100% found this document useful (1 vote)
529 views17 pages

How-To - Build Your Own Spot Welder - Hackaday

DIY spotwelder

Uploaded by

Andrew McLaren
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
100% found this document useful (1 vote)
529 views17 pages

How-To - Build Your Own Spot Welder - Hackaday

DIY spotwelder

Uploaded by

Andrew McLaren
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 17

HOME BLOG

HACKADAY
HACKADAY.IO TORE HACKADAY PRIZE UBMIT ABOUT December 4, 2017

HOW-TO: BUILD YOUR


OWN POT WELDER
b: teve Watkins 79 Comments

June 23, 2009

EARCH
earch … EARCH
pot welders are used in the fabrication of automobiles, PC cases, power supplies,
microwave ovens, electrical junction boxes, Farada cages, and various electronics. A
spot welder is used because it produces a highl defined point of contact weld. The
materials are welded without excessive heating, so working pieces are handled easil.
The weld is also highl controlled and repeatable. In this how-to we cover the basics of
NEVER MI A HACK
a spot welder, and then show ou how to build one from a microwave oven
transformer.

A spot welder’s electrodes serve at least three functions. The transfer electrical
energ to the material while also holding it together; this also controls resistance. The
greater the pinch force the less the resistance, which results in decreased resistive UBCRIBE
heating. A lesser pinch force results in increased resistive heating. The electrodes also
conduct heat awa from the material, while in the off ccles, helping to cool and Enter Email Address UBCRIBE
temper the weld. A resistive spot weld is commonl referred to as a ‘nugget’. pot
welders are generall confined to ferrous materials which somewhat limits their
application range. Most produce a weld with low voltage and high current. The welder
in this How-to operates from a secondar of 3vac. The primar is 120vac line voltage
that should be treated with respect. The low voltage secondar makes the welder ver
safe, so the electrical shock hazard from the electrode is virtuall non-existent. There is
however the risk of burn due to the high temperatures as with an welder.

This particular welder is not intended to weld a bod panel on our 1966 Jeep; it will
not work well on material heavier than 20gauge sheet metal. The intended use is for
small projects, for it is not capable of continuous operation. Possible uses are as
follows: Welding electrode material for electrolsis cells. Working with the fine
components of a vacuum tube. Building a light weight frame for a small robotic
platform. Most of us have enough parts laing around to build a spot welder. If ou
have a microwave oven transformer (MOT) laing around, then ou are half wa there.
On a related note, we had covered a microwave oven arc welder in 2006.
IF YOU MIED IT
WE NEED TO HAVE A
CHAT ABOUT
OMETHING
IMPORTANT

226 Comments

LIFE ON CONTRACT:
HOW MUCH DO I
CHARGE?

50 Comments

THE FLIGHT THAT MADE


We also needed some heav gauge copper wire. We used about four feet of 4AWG THE CALCULATOR AND
CHANGED THE WORLD
wire to build the spot welder in the photo. Other materials included scrap 2×6, 2×2,
two copper screw tpe lugs, two copper welding cable lugs, two MIG welder tips, two 83 Comments
4″ x 3/4″ zinc plated corner braces, drwall screws, and three washers.
More from this categor

CATEGORIE
elect Categor

OUR COLUMN
HACKADAY LINK:
DECEMBER 3, 2017

18 Comments
Pictured above is a working MOT. The first thing we had to do was remove the
secondar coils. Namel the high voltage winding, and the low voltage winding. We
CHRITINE UNU
used an angle grinder with cut off wheel while being careful not to cut the primar
PROVE THE EFFECT OF
winding. BEING ALIVE ON
HARDWARE DEIGN

21 Comments

TATITIC AND
HACKING: AN
INTRODUCTION TO
HYPOTHEI TETING

14 Comments

MATHIEU TEPHAN :
THE MAKING OF A
ECURE OPEN OURCE
HARDWARE PAWORD
KEEPER

19 Comments

RETROTECHTACULAR:
We cut the secondar flush with the MOT laminate core. Both sides of the MOT should CIRCUIT BOARD THE
TEKTRONIX WAY
be cut. Inspect the MOT for signs that the laminate has been welded. We have found
that welded MOTs can handle a little more abuse than their sealed onl counter parts. 39 Comments
If possible tr to keep the core insulation intact, where the secondar will be wound.
Though it is not a show stopper if the insulation becomes damaged. The insulation More from this categor
makes it a little easier to wrap the heav gauge secondar.

RECENT COMMENT
pm7 on Minimizing EP8266 Batter Drain

svofski on Hackada Links: December 3, 2017

AKA the A on Hackada Links: December 3,


2017

Darren on Classic Tom To Gets AIY


Makover
Elliot Williams on ATHE
Futuristic
PEERWORT
REVIEW Plant
IN To
PIECE
THEInspire
OF
Bright Ideas AGE OF
TET EQUIPMENT
VIRAL VIDEO
YOU’VE GOT TO TRY
AKA the A on Minimizing
HACKINGEP8266 Batter
70 Comments
Drain
132 Comments
AKA the A on Minimizing EP8266 Batter
Drain

someone on Classic Tom To Gets AIY


Makover

RoGeorge on Minimizing EP8266 Batter


Drain

Y Indeed on We Need To Have A Chat About


omething Important

After removal of the secondar we had something that resembles the above photo. If
the magnetic shunt material falls out be sure to replace it as it was before. The shunt
NOW ON
keeps the core from transferring too much power to the secondar. A magnetic ballast
if ou will. The shunt acts to control the saturation of the core. A brute force project like
HACKADAY.IO
this relies on such a shunt for proper operation.
hoebox has updated the log for EP8266
MQTT Infrared AirCon Control.

Himanshu hekhar liked LEDP10: Arduino


Librar for P10 LED Displa Panels.

RoGeorge liked RF niffer - ee the Invisible !.

Himanshu hekhar wrote a repl on Breakout


on ARM7 LPC2148.

Himanshu hekhar wrote a comment on


Breakout on ARM7 LPC2148.

Andre Baptista liked LiFePO4wered/Pi.

jurc192 has followed a list.

gaurav sharma wrote a repl on Breakout on


Rewinding a MOT with 4AWG is no walk in the park. If ou’ve damaged the core ARM7 LPC2148.
insulators, we suggest wrapping a laer of electrical tape in their place. This will help to
avoid damaging the insulation on the wire as it is pulled through the core. Our manoj.saha22 liked ELECTRIC FENCE
experience is that 3-4 windings is plent. After all, this spot welder relies on high GRAPHICAL MONITOR.
current and marginal resistance. Not high voltage. Rubén Juliá liked Anthromod Robot.

We were careful to ensure that the secondar coil was wrapped in a helical manner to
complete the secondar.
We mounted the MOT and 2×2 to the 2×6 base. This particular build used 12″ 2×6 with
two 7″ 2×2. These dimensions ma or ma not work depending on the phsical size of
our MOT. The onl critical part here is keeping the wire length as short as possible.

After the lower jaw was mounted, we also attached the corner braces. It was found that
a spare piece of 2×2 as a shim worked well to align the upper and lower jaw. After the
upper jaw was aligned we attached it to the corner braces with screws. This formed
the hinged portion of the jaw.

The picture above shows the MIG welder tip and the screw tpe copper lug. This is an
improvement from an earlier model we had built. Initiall, we used copper tubing with a
hole and a piece of 6AWG grounding wire serving as the welding electrode. The
grounding wire was held in place b a screw that threaded inside the copper tube
perpendicular to the electrode. It was ver crude, but it worked. This new method is
much more practical.

Here are the two electrodes read to be fixed to the lower and upper jaws. We double
checked the MIG electrodes to make sure the were tight. A loose connection will take
heat awa from the weld nugget.
Evenl aligning the welding electrodes, we were careful to keep the upper jaw in the
natural position where it was mounted. This maintained a flat contact area for the
welding electrodes. After we were sure that the electrodes had been properl aligned,
the jaws were marked. We then drilled a small hole. ince we mounted with the grain
of the 2×2 the holes helped to protect from splitting the 2×2.

With the electrodes mounted, we cut the wire to proper length. We never cut the exact
amount we need. We alwas cut more than we need. This rule of thumb should appl
to all electrical wiring. After all it is much easier to cut off excess than wrap a new
secondar.

We bent the wires in to the approximate positions in which the were to be assembled
and stripped the wire in preparation for the crimp tpe welding lugs. It is a good idea to
strip more than is needed here as well. impl cut off excess after sizing up the lugs
depth. Never crimp insulation with the lug. This will create a potential problem area
due to the loss of conduction.
Using a good non insulation crimp tool to secure the wire. We inspected the crimp and
gave it the tug test. impl tug on the wire if it is loose it will pull out. It if doesn’t pull
out then an adequate crimp suitable for high current has been made.

The crimped wires were attached to the welding electrodes with screws. We were
careful not to over tighten the screws. If a drwall screw had stripped out of the wood,
we would have had to use a larger wood screw in its place. After both welding
electrodes were fixed to the jaws, we aligned the electrodes. Using pliers we bent the
electrodes so that the contacted each other evenl. The electrodes should be fairl
close alread since the were aligned before drilling.

We opened the jaws and wired the primar to an electrical cord and then tested the
secondar. If the breaker trips, check for the following:

1. The secondar is shorted (the jaws are closed)


2. The magnetic shunts are missing or not properl reinstalled
3. Fault line wiring to primar or shorted primar
4. Too much load on the circuit of test or undersized breaker

We observed proper electrical wiring practices. It is also stressed that this is a welder
and it should have a dedicated circuit as an other welder would have.
With the power phsicall disconnected we verified the welding electrode alignment
with the material we intended to work on. Before connecting the power and
performing an initial weld, we observed a few safet guidelines. This is a welder and
will produce ver high temperatures. Keep fingers awa from the welding electrodes.
Allow the material to cool prior to handling. Alwas wear ee protection. You ma be
interested in reading about spot welder parameters. There’s also the problem of
combustible materials…

This Compaq used ver thin aluminum to support the screen and connect the hinges.
The metal broke and destroed most of the lower plastic. We were able to make new
supports from 22AWG stainless steel sheet metal. All the welds were made using the
spot welder with a special power controller. The power controller will be covered in
another how-to.

100 0416

Posted in Featured, how-to, Misc Hacks,


Tool Hacks
Tagged di, home made, microwave, MOT, parts, spot welder, welder, welding

← Remote shutter release doorbell Wii MotionPlus + Arduino →


79 THOUGHT ON “HOW-TO: BUILD YOUR
OWN POT WELDER”
Newer Comments →

Jeeves sas:
June 23, 2009 at 9:19 am

This project is nothing without the power controller circuitr.

Hackada, ou had better make a followup post! =D

Repl Report comment

Louis.M sas:
June 6, 2013 at 4:13 pm

I totall agree with Jeeves !


o now and then I visit this site to see if this followup has arrived,
for months now , and . . .

NOTHING !

Repl Report comment

Naviathan sas:
June 23, 2009 at 9:45 am

Not bad, but I would be interested in a bit more umph. omething that could do
automotive grade sheet metal. An suggestions there?

Repl Report comment

tecNik sas:
June 23, 2009 at 10:11 am

@jeeves: Power controller circuitr? I don’t believe it has an. Just the primar to mains
AC via a circuit breaker.

Repl Report comment

digidev sas:
June 23, 2009 at 10:11 am

thw gu should have crimped his connectors the other wa around, he loses a tin bit
of voltage like this!

Repl Report comment

Rust sas:
June 23, 2009 at 10:13 am

great tut. can’t wait for the next part!!

spot welders and welders in general are eas demos of basic electrical phsics, and
therefore eas for man of us to make :)
Repl Report comment

Jeeves sas:
June 23, 2009 at 10:25 am

@tecnik
I refer ou to the last two lines of this article:
“All the welds were made using the spot welder with a special power controller. The
power controller will be covered in another how-to.”

Repl Report comment

spott spotter spots sas:


June 23, 2009 at 10:34 am

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displaitem.taf?Itemnumber=45689

Repl Report comment

Alchemgu sas:
June 23, 2009 at 11:12 am

@spott: o what? I can bu m radio gear, or I can learn the ins and outs of what
makes it work and build it mself. Tr making something for ourself instead of buing
it.

Repl Report comment

kanamin sas:
June 23, 2009 at 11:21 am

omg I MUT MAKE ONE

Repl Report comment

Khordas sas:
June 23, 2009 at 11:44 am

I’ve made one like this, and the reall are just that simple, if a bit underpowered. This
reall doesn’t need much in the wa of control electronics, though a timed weld ccle
apparentl helps with making a consistent weld. Mine just had a light switch, which I
flipped while counting ‘one one thousand’. I’ve seen others that used a timer rela. A
lot of spot welders have something to control the pressure. That has a big effect on
weld qualit and consistenc as well. One wa to easil rig something like that up is to
hang weights off of the upper arm. Put a spring under the arm to raise it a bit, and
hang the weights from a long cord so the’re near the floor. Put a ‘see-saw’ pedal
arrangement under them so ou can step down to lift them up, and release to trap
our workpiece in position.

in other news, I like the use of the MIG welder nozzles as tips here. Next time I replace
mine, I think that’ll be a good shortcut compared to filing tips out of copper rod.

K.

Repl Report comment

googfan sas:
June 23, 2009 at 11:52 am

that will be m next project. just gotta wait for big garbage da.

Repl Report comment


teck monke sas:
June 23, 2009 at 12:40 pm

fun fun with this artical most hacker shops should be damb near the point of having
close to a real “replacator” from star trec…lol

Repl Report comment

kabukicho2001 sas:
June 23, 2009 at 2:51 pm

Little primitive welder doesn’t need controller.

Repl Report comment

nubie sas:
June 23, 2009 at 2:57 pm

Damn, now I want a helical manor (sounds so suite!)

Cool, time to spot weld some sheet metal.

Repl Report comment

spark sas:
June 23, 2009 at 2:58 pm

@teck monke:

English is not our first language, is it?

Repl Report comment

tephen sas:
June 23, 2009 at 3:37 pm

Ver fun. I have several welders, but I reall want to build one of these, just for the
little things I need to tack together. I used to use a smaller spot welder for doing strain
gauges, it had a hand held unit for welding and a triggering switch in the hand unit.
Now I know what parts to “find” to build it.

Repl Report comment

bobasaurus sas:
June 23, 2009 at 4:54 pm

I’ve actuall built a spot welder (capacitive discharge) for shim stock, mainl for
making batter packs and building things at work. It uses a 1.5 Farad stiffening
capacitor (ordered off Amazon), a CR, and a foot switch with a few copper probes
attached. Works prett well, actuall.

Repl Report comment

static sas:
June 23, 2009 at 5:03 pm

imple home shop ( check out the Leja Manual) constructed spot welders are nothing
new. I believe operator experience and skill are the onl power controller circuitr
reall needed. That thought posted being mindful of the author’s note on power
controller circuitr. I’m not saing such circuit wouldn’t have it’s place

Alchemgu, relax dude, I doubt the harbor freight link was nothing more than a FYI
for anone interested. Respect full, simpl building an oscillator or an amplifier from
instructions, can teach one the underling principals wh the work. For example in
the project the Author tells ou to be mindful of how the transformer secondar is
wound, but that in itself doesn’t teach anone wh it’s important to be mindful. OK,
time to take m own advice to relax, and move on

digidev; our ees are better than mine as I cant tell if those connectors have a spit
barrel where the is correct wa to crimp them. An wa this tool depends on current
not the voltage at the tips. Though voltage plas a role in how eas it is to strike and
maintain an arc while arc welding

Repl Report comment

mk sas:
August 7, 2011 at 5:43 am

just sa “squirming coil”…..or alternator…..it’s what creates the electrical charge.

Repl Report comment

Michael L. sas:
June 23, 2009 at 6:55 pm

I want our scope.

Repl Report comment

mk sas:
August 7, 2011 at 5:50 am

got an adobe software or earl centur california potter, or best of all a heat
press?

or $80 cash and a favor, and with that comes a recreation of ANYTHING ou
want done in photoshop/printing.

Repl Report comment

teve Watkins sas:


June 23, 2009 at 7:21 pm

@the controller.
it adds the abilit to fine tune the power of the weld. it is best used on small jobs like
welding the materials inside of a tube. A bump switch would probabl work if the
extent of the control was simpl power. But i have some other plans for the controller
which include using a load cell to properl profile various welds. A ver rough version
of the controller can be found b looking at m older videos
Just so i don’t get stuck adding features, i’ll end it at that

Repl Report comment

mk sas:
August 7, 2011 at 6:13 am

A microwave can’t act as a clioscope?

Repl Report comment

bcoblentz sas:
June 23, 2009 at 8:44 pm

cientific American had an article in their defunct Amateur cientist column that
showed how to make one incorporating a rat trap

Repl Report comment

andre sas:
June 24, 2009 at 12:09 am

hmm… philpem did one on hackada a while back using 600,000 uF worth of
capacitors and a special CR to switch the current. I did experiment with using a 1F
audio capacitor but the words “overkill” come to mind, needs some control on the
power even at 10V.

what would be useful is a “tailbiter” circuit that discharges the capacitor into a resistive
load some millseconds after the start of the main current pulse, providing more
controllable results.

-A
Repl Report comment

phil sas:
June 24, 2009 at 7:12 am

Could this be adapted to weld tabs to batteries (for making/repairing rechargeable


batter packs)? I saw a how-to a few ears back that used big-@ss capacitors but
could never find an (affordabl) to use in constructing one.

Repl Report comment

dandin1 sas:
June 24, 2009 at 7:19 am

omeone should mirror that geocities link on rewinding MOTs before it dies.

Repl Report comment

tinhands sas:
June 24, 2009 at 7:51 am

Wood is a bad idea for this project, or an involving high voltage/current electricit.
Albeit poorl, wood DOE conduct electricit and the welder risks shock and/or fire.

Repl Report comment

chris sas:
June 24, 2009 at 7:57 am

This looks terrific. I do have a few ver basic questions:

1. I’m a bit unclear on the following excerpt:

> The first thing we had to do was remove the


> secondar coils. Namel the high voltage
> winding, and the low voltage winding.

In particular, I’m unclear how the windings differ from the coils here; I took them to be
snonmous in general. Doesn’t the mot step up voltage from mains to the kV range,
and so isn’t the secondar the high voltage side? The final bit is what’s giving me
troubles.

2. Also:

> We cut the secondar flush with the MOT


> laminate core. Both sides of the MOT should
> be cut.

Aren’t ou just removing the coil on one side of the mot? What does “both sides”
mean here?

3. What in the image is the magnetic shunt material that we need to avoid losing? Is it
that beige material around the core inside the primar?

4. > We observed proper electrical wiring practices.

Could ou elaborate on this? I’m clear on standard practices but I’d like to make sure
on the details in this case?

5. afet question: Does a spot welder have radiative emissions that are dangerous to
the ees? In other words, is some sort of UV/IR protection necessar? You sa safet
glasses, but I wanted to double check that something like welding goggles weren’t
necessar.

6. Another safet question: If getting the mot out of an old microwave, what
precautions should be taken concerning the possible Berllium oxide on the
magnetron? For example, on the chance that the oven was tossed around after being
discarded, breaking the ceramic insulator. Is doing the job outside with a P100
respirator sufficient, insufficient, or overkill?

Thanks!

Repl Report comment


chris sas:
June 24, 2009 at 8:58 am

static,
I must thank ou for mentioning the Leja Manual, it’s a revalation for me. Years of
hearing about m grandfathers adventures with things electical and knowing that he
didn’t have the background to come up an of it. there it all is with step b step
instuctions. o m grandfather was just like me, he read too much. what he could have
done with the internet!

Repl Report comment

spark sas:
June 24, 2009 at 10:10 am

@chris

1) Microwave oven transformers actuall have three windings. The first, is the primar.
This is what takes juice from the wall and energizes the core. The next is the high-
voltage secondar. The produces a couple of thousand volts for the plate in the
magnetron. The third winding, consisting of no more than three or four turns of wire, is
the low-voltage secondar, and is used to light the filament in the magnetron. The
instructions could probabl be worded more clearl, like, “remove all the windings
except the primar.”

2) This just reflects the author’s technique for getting rid of the windings in the
secondar. If ou cut awa the exposed windings on both sides of the core, all that’s
left to do is to use a piece of dowel to punch out the wire strands still stacked in the
core. BTW, I have found that a sharp wood chisel and a mallet does a fine job of
cutting awa unwanted windings, and produces less debris than a hacksaw.

3) The magnetic shunts are little pieces of metal wedged into the the opening in the
core. Most times, when ou are hacking an MOT for a power suppl application, ou
want to remove these, because the degrade regulation. In this application, I think I’d
agree that the need to remain in place.

4) Do what ou can do to eliminate electrocution hazards. All the connections on the
120 VAC side should be well insulated. Power should be supplied with a heav 3-wire
cord, and the core of the transformer grounded. Also, since the primar windings are
largel exposed, the entire transformer should probabl be enclosed in a box with
grills and a cooling fan. A would also fuse the primar side.

5) I would be concerned about UV. I wouldn’t use a piece of equipment like this
without ee protection.

6) I’m not certain that berllium is used in these tubes an longer. Even if it is, the
entire oven would just about have to be crushed flat in order to damage the tube. I
think a greater hazard is the possibilit of a charge remaining on the high-voltage
capacitor.

Repl Report comment

chris sas:
June 24, 2009 at 10:26 am

@spark

That clears it up for me. Thanks for the ver helpful information!

Repl Report comment

Jerome sas:
June 24, 2009 at 7:46 pm

how would i tap weld ni-cad or nimh cell?

the bottom probe touch the – of m batter and the top probe touch the + and the
metal i am tring to “solder”?
so the energ goes right through m batter?

i am interested to tab weld a123 nano phoshate batter.

i got m answer just b googling it :)


http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_8265553/tm.htm

he use 1farad cap from car stereo :)


ou put the prob next to each other!

now i can’t wait to see how he made the “special” controller!

thanks

Repl Report comment

Rachel sas:
June 24, 2009 at 8:50 pm

The secondar wire could be formed into a loose coil first, then “screwed” onto the
transformer as an eas wa of winding it. Or mabe making a bundle out of thinner
wire for flexibilit, then insulating it with shrink tube.

Once the welder is complete, ou could make a second set of electrodes, and weld
them together for better performance. Would filling in the gaps with solder be a good
idea?

Repl Report comment

chris sas:
June 25, 2009 at 8:56 am

When ou got enough power to melt steel solder’s just a boiling hazard.

Repl Report comment

Frogz sas:
June 26, 2009 at 12:19 pm

how would i tap weld ni-cad or nimh cell?

the bottom probe touch the – of m batter and the top probe touch the + and the
metal i am tring to “solder”?
so the energ goes right through m batter?

….boom…
ou want to have 2 electrodes close together on the same side(like… ========) ou
would touch the dual(or quad?) electrode to the thin metal bus which is pressed into
the top of the batter, at the 2 thin points of contact it would weld

Repl Report comment

Doug sas:
Jul 1, 2009 at 3:25 pm

@ tinhands; Wood is just fine, safe for this project. In most home shops, the dut
ccle is most likel going to be low enough, the risk of fire is not existent. Unless one
pulls a stunt like the person in the UN and penetrates their skin with the secondar
leads in a manner that allows the current to cross their heart, the secondar voltage
here is safe. Millions of electri arc welders whould have never been constructed if
there was an electrocution hazard.

Frankl with 2 arc welders in the shop, I’d use 1 of them for the power suppl. Other
wise I’d tr a car batter first. With no arc to strike and maintain 12 V. ma be high
enough, more than enough current. For welding solder tabs to batter cells. This MOV
mod combined with the other persons electrode holder, would be the ticket.

Repl Report comment

Ris sas:
Jul 18, 2009 at 11:45 pm

Hi, I want to build a spot welder but am not sure how to build it for what I need it for. I
want to spot weld 16 gauge wires to make bird cages. Would like to have a jig setup
so I can place the wires 1/2″ apart with 4 cross bars here is a picture of it.
http://www.kentcages.com/howCageNorwichCanar.htm
An help would be great.

Repl Report comment


mjrippe sas:
August 25, 2009 at 8:31 pm

I love this project both for the simplicit and for the fact that it makes NO MENTION of
the Bus Pirate! eriousl though, It made me want to build one even though I have no
immediate use for a spot welder. omeda this link will be like gold…

Repl Report comment

shedmen sas:
eptember 26, 2009 at 7:33 pm

I’m making one of these and enclosed the transformer in a box i made from the
microwave’s sheetmetal. Will enclosing the transformer in a steel box affect the
magnetic field either strengthening or weakening it?

Repl Report comment

Dinn Cole sas:


November 25, 2009 at 6:29 am

Hi I need a spot welder to make model ships I have Done the thing as far as I can but
useing 240v i got 1.5v out of the end of the 4 gage wire I don’t know what amperage I
am gettig as I don’t have the equipment to read it but so far it does not work? Could
this be bad connection( and I will mke another set of jaws)?or does the low voltage
have this effect?

Repl Report comment

Mike sas:
December 19, 2009 at 8:58 pm

Nicel done! Your use of existing welding parts mixed with existing electrical parts
show quite alot of innovation. I once use a spectacular engraver using ver low
voltage and high current. It had a copper pointed hand tool and could produce
beautiful script on the most hardend tools. It was ver controlable. Much better than
an mechanical engraver.

Repl Report comment

A.K.VADIVEL sas:
Januar 26, 2010 at 10:31 pm

Respected ir,

I am searching for home made spot welding circuit and hand held welding fixture for
small and precision spot welding of 0.5mm & 3mm length of metal wire on 0.5mm
thickness of metallic sheet. Kindl help me b giving technical in-formations to enable
me for self assemble.
Thanking ou.

Repl Report comment

china sas:
Februar 1, 2010 at 5:36 am

i love it from China

Repl Report comment

Den Eiferer sas:


Februar 6, 2010 at 12:02 am

Evening.

I have a 120v-24v transformer rated at 10A. It has dual primaries. I assume this is for
adaptation to a 220V line voltage. I was originall going to use this to make an
induction heater, but I was wondering if this could be used for one of these spot
welders instead? I agree that the voltage and current are a little off, but I am using it
for joining steel wire rings to make solid chain links. The largest grade wire I’ll be
using is 16 or 14. Is this enough or would I do better just to find an MOT?
Thanks for our help.

Repl Report comment

hl1wou sas:
Februar 10, 2010 at 1:58 am

Ver good IDEA!

Low cost & simple .

I will tra it !

Repl Report comment

Edtronic sas:
April 15, 2010 at 5:44 am

Grate for servo brackets

Repl Report comment

NERY sas:
April 28, 2010 at 9:37 am

Hi, Im a brazilian student of electrical engineering, and sorr for m bad english.
Im tring to make a welder like this, I follow all steps, m the primar circuit has no
resistence and close-circuit and m ‘disjuntor’ opened here. What ou think? Mabe
when I cut the secondar, some swarf ‘iron filings’ into the primar.
Can ou helo me?

Repl Report comment

AGGGILLI sas:
Ma 4, 2010 at 5:21 am

Could ou build two of these transformers hooking up the primars in parallel and
running the secondar winding in series to create enough current to spot weld bod
panels?

Repl Report comment

Nathan Zadoks sas:


Ma 4, 2010 at 5:50 am

What I don’t understand in this circuit, is that the new winding is used as secondar.
As it has less windings than the primar, wouldn’t this step the voltage *up*? Or does it
step down because the wire thickness gives more inductance?
And, what voltage output does this give?

–Nathan

Repl Report comment

Michael Bradle sas:


Ma 9, 2010 at 9:52 pm

If primar has more turns than secondar, and ou put voltage in primar, then it steps
voltage down, b the ratio of turns, and it steps up available current b the same ratio.

Repl Report comment

Nathan Zadoks sas:


Ma 9, 2010 at 10:32 pm

Thanks for the explanation :)

Repl Report comment


Tob Cubbin sas:
Ma 27, 2010 at 5:35 pm

I understand most of it but I have a couple questions about wiring.

1) How can one tell b looking at the mot, which is primar and which is secondar?
Will secondar have more turns with a smaller wire gauge?

2) Wiring to a home outlet: As simple as soldering a spare extension cord to the


positive and ground wires of the primar coil? Or is it more advanced?

Also, what size breaker are we looking at? Could I, perchance, hook this thing up in
m garage to a standard 120v outlet after unplugging m drill batter charger, or is it
more advanced?

Repl Report comment

Newer Comments →

Leave a Repl

HOME NEVER MI A HACK


BLOG
HACKADAY.IO
TORE
HACKADAY PRIZE UBCRIBE TO NEWLETTER
VIDEO Enter Email Address UBCRIBE
UBMIT A TIP
ABOUT
CONTACT U

Copright © 2017 | Hackada, Hack A Da, and the kull and Wrenches Logo are Trademarks of Hackada.com
Powered b WordPress.com VIP

You might also like