8 VS Suitcase

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I have just purchased a Miller 8VS suitcase, tired of dealing with Passport. I have never ran a Voltage Sensing machine , would like to know if anyone had details on settings . I will be running off a 250 Bobcat.   Thanks
Reply:Ya might want to include some parameters, like what material you are welding what process you are using....
Reply:Set a little more voltage on the Bobcat than what the volt/speed calculator specifies, as the voltage will drop over the cable length and the feeder steals some of the arc voltage to run the wire drive motor and control board.  Use thick leads of the shortest length possible and good connectors and make sure you have a good ground and you will keep the voltage drop to a minimum.  If your feeder has meters, that will help you know more accurately what the voltage drop is so you can compensate for it on the Bobcat (set it higher).  Without meters, you just have to guess and experiment.What problems were you having with the Passport?  I run a Passport and a Suitcase 8RC, both without problems.  I use the Passport within it's limitations and am very happy with it.Last edited by DesertRider33; 10-18-2009 at 11:58 PM.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:More information on what you are doing will help answer your questions.  JGSMAW,GMAW,FCAW,GTAW,SAW,PAC/PAW/OFCand Shielding Gases.  There all here. :
Reply:I apoligize for lack of info and taking so long to respond. I am going to be splicing some 32''  I-beams together. The web is 1/4 " thick with a plate welded on each side with the same thickness. They will be welded with .035 flux core wire .I have not ran a machine with Voltage sensing, and was unsure of how to set up my Bobcat and how to set the voltage and amperage. Its tough learning a new machine sometimes.     /       The problem with the Passport was i could weld about 18'' then i would have to clean the tip. I have tryed numerous flux-core brands of wire and no change.  I put a new Tweco gun and changed it over to Bernard nozzle , with the flux core tip. This helped but only a little. Have had others try and couldnt find a reason , i have sent it back to Miller and waiting for a explanation.
Reply:You will want to set the Bobcat to CV or wire and polarity to match whats recomended by the wire mfg. On the 8VS you want to set the feeder to CV also for best results. ( you can do both on CC but it won't feed and weld as nice.) The little voltage clamp from the feeder needs to get hooked to the work just like the ground clamp from the Bobcat does.Sorry, I only ran FC wire thru my VS feeder once just to play with it and can't give you any specific settings. Mostly what little I have used it was solid wire on CC, because thats all the genset welder we had put out.  I did play a bit with it on CV with my buddies XMT when we had the FC wire out. If definately welds better on CV than CC..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Interesting.  I've run numerous rolls of fluxcore through my Passport and my partner has also run numerous rolls of fluxcore through his Passport Plus and neither of us has unusual problems with them. Alot of that was overhead and vertical on gavanized and red oxide coated steels.  Plenty of crap flying down on the gun and operator.  Fluxcore self shield is generally spattery and using it with a gas nozzle does mean you'll be cleaning the nozzle out.  With the fluxcore tip holders that eliminate the gas nozzle, there isn't much need to clean anything, except for occasionally tapping the tip on something to knock off the berries at the end of the tip.  Settings, stickout length and position can all affect how much spatter you get on the tip.  Different wires also run dirtier than others.  We got some Radnor T-GS that was real crap to run.  McKay and Lincoln T-GS and T-11 run alot cleaner than anything from Radnor.If you're splicing I-beams, you made a good choice picking the Suitcase and Bobcat over the Passport.  The Passport isn't made for that heavy work, not enough output, or duty cycle at that high output.  Bigger machine is needed.  You should be running .045 or 1/16 T-11 or T-8 wire for the thicker metal.  .035 T-GS is the wrong wire (single pass, non structural) and T-11 in .035 is too small for anything more than 1/4", typically.  Max thickness of .035 T-11 varies by wire manufacturer and model, but over 1/4" is outside the spec of most.Last edited by DesertRider33; 10-21-2009 at 12:50 AM.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op