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  1. N

    kWeld - "Next level" DIY battery spot welder

    It is an optical illusion due to focal length magic. This is a side view picture of it and for my needs (so far just power tools pack rebuilds) there is plenty of headroom. For making large packs, I am sure it can get in the way but I haven't had that come up yet. Replacing the pole with a...
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    kWeld - "Next level" DIY battery spot welder

    It is very consistent. I once tested it with a scale under the electrodes and it was firing always within a kilo (or two at most). It is important to note that the smoothness of the two rods sliding up when you weld is critical for this accuracy. Before I installed the linear radial sliding...
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    kWeld - "Next level" DIY battery spot welder

    I didn't bother to take pictures prior to assembling (I doubt anyone would want to put as many hours on this project as I did) but took some today to give you an idea. It is hard to get the idea by looking at the pictures once assembled because what I did was to connect the welder and kCap with...
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    kWeld - "Next level" DIY battery spot welder

    Received my kSupply and kCap a few days ago and I am amazed how well they work: Super fast charging (using a power supply for a Dell server with very close specs to the HP HSTNS-PR01) and nearly silent. These are superb products :D Thank you, Frank! I do have a question regarding the voltage...
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    kWeld - "Next level" DIY battery spot welder

    Yes, excellent suggestion that I will research and test. Only downside is, since cooper's resistance is so much lower, it is harder to weld and you would probably need more power to get it to work. We'll see. The thought of using copper (not sandwiched with nickel) occurred to me but I have read...
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    kWeld - "Next level" DIY battery spot welder

    The fact is, kWeld can do the .2 pure nickel well, but ONLY with the supplied electrodes. My beef with the supplied electrodes is (as good as they weld just after they arrive or you re-dress the tip) lack of repeatability. For consistent results, electrode gap, pressure and tip shape/size must...
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    kWeld - "Next level" DIY battery spot welder

    Sorry if there is info in the forum about this topic but I could not find it using the search tool! Is there a way to connect 2 kWelds together to be able to handle more current? I don't need to double what one welder can do but I certainly feel the need for mine to handle probably 20 or 30%...
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    kWeld - "Next level" DIY battery spot welder

    The one issue to consider when trying to enlarge the holes to use the kWeld's supplied electrodes is that if installed in parallel, even if you get real close to each other, the tips would be too far for the positive side of 18650 batteries. Not to mention, the grater distance in the electrodes...
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    kWeld - "Next level" DIY battery spot welder

    Searching a bit more I discovered the exact unit in the picture posted by flashtel: On eBay. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Integrated-Hand-held-Spot-Welding-Pen-Spot-Welder-Automatic-trigger-Home-Use-DIY/402009868337?hash=item5d99a7c831:m:mdHw1HlIH_Ejthcn_yxsq2g They even have 3 colors to choose...
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    kWeld - "Next level" DIY battery spot welder

    I never thought they would include the trigger switch on the hand held device but I am glad to see they did. Turns out there are quite a lot to choose from if you search for "spot welding pen" on aliexpress.com. The one I will order tomorrow is this one...
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    kWeld - "Next level" DIY battery spot welder

    Welcome to the Club, flashtel! I can only comment on the device shown in the picture because I have done my fair share of electrodes and holders. The device could have a great deal of value IF it had thicker cables to connect it to to the welder. The springs make it a great device because it...
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    kWeld - "Next level" DIY battery spot welder

    I was afraid you would say that. But it was worth trying. Thanks for considering the idea! I have read the whole manual and if I use short wires (around 15cm) made of AWG #4, with the battery I just bought, my kWelds complain of overcurrent. If I use thinner wire (AWG #8), calibration completes...
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    kWeld - "Next level" DIY battery spot welder

    Here is a crazy question for kWeld's creator, Mr. T. I recently bought a new AGM battery and both of my kWelds units complain of overcurrent when I try to calibrate them. If I swap the battery and electrode cables with thinner ones, I am able to successfully calibrate them but I know I am...
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    kWeld - "Next level" DIY battery spot welder

    @tatus1969. Perfect. Thanks for info! This is a well documented thing and there is a paper (among several) from a Chinese searcher in a university I can't remember, detailing scientifically his findings. I will post a link to it soon. Traveling overseas now with only my phone and missing my...
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    kWeld - "Next level" DIY battery spot welder

    Question for Kweld's designer: Do you have any plans for adding a function in a future release that would switch the polarity half way through the welding cycle? As I am sure you know, DC spot welders don't form a similar nugget under the anode and the cathode for reasons we do not need to get...
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    JP spot welder

    The 0.20 nickel arrived a few days ago and I am happy to report it appears to be the real thing. I first folded over a couple a piece about 2 inches long and took it to the grinder. Though, I saw a couple of little sparks here and there, it was pretty much spark-free, when compared to a known...
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    JP spot welder

    Using a pencil sharpener to re-dress the electrode tips is an excellent tip :bigthumb: Not sure how long the blades that come with the sharpeners will last though, specially with the hard copper of which some electrodes are made. (I have a couple of them from different sources and some are...
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    JP spot welder

    I am surprised solid copper wire works for you. I have never tried because I read somewhere that annealed copper wasn't good for electrodes. I will try AWG 10 and 12 and see what I get. Using this gizmo I built (welding head) allows me to adjust the spring tension from very light to very, very...
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    JP spot welder

    Very good. That is what I was looking for. If the 0.15 sold by that merchant was good stuff, as you have confirmed, I am willing to take a chance on his 0.20 stock and see if bad nickel strips is the reason for sticking electrodes. I have placed an order and will report once I get it. Thanks a...
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    JP spot welder

    That's what I originally thought and figured that by buying this battery (brand-new) for the JP welder, I would be all-set: OptimaYellow Top Deep Cycle Battery, Group Size 31T, 900 CC. https://www.optimabatteries.com/en-us/yellowtop-deep-cycle-battery Manufacturer claims an Internal...
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    JP spot welder

    Has anyone found a good supplier of "pure" nickel strips (not the nickel-plated steel kind) 0.20 mm thick X 8 or 10 mm wide? I bought some through aliexpress but I am afraid they are made of some alloy that causes the electrodes to stick big time. I have tried different electrodes material and...
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    JP spot welder

    Fletcher, How did you measure the current of such a short pulse? Is there a special device that does that or you rigged something up using standard testing equipment? I want to test mine. Thanks!
  23. N

    JP spot welder

    Fletcher, How did you measure the current of such a short pulse? Is there a special device that does that or you rigged something up using "standard" testing equipment? I want to test mine. Thanks!
  24. N

    JP spot welder

    "48v is too much. 12v is about the maximum. Consider that on mine, I measured about 3,000A during the pulse at 12v. There has been some success using gigantic capacitors and a 12v supply. The average power is not that much so the caps can get recharged with a reasonably small 12v supply."...
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    JP spot welder

    This is a great idea! My JP Welder is working great but I like the accuracy of the Nano's digital display and besides, it is a great weekend project. If anyone has already done it, please share any suggestions/ideas or pics. Thanks!
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