I made mine last year and the duty cycle seems to be all day long I used 5 MOT in series with 8awg wire with 8 turns on all the sec windings and it works like a charm although the voltage is a bit low 30v it actually welds like a champ in case you are wondering it outputs around 200amps
I am NOT an electrician or something like that!! Watching this TUTORIAL makes me feel like I could become an electrician. WELL - THOUGH & PREPARED => WORK!! T-H-A-N-K-S 4 the AMOUNT of TIME spent on this! You should REALLY consider RE-UPLOADING this TUTORIAL in/auf DEUTSCH😅
I wish my professors in electrical engineering had been as articulate and concise as you. Thank you for taking the time to deconstruct these systems into their basic, first-principles components and concepts!
+OTL Productions I wish EXACTLY the same thing too! At least some of them were decent enough so by paying attention, all this stuff here makes sense, instead of trying to learn it now.
This literally answered every single question I had about the mechanisms by which transformers operate, in a remarkably well-structured format demonstrating a thorough understanding of the subject matter, making for the most time-efficient educational video I have ever seen in my life. Outstanding channel. I have never subscribed to anyone so fast before. This man is a veritable genius.
I enjoy watching your videos and experiments. Way over my head and too late to learn at 72 years old. I was a welder for 40 years and really enjoyed what I learned while welding. Now I have a couple of welding machines that I need to repair and was trying to see if I could gain any information on RUclips. It would have been nice to learn the electrical side of the machines I have used. Keep up the great work and teachings, much appreciated Sir. Paul Greenlee
Thank you. I think that I'm very fortunate to live in a time when I can watch teachers and researchers do their work like this. It is a very personal experience. Thank you again.
very good command of english for a not native speaker, solid theoric knownledge of electronics, good video making skills, and bit of humor. you are the man, man! :-) Grusse aus Italien
I'm in agreeance. However with todays computer skills it is not difficult to translate English into just about every common dialect spoken on the planet today! If I could transport back in time to when this video was made I would tell all of you that BITCOIN is where all your spare money should be invested! Buy as much as possible. As of today, Bitcoin sells for $70,000 per Bitcoin! Imagine a $1,000 investment 10 years ago what you would have today in 2024?
I've been an electrician for over 30yrs. I was apprentice of the year for my class and I have to say THANK YOU. Its been way too long since I've studied electricity. I knew there was a good reason I subscribed.
Though i am a doctor by proffession yet i have great love for electronics and respect for the geniuses who have shown what human mind is capable of. Your video has been a great help to further my understanding oc transformers. Thank you!!
Being an engineer n enthusiastic of "how stuff works", I have bee watching electrical n mechanical videos on you tube since 2012- Today i stumbled upon best video i ever watched, which gave me great deal of knowledge n information. Must admit being good in academic n practical, i had overvalued myself. I m down on earth after watching n listening to sound technical knowledge from this video! Thx not only for uploading it, but reveling me how practical n knowledgeable a person can be-
Wow. So impressive. I am quarter German and I am sure I had the same monotone voice when I explained things to people as well. I am retired now but people commented about this to me when I worked and I realized I was doing it intuitively because it’s the most efficient way to teach someone. Being and acting like a clown or following like a sheep makes you popular but you don’t achieve anything. They called me a genius so many times I was sick of hearing it. I am sure he also has a very good sense of hummer as well. I feel like giving this guy a job not money. Sure it was not perfect and some depressed people will pick on the small cracks in his explanations but this kid presented a brilliant summary with virtually nothing. Thank you so much for your efforts.
I could listen to TPAA all day. I love how he sounds so casually brilliant. He's like this regular guy that you went to high school with, who also just happens to be an actual mad scientist. It's awesome.
Love your work ! I have an Electronic Engineering degree from 30 years ago, but I find your exceptional clarity of explanations wonderful for clearing the cobwebs away from the long dis-used magnetic theory stored in my head from way back then :) Ive mainly been a "Digitologist" in my career, working with Microcontrollers, PowerFets and embedded systems (EFI, Robot ESC's etc) so to see you working in the power electronic/electrical realm is excellent ! ...aaand. funnily enough, just a little while ago, I bought a modern DC Inverter Tig (and Plasma cutter) and taught myself to TIG weld (through youtube videos of course).. and I would *love to upgrade it to be able to do AC for Aluminium. Like you, I cant quite swallow the extra $600 (Australian) more than the DC machines just to do AC for some occasional Aluminium welding.. ... so If you are planning on trying to come up with some form of add-on micro-controller board to be able to generate the wave-forms (Frequency, Mark/Space ratio (cleaning action), Pulse Rate, Ramp up and Down, and external control (pedal, finger pressure trigger) etc, required to make a DC welder into an AC one, then I'm with you 100%. Ive already joined your Patreon campaign, If theres else I might be able to help things along with, let me know.... ...If you think its possible to microprocessor control the DC Welder electronics without requiring major PowerDrive component replacement, then maybe a Kickstarter project to develop an Open-source modulator add on board would garner some support to help development along ?.. ..In any case, keep on with the videos, theyre great ! Thank you ! :)
SpockieTech Hey first of all: Thank you for your support! It's great to known that I have obviously found a topic here that is "right down your alley") If I can find a reasonable way to convert the DC welder, then I indeed might think about a kickstarter campaign. The biggest problem with that will however be that there are so many different types and brands of machines that it will not be possible to create a module that will simply "fit" inside any given model. but we will see about that once I have done further research in that direction.
As usual, I only understood about half of the info you presented but I sure learned a lot. Reminds me of the old adage about drinking from a fire hose. I keep going back to videos that I've already seen and learn more each time. Thanks!
I could write a lengthy piece detailing the various ways you impress with your videos, but I'll say this simple sentence, with deep & profound meaning behind it: You Sir, are an asset to a world of hungry minds... Thank you! From Joseph in Hudson Falls, New York, USA. 😎👍
Thank you so much for the very easy to follow explanations you've assembled in this video. I have found my learning ability is somewhat different than typical students and thus is why traditional schools heald not much for me.Primarily I'd say my focus was not all there in the classroom most of the time and I stopped going to school around 16 years old and began working 60 hours a week learning air cooled Volkswagen repair and service during the data and delivering pizza in the evening. A couple years later,I took the GED equivalency test out of curiosity to determine if I was stupid or was something else hindering my classroom distractions. I scored near perfect in all areas of the tests. One part that surprised me was the math portion. I had no previous schooling in the subject of algebra yet through the deduction process and common sense I scored well enough to pass! We all know that the older style GED had multiple choice to choose the correct answer from so, weeding out the obsurd incorrect answers made the percentages increase of getting the correct answer! I don't think I have ADHD or other type of condition except possibly Idiot Sevant? Ashburgers Syndrome? I did have a challenging home life without knowing my biological father.I am the youngest of 3 kids and brother and sister knew our father and are both extremely bright and successful in this world. To sum this up, your style of educating here in this video makes it much easier for me to retain what has been explained proving to me that youtube style education is a terrific source for anybody looking to further their education. My curiosity is what drives me to absorb hours of this and a few other fields of study daily. I couldn't tell you fact one about professional sports but anything automobile related to servicing and repair I am more than likely familiar with it. I have become very profecient in BLDC motor and controller building (thank you RUclips!) and there's an inner connection this video has to that field. Spot welding is crucial when building Lithium Ion multi-cell battery packs. Even Ni=Mi batteries use spot welding to achieve the best adhesion of nickle tabs to physical batteries and the outcome is the cleanest most compact batteries available today.
I really liked this video, i just started my first electronics design job and now only design FPGA/analog stuff for the semiconductor test industry. now I finally got the money to do cool projects like this.
I know NOTHING about electronics, but still I watch these videos. I have almost no idea what you're talking about, but as long as you keep saying 'moss-fats' and I'll stay subscribed :)
The simplest welding machine consists of two separate pieces of tin sheet stuck in a bucket of salty water. One sheet connects to the live wire, the other to the welding stick holder. The neutral is common. - Half a handful of salt is needed for 8-10 l of water. Dissolve the salt in hot water. - The conductor thickness should be 2.5 - 3.2 mm2 for 2.5 thick sticks. - If the fuse is tripped, add more water and avoid electric contact with the earth. - You can use a car battery box (with the internal walls pierced) instead of a bucket for power control. *Keep in mind that this machine should be operated very carefully because the live wire voltage is on the stick holder AND in the bucket.*
What a brilliant video! Clear, concise and no jibber-jabber. I understand my Welder better because of this video. Perhaps I can get it working! Thank you very much!
to the sound of evil buzzing at 50Hz: "as you can see, we are at an output power of roughly - oh wait, my Fluke is melting" great vid and perfect demonstration of shunting
For this application a current clamp would be very very very advisable . Btw , personaly i have great respect for classic welding machines , if you don;t abuse them they will last millenia . Perfect for post apocalyptic home use .
I have one of those welders, and added a 110mm 220VAC fan on the rear panel to cool it, which helped a lot with increasing duty cycle from it's original 2 minutes per 15 minutes to around 5 minutes per 15 minutes. It keeps the core cool, even if the stray magnetic field when the arc strikes stops the fan dead while welding.
I love these experimental setups you used to do. That reminds me.... I've got to get my dummy load designed. .. should keep me busy for a few days of lockdown.
Excellent lesson, you are an outstanding teacher, remind me of Salman khan. You know how to explain things that seem difficult when explained by 99% of teachers and engineers. I hope you make lots of videos experimenting with different electronic devices. Thank you, keep it up
A tip for cleaning a really dirty electronic part is to use a pressure washer. After a few day it can be powered up again one it is completely dry. This applies to old television sets, old radios etc.
Fascinating stuff. Its much easier to learn this stuff from such a concise format as these well done videos. Plus this generally isn't the kind of knowledge you run into outside of an electrical engineering degree by the sounds of it.
I have a feeling some of my tutorials helped you disassemble your transformer :). Well done, interesting video. I appreciate a thorough explanation that is not too technical. Great content.
I am NOT an electrician or something like that!! Watching this TUTORIAL makes me feel like I could become an electrician. WELL - THOUGH & PREPARED => WORK!! T-H-A-N-K-S 4 the AMOUNT of TIME spent on this! You should REALLY consider RE-UPLOADING this TUTORIAL in/auf DEUTSCH😅
actually there is another reason the transformer heated up so quickly. during normal usage the cables, clamp, clamp ground connection and the wire electrodes have a lot more resistance probably 10x more than the two short fat wires you bolted to the outputs, which of course caused more than the 140 max amps that the transformer is rated for. comparing the two fat wires to the secondary wires shows that difference. also most welders are sole with 20% duty cycle.apart from my above comment, I think I agree with all the good compliments about your videos. excellent understanding of the subject and very clear and precise explanations. thanks for sharing. I am looking forward to the "reverse engineering" video of the inverter welder.
I built my own arc welder by rewinding the secondaries on some microwave oven transformers. I even d/c weld with it through an MDQ200A bridge rectifier. It works.
I received a new einhell cen 150 euromaster tranformer welder. I want to replace the permanent cables, with ones that connect to the welder with a Dins connector. If I remove the cables how can I safely connect the internal cables to the Dins connectors on the inside pf the welder? Thank you in advance for any advice.
I have been contemplating building a spot welder (for putting tabs on batteries) based on starting out with a salvaged microwave oven transformer, and viewing videos where this was done. I see "remove the magnetic shunts" and after viewing this video now I know why.
so i watched this video yesterday and i was thinking about how to build a inexpensive welder. the idea i have involves 4 mots. i had seen a video where a fellow glues two mots together and ran them at the same time on one primary. this may be the concept we need here. instructions are simple. cut them in half and take out the high voltage secondaries of two and completely gut the other two. in pairs of twos, glue or weld the two e cores together to make two double size mot transformers. im from the US so run in series for 240 or parallel in phase for 120 unless the primaries are already meant for 240 then run in parallel. im gonna do some exparimenting. cheers.
Walter Spurer Ja das ist eine Sache mehr, die früher oder später wieder Geld kosten wird. Aber im Moment komme ich mit dem alten Ding noch klar. Da ich mich hauptsächlich mit Leistungselektronik beschäftige, messe ich hauptsächlich Frequenzen im Bereich von 100 kHz, wofür dieses Teil ausreichend ist.
Trying to grasp the theory of the shunt:.It appears the shunt changes/redirects the flux density thru the core. Thus mechanically /physically changing position of the shunt will control/limit or increase the current available out of the secondary. Microwave ovens have HV transformers, they have magnetic shunts in their cores. Assuming these shunts serve the same purpose, why are they needed; why would one wish to limit the output current. It would seem one would want as much as one could get? In RF output mode. Is it to protect the transformer from over current, as well as limit excessive In rush current? Are microwave oven transformers considered “stray field transformers” because of the inclusion of shunts? And/or are the lamination orientation different in microwave transformers? I ask because I see many posts of repurposing microwave Oven transformers for welding applications. Usually the first step of repurpose is the removable of the shunts, why?
What would be best for me to make an ark furnace for metal melting? Making a short circuit on carbon electrodes for a long period of time?? On top of what you recommend, what do you think about using a Variac? The Variac can be dual purpose for me if I can use it in this manner, because I am also going to want to spin a motor at a particular RPM. If a Variac will work for me what is the specifications to look for reaching the highest temperature possible in a ark furnace, the toughest if metals to melt ?
i have a 3 phase 1 KW winding . i like to make one my primary the other 2 my secondary. i not been brave enough to wire up put 120 volts through first winding to see what volts come out the 2 other windings. i not sure i get a response i am interested
Brilliant. Good science and cleverness. Spend much time in a factory? Say as a Millwright or Electrician? I feel like I know you. Writing in 2018, this style was really fun. There is value in that.
I'll fire a quite random question here since you seem to share a common interest with me ;) I'm slowly working on getting the basic structure determined for a 3-phase 400V grid-connected device where either power factor within a very limited frequency range, or the resulting grid voltage will be increased/decreased in a IGBT AC/AC 20-30kHz fashion driving a series-coupled auto-transformer. Due to the asolutely massive scale of the componentes needed to feed several hundred kVA and and the drawn power factor from this kind of topology being reasonably sinusoidal due to lacking a DC storage leg, I have begun thinking about actually using an old fashion laminated iron/silicon 3-phase EI-transformer, and perhaps design the windings with a bit of extra air-gap between either primary and secondary, or even distancing both windings out from the core in order to increase the leakage inductance caused by the air volume inside the flux lines. I know that my efficiency will be absolutely horrible if the basic frequency that I convey would be much higher than 50Hz, but to me it feels like the total magnetic flux excursion at 20kHz pwm switching would cause a magnetic delta-ripple in the low single-digit milli-tesla or even less in a 100kg+ transformer where even a large portion of the inductive energy that takes up the ripple is inside the leakage inductance and not contributes that much to the core losses. I am humbly asking for guidance on how I can analyze this matter better, how it connects to the various parameters of a more non-ideal transformer model (perhaps the T-model), and how well using the transformer leakage inductance in combination with only added parallell capacitance over the windings would function in the battle against EMI leakage/radiation.
I have a cheap stray field welder, it is a 120v- 20amp rated. Can I improve on its performance by rewiring it for 240v? It has a cooling fan that i would connect to 1 leg to keep it 120v. It is much easier for me to supply 240v 15amp service than 120v 20amp.
Thanks for an excellent video. AC/DC welders are fascinating and as you know fall into two main groups, the older being switched by SCR pairs and the newer ones with IGBT units. Hope you eventually get to look at both kinds and share your thoughts. The dummy coil in the back of all the SCR units I have seen is fascinating and seems to be a balance coil to save the SCR from damage when the field reverses. Look forward to future videos.
a little late on the scene, but I did always wander how my old buzz box really worked, and why it always conked out on me in the middle of a job. I did however upgrade to an inverter machine which is so much smoother than the old transformer. i do miss it though, I did keep hold of blue (my affectionate name for the transformer) with the hope of making a spot welder, but in the end I donated it to a friend who wanted to "get into" welding. I must say that although your knowledge of electronics far outweighs mine, I don't feel as confused as I thought I was after watching. thanks for explaining this machine and I hope you managed to build an AC/DC gtaw in the end.
So the modern welder is more efficient, but the basic older design is less likely to breakdown due to less complication, is that correct? also it is cheaper and easier to replace or repair the older design when it breaks down.
Du erklärst das besser als unser TECH Lehrer :D Bin jetzt E2 und auf nem Beruflichen Gymnasium im Fachbereich Datenverarbeitungstechnik und unser Lehrer bringt das so langweilig rüber. Also echt gut und interessant gemacht :). LG Blackbacklp
Why the voltage after secondary and bridge rectifier is changing as you move the shunt in? It was 49V DC, and then it dropped to 42.6V DC after rectifier. I was always told that the secondary is related to primary only by transformer ratio which is ratio of number of turns in primary and secondary. I understand there might be some power loses in transformer and inductance, etc, but it is weird. I mean, magnetism is magic, so I have no idea. Update: Never mind, this is clearly explained at 22:45. The number of turns indeed actually changes by insertion of magnetic shunt.
Hello! Great video as always! I'm figuring out a possibility to rectifier the output of stray field welding tranformer in order to achieve a better welding result. In my mind the output filter would be better implemente by an inductor. What do you think about that pissibility? Kind regards AT
Can I use one of these to make an adjustable strength electromagnet? I recently learned about the microwave magnetron conversion & would like to attempt building one myself, after learning how to that is... So would it be possible to build something similar with this? I have access to both, but would only utilize a welding machine transformer if beneficial to...such as, simplicity for ease of design & build (since I'm still learning), or added function such as being adjustable in strength, stronger in general or more durable/longer lasting. Any single benefit benefit worthwhile would be enough for me to build at least one to experiment with. In reality I'd probably build several of each for various applications, but would like to know...1, is it even possible & if so 2, benefits in one over the other, roughly speaking.
There is another "family" of welders... Spot welders. Could we convert one of the cheap-simple transformer welders into a small spot welder? Like the Microwave Oven Transformer mod, but with current adjustment.
Hello Great video. I better understand about welding machines. May you can help me. I have Draper ARC welding machine . The adjusting rod has damaged. Do you know where I can buy spare one? Please
e-mail a pic at whatsnextbw@gmail.com might adapt or may the rod and handle you need-lots of other machine parts . if some of you need parts please email .i do maintenance but the man you watched is special-few compare- i am a journeyman pipefitter by trade
So, does this welder have an AC output? I did not see any diodes in it. If so, Why can't you use such a source for AC tig? Allways wondered about this. Thanks for this interesting video. Cheers.
Flip de boer Hallo. Yes. This machine does only deliver AC at it's output. No it cannot really be used as a base for an AC tig welder though ( or at least not without considerable effort). It is hard to explain why though. But I will deliver an explanation once I make a video about that technology.
Excellent as always. Your experiments and drawings are first class. Well done. I found your channel through a search for SMPS information and devoured your 5-video series on that subject. I was excited to hear that you planned more. Will you still complete that series? Please, oh please, say yes! I would particularly love to see the buck topology design tutorial. Thanks!
FlyingShotsman Yes I will continue the series sooner or later. But I will continue these practical projects first. You can also trust me with one thing: The videos about the welding inverters will basically be like episodes of the SMPS-tutorial. Those thing are (concerning their mode of operation) not to different from what you will find in an ATX power supply for example.
The Post Apocalyptic Inventor Not trying to be smartass, I know English is not your native language neither mine but I think what you tried to say was "sooner or later" ;) Thanks for another great video by the way.
uncensoredtr Thanks for the advice. In German the words "earlier" and "sooner" translate to exactly the same word. So things like that happen from time to time.
Very cool. Your explanations were a great brush up on transformers. I found the part on stray field transformers and coupling to be quite informative as I haven't thought about those in some time. I finally found my first mot to fashion a resistance welder for both batteries and general spot welding. I plan to also build a basic arc welder with a variac, but would like to start working on a couple switching designs soon. Thanks for the video.
Well I am here again... The spot welder turned out nice, but I have an interview coming up and was trying to find some good review on the PWM control design for switching DC welding. Any good resources?
Study up on ESCs. They take DC volts and output PWM to the electric motor. Given the PWM outputs in the KHz range it sees the electric motor as purely resistive. No transformers are required and the efficiency is in the high 90% range
Well another superb video here... I wish I had such a good teacher in my earlier years... Can't wait to get more of these incredibly informative videos. Thank you for all your time and efforts at making these tricky subjects so clear and understandable by the masses ! If only I had s few dollar to spare, I'd be glad to help you build your TIG devices from spare parts... I'll try to play lottery...
DJSolitone Thank you :). Your "mental" support is just as important. If it wasn't for faithfull viewers like you guys out there, I would have stopped making videos a long time ago. Even if youtube was a goldmine...
Can I convert my welding transformer into a transformer for battery charging? I have a welder similar to the one in this video. With the unreliable power supply in Ghana, I am thinking of setting up a battery power bank using my welding transformer to build a charger. I already have a rectifier obtain from an electric forklift that operated on a 48V battery pack. So can I use the arc welding transformer to build a charger for 48V battery bank?
Ohene Boafo In "Experiment Nr.1" you can see, that the rectified output voltage of the transformer was still at around 50V, at a load of 500W. A "48V" lead acid battery bank needs to be charged to a value of around 56V . So with some luck your welding transformer can do that. Charging currents of up to 20A could possibly be delivered by the transformer for several hours without overheating. A transformer like this could charge a 48V battery bank with a capacity of up to 200 Ah in a time period of 10 hours. But the high leakage inductance makes these transformers very bad at keeping the output voltage constant. With increasing output current, the output voltage drops stronger than with typical mains transformers. A welding transformer is not really suited as a normal mains transformer. To ensure proper charging you also need some kind of control circuit. Otherwise the lifespan of your batteries will be very short.
Thanks very much for your vivid explanation. Given the inevitable drop in the output voltage of the transformer as the battery bank pulls heavy current, I guess considering rather a 36V battery bank will be ideal. I measured the AC voltage at the output leads of the welding transformer and got between 44V - 48V. The stated maximum current the transformer can deliver is 200A! From the theory I guess that if I aim at charging a 36V battery bank instead, then the rectified output voltage of the transformer should be around 48V dc which I believe can be sustained by the welding transformer 's AC output (measured to be between 44Vac to 48Vac as stated above). Having said that , I can't I use capacitors of appropriate specs to smooth out the rectified output voltage of the welding transformer to obtain a charging voltage of 42Vdc? I suppose capacitors, in tandem with the rectier, can atone for and block leakage in the inductance of the welding transformer. I'm fancying the conversion of my not - in - use welding transformer because of the huge output current it's designed to give ; rated between 40A - 200A. Please your accessment and prognosis of my aim will be highly appreciated.
My wire welding machine keeps skipping like it’s shutting off 0.3 second and works fine for 3 seconds and then skips again like 0.3 sec , is that means the transformer is bad ?
New video about welding machines is now online: ruclips.net/video/6Gx9cBPrjAs/видео.html
I made mine last year and the duty cycle seems to be all day long I used 5 MOT in series with 8awg wire with 8 turns on all the sec windings and it works like a charm although the voltage is a bit low 30v it actually welds like a champ in case you are wondering it outputs around 200amps
Hey Mr. Gerolf, are any future TV-appearances planned? I really enjoyed the few episodes they had with you on DMAX!
3:21 Is that the compressor you bought at the scrapyard?
I am NOT an electrician or something like that!! Watching this TUTORIAL makes me feel like I could become an electrician. WELL - THOUGH & PREPARED => WORK!! T-H-A-N-K-S 4 the AMOUNT of TIME spent on this! You should REALLY consider RE-UPLOADING this TUTORIAL in/auf DEUTSCH😅
I wish my professors in electrical engineering had been as articulate and concise as you. Thank you for taking the time to deconstruct these systems into their basic, first-principles components and concepts!
+OTL Productions I feel the same way, 2,5 year into my EE degree and I still learn alot from these videos! Also they are fun to watch :D
+OTL Productions I wish EXACTLY the same thing too! At least some of them were decent enough so by paying attention, all this stuff here makes sense, instead of trying to learn it now.
This literally answered every single question I had about the mechanisms by which transformers operate, in a remarkably well-structured format demonstrating a thorough understanding of the subject matter, making for the most time-efficient educational video I have ever seen in my life. Outstanding channel. I have never subscribed to anyone so fast before. This man is a veritable genius.
I enjoy watching your videos and experiments. Way over my head and too late to learn at 72 years old. I was a welder for 40 years and really enjoyed what I learned while welding. Now I have a couple of welding machines that I need to repair and was trying to see if I could gain any information on RUclips. It would have been nice to learn the electrical side of the machines I have used. Keep up the great work and teachings, much appreciated Sir. Paul Greenlee
Thank you. I think that I'm very fortunate to live in a time when I can watch teachers and researchers do their work like this. It is a very personal experience. Thank you again.
very good command of english for a not native speaker, solid theoric knownledge of electronics, good video making skills, and bit of humor. you are the man, man! :-) Grusse aus Italien
I'm in agreeance. However with todays computer skills it is not difficult to translate English into just about every common dialect spoken on the planet today!
If I could transport back in time to when this video was made I would tell all of you that BITCOIN is where all your spare money should be invested! Buy as much as possible. As of today, Bitcoin sells for $70,000 per Bitcoin! Imagine a $1,000 investment 10 years ago what you would have today in 2024?
I've been an electrician for over 30yrs. I was apprentice of the year for my class and I have to say THANK YOU. Its been way too long since I've studied electricity. I knew there was a good reason I subscribed.
I feel smart just watching this. So much information and explained in an accessible way!
Though i am a doctor by proffession yet i have great love for electronics and respect for the geniuses who have shown what human mind is capable of. Your video has been a great help to further my understanding oc transformers. Thank you!!
The information density of your videos makes for one of the best channels I've seen
Nice stuff
Being an engineer n enthusiastic of "how stuff works", I have bee watching electrical n mechanical videos on you tube since 2012-
Today i stumbled upon best video i ever watched, which gave me great deal of knowledge n information. Must admit being good in academic n practical, i had overvalued myself. I m down on earth after watching n listening to sound technical knowledge from this video!
Thx not only for uploading it, but reveling me how practical n knowledgeable a person can be-
Wow. So impressive.
I am quarter German and I am sure I had the same monotone voice when I explained things to people as well.
I am retired now but people commented about this to me when I worked and I realized I was doing it intuitively because it’s the most efficient way to teach someone. Being and acting like a clown or following like a sheep makes you popular but you don’t achieve anything.
They called me a genius so many times I was sick of hearing it.
I am sure he also has a very good sense of hummer as well.
I feel like giving this guy a job not money.
Sure it was not perfect and some depressed people will pick on the small cracks in his explanations but this kid presented a brilliant summary with virtually nothing.
Thank you so much for your efforts.
I just love the simplicity of the old welders! Our forefathers are a lot more clever than we give them credit for.
I could listen to TPAA all day. I love how he sounds so casually brilliant. He's like this regular guy that you went to high school with, who also just happens to be an actual mad scientist. It's awesome.
Love your work ! I have an Electronic Engineering degree from 30 years ago, but I find your exceptional clarity of explanations wonderful for clearing the cobwebs away from the long dis-used magnetic theory stored in my head from way back then :) Ive mainly been a "Digitologist" in my career, working with Microcontrollers, PowerFets and embedded systems (EFI, Robot ESC's etc) so to see you working in the power electronic/electrical realm is excellent !
...aaand. funnily enough, just a little while ago, I bought a modern DC Inverter Tig (and Plasma cutter) and taught myself to TIG weld (through youtube videos of course).. and I would *love to upgrade it to be able to do AC for Aluminium. Like you, I cant quite swallow the extra $600 (Australian) more than the DC machines just to do AC for some occasional Aluminium welding..
... so If you are planning on trying to come up with some form of add-on micro-controller board to be able to generate the wave-forms (Frequency, Mark/Space ratio (cleaning action), Pulse Rate, Ramp up and Down, and external control (pedal, finger pressure trigger) etc, required to make a DC welder into an AC one, then I'm with you 100%. Ive already joined your Patreon campaign, If theres else I might be able to help things along with, let me know....
...If you think its possible to microprocessor control the DC Welder electronics without requiring major PowerDrive component replacement, then maybe a Kickstarter project to develop an Open-source modulator add on board would garner some support to help development along ?..
..In any case, keep on with the videos, theyre great ! Thank you ! :)
SpockieTech Hey first of all: Thank you for your support! It's great to known that I have obviously found a topic here that is "right down your alley")
If I can find a reasonable way to convert the DC welder, then I indeed might think about a kickstarter campaign. The biggest problem with that will however be that there are so many different types and brands of machines that it will not be possible to create a module that will simply "fit" inside any given model. but we will see about that once I have done further research in that direction.
As usual, I only understood about half of the info you presented but I sure learned a lot. Reminds me of the old adage about drinking from a fire hose. I keep going back to videos that I've already seen and learn more each time. Thanks!
I could write a lengthy piece detailing the various ways you impress with your videos, but I'll say this simple sentence, with deep & profound meaning behind it:
You Sir, are an asset to a world of hungry minds...
Thank you!
From Joseph in Hudson Falls, New York, USA. 😎👍
SOmehow I prefer your videos even more than those other super high budget youtubers
Thank you so much for the very easy to follow explanations you've assembled in this video.
I have found my learning ability is somewhat different than typical students and thus is why traditional schools heald not much for me.Primarily I'd say my focus was not all there in the classroom most of the time and I stopped going to school around 16 years old and began working 60 hours a week learning air cooled Volkswagen repair and service during the data and delivering pizza in the evening. A couple years later,I took the GED equivalency test out of curiosity to determine if I was stupid or was something else hindering my classroom distractions. I scored near perfect in all areas of the tests. One part that surprised me was the math portion. I had no previous schooling in the subject of algebra yet through the deduction process and common sense I scored well enough to pass! We all know that the older style GED had multiple choice to choose the correct answer from so, weeding out the obsurd incorrect answers made the percentages increase of getting the correct answer! I don't think I have ADHD or other type of condition except possibly Idiot Sevant? Ashburgers Syndrome? I did have a challenging home life without knowing my biological father.I am the youngest of 3 kids and brother and sister knew our father and are both extremely bright and successful in this world.
To sum this up, your style of educating here in this video makes it much easier for me to retain what has been explained proving to me that youtube style education is a terrific source for anybody looking to further their education. My curiosity is what drives me to absorb hours of this and a few other fields of study daily. I couldn't tell you fact one about professional sports but anything automobile related to servicing and repair I am more than likely familiar with it.
I have become very profecient in BLDC motor and controller building (thank you RUclips!) and there's an inner connection this video has to that field. Spot welding is crucial when building Lithium Ion multi-cell battery packs. Even Ni=Mi batteries use spot welding to achieve the best adhesion of nickle tabs to physical batteries and the outcome is the cleanest most compact batteries available today.
I really liked this video, i just started my first electronics design job and now only design FPGA/analog stuff for the semiconductor test industry. now I finally got the money to do cool projects like this.
I went to school for the wrong thing every time I listen to these videos I get excited to learn more. Should have been a engineer.
23:50 thanks for showing this picture it helps me to understand the mystery of shunt plats :)
Awesome presenter. Zero fluff. Very smart
I know NOTHING about electronics, but still I watch these videos. I have almost no idea what you're talking about, but as long as you keep saying 'moss-fats' and I'll stay subscribed :)
Thanks for your time, money and effort into this piece of work.
Like the coverage of things we take for granted, transformers are more than step up, step down and isolation.
The simplest welding machine consists of two separate pieces of tin sheet stuck in a bucket of salty water. One sheet connects to the live wire, the other to the welding stick holder. The neutral is common.
- Half a handful of salt is needed for 8-10 l of water. Dissolve the salt in hot water.
- The conductor thickness should be 2.5 - 3.2 mm2 for 2.5 thick sticks.
- If the fuse is tripped, add more water and avoid electric contact with the earth.
- You can use a car battery box (with the internal walls pierced) instead of a bucket for power control.
*Keep in mind that this machine should be operated very carefully because the live wire voltage is on the stick holder AND in the bucket.*
What a brilliant video!
Clear, concise and no jibber-jabber.
I understand my Welder better because of this video.
Perhaps I can get it working!
Thank you very much!
to the sound of evil buzzing at 50Hz:
"as you can see, we are at an output power of roughly - oh wait, my Fluke is melting"
great vid and perfect demonstration of shunting
For this application a current clamp would be very very very advisable . Btw , personaly i have great respect for classic welding machines , if you don;t abuse them they will last millenia . Perfect for post apocalyptic home use .
ASTONISHED BY THE QUALITY OF YOUR VIDEO :))) Best video I've seen on YT in the last years. I'm visiting your Patreon site now.
I have one of those welders, and added a 110mm 220VAC fan on the rear panel to cool it, which helped a lot with increasing duty cycle from it's original 2 minutes per 15 minutes to around 5 minutes per 15 minutes. It keeps the core cool, even if the stray magnetic field when the arc strikes stops the fan dead while welding.
Thanks for showing the dusting with the compressor, that was super satisfying.
That's the only thing you learn from this video , Lol - you're a genius man
By far the best, most educational video on electrickary. Well Done
Your videos are great, I enjoy listening to you speak. Very concise
I love these experimental setups you used to do.
That reminds me.... I've got to get my dummy load designed. .. should keep me busy for a few days of lockdown.
This is my favorite video by one of my favorite u tube channels . thank you
Excellent lesson, you are an outstanding teacher, remind me of Salman khan. You know how to explain things that seem difficult when explained by 99% of teachers and engineers.
I hope you make lots of videos experimenting with different electronic devices.
Thank you, keep it up
you are a very good lecturer and your videos are priceless. God bless you
A tip for cleaning a really dirty electronic part is to use a pressure washer. After a few day it can be powered up again one it is completely dry. This applies to old television sets, old radios etc.
Fascinating stuff. Its much easier to learn this stuff from such a concise format as these well done videos. Plus this generally isn't the kind of knowledge you run into outside of an electrical engineering degree by the sounds of it.
I have a feeling some of my tutorials helped you disassemble your transformer :). Well done, interesting video. I appreciate a thorough explanation that is not too technical. Great content.
I wish i understood this better than i do, but great anyway. I enjoy your videos, and hope to learn from your also.
It would be terrific to have someone like you as a teacher at our school!
Great video.
Crisp and easy explanation, that electrical students can understand well. Good job....
Extremely thorough. Well done.
I am NOT an electrician or something like that!! Watching this TUTORIAL makes me feel like I could become an electrician. WELL - THOUGH & PREPARED => WORK!! T-H-A-N-K-S 4 the AMOUNT of TIME spent on this! You should REALLY consider RE-UPLOADING this TUTORIAL in/auf DEUTSCH😅
What is that book at 2:10 on the table? Always looking for good books about engineering 👀
actually there is another reason the transformer heated up so quickly. during normal usage the cables, clamp, clamp ground connection and the wire electrodes have a lot more resistance probably 10x more than the two short fat wires you bolted to the outputs, which of course caused more than the 140 max amps that the transformer is rated for. comparing the two fat wires to the secondary wires shows that difference. also most welders are sole with 20% duty cycle.apart from my above comment, I think I agree with all the good compliments about your videos. excellent understanding of the subject and very clear and precise explanations. thanks for sharing. I am looking forward to the "reverse engineering" video of the inverter welder.
Fantastische Video! Große Lektion in Induktivität, Elektrotechnik und Transformatoren.
اقسم بالله اني احببتك واحببت قناتك .... عن جد انت ممتاز ...very very good ....thanks
I built my own arc welder by rewinding the secondaries on some microwave oven transformers. I even d/c weld with it through an MDQ200A bridge rectifier. It works.
What are the names of the two books I see on your bench ? Thanks!
I received a new einhell cen 150 euromaster tranformer welder. I want to replace the permanent cables, with ones that connect to the welder with a Dins connector. If I remove the cables how can I safely connect the internal cables to the Dins connectors on the inside pf the welder? Thank you in advance for any advice.
I have been contemplating building a spot welder (for putting tabs on batteries) based on starting out with a salvaged microwave oven transformer, and viewing videos where this was done. I see "remove the magnetic shunts" and after viewing this video now I know why.
so i watched this video yesterday and i was thinking about how to build a inexpensive welder. the idea i have involves 4 mots. i had seen a video where a fellow glues two mots together and ran them at the same time on one primary. this may be the concept we need here. instructions are simple. cut them in half and take out the high voltage secondaries of two and completely gut the other two. in pairs of twos, glue or weld the two e cores together to make two double size mot transformers. im from the US so run in series for 240 or parallel in phase for 120 unless the primaries are already meant for 240 then run in parallel. im gonna do some exparimenting. cheers.
You videos are fun and educative thanks alot 💕
24:00 but its mean shunt not only controlls current but also the Voltage at the same time !!??
braucht dein Hameg osci auch immer so lange zum warmlaufen, wenn du niedrige Frequenzen messen willst?
Walter Spurer Das Ding braucht insgesamt lange zum warmlaufen. Und ja: Das Messen niedriger Frequenzen ist ebenfalls ein Problem.
bei mir genauso :((
vielleicht mal upgraden...
Walter Spurer Ja das ist eine Sache mehr, die früher oder später wieder Geld kosten wird. Aber im Moment komme ich mit dem alten Ding noch klar. Da ich mich hauptsächlich mit Leistungselektronik beschäftige, messe ich hauptsächlich Frequenzen im Bereich von 100 kHz, wofür dieses Teil ausreichend ist.
Ich vertrau ja lieber meinem rigol
You Sir are a GOD, what is it like walking around us intellectual mortals?
Excellent detail in practical and theoretical regards. Thanks for sharing!
Trying to grasp the theory of the shunt:.It appears the shunt changes/redirects the flux density thru the core. Thus mechanically /physically changing position of the shunt will control/limit or increase the current available out of the secondary.
Microwave ovens have HV transformers, they have magnetic shunts in their cores. Assuming these shunts serve the same purpose, why are they needed; why would one wish to limit the output current. It would seem one would want as much as one could get? In RF output mode. Is it to protect the transformer from over current, as well as limit excessive In rush current?
Are microwave oven transformers considered “stray field transformers” because of the inclusion of shunts? And/or are the lamination orientation different in microwave transformers? I ask because I see many posts of repurposing microwave Oven transformers for welding applications. Usually the first step of repurpose is the removable of the shunts, why?
thoroughly enjoyed your video, even speaking in your second language you are a better teacher than my professors lol
Great video. You have excellent teaching skills and a very professional voice.
What would be best for me to make an ark furnace for metal melting? Making a short circuit on carbon electrodes for a long period of time?? On top of what you recommend, what do you think about using a Variac? The Variac can be dual purpose for me if I can use it in this manner, because I am also going to want to spin a motor at a particular RPM. If a Variac will work for me what is the specifications to look for reaching the highest temperature possible in a ark furnace, the toughest if metals to melt ?
i have a 3 phase 1 KW winding . i like to make one my primary the other 2 my secondary. i not been brave enough to wire up put 120 volts through first winding to see what volts come out the 2 other windings. i not sure i get a response i am interested
Damn homie let's get back to refurbishing old vices, I feel like I did when taking a college classes I didn't understand..lol
Why is the primary large dia amd the secondary small, doesn't it need to be opposite for the large welding currents that need to be produced. ?
Brilliant. Good science and cleverness. Spend much time in a factory? Say as a Millwright or Electrician? I feel like I know you.
Writing in 2018, this style was really fun. There is value in that.
I'll fire a quite random question here since you seem to share a common interest with me ;) I'm slowly working on getting the basic structure determined for a 3-phase 400V grid-connected device where either power factor within a very limited frequency range, or the resulting grid voltage will be increased/decreased in a IGBT AC/AC 20-30kHz fashion driving a series-coupled auto-transformer. Due to the asolutely massive scale of the componentes needed to feed several hundred kVA and and the drawn power factor from this kind of topology being reasonably sinusoidal due to lacking a DC storage leg, I have begun thinking about actually using an old fashion laminated iron/silicon 3-phase EI-transformer, and perhaps design the windings with a bit of extra air-gap between either primary and secondary, or even distancing both windings out from the core in order to increase the leakage inductance caused by the air volume inside the flux lines. I know that my efficiency will be absolutely horrible if the basic frequency that I convey would be much higher than 50Hz, but to me it feels like the total magnetic flux excursion at 20kHz pwm switching would cause a magnetic delta-ripple in the low single-digit milli-tesla or even less in a 100kg+ transformer where even a large portion of the inductive energy that takes up the ripple is inside the leakage inductance and not contributes that much to the core losses.
I am humbly asking for guidance on how I can analyze this matter better, how it connects to the various parameters of a more non-ideal transformer model (perhaps the T-model), and how well using the transformer leakage inductance in combination with only added parallell capacitance over the windings would function in the battle against EMI leakage/radiation.
I have a cheap stray field welder, it is a 120v- 20amp rated. Can I improve on its performance by rewiring it for 240v? It has a cooling fan that i would connect to 1 leg to keep it 120v. It is much easier for me to supply 240v 15amp service than 120v 20amp.
Thanks for an excellent video. AC/DC welders are fascinating and as you know fall into two main groups, the older being switched by SCR pairs and the newer ones with IGBT units. Hope you eventually get to look at both kinds and share your thoughts. The dummy coil in the back of all the SCR units I have seen is fascinating and seems to be a balance coil to save the SCR from damage when the field reverses. Look forward to future videos.
a little late on the scene, but I did always wander how my old buzz box really worked, and why it always conked out on me in the middle of a job. I did however upgrade to an inverter machine which is so much smoother than the old transformer. i do miss it though, I did keep hold of blue (my affectionate name for the transformer) with the hope of making a spot welder, but in the end I donated it to a friend who wanted to "get into" welding. I must say that although your knowledge of electronics far outweighs mine, I don't feel as confused as I thought I was after watching. thanks for explaining this machine and I hope you managed to build an AC/DC gtaw in the end.
So the modern welder is more efficient, but the basic older design is less likely to breakdown due to less complication, is that correct? also it is cheaper and easier to replace or repair the older design when it breaks down.
Du erklärst das besser als unser TECH Lehrer :D Bin jetzt E2 und auf nem Beruflichen Gymnasium im Fachbereich Datenverarbeitungstechnik und unser Lehrer bringt das so langweilig rüber.
Also echt gut und interessant gemacht :).
LG Blackbacklp
Why the voltage after secondary and bridge rectifier is changing as you move the shunt in? It was 49V DC, and then it dropped to 42.6V DC after rectifier. I was always told that the secondary is related to primary only by transformer ratio which is ratio of number of turns in primary and secondary. I understand there might be some power loses in transformer and inductance, etc, but it is weird. I mean, magnetism is magic, so I have no idea.
Update: Never mind, this is clearly explained at 22:45. The number of turns indeed actually changes by insertion of magnetic shunt.
Hello! Great video as always! I'm figuring out a possibility to rectifier the output of stray field welding tranformer in order to achieve a better welding result. In my mind the output filter would be better implemente by an inductor. What do you think about that pissibility? Kind regards AT
what happen if you put that transformer in reverse order ?
could we still use it for welding ?
Great explanation. The genius man you are showing respect must be Charles Proteus Steinmentz.
Can I use one of these to make an adjustable strength electromagnet? I recently learned about the microwave magnetron conversion & would like to attempt building one myself, after learning how to that is... So would it be possible to build something similar with this? I have access to both, but would only utilize a welding machine transformer if beneficial to...such as, simplicity for ease of design & build (since I'm still learning), or added function such as being adjustable in strength, stronger in general or more durable/longer lasting. Any single benefit benefit worthwhile would be enough for me to build at least one to experiment with.
In reality I'd probably build several of each for various applications, but would like to know...1, is it even possible & if so 2, benefits in one over the other, roughly speaking.
There is another "family" of welders...
Spot welders.
Could we convert one of the cheap-simple transformer welders into a small spot welder?
Like the Microwave Oven Transformer mod, but with current adjustment.
i11011011001 Yes I'm sure that that can be done somehow and I will experiment with that sooner or later as well.
Great explanation! The only thing missing was the equivalent magnetic circuit.
Hello Great video. I better understand about welding machines. May you can help me. I have Draper ARC welding machine . The adjusting rod has damaged. Do you know where I can buy spare one? Please
e-mail a pic at whatsnextbw@gmail.com might adapt or may the rod and handle you need-lots of other machine parts . if some of you need parts please email .i do maintenance but the man you watched is special-few compare- i am a journeyman pipefitter by trade
very detailed and informational explanation, thank you
So, does this welder have an AC output? I did not see any diodes in it. If so, Why can't you use such a source for AC tig? Allways wondered about this. Thanks for this interesting video. Cheers.
Flip de boer Hallo. Yes. This machine does only deliver AC at it's output. No it cannot really be used as a base for an AC tig welder though ( or at least not without considerable effort). It is hard to explain why though. But I will deliver an explanation once I make a video about that technology.
Thanks for answering. looking forward to the next episode.
What exactly is a High impedance transformer? when do we use them and why?
nice explanations, and good discipline in creating this tutorial
I like your repurpused scrap, bessy clamps, how are they made,
have you looked at makeing one from micrwave transformers?
Excellent as always. Your experiments and drawings are first class. Well done.
I found your channel through a search for SMPS information and devoured your 5-video series on that subject. I was excited to hear that you planned more. Will you still complete that series? Please, oh please, say yes! I would particularly love to see the buck topology design tutorial. Thanks!
FlyingShotsman Yes I will continue the series sooner or later. But I will continue these practical projects first. You can also trust me with one thing: The videos about the welding inverters will basically be like episodes of the SMPS-tutorial. Those thing are (concerning their mode of operation) not to different from what you will find in an ATX power supply for example.
The Post Apocalyptic Inventor Not trying to be smartass, I know English is not your native language neither mine but I think what you tried to say was "sooner or later" ;)
Thanks for another great video by the way.
uncensoredtr Thanks for the advice. In German the words "earlier" and "sooner" translate to exactly the same word. So things like that happen from time to time.
I thoroughly enjoy your videos. Very educational. Keep them coming.
So well explained!! I wish my university teachers would have been only a fraction as good as teachers as your videos!
Very cool. Your explanations were a great brush up on transformers. I found the part on stray field transformers and coupling to be quite informative as I haven't thought about those in some time. I finally found my first mot to fashion a resistance welder for both batteries and general spot welding. I plan to also build a basic arc welder with a variac, but would like to start working on a couple switching designs soon. Thanks for the video.
Well I am here again... The spot welder turned out nice, but I have an interview coming up and was trying to find some good review on the PWM control design for switching DC welding. Any good resources?
any thoughts about how to use the high amperage of a welder, to run an high amp electric car motor?
Study up on ESCs. They take DC volts and output PWM to the electric motor. Given the PWM outputs in the KHz range it sees the electric motor as purely resistive. No transformers are required and the efficiency is in the high 90% range
Can I make a spot welder out of my ac welding machine?
Well another superb video here... I wish I had such a good teacher in my earlier years... Can't wait to get more of these incredibly informative videos. Thank you for all your time and efforts at making these tricky subjects so clear and understandable by the masses ! If only I had s few dollar to spare, I'd be glad to help you build your TIG devices from spare parts... I'll try to play lottery...
DJSolitone Thank you :). Your "mental" support is just as important. If it wasn't for faithfull viewers like you guys out there, I would have stopped making videos a long time ago. Even if youtube was a goldmine...
Only watched 2 minutes and I'm already subscribing.
Can I convert my welding transformer into a transformer for battery charging? I have a welder similar to the one in this video. With the unreliable power supply in Ghana, I am thinking of setting up a battery power bank using my welding transformer to build a charger. I already have a rectifier obtain from an electric forklift that operated on a 48V battery pack. So can I use the arc welding transformer to build a charger for 48V battery bank?
Ohene Boafo In "Experiment Nr.1" you can see, that the rectified output voltage of the transformer was still at around 50V, at a load of 500W. A "48V" lead acid battery bank needs to be charged to a value of around 56V . So with some luck your welding transformer can do that. Charging currents of up to 20A could possibly be delivered by the transformer for several hours without overheating. A transformer like this could charge a 48V battery bank with a capacity of up to 200 Ah in a time period of 10 hours.
But the high leakage inductance makes these transformers very bad at keeping the output voltage constant. With increasing output current, the output voltage drops stronger than with typical mains transformers.
A welding transformer is not really suited as a normal mains transformer.
To ensure proper charging you also need some kind of control circuit. Otherwise the lifespan of your batteries will be very short.
Thanks very much for your vivid explanation. Given the inevitable drop in the output voltage of the transformer as the battery bank pulls heavy current, I guess considering rather a 36V battery bank will be ideal. I measured the AC voltage at the output leads of the welding transformer and got between 44V - 48V. The stated maximum current the transformer can deliver is 200A!
From the theory I guess that if I aim at charging a 36V battery bank instead, then the rectified output voltage of the transformer should be around 48V dc which I believe can be sustained by the welding transformer 's AC output (measured to be between 44Vac to 48Vac as stated above).
Having said that , I can't I use capacitors of appropriate specs to smooth out the rectified output voltage of the welding transformer to obtain a charging voltage of 42Vdc?
I suppose capacitors, in tandem with the rectier, can atone for and block leakage in the inductance of the welding transformer.
I'm fancying the conversion of my not - in - use welding transformer because of the huge output current it's designed to give ; rated between 40A - 200A.
Please your accessment and prognosis of my aim will be highly appreciated.
My wire welding machine keeps skipping like it’s shutting off 0.3 second and works fine for 3 seconds and then skips again like 0.3 sec , is that means the transformer is bad ?
sir can you help me out with a old mig welder a got a new stepswitch but a get it not working
Great video! Hope to see the next one soon!