Lincoln Electric COMMANDER 500 IM644-A - Manual (Page 24)

B-7 OPERATION B-7
BREAK-IN PERIOD
The engine used to supply power for your welder is a
heavy duty, industrial engine. It is designed and built
for rugged use. It is very normal for any engine to use
small quantities of oil until the break-in is accom-
plished. Check the oil level twice a day during the
break-in period (about 200 running hours).
IMPORTANT
IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH THIS BREAK-IN, THE
UNIT SHOULD BE SUBJECTED TO HEAVY LOADS,
WITHIN THE RATING OF THE MACHINE. AVOID
LONG IDLE RUNNING PERIODS.
TYPICAL FUEL CONSUMPTION
Refer to Table B.2 for typical fuel consumption of the
Commander 500
’ s Engine for various operating sce-
narios.
Table B.2 Deutz F3L 912 Engine Fuel Consumption
WELDER OPERATION
STICK WELDING
The Commander 500 can be used with a broad range
of DC stick electrodes.
The SELECTOR switch provides five overlapping
slope controlled current ranges.
The CONTROL
adjusts the current from minimum to maximum within
each range. Voltage is also controlled by the CON-
TROL in the slope controlled setting. These slope con-
trolled settings are intended for
“ out-of-position ” weld-
ing, including pipe welding, where the operator would
like to control the current level by changing the arc
length.
PIPE WELDING
The Commander 500 is equipped with special circuitry
to minimize pop-outs in the five slope modes at any
open circuit voltage.
For a soft arc characteristic, set the "SELECTOR"
Switch to the lowest setting that still provides the cur-
rent you need and set the "CONTROL" near maximum.
For example: to obtain 140 amps and a soft arc, set
the " SELECTOR" Switch to the "150 MAX" position
and then adjust the " CONTROL" for 140 amps.
When a forceful "digging" arc is required, use a higher
setting and lower the open circuit voltage. For example:
to obtain 140 amps and a forceful arc, set the
“ SELEC-
TOR ” to the "250 MAX" position and then adjust the "
CONTROL" to get 140 amps.
CONSTANT CURRENT (CC) WELDING
The STICK-CC position of “ 30 to 575", the "SELEC-
TOR" Switch is designed for horizontal welds with all
types of electrodes especially low hydrogen. The
" CONTROL" adjusts the full range of 30 to 575 amps.
This setting provides a soft, constant current arc. If a
more forceful arc is desired, then select the proper
range from the slope controlled current ranges.
In the CC mode, sticking can be prevented by adjust-
ing the
“ ARC CONTROL ” . Turning this control clock-
wise, increases the short circuit current, thus prevent-
ing sticking. This is another way of increasing arc force.
TIG WELDING
The most clockwise position of the SELECTOR switch
is for TIG welding in the range of 15 amps to 200 amps,
with a
“ Touch Start ” feature. To initiate a weld, the CON-
TROL is first set to the desired current and the tung-
sten is touched to the work. During the time the tung-
sten is touching the work there is very little voltage or
current and, in general, no tungsten contamination.
Then, the tungsten is gently lifted off the work in a rock-
ing motion, which establishes the arc.
The Commander 500 can be used in a wide variety of
DC Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding applications. In
general the
“ Touch Start ” feature allows contamination
free starting without the use of a Hi-Freq unit. But the
K930-1 or -2 TIG module or K799 Hi-Freq unit, can be
used with the Commander 500. The settings for these
follow the tungsten current range table.
COMMANDER 500
Low Idle - No
Load 1400 RPM
High Idle - No
Load 1900 RPM
DC CC Weld
Output 500
Amps @ 40 Volts
Auxiliary Power
12,000 VA
.37 gallons/hour
(1.40 liters/hour)
.66 gallons/hour
( 2.50 liters/hour)
1.94 gallons/hour
( 7.34 liters/hour)
1.31 gallons/hour
(4.96 liters/hour)
67.6
37.9
12.9
19.1
Deutz F3L 912
44.2 Hp
@ 1800 RPM
Running Time for
25 gallons
(Hours)