weak. I have not noticed any problem with them. I figure things will show up on any new or old unit. It's the name of the game. Mostly on new ones. If inverters did not weld/cut better for the most part, I doubt I would own as many as I do. ;)

Dan here is a story about other colors of inverters, to put you at ease.

The Mk 2000a I sold on ebay blew something inside it. It does not seem serious according to the new owner. He got it really cheap from me, so he is ok with the whole deal. That machine was mint and never abused. It was after he had it a while. He is just using his old old 400 amp cc Hobart until he can get it fixed . ;)

The Thermal-arc Lm 300 that was new and I bought off of ebay had a problem too. It was a current model # but old stock. It only had 90 day warranty from Thermal because it was so old 1998. They have not made changes to that model and has been a good reliable unit. Joel at Airgas sold to a guy that wanted a MM350. He welds inside of elelvators on some big building down town. They run fluxcore wire and also use the machine on three phase 480 volts.

Well to make a long story short, that one blew it's bridge and was a $1800.00 dollar board. Nobody wanted to help the guy out because it was so old. Joel finally did some finagling with EC that worked on it and got Thermal to eat the
board. The guy ended up paying about $200.00 in labor. Much better then $2000.00 it would have cost him. :eek:

What did I learn from this????
I have pretty good luck with inverters!!!! :D
Also the local welding store has some big
benefits over buying off of ebay.

I pretty much keep most of my high dollar stuff in warranty. I do not like worrying about when it's going to blow!!!

When I get three phase at Barbara's new shop I might look into some nice rectifier tranformer mig machine. :cool:


So Dan,
do you feel better now?


PS- your Plasma cutter happens to be a inverter too!!!
Better go plug that one in, to see if it still works. ;)

[Sundown]

That guy has had all sorts of problems with his Passport too. He has came to the conclusion that all the feed motors are weak. I have not noticed any problem with them.<snip> ;)

I saw that comment also, both times I tested the Passport it feed as good as anything else I have every used. :D ;)

[ccoombs]

Hi,

I purchased a Maxstar 150STH back in december and overall I it's a fantastic machine (it is my first electric welder and my mates are jealous :D ). I mostly use it for tigging and have learnt to do some pretty good work with to.

The only problem I have is that I believe that my machine has a similar problem that that desribed in this thread - intermittently when stick tack welding or trying to strike an arc I get a flashing blue light and have to repower the machine (it has an LE serial number too). It also seems to occur more frequently when welding at about 80 amps than it would on a higher setting.


The reason I write here is that I live in Australia, and my local welder service agent is having trouble identifying exactly what the problem is. They also have told me something to the effect that the Miller literature that they have available to them does not describe this problem in the maxstar unit :(

I was wondering if anyone has technical information that I could supply them to possibly put them on the right track?

Any help/advice would be appreciated :)

Clint

[fun4now]

call the miller TIG department let them know what is going on and who youre dealer is and they will get ahold of youre dealer and get him/her up to speed and get you fixed up.