BOSS LEVEL CUSTOM SPOT WELDER

I have used 2 x 12v mini fans in P with heat sink similar to rojitor's set up, I use 3 2200mah 25c Flourene's in
P linked using 3 x XT60 2-1 parrallel leads, the unsed XT powers the fans.

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/attachments/dscf0009-jpg.21518/
http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/attachments/dscf0007-jpg.21516/
http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/attachments/dscf0011-jpg.21519/
 
OK, my concern was more welding at the same time... if the single 3s pack would have any issues running the fans while welding simultaneously. I guess it shouldn't be much of an issue... I suppose if I wanted to get fancy, could always wire in a switch between the input and the fans, so I could temporarily turn them off during a weld, then bring them back on right after.
 
The power draw from the fans are insignificant when compared to the welding amp draw.
I set the boss voltage warning at 11.8v (approx 3.9v per cell) and then recharge which takes about 20mins.
200 odd welds per charge use recharge ( cup of tea in between) and carry on.
 
I made a test today. Tungsten electrodes
25g8300.jpg


im2umx.jpg

it was kind of more powerful than copper electrodes.I did big holes with the same flux times on 4s so i tested 3s. It welds 0.1 copper on 3s.

2946pvm.jpg

vrzmuu.jpg

i did a thorough test on 3s

close look
168fnuo.jpg

reverse
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the whole thing
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As seen at the pics it welds 0.1 copper on 3s but it gets stuck, so when i remove the electrodes due to the mechanical properties of the copper it breaks apart.
did 0.2 on 4s and pretty much the same results. actually i do not want to push the machine on 0.2 because it would blow the fets. So no further testing on that.
Even if it is more powerful i couldn't get a single decent weld without breaking the strip. Maybe if i sharpen more the electrodes i can get a better result.
verdict: Tungsten electrodes proved to be more powerful yet more difficult to deal with (yes even more)
So far not worth it. Mission failed.



[youtube]-tvi7EGk8QM[/youtube]
 
I never did. External sites are faster to do. Besides I can share the same pic at different forums. Luckily I have never used photobucket. Those damn greedy m.f. ruined the day of many fellows.
 
Was about to chop the corners off of some 40mm heatsink+fans I have to mount 2 on the bottom, basically what was done in the video.... then paused ofr a second and realized I just needed to add a chamfer to the screw holes on the base and could use countersunk screws to produce a level surface for the heatsinks.

Used one of my standard chamfer drill bits and drilled out one of the corners... got the smallest countersunk M3 screw I had, a 6mm.... and found out it was still 1-2mm too long (Of course... 3rd time this week that I had a set of hardware that included almost every size you would need, but the one I needed was 1 size larger or smaller). Anyway, ordered some 4mm M3 countersunk machine screws... as well as a wire stripper + screw cutter with METRIC screw sizes (pretty rare here in the US, almost all have imperial sizes, such a PITA). Of course I won't need the screw cutter for these now that I ordered 4mm ones... but got it because I know it'll be handy sooner or later. Of course there are plenty of ghetto ways I could cur a screw... but instead of doing a half ass job, or potentially screwing up the edge on my wire cutters, I figure I can wait the 2 days for amazon to ship me the screws I need (was hoping to find some same-day ones... but didn't have luck there, but I'll survive).

If anyone's interested, while I'm sure there are a ton of different 40mm heatsink + fan combos available... I happened to have just received a half dozen of these a couple of days ago... I figure they will work perfectly for this. Also gonna throw 2 metal fan guards onto them, so I can still sit the welder down on their faces. I haven't tried the fans yet, but especially for just over $1 shipped... I'm very happy with them already. I cut off the mount tabs with a set of decent wire cutters, they are pretty thin and easy enough to cut.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2-Pin-40mm-PC-GPU-VGA-Video-Card-Heatsink-Cooling-Fan-Replacement-12V-0-10A/32819381123.html
 
So, I finally got to adding some chamfer to the screw holes on the bottom of my welder, and replaced the screws with some M3 x 4mm (sadly only had black, but doesn't really matter, they are covered by 2 heatsinks now). Attached two of those heatsink + fan combos I linked to in my last post, wrapped the fans wires in a combination of heat shrink tubing and then some 3mm braided fiberglass, and tucked it through the inside of the middle layer and tacked the wires to the main HT90 battery input. Added a pair of 40mm fan grills to make it easy sit the welder down with the fans on the bottom. My one concern tho is, with this setup, if I were to use the barrel plug power input to do some soldering... not sure if I will be able to power the fans (not 100% sure how that works... the videos make it seem like if you power using the barrel plug, it goes into soldering mode.. if through the HT90, then spot welder mode... if that is correct, not sure if I could possibly power through the barrel to put it in soldering mode, then attach a battery to the HT90 to power the fans as well?). I'll have to play around with this, and see if I can get it working as it... if not, may figure out a better way to power the fans instead of sodlering them straight to the HT90 input (Given, I don't expect to use the sodler feature much, if at all, I have a Hakko FX-951 already... BUT it could come in handy as a portable soldering iron, if I was at a friends and needed one, etc... the Hakko is not very portable).

Anyway, here's some photos, came out pretty clean:

boss_welder_1.jpg

View attachment 1

boss_welder_3.jpg
 
I don't use the fans while soldering. There is no need.
Check it out yourself. Solder for a while then switch to spot weld mode and you will see it is not hot at all. If you have a temp probe or laser thermometer you can check while soldering. It's just the intense spot welding which rises the fets temperature
 
Well rojitor, that is some good news. Like I said, I doubt I will be soldering with this much, if at all.... but it is way more portable than my Hakko, so it's possible i may use it a few times on the road. If I don't need the fans at all during soldering, then I likely don't need to change anything with regards to the wiring... definitely good news, I'm happy with the current setup.

Now I need to find a good case for this. Pelican cases came to mind, but while looking at them, I discovered Nanuk cases. Canadian made, very similar to Pelicans in most regards... but has a few nice features that the comparable Pelican does not, and I also like their latches a little bit more. All of their handles are made from solid plastic with a soft plastic grip (only large Pelican have this, def more comfortable), and just like the Pelican, the Nanuk's handle locks down so it won't rattle/shake. Comparable strength, weight, pressure valve, and foam between the two, but I think the Nanuks look a but nicer. The Nanuks also have potential for a clear plastic or a solid aluminum insert (pretty cool for a Raspberry pi, or a drone project... where you could moutn a screen in the lid, and controls in the aluminum plate to produce a really slick device. Prices are comparable, I think it's usually possible to get a slightly better deal on Nanuk's (tho their sizes are different, so hard to compare 1 to 1), and I think both are great cases, but at this time I would say Nanuk's appear to be just a tiny bit superior. Anyway, thinking about grabbing a Nanuck 910 (also considering a Nanuck 504, and possibly even the Nanuck 915).. tho I think I prefer the 910's dimensions the most. Hoping to use it to carry my welder, it's attachments, my LIPO battery, and hopefully my iCharger as well. Just gotta debat on whether or not the Nanuk shoulder strap is really worth ~$25... def overpriced, and could easily get a cheaper one... but also probably pretty damn nice).
 
Thanks for the link.. will likely order a few of those... tho not sure if I'll use them for this. Considering I wanna get the welder, all accessories, battery, and charger all in there (possibly a few other parts as well), gonna need something a little bigger... and definitely wanna check out these nanuk cases to see how nice they really are.

Still, good find, totally getting some for storing some other stuff... BTW rojitor, less options... but insanely cheap price of almost identical storage: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/L-S-Size-Outdoor-Plastic-Waterproof-Airtight-Survival-Case-Container-Camping-Outdoor-Travel-Storage-Box/32668685493.html
 
rojitor said:
I made a test today. Tungsten electrodes

been there too, same story. When welding steel or nickel with Tungsten electrodes, the electrodes weld melt together with the strip. Tungsten not a good heat conductor, so copper is preferred

thx for the link to the heaxagonal battery holders BTW http://s.aliexpress.com/RJFRZJzu they seam to be ideal for filling a frame with 18650's
 
Yes it is a pity because they are very powerful. I don't know how to make it work. The electrodes always break the tabs.
Probably it' just not possible to use with thin strips.
 
have you tried making the electrode tip smaller by sanding with a dremel disc? maybe the smaller and more concentrated tips will allow it to weld easier
 
rojitor said:
http://s.aliexpress.com/FbMrmmAz
One of Those is good enough. For under 5 usd shipped you can fit everything inside. Also if you pick a short one you can remove the Tip of the hakko so it will fit. Large boxes can store the hakko with Tip.
nice find. will order some. there's always a need for good cases/boxes.
 
wire.rat said:
have you tried making the electrode tip smaller by sanding with a dremel disc? maybe the smaller and more concentrated tips will allow it to weld easier
Ye I did. Same effect. The electrodes stick like glue to the tab and break the weld.
 
izeman said:
rojitor said:
http://s.aliexpress.com/FbMrmmAz
One of Those is good enough. For under 5 usd shipped you can fit everything inside. Also if you pick a short one you can remove the Tip of the hakko so it will fit. Large boxes can store the hakko with Tip.
nice find. will order some. there's always a need for good cases/boxes.
I love those boxes. They are cheap, waterproof and nice quality. I must warn you though.....the measures are not accurate at all. Most sellers measure them under the effects of alcohol or maybe they just grab the first one they see. I bought many so far (from other sellers) and the difference was almost 10 cm with the advertised product. That seller I just posted sent me the right ones.
 
They have only one conductive side and they are 0.1mm I tested both pure 0.1 and aluminium from cans. Not viable. Maybe 0.3 is viable but I couldn't find it. Aluminium is dirt cheap yet sheets are incredibly expensive. Since copper is so damn good and I source it easily I lost interest on any other metals. I posted the aluminum results on page 4 of this thread.
This is the video:
https://vid.me/xZ08U
 
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