Miller Welder Help Needed!!

[Millsonwheels]

Well In a quest to find a bigger MIG welder for my own shop (220) I got a smoking deal on a Miller 22A MIG wire feeder attachment. So what Im looking for is the most budget friendly way to run this weather it be an older TIG or ARC machine, TIG would be great as I am starting to use it more and more at work.

Basically what would be the oldest machine that could work with the 17 Pin plug that this little guy has? Tracking down the specific machine wont be a problem Im pretty good at finding this stuff.

Any help or direction would be much appreciated!!!

Thanks!

-Mills

 

[Shield Arc]

I'm not 100% sure, but maybe the Miller XMT-304, or the XMT-350.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

Yeah, It's going to have to put out CV. A straight TIG or TIG/stick machine is CC. I think the 22A will fit a XMT...which is CC/CV.

 

[Big Barn]

The XMT for sure. I have one on mine. It will also run on Miller Shopmate 300, CP302 , Deltawelds and Invisions. Terry
BTW that is prob a 14 pin plug.

 

[Millsonwheels]

I'm not 100% sure, but maybe the Miller XMT-304, or the XMT-350.

Yeah, It's going to have to put out CV. A straight TIG or TIG/stick machine is CC. I think the 22A will fit a XMT...which is CC/CV.

Well an XMT machine would be nice but would blow the budget, Cheapest I can find for one is around $1300. Ideally a welder a bit older would be the ticket

View attachment 367336 The XMT for sure. I have one on mine. It will also run on Miller Shopmate 300, CP302 , Deltawelds and Invisions. Terry
BTW that is prob a 14 pin plug.

Well thats good to hear thanks! I think that shopmate 300 might be the ticket, It gives me some flexibility down the road!

If anybody can think of any other models to look out for that would be great. also about what year they went to this style plug or if an adapter setup can be done to an even older machine?

 

[Big Barn]

[QUOTE If anybody can think of any other models to look out for that would be great. also about what year they went to this style plug or if an adapter setup can be done to an even older machine?[/QUOTE]

Be careful. Sometimes it will involve a little more than an adapter. I think just because an amphenol has a certain number of pins the wiring may be configured differently. Someone else may be able to correct me on this.

Terry

 

[Arc weld]

The 22A is Millers basic stand alone wire feeder. It should easily be adaptable to any CV power source with a 24 volt circuit for the feeder. Unfortunately, most CV power sources are 3 phase power. I believe Linde and possibly Esab use 24 volts but Lincoln is 42 volts. Common feeder for a shopmaster and also works with an XMT but an XMT isn't going to be cheap. Miller used to have a single phase power source with seperate feeder years ago. Can't remember the model.

Just for reference, any welder that uses an electric arc is an arc welder whether it's stick, TIG, MIG, sub-arc , etc.

 

[Jim Timber]

Deltawelds will run on single phase, they just didn't have the auto-line or whatever miller calls it. The manuals will tell you which color in the cord to exclude for single phase use. Just about any 3ph inverter should run on single phase as well.

You might look into a generator/welder too. Not the greatest for shop only use, but the cat's meow for mobile or on-site work. Bobcat's usually run about 7-900 around here for the older ones. Other benefit is you can power your house with it if the utility fails.

Thermal arc's 185 something or other also does tig and CV. Those were only about 1200 new 10 years back.

The control circuit is 24v, but can be adapted via an adequately sized transformer of the appropriate ratio. I personally run a 42v Airco feeder off a Miller Invision PS via an adapter box I made. I use the 120v side to drive a 42v transformer to power the feeder's motor and solenoid, then use the 24v side to trigger a relay to trip the contactor and tell the Invision to make power. It's a bit convoluted, but the feeder was brand new when I bought it for $125 shipped, and the system has worked for a bit over 6 years.

 

[Millsonwheels]

[QUOTE If anybody can think of any other models to look out for that would be great. also about what year they went to this style plug or if an adapter setup can be done to an even older machine?

Be careful. Sometimes it will involve a little more than an adapter. I think just because an amphenol has a certain number of pins the wiring may be configured differently. Someone else may be able to correct me on this.

Terry[/QUOTE]

Well I have a couple different options here none are the greatest, In my dads hoard of equipment he has a old scratch start tig/ stick machine with a 4 pin plug on it (no idea what model but I can find out), If this could work it would be great cause it is a very stout machine which i could obtain because I remember how little he paid for it and its in his way. 2. I have an old old bobcat welder with the same 4 pin plug, it has a terrible onan engine and Is always a plan C type machine. 3. Miller Big 40 D pipeline welder, I dont want to go this route starting up a 4 cylinder diesel every time I want to run a bead (my neighbor hates me enough as is :laughing

The 22A is Millers basic stand alone wire feeder. It should easily be adaptable to any CV power source with a 24 volt circuit for the feeder. Unfortunately, most CV power sources are 3 phase power. I believe Linde and possibly Esab use 24 volts but Lincoln is 42 volts. Common feeder for a shopmaster and also works with an XMT but an XMT isn't going to be cheap. Miller used to have a single phase power source with seperate feeder years ago. Can't remember the model.

Just for reference, any welder that uses an electric arc is an arc welder whether it's stick, TIG, MIG, sub-arc , etc.

You dont see many Esab machines around here mostly lincoln or miller country I guess, but I will look. Sorry Bad habit I guess Grandpa Had many non traditional names for things I guess stick welder is better than buzz box. haha

Deltawelds will run on single phase, they just didn't have the auto-line or whatever miller calls it. The manuals will tell you which color in the cord to exclude for single phase use. Just about any 3ph inverter should run on single phase as well.

You might look into a generator/welder too. Not the greatest for shop only use, but the cat's meow for mobile or on-site work. Bobcat's usually run about 7-900 around here for the older ones. Other benefit is you can power your house with it if the utility fails.

Thermal arc's 185 something or other also does tig and CV. Those were only about 1200 new 10 years back.

The control circuit is 24v, but can be adapted via an adequately sized transformer of the appropriate ratio. I personally run a 42v Airco feeder off a Miller Invision PS via an adapter box I made. I use the 120v side to drive a 42v transformer to power the feeder's motor and solenoid, then use the 24v side to trigger a relay to trip the contactor and tell the Invision to make power. It's a bit convoluted, but the feeder was brand new when I bought it for $125 shipped, and the system has worked for a bit over 6 years.

Ive been seeming smoking deals on 5ish year old 3 phase machines could these be easily converted back to 220 single phase? I have all the pieces to make a mobile 5 hp rotary phase converter like me and dad built for his wood shop, Id rather honestly have single phase for simplicity sake. I love the mobile welders but I would prefer to not use one for this mig purpose, although it would work, id like to not make more enemy's in "town" than I have to. :laughing:

I really do appreciate everyones help so far youve been great!!

 

[Jim Timber]

Um, you're looking at more like a 50hp RPC to run a 200A welder. It also probably won't have an arc worth a horse apple due to the dynamic imbalance in the legs (power lines). I wouldn't advise trying it, unless you have very large 3ph motors laying around that have no value beyond scrap, and like playing with capacitors big enough to kill you dead if something goes wrong. You could likely buy a new welder for what you'd have into parts on a RPC that size by the time it actually made a stable arc out of the attached welder.

You need an inverter based 3 phase welder to run it on single phase. It has to do with how the power supply converts the AC into DC via a big bridge rectifier, then turns that DC into the arc through a modulated power supply.