???'s on running a 3035 w/ SGA100C on Trailblazer

[walker]

I just bought an SGA100C to run my spoolmate 3035 from my Trailblazer 251. I hooked it up as per the manual but have some questions about the operation of it on the trailblazer. I had it on my MM185 for a while, and used it for some light aluminum work, I have also used it for a little SS welding too. I did not like it on my 185, as it seemed in the way and the mess of cables near the wire drive caused a minor short, so I pulled it off. I had wanted to use it with my Trailblazer to give me some limited mig capability in the field, as stick isn't always convenient for light work.
-If I connect the SGA100c to the electrode terminal on the welder and the work clamp on the work clamp side, will the switch to change polarity still work while running in the MIG position? Also, what are the polarity does it need to be in for aluminum and SS. As I recall, it was DCEN for aluminum and DCEP for steel and SS.
- What effect does the MIG/TIG/Stick switch have, and should I have it in MIG or leave it in stick? I am doing the mig process, but using the seperate contactor, and not using the 14 pin connector.
-Do I need to be on the CC side,or the CV side, like a MIG machine?
-How do I figure out how to set the amp dial for different thicknesses of steel.
-This gun seems to be primarily directed toward aluminum welding. I did not connect my bottle o' gas to it tonight and so I ran some flux cored wire through it on steel. Granted I didn't play with it for a long period of time nor do I run much flux cored wire, but it seemed like it welded steel the same way it welds on aluminum. Will it weld in short circuit mode, or only spray transfer?
Thanks for the help

[hankj]

Walker,

The SGA100C has a contactor in it that keeps the wire cold 'till you pull the trigger, which you probably already know. It's just a thrioughput device; changing the polarity of your welder will change the polarity of your 3030 also.

All MIG operations are DCEP except flux-core, which is DCEN.

The TIG/STICK/MIG switch determines wether you are running in CC or CV mode. You want to be in CV mode for MIG, so switch to the MIG position. In MIG position, your amps/volts control adjusts the voltage instead of the amperage. The voltage coupled with the wire speed determinies the arc charachteristics. There is a chart inthe SGA100C owners manual that has a voltage range guide, I believe.

The welding mode will depend on where you set the parameters for each wire you use. Once you get above the transition voltage for spray, you'll spray!

Hank

[ASKANDY]

Most of the MIG you will be doing, unless it's flux, will be Electrode Positive. The polarity switch will work like normal and the MIG toggle switch should be in the MIG position. Use the CV side of the machine as the SGA and Spool 3035 is set up for CV only use. Basically, you are using just like it was a MM185. The only thing is you will have to run the Trailblazer's contactor on all the time or rewire the SGA to pull in the 14 pin.

Good luck

Andy

[walker]

Cool, I got it up and running fine. So do I understand correctly that the 251 has a contactor in it? If so would I have had to wire the spool gun trigger into the 14 pin connector?
Also, Help me to understand the TIG/STICK/MIG switch a little more. If it is in stick mode the CC terminal is live, does that mean that the CV terminal is dead, and visa versa in the MIG mode? Since it is a 3 position switch what does it do in TIG mode?
The 14 pin is also a little mysterious in terms of all of its capabilities. The A/V switch is turned on when using a remote amp/volt controller. The output contactor is a little more confusing. It appears as though there is a 24vac and a 115vac switch option. I am a little confused on how/why you would utilize those. I had only used the machine for stick welding in the past and have not looked into mig, tig or remotes until now.
Thanks again for the help, and I appreciate the further assistance in understanding my machine.

[hankj]

The pinouts for the connector are shown on page 15 of the manual. The voltage options used (24/115) would depend on the equipment you plug into the 14-pin. The cable wiring from the wleder to the remote unit will determine which voltage is applied. If the feeder you're using requires 24V, then the cable furnished with it should be set up accordingly, and vise versa. With a "Brand - X" dodad, you may have to set up the cable ends yourself, depending.

I can't determine from the manual if the output terminals are both hot all the time, but from the electrical schematic, it looks like everything goes hot when the contactor pulls in.

I think the TIG/STICK positions allow different amounts of control from the remote, but that one's a shot in the dark. Somebody who knows the answer will provide it, I'm sure.

Hank