Blew up a welder today first one in a while

[bubba682]

Blew up my lincoln square wave 200 tig machine lol got to say i'm not a fan of inverter type machines but thats the way the welding industry is going.What i am a fan of is lincoln, 20 days over warranty and there goin to fix it.Why it blew is anybodys guess till its looked at by a tech but i read on the web there is some issues i am very intrested in what happened.I'm not lookin for opinions on why it blew i just want to let guys know this stuff happens and lincoln is great to deal with so far.And when they tell me what blew i'll pass it on.Now time to fire up the 40 yr old thunderbolt ac/dc non inverter type and that are bomb proof and finish the job.And if anyone is wondering why i retired the thunderbolt its because i wanted a machine that could tig aluminum and that square wave tigs beautiful till it blew lol...

[DennisCA]

I prefer older 3phase transformers if possible. It's usually possible to repair them. I have a TIG that's thyristor based, it feels like it's halfway between a transformer and an inverter. Only does basic DC, but has lift and HF, built in 1994, like a tank. My mig welder is also transformer based, though it was made in 2011.

[bubba682]

I agree theres a reason the old ones last forever but for me this machine was recommended and i got alot of faith and experience with lincoln and if it don't hold up back to older gear.Hopefully no more problems after this..

[bubba682]

In case anybody was wondering what happened to it  in laymen electronic terms apparently a zenor diode or a as i say a thingy on the circuit board wore down over time and popped so it got some new heavier guts that should last till i'm dead.Anyway got it back it runs pretty good like a lincoln should.