MIG/MAG Welder Repair and Modification (I)

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My first video about welding machines:
• How Welding Transforme...

[@ThePostApocalypticInventor]

Part II now online: kzbin.info/www/bejne/omKvYYyon7yEjtE

[@icyuranus404]

it's so dark and lonely out here in outer space

[@thedude4632]

Yu got a good hair cut . ***** 5star

[@nickbarret9368]

What a beautiful machine man, what make is it? The Miller and Lincoln arrogant wiseguys should see this and be humbled... Bravo

[@manuelponteesteves1029]

​@@icyuranus404❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@TradeWorks_Construction]

You do some of the best informative commentary I've ever encountered on KZbin. The natural progression from one aspect to the next coupled with explaining components and sections that i naturally was already curious about all outlined with diagrams or drawings that are done to a professional standard, All of it is simply fantastic . I even find the extra tid-bits of historical changes made overtime or the extra time taken interesting in their own right and believe that info could vary well be extremely helpful to someone who may have a similar model or the same model of a different year as it's pretty rare for people to have the exact same identical product. Don't worry or stress much if a segment you're doing is turning out longer than you think it should. Many subscribers like myself enjoy learning about the "how" and "why" as much or more than the "what".

[@ThePostApocalypticInventor]

So I actually finished work on Christmas Eve, but the video took 14 hours to upload, because of the horrible upload-speed at my parent's house :D. So it really is Christmas by now! So I wish all of you a a Merry Christmas and I hope that all of you are having a good time no matter if you're with friends and family or all by yourself, maybe in some dorm room somewhere. (I've had some of those Christmases myself). So my thoughts are especially with those of you who have to spend the holidays alone. One thing that always helped me to keep my spirits up, was to watch Al Bundy getting through his holidays all by himself (after his family had left him to eat at Denny's without him) :D kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXXYinxmicmSqNk (In better quality: www.dailymotion.com/video/x6a01rn)

[@gregh7457]

I would have thought you watch McGyver and not Married with children LOL

[@lilozwelder0478]

Merry Christmas and I praise you for repairing this beast of a transformer mig, what brand is it and by the way the wire feeder is supposed to be vertical not horizontal but you preference

[@christianandersen7458]

Merry Christmas from 3 phase, 230V at 50Hz in Dänemark :-)

[@CliveChamberlain946]

Merry Christmas from a Split-phase 240v 100A guy here in Canada! (supporter EEVblog KZbinrs List). Compared to the blue machine, wow! That unit kicks butt! I'm looking forward to the next video's to be sure!

[@dave1135]

The Post Apocalyptic Inventor theres no shame in labelling connections, ive been a auto technician for 35 years, and I STILL label or take cell phone pictures of connections, hoses, wires, and brackets/spacers.

[@HomeDistiller]

the bonus with a separate PSU and eire feeder like this is you have a great high current low voltage DC PSU.. my dad built his own mig welder from scratch (yes that right from scratch and its about the same power as this machine!!) and we have used the PSU to directly start cars when the battery was flat!!

[@markbell9742]

Best explanation of 3-Φ, cleared up some fogginess I had on the subject. Cheers, Mark

[@hackmakestuff]

Your explanation is so didactic! I am fixing an old ESAB LKA150 that was in the trash thanks to your inspiration.

[@stoatrepublic]

Amazing difference between modern hobby welder and Retro Industrial welder, while hobby might well have alloy coiled transformer and very low duty cycle, those industrial units are pure copper coiled and you can literally run that at full chat all day long on heavy steel plate and you'd burn the welding tip out and over heat the shroud long before the transformer even gets warm at the end of a long day. The only problem I have found with industrial MIG welders is the amount of dust that gets sucked into the base unit that needs to get blown out regularly with air line at least every few months at least.

[@octavmandru9219]

We had to pay arr. 500 Euros for getting the 3 phase 440V power for our apartament and basement workshop . Then an additional 300E for the thick insulated cables to our distribution panel inside the house. Not cheap, but very convenient, considering the requirements of 3 AC's, oven, induction stove and so on. Added benefit : I have 440V3ph in my workshop. Funny thing, my wife insisted we are getting this after I explained that the maximum 4.5KW supply for an apartament (acc to the national code) is insufficient even for the stove

[@silasmarner7586]

Nice work. A monster episode! It was very well presented. One note to add for the common core transformer: Since each winding shares the common core. when one phase is active or conducting, the magnetic field in the core induces current in the "non-active" phases. This results in smaller overall ripple amplitude but at a higher frequency. This is important in EMI, but I'm not sure if it matters in this case. And it's "Ah Loooooh Miiihhh Nuhm" (4 syllables). The extra I after the "N" does not exist and should not be pronounced, even though every English person does that!

[@DaddyBear3000]

Three phase is common in rural properties and commercial properties in the U.K. In most urban properties the phases are split between houses.

[@zoidberg444]

Absolutely astounding content TPAI. Can't wait for more parts.

[@joemwangi5813]

your channel is gold

[@twocvbloke]

This house, being a typical British home, only has single phase (TT supply, for those in the know), though the power lines outside have 5 wires (3 phases, N and PE) giving the option for 3-phase, so I could have it installed, but, the cost is prohibitive for the home DIYer like myself, and with our power being 240v, we get 415v phase-to-phase... :)

[@bikefarmtaiwan1800]

Hi there- used give me so much grief trying to get 3 phase in the UK- Out here in Taiwan I use a large rotary converter. They run off 220v ( 240 would be OK) and push out very useful 3 phase which I use to run lots of different industrial machines including a 3hp mill and a 6' lathe as well as a IGBT electronic AC/DC square wave 200A tig- not all together of course :) Anyway I did not know about that in the UK so I hope this can help you. They come in all sizes but I have a 15hp unit that is about the size of two medium suitcases side by side. Merry Christmas.

[@Ferruccio001]

You're great! Just fantastic with all the stuff you do. Extraordinary for sure!!! Merry Christmas!

[@micbanand]

Merry Christmas from Denmark :) when welding thin materiel like cars. i prefer the old machines. They have a more stable and powerfull base power. makes point welding much better

[@ManyMagix]

Nice job my friend, you produce very high quality content that is great supplemental material for anyone interested in EE projects

[@FindLiberty]

WOW, YOU REALLY NAILED IT - *Great design explanation!* Three phase primary "Y" source, "Delta" secondary output. Got it! Interesting single core transformer, three phase magnetic mystery... _How day doo dat?_ *Thank you and Merry Christmas.*

[@michaeltempsch5282]

> How day doo dat? That's advanced pixie wrangling... :-)

[@robertjung8929]

they do it in a single core transformer the very same way as they do that in a single core generator or a single core motor ;) the single transformer core is not a straight line it's like an "E" core with primary+secondary winding for individual phases on each leg of the "E" core so the magnetic fluxes are not fighting against each other.

[@absurdengineering]

It’s not a single core but a single magnetic circuit with two separate loops that only share a common arm. Thus the flux in each loop can be controlled independently, and there’s no “short circuit” between the phases. Each loop you can draw in a magnetic circuit can have different flux through it, just as every loop in an electric circuit can have a different current through it. In fact, magnetic circuits can be “morphed” 1:1 into electric circuits that have the same properties just in different units. Eg. magnetic reluctance is like electric resistance.

[@FindLiberty]

@@absurdengineering THANKS

[@Sawsquatch]

Misread the title as migmaw welder, and now I have two natives stuck together in my garage.

[@harimech006]

Bro please make a video about yourself, very eager to hear about you

[@bborkzilla]

A 50-year-old welder made in Germany will still outlast the latest gee-whiz special made in China.

[@absurdengineering]

The “gee whiz specials” with sufficient ratings aren’t cheap, so to be fair you’d need to compare apples to apples, ie. a machine built for 200A continuous output. That’s still be over $1000, China special or not.

[@sheep1ewe]

One thing i can tell, for my needs i relay H-A-T-E to use those sheap machines, plenty of times i just want to take tha biggest sladgehammer i can find and bash it into a fine dust. But i think they will serve good for a home garage when one just need it one or two time a year. But for my daily work i still use a more then 50 years old machine since it´s the only one that i can rely on and know how it works.

[@steveone]

Merry Xmas TPAI . Hey , could you use that big low voltage power supply to charge high mfd supercapacitors ?

[@absurdengineering]

You need thousands of dollars worth of capacitors to require such high charging currents, probably :)

[@isidoromaich7226]

I love this kind of videos like in the old days, thank you and Merry Christmas!

[@MrAlFuture]

Isidoro Maich yup, i agree.

[@franganghi]

It was so clear! You have my admiration. You would be an amazing teacher in a technical school. Really. Have a nice holiday time!

[@mohabatkhanmalak5314]

franganghi , thats exactly what I thought! He would make a great tutor/lecturer at a technical school or university. I just saw his video and I am subscribing as I have a lot of interest in engineering.

[@mohabatkhanmalak5314]

Merry Xmass and best wishes for the new year. That old welder is quality, and you are right to bring it back with good modifications. What make is it?

[@Mohamed-jn4yr]

i wish you had an USB 3.0 output in your head n i had one in mine as well so i can stream all the knowledge you have .. i don't know how to thk u for sharing all these precious knowledge in ur videos . keep up the good work ☺

[@tannin2249]

It was so good today to see a wonderful new TPAI in the classic style. I'm sure it takes ages to produce each one of these full-length, detailed TPAI gems - there is not just the work itself, but all that thought which goes into scripting, and hours worth of editing after that - but the results speak for themselves. I hadn't realised how much I have missed the real TPAI until watching this first new one in a very long time. If it takes many weeks to produce each work of this quality, so be it. It is always well worth the wait.

[@aoeuidhtnsnthdiueoa]

Super cool! Your explanations are amazing. Only thing I'm curious about, though. You're using the same power supply for both MIG and stick welding... MIG requires constant voltage and stick requires constant current for any degree of success. The transformer setup appears to be for CV, just wondering if you could elaborate a bit more on that

[@leonardpearlman4017]

I was wondering about this! It seems like the current would be varying wildly... But if it's just for an amazing test, to burn up a lot of current.... Maybe that will be discussed later. Maybe that was ALREADY discussed, a lot of information went by here, will probably watch this several times, and show it to some students as well!

[@DiHandley]

I want you in my bunker when the apocalypse happens, that’s for sure!

[@Pfirtzer]

You always want a German in your bunker and on your side when in need or war, they are resourcefull and veery capable technically, feeling wise German women are as warm as the Iceberg Titanic crashed into :D

[@loloaqici82qb4ipp]

It would be interesting to know what this welding machine has made over the years. Do you have any idea what it's use would have been, in which industry?

[@northshorepx]

I now think I understand transformers. It's late on xmas day here in NZ and I got education as present from Germany. Thank you and Merry Xmas to you too :-)

[@georgelewisray]

CC vs CV /&/ THANKS-GREAT ::: Could you speak to the issue of constant current versus constant voltage welding power supplies. When you mentioned several times the possible use of the "Mig-Mag' unit for STICK WELDING alarm bells went off in my head. I reviewed your previous welding video and very much enjoyed reviewing the magnetic_shunt / stray_field transformer but the CC/CA topic was not addressed then had a quick look at the power supply videos and did not see the topic addressed there. /&/ This is WONDERFUL stuff and so well done. thanks !!!!

[@H.E.J.S.A.N]

I like your movies! For me, you are an archaeologist of forgotten electrical and electronic devices. With your enthusiasm, you bring them back to life using new solutions and technology. Bravo! ..and Merry Christmas!

[@mingiasi]

industrial (380v 3phase) in my house? I'd wish...

[@reduniverse0]

Nice drawings and explains ! If you would consider to add a diagram with the 3 phases waves (or a link to a video about it) it could be even brighter for those (like me) who need to see how it works from inside the inside. The help of 3 phases in rectifying electricity is so important... During my studying period in college I worked on a project in which I ordered a single phase inverter. This machine had the capability of supplying 3 phase and of course had PWM support. Might be interesting if it works for powerful machines like a welder...

[@irgendwieanders1]

Ich bin ja froh, dass ich einigermaßen in der 12V Gleichspannung für Kfz drinstecke... Aber DAS & dann noch auf englisch... joa 99% nicht verstanden :D

[@gaurabpokharel6373]

merry Christmas

[@BloodAsp]

That was an absolutely amazing video! I loved learning from this style.

[@aliboy7320]

Awesome Sir ur doing really great job 😘

[@darsonb904]

Honestly you have such a fantastic youtube channel! I came across you the other week and have been watching video after video. I am very grateful for all of the details you add into these videos which really helps with understanding the function of the machines / tools you are fixing. I have gained so much information from you and especially from your scrap yard episodes. As soon as lockdown is lifted here in the UK I will be heading to my local yard and trying to follow in your footsteps😊. So please continue your hardwork and I will be awaiting every upload!!!

[@HeyBirt]

A TIG/STICK welding power supply is a constant current supply. A MIG/MAG welding power supply is a constant voltage power supply. The TIG/Sick supplies have a higher open circuit voltage a relatively large voltage droop (voltage drop when welding). The output choke (coil) helps control the droop. You can wire weld with a CC type power supply if you use a voltage sensing wire feeder. With this type of feed control as the output voltage drops the wire speed does too. With a CV power supply the feeder would be a constant feed type control.

[@caemaridwn]

Merry Christmas from "Wales". Great video explained so well, looking forward to the rest of it.

[@levamento]

Ein großes Lob für Deine Arbeit! Ich schaue mir seit längerer Zeit auch Deine Videos an und tue dies in zunehmendem Maße, da Du immer interessantere Themen hast. Sehr angenehm ist Deine Art, die komplizierten Dinge auch für den Laien verständlich aufzudröseln. Der heilige Abend ist nun zwar schon rum, aber eine besinnliche Zeit wünsche ich Dir dennoch. LG André

[@l3p3]

Auch ich habe viel durch diesen Kanal gelernt und empfehle, ihn dafür auch entsprechend zu entlohnen. Dazu ist Patreon geeignet.

[@atman5230]

It's good that you invested your money in the old powerfull welder rather than the new wimp Chinese welder.You have removed the capacitor so you don't have to worry about a surge of electricity while doing a low amp weld which would mess up the weld and maybe make a hole in the metal if it were thin metal that you would be welding..so now you will have better control welding without the capacitor. Can you do a video on anti-gravity soon ?

[@grapsorz]

Here in Norway we mostly have 230V 3phase DELTA system. no neutral and a local ground rail.

[@Tome4kkkk]

I propose a duel! 'The Post Apocalyptic Inventor' vs 'Primitive technology'! Who would win? Let's do some rounds in the jungle and then some rounds in the city! What do you say? ;)

[@shammient]

Great video, really enjoyed it. Three phase welders are very common finds at scrap yards here in Aus. I don't have three phase but still had to pick one up. A Kemppi 400amp synergic pulse mig.

[@leonardpearlman4017]

This is a great topic, I'm so IMPRESSED by that wire feeder and the general construction... but can't stop thinking: "You have three-phase power IN YOUR HOUSE?"! Suddenly I feel like a peasant. Here in the US, this is only in commercial situations, and not always then! 440Volts will really knock you down.... We all agree, if you want a bunch of DC, three-phase is the way! You're covering a lot of ground here. I have most of the STUFF we see in your videos, but nothing like the expertise and overview. I am surprised to hear that you want to stick (MMA) weld with a Constant-Voltage supply, but I haven't finished the video yet. This is very dense, and I'm watching some parts several times, or pausing to look at the drawings. It's like KZbin Polytechnic!

[@legalsolutions07]

Good video. I was given an older Harbor Freight flux core 90amp AC welder that runs on 120 volts (These are cheaper entry level AC welding machines). I'm going to convert it to a semi DC machine with a single phase bridge rectifier and large capacitor. This machine has a switch that has two settings (high and low). This switch either controls voltage or amps. Can a rheostat or potentiometer take the place of the high/low switch to give greater control of the available volts or amperage in these inexpensive machines?

[@dragade101]

Had to look up a new MIG welder. Not sure how this one performs at peak but trying to buy this new, it probably costs north of 4kusd. A 7kusd machine gets you 300A at 60% duty cycle. Peaks at 400A, 30% duty cycle and can maintain ~240A. Meaning this is an amazing buy if you can reliably make a set of 'one time' repairs. (Netting another 10 to 25 years for only a few hundred as an investment)

[@bavarianmonkey8326]

1:55 NEVER EVER simply put a pressurized gas bottle somewhere without strapping it to a beam or whatever that prevents it from tipping over. If you happen to knock that valve op, you end up with a rocket. DON'T DO IT LIKE THAT! Please!

[@hammadijay5514]

hello guys , i wonder if anybody can help me please, here i have an esab mig U4000i multi-process machine but now i dont have the wire feeder (esab origo feed 3004) which got the control panel (origo MA23 or MA24 )so i can no longer use this machine without a wire feeder even for stick welding , i was wondering some how i can modify this machine so i can use for cc welding like buy a PMW controller and connect it to the driver gate board or something like that ? but not sure from where to start , can anybody help please , i will leave below a link for the manual and wiring diagrams etc.. svarka.rv.ua/image/Sweden/Mig,Tig, Arc,U4000/Mig,Tig, Arc,U4000-S-new.pdf

[@jamest.5001]

I have a question, or just asking your opinion, I bought one of the new cheap arc welders, 120/240vac , 200amp, and the size of a shoebox, I also have a transformer based mig/ fluxcore welder, 120v, it has issues, it needs switches, and a new torch and leads, I was thinking of using the little arc welder to power the mig, only using the mig as the spool and feed, I would have much better current control, plus 240v possibly, I would still need the 120v for the feed, or I could make a transformer, to drop to 120v being it's only a amp or less in guessing, I would get a much better torch for the wire feed, with longer leads, around 2gauge ground lead, I don't ever need to weld with 200amps, the thickest I weld is 1/4" usually 1/8" or less, and usually thinner with the Flix wire, I also have a gas regulator with it, but haven't gotten gas yet, I have a much larger arc welder that is very capable of welding anything I would weld, seems it is 100% duty cycle, it is big and heavy , much heavier than any I seen at a local store, with a crank to raise the current, Anyway , what is your opinion, they both do around 24vdc open circuit, do you think this frankenwelder is a good idea?

[@psygn0sis]

Are you planning on welding a freakin' battleship together? lol.

[@aserta]

I don't think he needs to. Just add some flotation devices to that welder, a few railguns and it's done. Built like the proverbial brick dunny.

[@kamikazeratte]

25:00 Every secondary transformer winding leads to its own full bridge rectifier (3x2 terminals), later connected at the DC side, I guess. Grüße aus dem südlichen Zipfel Niedersachsens!

[@asf130thecompany7]

My optimal 3 phase power is 63 amps so could use Kemppi Tylarc 653... 800 Amps of awesomeness :D Currently have 25 amps from 3 phase tops :/ So is there a way to upgrade the amps without making upgrade to whole system? :/

[@moth.monster]

In Europe, you call it a cooker... in America, we call it a burner... Maybe that's why us Americans suck at cooking.

[@Subgunman]

Priced a Lincoln Mig welder for use in the EU, they wanted almost $3800 for he machine, three phase of course. A bit out of my budget. Not the massive machine you have but a decent size. Settled for a small inverter for use here in the EU.

[@Pfirtzer]

Love this kind of stuff! We have in Serbia too 3 fase power.Old things are build to last not to be trashed when broke, and keep the good work I want to learn where do you live in Germany, would love to see your shop, I myself have gathered trough the years enough equipment and stuff. Would love to get more into understanding and doing electronics, but turning 50 next years is old

[@torchyboyz]

Thank you for this vid, you are a very clever man. Could you help me? I have a cheap flux core welder and the current, at the lowest setting, is too high for thin sheet welding so I want to reduce the current setting. The lowest setting I have is 60 amps. When I opened it up the power goes into a switch which, on low power, sends power to a coil. When this switch is on high power it diverts the power to another coil. How can I get reduced power from the low power coil, I thought of putting a variable resistor between the switch and the coil. What do you think? Thank you so much. Kind regards, Paul.

[@dzee9481]

I love the fact that most of Europe have 3 phase power. Very very smart of the utility company to implement. 3 phase power delivery is more efficient because using a 3 phase motor is far more efficient than a single phase using a running capacitor. Too bad US did not take that on for the residential. To have that done some utility company charge you an arm and a leg to implement and setup for use in residential.

[@GreenNarwals]

I tried to build a welder out of two North American microwave oven transformers that that I rewound and put in series. It didn't have nearly enough amperage to do anything impressive other than create a few sparks.

[@mrgreenswelding2853]

That would have both a constant voltage and constant current source for the mig and mma parts of it.

[@watahyahknow]

merry cristmas and a happy newyear to you too i have a question about a mig welder i had a cheap chineese migwelder in wish the old wirefeed broke its gears , so i bought a new twin wheel all metal wirefeed for it and while building it in the welder slid the box off the workbench , while trying to catch it i grabbed a handfull of wires and pulled out all the wiring from the transformer to the rectifier wirefeed controll and controllpanel (DOHW) since all the wires coming out of the transformer are one colour i dont know where they belong i allso changed a resistor , transistor , and fuse in the wirefeed circuit to survive the higher amperage of the heavier wirefeed motor and that might not been done correctly either , not having the certanty the rest of the welder is wired up correct kindah makes it hard for me to pinpoint where i gone wrong in rewiring the thing so i stopped pouring money in it and bought another cheap but slightly better mig welder , an inverter type with an euroconnector for the weldinggun and a gas solenoid this time that welds fine but although this time its made from metal it still has a bit of a weak single wheel wirefeed setup i notice when welding the feed is slipping even through a new gun without bends now i want to use the new wirefeed motor to build a stand alone cabinet with the weldingwire for it i like to use this same box for coldfeeding material to a tigwelder too using a footswitch thats why i whont build the better wirefeed in my new welder (and because this one is still working ok) i was planning on running everything (welding current and gas switching ) except the weldingwire from the connection of my new mig welder through the add on cabinet and use a seperate powersupply and wirespeed controller build in the box for the wirefeed controlled by tapping the signal of the switch on the gun , the wirefeed in the new migwelder will run but without wire in it most of the stuff i figured out but are there any things i need to take in account (like does the wirespeed change on startup with the welding current running through the gun while welding) i'm not sure as with the old machine the transformer allso fed the wire speed board

[@ruffmansavageveteran1345]

I started learning to MIG last week and remembered your videos about repairing welding machines.

[@georgievvladimir]

Looks like old-school industrial type welder. Cant be compared to the hobby type welders sold in home improvement shops.

[@khayyam741]

Removing the output capacitor might not be a good idea. They say over the internet that mig welding requires constant voltage.

[@paul.alarner6410]

seems most cheaper welders use aluminium wound transformers not copper,normaly get hot quick.

[@TechTed1]

You can weld with 24KV 200Amps steell pipes but in a safety distance

[@peternewson2275]

Do people call euros bucks over there? I thought that was just american slang.

[@scroungasworkshop4663]

Thanks for making me seem so intelligent to my wife as I showed her the video and she just wandered off muttering about not understanding anything you were talking about. What she didn’t know is that I didn’t either, in fact my brain had turned into scrambled eggs. Typical German over engineering, 3 phase to every house and let’s build a welder the best way possible so it can do what ever users need it to do. So many other places have an attitude like let’s build a welder as cheap as possible, put ridiculous claims on it and hope that will do. Where I live in Australia we are 230-240 volt with 3 phase to the pole but it costs a lot to put it into your house. Have you ever thought of working for NASA? Cheers Stuart 🇦🇺

[@DaKing404]

Mittlerweile ärgere ich mich, fast genau so ein gerät viel zu günstig verkauft zu haben :( voll funktionstüchtig

[@adammosonyi4671]

German home improvement store OBI can be found in other countries in Europe

[@davewolf8869]

That skukum built choocher couldn't be any more steampunk on the inside if it tried... WOW that DC feed motor WOW! Are they welding or pushing the wire through the work? haha nice machine!!!

[@bobs12andahalf2]

Dave Boothney 200 amps of angry pixies all day, it's bound to get pissed off and go pokey-pokey now and again...

[@michalrimmerak1646]

It is true. In Czech rep., we have 3 phase at every home too. I thing, we have much better electric grid here, in EU, than any other country in the World.

[@georgedennison3338]

You might find the Haas Kamp Three Phase to Single Phase Conversion method for welders interesting. An internet search will turn up lots of info about the method. i know Dave Kamp, one of the creators of this process, and he is a very friendly, and helpful guy. He and his partner, Haas, developed this method for the same reason you bought the MIG/MAG welder you did; the industrial duty cycle. They are freely sharing the method, hoping to get future welders into 'real' welders, instead of what is sold at home improvement stores. An internet search will turn up loads of information about the process. Dave posted the conversion on Practical Machinist, originally, and that is the best way to reach him, through that site. They have done lots of testing, and have shown the converted welders weld as well with converted single phase as they do with three phase. When I first talked to Dave about the conversion, 3-4 years ago, the cost for converting a welder was about $150, for new components. The majority of the cost is the large capacitors necessary. A very simplistic explanation of the process is a capacitor is used to store the 'third phase', then, the stored current is released at the appropriate time to create the 'third phase'. The key, for me, to understanding how this could work, was to understand that 240v single phase is not an accurate term. Conceptually, it is two phase; two legs of 120v, 180° out of phase from each other. By storing, and delaying the release of a created third leg, you end up with three legs of 120v, 120° out of phase from each other, which is, three phase. When Dave first explained it, he told me several times, what makes this possible is a welder is different than a motor, in that there is no rotation. Rotation makes timing of the three phases more critical; welders are more forgiving. Since I learned about the method for conversion, I have since learned of a device sold as a Phase Matic. I bought one from a machinist a year ago. It is simply several relays and a capacitor. Conceptually, it does the same thing, creates a third phase. The relays are responsible for the control of the third phase. You use the Phase Matic to start a three phase motor, then once it is running, it will continue to run on 'single' phase, and also generate three phase. This allows you to start additional three phase motors, as long as no single motor is larger than the first motor started. Once you get other, smaller motors started, the original motor can be shutdown, and the smaller motors will continue to run. Quite clever.

[@absurdengineering]

All it would take is to connect the same capacitors to the rectifier output. Simpler to understand, maybe, since it’s a circuit that’s common as dirt. The function of the capacitor is the same, but at the output of the rectifier. What you have with a DC three-phase welder is an AC-AC step-down transformer followed by a rectifier. Normally in constant voltage DC supplies you’d have a smoothing capacitor at the output of the rectifier. The welders don’t have it, since the 3-phase supply provides enough overlap at the rectifier output that the voltage never drops to 0V. With typical US and Canadian split-phase supplies, the phases are 180 degrees apart and both phases go to 0V at the same time. So all you need is a smoothing capacitor at the output of the rectifier, and it’ll be as good as with a 3-phase supply or even better. A certain minimum amount of capacitance is necessary since below it, the capacitors you have will carry way too high of a ripple current and will overheat. So the ripple current rating is the primary driver of cost here: once you got enough capacitors in parallel to handle the several hundreds amps of ripple current, you also got enough capacitance to keep the DC voltage quite steady - probably smoother than the output of a 3-phase rectifier. With some care put into overvoltage shunting, 50V electrolytic capacitors could be used when the rated no-load output is 30V or so.

[@petert3853]

Excellent video. I look forward to the next.

[@DavidLeeMenefee]

Darn holidays...Thumbs up...PEACE

[@mikescudder4621]

Thats a wonderful welder you found there... would love to find one of those.

[@bobvincent5921]

They don't come much better than this article,I say.

[@BarrettFlowers]

Merry Christmas and hope yours went very well! A 14 hour upload beats anything thing that I have ever done by far. I remember when I was doing very well to make a download of 1Mb/10minutes. (9600 baud ) That was the big leap from 2,400 and pre-internet access. My next project is building a machine that does several independent things, but all driven from one DC treadmill motor. It has to be small, compact and easily carried around and somewhat rugged. Have you checked your e-mail lately? :) Have a great New Years from UTAH, USA! (the skiing is great right now, too bad I don't do it, huh?) :)

[@jameslamb4573]

Merry Christmas and best wishes for 2018.

[@rakselectric7390]

You are lucky that most or all of the homes in Germany are supplied with three phase. In New Zealand where I live single phase 230 volts is standard it's vary rare to get three phase unless when your house was being built you asked for it but it's not cheap. But my grandparents place is supplied with it because when it was being built we asked for it but it certainly helps when you have high loads. Also I think is a great idea because you can distribute lights power and heating evenley.

[@awesomefacepalm]

Merry Christmas to all 3 phase master race

[@georgedennison3338]

That 'heat sink' rectifier reminds me of a selenium rectifier. I ran into one a few years ago repairing an old shop size battery charger, and learned about them. The plates are coated with selenium and were used before diodes were available/used. When they get old, the selenium coating wears off the metal plating. When that happens, a funny thing happens. When you put electricity to the worn selenium rectifier, and there is an arc at the worn spot, make sure you have fresh air, or are outside. It is a HORRID rotten egg smell, quite similar to already eaten eggs, if you get my drift! LOL MY thought was, oh, it's probably not that bad, and it's 30°, outside right now, so I'll work on it, inside. Bad move. very bad move. Glad my wife was out of town, or I would have been sleeping alone, because she would have been at a hotel... LOL I was able to remove the stinky selenium recifier and replace it with a modern, full bridge rectifier, and had great battery charger. I also added a resettable circuit breaker for overload protection. Most battery chargers have circuit breakers, but they typically die.

[@wazza33racer]

In Australia now, the grid is in so much distress from the renewables insanity, and a general lack of power, that domestic homes are usually refused requests for 3 phase power.

[@absurdengineering]

“The renewables insanity” is the saving grace of your grid. It’d be way worse without renewables. Don’t consume coal propaganda unfiltered - don’t let them fool you. They were the ones who underinvested in the grid to begin with, and are now crying wolf.

[@michal.2638]

Always facinated from your work/videos..!! ...as a technician I'm very courious about your technical education... ...maybe you can make a video about your "background" to give "us" some idea where your "background" comes from...!?! ...keep up what U are doing...!!!😎

[@thecorbies]

Excellent video, not least because I understood every single word of the theory. Merry Christmas & happy new year to you and your family. Regards Mark in the UK p.s. I think you probably DO already know this, but seldom is there 3 phase supplied to a residential property, unless perhaps a (previously commercial/industrial) building which has been converted at some time, then 3 phase may be available. I can't say for absolute for certain, but I believe all new builds would be single phase. You may also be aware that we have what I believe is referred to as 'bonded Earth' in the UK. I also believe that this is to reduce/prevent the possibility of 'difference in electrical potential' between say, an electric cooker and a sink. How is this issue dealt with, with 3 phases being available in a domestic environment in Germany? Of course I'm referring to the 400V between phases.

[@audiocrush]

19:30 I actually did that with an 80V 100.000µF cap (huge thing) and a big bridge rectifier on my old welding transformer, that was a hell of a bang, the tip of my 3.2mm electrode was just gone xD Actually it was quite a lot of fun so I did it a couple of times more until the whole electrode was gone :D

[@loukashareangas4420]

(regarding the part around 19:00 ) I thought that the capacitor connected straight after the bridge rectifier and then came the choke to smooth the current out and give a better DC output. At least that's how I plan to convert my cheapie LIDL 100A buzz-box to DC. Will it work? Mal sehen...

[@petarjovicic3311]

What are the best industrial grade welding brands i can find on scrapyards around germany to repair? Dalex, esab, lorch?

[@petarjovicic3311]

Elektra-Beckum, rehm

[@MrRobbyvent]

so, at that price, it was a bargain this heavy duty machine.

[@DougHanchard]

Superb illustration of how electricity 'flows' and controlled. Well done. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

[@ryanb1874]

Badass. Waaaaayyyy better than the "135" amp machine, that can weild on .04" thick material all stinking day😎

[@ryanb1874]

So the little mosfet can handle all that wielding current,?

[@CajunGreenMan]

14:00 explanation of phases and volts is AWESOME! I now have a much better understanding of the phases, which is not really saying much because I'm an electro-idiot. :) Working hard to increase my understanding of electrical systems and circuits, especially DC because I own a motorcycle, and do my own work on it. Keep up the great teaching!

[@joe-yl6io]

I love your videos! We need more troubleshooters like you.

[@jamest.5001]

I have a old stick welder. and a cheap might welder. I was thinking about combining the two. or just use the stick as power and the might as a wire feeder. and gas supply. maybe get a longer and better trigger and supply line. the stick welder is a old unit. I think may have been used in a factory. it is a 100% full power/ duty .

[@nferraro222]

In the US, a great deal of used 3-phase equipment goes directly to the scrap yard. My local yard has 3 giant MIG welders like this, a surface grinder, and a warehouse of other equipment.

[@guineafowl8029]

Beautifully explained. Also, a good clip on why a modern welding machine is so crap compared to the old stuff. One thing: You can just call it a MIG welder - we know what you mean!

[@nickstanley5064]

The Post Apocalyptic Inventor, wouldn't it be a bad idea to parallel diodes because the current would just flow through one of them instead of spreading evenly through all of them. And where did you get the ferite cores for your buck converter?

[@poptartmcjelly7054]

Three phase is great, my grandpa used to be obsessed with three phase stuff. Almost every tool in our garage has a three phase motor in it. The bench grinder is three phase and when you press the on switch it speeds up instantly and is impossible to stall out. Ps: sweet welder, my three phase arc welder can only do 180A@100% but i got it for 80 euros so i'm not complaining :D