Lincoln Electric

Diagnostic Utility
User Manual
Y50019
Introduction..............................................................................................................2
Compatible Equipment ...........................................................................................2
Getting Started.........................................................................................................3
Diagnostics (ArcLink) .............................................................................................4
Diagnose.......................................................................................................................................4
Display Status ..............................................................................................................................4
Mapping Info................................................................................................................................6
Diagnostics (LincNet) ..............................................................................................7
System Info ...............................................................................................................7
Calibration................................................................................................................8
Recommended Procedure ............................................................................................................9
Quick Procedure (Current calibration only).................................................................................9
Calibration (Older Power Wave 455 Machines)...................................................9
Recommended Procedure ............................................................................................................9
Quick Procedure (Current calibration only).................................................................................9
Cable Tests..............................................................................................................10
Weld Cable Evaluation ..............................................................................................................10
Voltage Sense Lead Manual Selection.......................................................................................11
Feed Head ...............................................................................................................12
DeviceNet Interface ...............................................................................................13
DeviceNet Monitor.................................................................................................14
DeviceNet Configuration.......................................................................................15
DeviceNet Configuration.......................................................................................15
DeviceNet Trace .....................................................................................................16
Weld Procedure Limits .........................................................................................17
Lookup Error .........................................................................................................18

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Introduction

The Lincoln Electric Diagnostic Utility is a software tool used for maintenance and diagnostics
of Lincoln Electric welding equipment utilizing the new digital common controls platform.

This utility is expressly designed for simplicity and straightforwardness. Its simple, yet
powerful, diagnostic features can detect the most subtle problems or misconfigurations.

Compatible Equipment

As noted previously, this utility can be used with any Lincoln Electric welding equipment
utilizing the new digital common controls platform. This list includes but is not limited to the
following:

1. Power Wave (all except PW-450 series)

• PW-355 (all)
• PW-405 (all)
• PW-455 (all)
• PW-655 (all)
• PW-AC/DC (all)
2. Invertec V350, V450
3. Power MIG 300

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Getting Started

To begin using the Lincoln Electric

Diagnostic Utility, the welding device must
be attached to the computer, or to your local
area network (LAN). For assistance with
connecting to your welder, please refer to
the Help Me Connect Guide included with
the Power Wave Utilities CD-ROM. The
guide is also downloadable from
www.powerwavesoftware.com.

Once a connection is established, several

other tabs appear on top of the program’s
window. The “System Info” and
“Diagnostics” tabs should appear
unconditionally. Once the machine is in a
ready state (no errors), several other
functional tabs such as “Calibration” and
“Cable Test” will appear depending on the
operating system of the power source. If the
machine has a feed head connected to it, the
“Feed Head” tab will also appear. If the
machine contains a DeviceNet gateway
module, the “DeviceNet” tab will become
available.

The status bar message at the bottom of the window will indicate the connection type, and
communication protocol of the machine to which the program is connected.

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Diagnostics (ArcLink)
When the program first establishes a
connection to the machine, it
automatically switches to the Diagnostics
tab. In this tab the program displays any
problems that might be present in the
machine, no matter how benign the issue
might be.

If there are absolutely no problems in the machine, the program will show a green check mark,
and display a “Machine is ready” message, as shown in the
illustration above.

At the bottom of the Diagnostics tab is a drop-down box

that provides the selections “Diagnose,” “Display Status,”
and “Mapping Info.” The default selection is Diagnose.

Diagnose
If the program detects a malfunction in the system, it will attempt to ascertain which hardware
module caused the malfunction. For example, in the following figure, the Weld Controller
generated an error because it detected a thermal fault:

Note: To retrieve more information about a certain error code, refer to the “Lookup Error” tab,
as shown on page 18.

Display Status
The “Display Status” selection shows the status of each logical “object” created by the hardware
in the machine. In the following example, all objects are functioning normally except the Weld
Controller (indicated by a red X), which currently has a thermal fault.

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In addition to the actual faulted condition, an object may also have “events” recorded in its
historical Event Log. These events can provide additional information about the cause of any
problem. An event may be residual from a previous malfunction, or it could be associated with
the current malfunction. Even objects that are not faulted may still have events recorded in their
log. Each event has a time stamp and a textual description of the nature of the event (The time
stamp generally indicates the amount of time elapsed since the machine was powered up).

When a problem or issue occurs, it is recommended to record a SnapShot of the machine, then
clear the logs, then attempt to reproduce the issue. If the issue is reproduced, record another
SnapShot, and send both SnapShots to Lincoln Electric Support for evaluation.

It is also generally recommended to periodically clear the event logs of any object that might
have events, so that, if a problem ever occurs, it will be certain that any logged events will be
recent, and will apply to the problem at hand.

If the machine experiences an error severe enough that the machine is forced to reset, the error is
recorded in the Fatal Error Log.

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Mapping Info
The “Mapping Info” selection shows an overview of the logical layout (or “mapping”) of the
welding system. The system can be configured to map automatically or manually, which is done
by toggling a DIP switch on the control board. The display shows the current mapping of the
system, and whether it is mapped automatically or manually:

The Diagnostics Tab also has several options at the bottom of the screen for performing the
following functions:

• Refresh button: Click this button to re-scan the machine for problems and redisplay the
results in the tree above.
• Auto check box: Check this box to automatically update the diagnostic display once per
second.
• Save button: Click this button to save the information in this display to a file.
• Clear Logs button: Click this
button to clear the logs in all
modules in the system. This
includes Event Logs, Fatal Error
Logs, and Latched Errors. After
the logs are cleared in this
manner, the machine will remember the last time its logs were cleared, and this data will
be available the next time diagnostics information is shown.

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 • Run WeldView button: Click this button to execute the WeldView application while
keeping the Diagnostic utility running.
• Run SnapShot button: Click this button to execute the SnapShot application while
keeping the Diagnostic utility running.

Diagnostics (LincNet)
Earlier Power Wave models utilized the LincNet communication protocol instead of ArcLink.
LincNet does not support diagnostics as extensive as those available in ArcLink machines. It
also does not support historical logs, which means that once an error has cleared, there is no
record of its occurrence. For a LincNet machine, the Diagnostics tab will only display the latched
error(s) that the machine is presently experiencing, as well as the current status of the machine.
For this reason the “Auto” check box (see above) is recommended when troubleshooting a
LincNet-based machine to more easily track the error sequences.

System Info

The System Info tab will display detailed information about each device in your welding system,
including information such as PC board serial numbers, software and hardware versions, and
Weld Set information when applicable.

• Drop-down list: Selecting “Advanced” from the drop-down list will add additional
information to the list, including Firmware checksums and Parameter File versions.
• Refresh button: Click this button to refresh the information in the System Info window.
• Save button: Click this button to save this information to a file.

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Calibration
The Calibration tab allows calibrating the machine by adjusting the current and voltage outputs
so that they match a set-point value. This function can also be used to activate the machine
output for other troubleshooting purposes.

The “Turn Output On” button enables the output of the machine. When output turns on, the
“Output On” indicator will begin to flash red, and values will appear for Output Current, Output
Voltage, Capacitor Voltages, and Voltage Sense Location. While output is on, make the
necessary adjustments by clicking the up/down buttons that appear on the bottom left of the
window. The Current Set Point can be changed by selecting one of the given values.

Note: When adjusting Current from the Diagnostic utility, any external ammeter will adjust to
the “set” diagnostic Current value. When adjusting Voltage, the displayed diagnostic voltage
will adjust to the external voltmeter which would be holding steady. During OCV conditions the
Output Voltage is not a valid number; use an external voltmeter to verify OCV readings.

When finished making adjustments, click the “Turn Output Off” button to disable the machine’s
output. Output will be disabled automatically if you leave the “Calibration” page, or if you exit
the application entirely.

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Recommended Procedure
1. Attach machine output cables to a 300A/30V resistive Grid Load.
2. Turn output “ON.”
3. Use adjustments to trim the feedback values to match actual measured values.

Quick Procedure (Current calibration only)

1. Short the output studs with a cable at least 10ft long (in place of a Grid Load).
2. Turn output “ON.”
3. Use adjustments to trim the feedback values to match actual measured values.

Calibration (Older Power Wave 455 Machines)

Calibration for older Power Wave 455 machines (code 10555 and below) is set through manual
trimmers located on the PC board. The procedure is essentially the same as listed for standard
calibration, except the machine must be reset (powered off and on) after each adjustment.

Recommended Procedure
1. Attach machine output cables to a 300A/30V resistive Grid Load.
2. Turn output “ON.”
3. Adjust the trimmers to match actual values.
• Wait for values to stabilize
• Click the Update Adjustment button after trimming.
• Cycle power at prompt, and repeat.

Quick Procedure (Current calibration only)

1. Short the output studs with a cable at least
10ft long (in place of a Grid Load).
2. Turn output “ON.”
3. Adjust the trimmers to match actual
values, as outlined in the Recommended
procedure.

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Cable Tests
The Cable Tests tab allows evaluation of welding cables and the ability to manually select
voltage sense lead cables.

Weld Cable Evaluation

The Weld Cable Evaluation allows you to automatically measure the resistance and the
inductance of your welding circuit. This test is only compatible with DC output ArcLink
machines, and must be run with the contact tip shorted to the work piece.

Click the “Run Cable Test” button to begin the inductance and resistance test. The program will
execute automatic sequence of actions that will consist of the following:

• The program will first send a special procedure definition file to the machine. This
procedure will allow the machine to generate a very specific waveform shape which the
program will use to calculate resistance and inductance.

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• The program will then turn on the machine’s output for a very short time (100 milliseconds),
so that the machine will generate the desired waveform.
• Next, the program will download the weld trace that the machine generated.
• Finally, it will display the resistance and inductance values that were calculated based on the
downloaded weld trace. The resistance value is displayed in the upper text box (measured in
milliohms), and the inductance value is displayed in the lower text box (measured in micro-
henries).

Note: It is good practice to record the results of these tests when the welding system is operating
well, so that they can be compared to values taken when there are welding problems on the same
weld cell. This may help isolate the problem when the old and new numbers are significantly
different.

Voltage Sense Lead Manual Selection

Voltage Sense Lead Manual Selection can be used to verify the reliability of the voltage sense
network. Manual sense lead control allows the ability to turn on or off sense lead locations.
Sensing from the Output Studs removes all remote voltage sensing. This can also change the
voltage feedback that the welding system perceives and result in possible lower arc voltage.

To enable manual sense lead selection click on the Change button to open the Sense Lead
Selection Window. From here manual sense lead selection can be enabled or disabled along with
the ability to select which sense leads will be used for voltage sensing:

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Feed Head
The Feed Head tab will allow you to verify the operation of the connected feed heads. All feed
heads in the system are listed under the “Select Feed Head” drop-down list.

The Feed Head tab is separated into the following sections:

• WFS Feedback – Used to verify wire feed settings.
• Power Feedback – Used to verify feed ability of system.
• Push Pull Setup – Used to setup semiautomatic Push Pull feeding systems
• Inch Wire Status – Non welding wire feed speed status.
• Miscellaneous Settings – Used to verify gas purge and voltage polarity settings.
• Feed Head Selection – Used to select Different Feed heads in the system
• Feed Head Status – Displays any faults in the currently selected feed head.

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DeviceNet Interface
The DeviceNet tab allows the setup and verification of a DeviceNet interface to the Power Wave.
All available DeviceNet interfaces detected in the system are listed under the “Select DeviceNet
Module” drop-down menu.

The DeviceNet tab us separated into the following sections:

• Errors Reported to DeviceNet – DeviceNet specific communication errors, if any.
• Connection State – Status of the Polled and Explicit connections.
• General Configuration – Status of operational configuration.
• System Control – Status of DeviceNet general system control.
• Version Information – DeviceNet Version Information.
• Communication – DeviceNet Communication settings.
• Advanced
o Monitor – Opens a window that monitors the DeviceNet connection.
o Configure – Opens a window that allows the configuration of the DeviceNet
connection.
o I/O Trace – Opens a window for generating DeviceNet traffic traces.
o Weld Limits – Opens a window to verify welding data limits.

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DeviceNet Monitor
The DeviceNet Monitor window can be used to verify the polled I/O data and the status of the
interface. Refer to “DeviceNet Interface Specification” for further information.

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DeviceNet Configuration
The DeviceNet Configuration window can be used to setup the DeviceNet interface. For more
information on setting up the DeviceNet interface refer to “DeviceNet Interface Specification.”

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DeviceNet Trace
The DeviceNet Trace window can be used to verify communication over the DeviceNet interface
by observing individual fragments of data that are sent and received by the machine.

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Weld Procedure Limits
The Weld Procedure Limits window can be used to verify that the welding data sent over
DeviceNet interface is within the operational limits of the Power Wave.

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Lookup Error
The Lookup Error tab allows you to request information about any error code given by a Lincoln
Electric machine, or error codes given by a Fanuc robot controller regarding a Lincoln power
source.

To look up a certain error code, select what type of error it is by clicking one of the four check
boxes, then type in the error number in the text box, and click the Lookup button.

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