Dynasty died...need some suggestions

[cruizer]

Its really too bad, no one cares anymore. Its also too bad as i've ran into this particular problem on Help 8, and its an easy fix. The first 2 part#'s are the mods and an inverter board. now they want to replace the interconnect board I'd guess.

I'm wondering what made them want to replace the mods which reside under the interconnect board. If they did a prepower check, that would have told them whether or not the mods were bad, and told them whether or not the interconect was bad. I think they went to the trouble shooting section and ordered up all the parts that could be bad without opening the case.

[kjlindgr]

Okay, here's the latest. I called up Miller technical support and talked to one of their techs. They said that the cost of these repairs isn't "inconceivable" and they echoed a lot of what Airgas had done in that they said that a lot of the time it's hard to diagnose the issue until you get into it and start replacing stuff. He also said that based on the repair dollars of $2000, he suggested that I junk the machine...that way I'd get a new machine with a 3 year warranty instead of the 90 day warranty on the repair parts.

I asked them if I brought it there if they'd do anything differently for estimating repairs or if he agreed that this was the approach to take and that the estimate Airgas gave me was in line. He didn't seem shocked by anything I told him or eager to tell me to bring it by.

Right from the horses mouth...kind of sad really.

[cruizer]

Are you remotely electrical savvy, if so I'd suggest you picking the machine up, and I'd go through it with you.

[kjlindgr]

Savvy might be a little much, but I know what a capacitor, resistor, and PCB look like. I don't want to turn my problem into your problem, but if you are willing to help, I would certainly be appreciative of the support. My worst fear is that I have to replace all the boards in the machine in order for this thing to work again...or that I sink a bunch of money into it and it still is a brick.

Do you think it can be repaired for a reasonable cost?

[cruizer]

We'll find out together exactly what the problem is BEFORE we order anything. as well as, I can drop ship parts direct to you at my cost.

You'll need the likes of a Fluke 112 meter though.

[kjlindgr]

I've got a Fluke multimeter at home that I think would cover the needs for some simple troubleshooting.

[paulrbrown]

kjlindgr sorry to hear of your problems, I had less than 20 hours on my 200dx and kapooey..[2004 model].luckily it was still under warranty, they told me it looked like lightening had hit it, was running on 110 [117 actual volts] with 65 amps output on stick....unit idling at time....really scares me about the longevity of these units, I had a Maxstar 140 crap out after less than 30 hours and was told to dump it also...and Miller will not even return my emails regarding it.....both times I was living in the country, but have never had computer problems......or any other electrical issues [ 2 different power companies].....I know the 140 was made by Fronius in Austria, and had a bad reputation as I was told when getting the 200dx repaired, that if I ever had a problem with the 140 to pitch it as it was not worth fixing.....what is the deal, sorry to have semi hijacked your thread, good luck with the issue...Paul

[kjlindgr]

I don't want to start a witch hunt, I just want a working welder. I am just an individual so I don't have deep pockets. Spending $2000 on a repair hurts...spending $5-10K on an upgraded model in search of reliability will cause me to question my brand loyalty. I need a welder I can rely on, not a disposable asset. I just don't know where to go from here. I don't know if I want to take on the risk of trying to repair this one myself in my garage. I just don't think it's right that I would have to do that in order to get a reasonable or honest fix. I shouldn't have to procure parts myself because my local dealer will only sell for list. I shouldn't have to "figure out" what's wrong with my own machine because my local technician doesn't warranty the risk of their own repair suggestions.

If the Dynasty 200 isn't the most reliable or longest lasting machine, which welder should I get? If Miller isn't synonymous with quality and reliability, who is? I just need a working welder I can trust on every day.

[crawler]

Contact Larry Burross

I would contact Larry Burross. He is an Authorized Miller dealer who knows how to repair all kinds of welding equipment.

Very nice person to deal with.


Larry Burross
Applied Equipment, Inc.
2515 Cartwright St.
Dallas, Tx 75212

214-630-9353 phone
214-630-9354 fax
888-630-9353 toll-free
214-577-9353 cell
786-629-9353 computer
Email: [email protected]


disclaimer: not affiliated with the vendor above.

[cruizer]

Yep, send it to Larry, he'll give you the straight up report on the unit. Might be the best if you can't troubleshoot it with my help.

I get phone calls from across Canada and from the States on how to t-shoot thier Lincoln or Miller machines. I don't mind it though I don't get paid by either of the 2 companys to handle the tech support I supply.

[paulrbrown]

sorry about butting in, I guess I should have started a new thread, but with the issues here,I thought it was a good idea at the time to bring out other experiences. Please forgive, Paul

I don't want to start a witch hunt, I just want a working welder. I am just an individual so I don't have deep pockets. Spending $2000 on a repair hurts...spending $5-10K on an upgraded model in search of reliability will cause me to question my brand loyalty. I need a welder I can rely on, not a disposable asset. I just don't know where to go from here. I don't know if I want to take on the risk of trying to repair this one myself in my garage. I just don't think it's right that I would have to do that in order to get a reasonable or honest fix. I shouldn't have to procure parts myself because my local dealer will only sell for list. I shouldn't have to "figure out" what's wrong with my own machine because my local technician doesn't warranty the risk of their own repair suggestions.

If the Dynasty 200 isn't the most reliable or longest lasting machine, which welder should I get? If Miller isn't synonymous with quality and reliability, who is? I just need a working welder I can trust on every day.

[H80N]

If it were one of my Dynasties... I would pull it from that Airgas... and have somebody else take a look at it... from what you have said their asessment of the problem and the cost of cure has been VERY foggy and seems overly expensive to me.... their cure edges too close to the cost of a new machine... and with no guarantee to boot...
Seek an independant Second Opinion!!! you are right in Appleton... I would hope the factory service could make an exception and diagnose it....just to settle the controversy and clear up any suspicions.... Airgas has made such a muddle that I personally would be VERY suspect of them servicing it...
Having Miller actually intervene here would be a true service to all of us who own Miller equipment.... it would remove the cloud over this suspect diagnosis...
simple confirm or deny.......
my 2 cents worth...

call it a "Service Audit" Toyota for instance has a dedicated program to keep their dealers honest... and it works.. what is more.. the confidence it instills in customers sells cars and repeat business...

[old jupiter]

His question (about whether a new 200DX can be relied upon, and if not, what should he get) hasn't been answered yet, and I also would like to hear about that. More than one Dynasty 200DX owner here has reported his machine having croaked with way too few hours on it. I thought the complaints about this machine had been addressed a couple of years ago. It's such a phenomenal piece when it works, but is it just too fragile?

[shovelon]

His question (about whether a new 200DX can be relied upon, and if not, what should he get) hasn't been answered yet, and I also would like to hear about that. More than one Dynasty 200DX owner here has reported his machine having croaked with way too few hours on it. I thought the complaints about this machine had been addressed a couple of years ago. It's such a phenomenal piece when it works, but is it just too fragile?

I know more people that beat the crap out of thier dyanasty200s than those that have had problems. Mine is working well, and my 350s kick *** every day without issue.

[CSTKmauro]

I know I'm coming late to the party, but if you still need help I would be happy to help. If you send the unit to me I will look at it for free, give you a write estimate, and either way ship it back at no charge.
We fix inverter base power source all the time. Unfortunately I'm in New York. You can go to our web site www.Airweld.net to get all the info you need.