Spot Welder Power Cable Length
- Thread starter rg12
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Yes. The gauge of the cable is also important. I'm sure there's a way to do the math on it.
It could make a noticeable difference if your welder is being used at close to its full capacity. Use a good quality (thick wire/high current rated) extension cord and you should be OK.
Calculating it would be hard because we don't know what the inrush current to the transformer is.
Calculating it would be hard because we don't know what the inrush current to the transformer is.
spinningmagnets
100 TW
Try to make the length of cables shorter and fatter...
999zip999
100 TW
Yea we do welding in the field and the further we get from the house or the main power source the worst the welder works and we have to bring out the big ten gauge power cable. And the outlets away from the house on the other side of the pool or by the horse stable that's far from the electrical box can have very very low power. The shorter the fatter the closer the better.
flippy
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generally people that need cables like that can afford it as the machine that it powers costs many times the price of a slightly overweight extention cord.john61ct said:
999zip999 said:
i am selling a solution to that for a few months now. its bascially a box with a small battery buffer that powers a 5kW inverter and only draws 500W from the input and works down to 50VAC or 70VDC so it can work with even the most shitty power source you can find out in a field. it can power welders no problem. and always keeps a steady 110 or 240 on the output of the box no matter the input. even if the input craps out it can keep working until the battery runs out. bigger versions of this can be mounted on trucks and charged by the alternator. imagine no more generator to power a welder out in the field and it can power a welder all day long and can recharge at home or while driving.
spinningmagnets
100 TW
Transformer-based spot-welders will provide AC current. I have seen youtubes of examples with an adjustable electronic timer added in an effort to provide more consistent results. https://www.electricbike.com/resistance-soldering-unit/
The Malectrics kit seems to be popular. It uses a large car battery (or possibly a brick of LiPo) as the DC energy source to spot-weld. It is a simple device that provides a precise and adjustable pulse, but the actual current is dependent on the power source (meaning thye size and type of battery you are using). Instead of using a switch with physical contacts (like a car starter solenoid) it uses a semiconductor group of MOSFETs as on/off switches that in theory (if properly spec't for the job), should last for hundreds of thousands of welds without degradation.
The kWeld is similar to the Malectrics, but it is more expensive because it adds some upscale features. If using a car battery (for example) the amount of power coming from the battery may slowly go down as it is used (depending on the size and age of the battery). The kWeld tracks the energy passing through it in real time, and as the voltage begins to drop slightly over time, it will automatically adjust the pulse time to compensate, which provides a more consistent spot-welding result. It also has a test feature to evaluate the battery you plan to use, so you will know ahead of time if your battery is adequate.
The kWeld also has the option of using an 8.2V super capacitor bank, so that the battery that charges the super-caps does not have to be a high-amp and low-resistance unit.
The Malectrics kit seems to be popular. It uses a large car battery (or possibly a brick of LiPo) as the DC energy source to spot-weld. It is a simple device that provides a precise and adjustable pulse, but the actual current is dependent on the power source (meaning thye size and type of battery you are using). Instead of using a switch with physical contacts (like a car starter solenoid) it uses a semiconductor group of MOSFETs as on/off switches that in theory (if properly spec't for the job), should last for hundreds of thousands of welds without degradation.
The kWeld is similar to the Malectrics, but it is more expensive because it adds some upscale features. If using a car battery (for example) the amount of power coming from the battery may slowly go down as it is used (depending on the size and age of the battery). The kWeld tracks the energy passing through it in real time, and as the voltage begins to drop slightly over time, it will automatically adjust the pulse time to compensate, which provides a more consistent spot-welding result. It also has a test feature to evaluate the battery you plan to use, so you will know ahead of time if your battery is adequate.
The kWeld also has the option of using an 8.2V super capacitor bank, so that the battery that charges the super-caps does not have to be a high-amp and low-resistance unit.
flippy
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i would just get a maletrics if you are on a budget or a kWeld if you want something more durable.
all other options are bascially either just shit or a compromise.
for bigger stuff you need a real tig welder, argon gas and a few weeks of learning on how to tig weld.
all other options are bascially either just shit or a compromise.
for bigger stuff you need a real tig welder, argon gas and a few weeks of learning on how to tig weld.
flippy
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Bith the maletrics and kweld only need a (car) battery and a small charger to keep it topped up. The kweld can be used only with a charger if you use the kcap unit as well.
Proper tig welders ofcourse not, the current demands would be huge.
I do build units that can run proper 240v welders completly off grid and can be charges with a car alternator
Proper tig welders ofcourse not, the current demands would be huge.
I do build units that can run proper 240v welders completly off grid and can be charges with a car alternator
Looking to not require AC at all.
Current isn't an issue I think, DC genset at say 12kW?
DC TIG may well be fine for heavy stuff, but most times old school stick will do.
In this case I was thinking spot welding, do you think Kweld will do for thin sheet, say .030 ?
Current isn't an issue I think, DC genset at say 12kW?
DC TIG may well be fine for heavy stuff, but most times old school stick will do.
In this case I was thinking spot welding, do you think Kweld will do for thin sheet, say .030 ?
flippy
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why in the everloving fudge would anyone use a DC generator? you know that is just a AC generator with extra electronics?
a kweld can do .3mm nickel if you have the kcap option. but however you slice it: you need a (low power) DC power source to charge the caps. that can be a simple 8V dc output run from a simple lipo battery or car battery. the same applies to the maletrics but that requires a car battery as standard.
also be clear on what spot welder is being used, low power DC welders like maletics or kweld or a transformer based welder like the 700 series from aliexpress.
i dont know why you would ever use a generator.
please seperate a discussion about spot welding nickel strip and "proper" tig/mig/stick welding. they require vastly different power sources.
a kweld can do .3mm nickel if you have the kcap option. but however you slice it: you need a (low power) DC power source to charge the caps. that can be a simple 8V dc output run from a simple lipo battery or car battery. the same applies to the maletrics but that requires a car battery as standard.
also be clear on what spot welder is being used, low power DC welders like maletics or kweld or a transformer based welder like the 700 series from aliexpress.
i dont know why you would ever use a generator.
please seperate a discussion about spot welding nickel strip and "proper" tig/mig/stick welding. they require vastly different power sources.
