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nella(Pa) 
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Allentown, Pa.
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 Topic: AC to DC welder
Posted: 14 Jun 2022 at 7:02am |
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Anyone have any experience adding a rectifier to an ac transformer welder to make it a dc welder. Did it weld like a dc welder?
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Coke-in-MN
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Afton MN
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Posted: 14 Jun 2022 at 8:40am |
Yes , I have added 600 Amp diodes to welder ( diodes off large plating rectifier )and tried 1/2 wave first with 2 diodes - then went to full wave bridge using 4 diodes . I used copper sheet stock for the heat sink and used 3 pieces to make a kind of fan shaped base for rectifiers . It works but it seems on 60 cycle AC there is some lag in arc also seemed some loss of AMP to weld as had to use higher setting to get same results on 6011 and 6010P, 7018 rod ran about the same . My Pow Con welder is a AC to DC welder using rectifiers internally but uses a high frequency boost before rectifying which gives a smooth DC.
When I bought my first Miller 180 Amp - AC welder the next step up was a 220 Amp unit that had built in AC/DC unit for single phase 220 volt 60 cycle .
Now my Miller 304 is also AC / DC using the frequency boost to get smooth arc , as it seems Miller used Pow Con design ( also the ability to MIG , TIG , and SMAW ) after Thermal Arc bought Pow Con manufacturing out.
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Faith isn't a jump in the dark. It is a walk in the light. Faith is not guessing; it is knowing something.
"Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."
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Coke-in-MN
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Posted: 14 Jun 2022 at 8:44am |
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Odd part is the Pow Con / Thermal Arc machines weigh a lot less than my old 180 Amp Miller . The Miller 304 machines weighs about twice what the others weigh but has built in switching for TIG high frequency where first 2 are scratch start .
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Faith isn't a jump in the dark. It is a walk in the light. Faith is not guessing; it is knowing something.
"Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."
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nella(Pa)
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: Allentown, Pa.
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Posted: 14 Jun 2022 at 8:54am |
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Thank's Coke, I should added that the welder is a 225 Lincoln amp ac welder
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jaybmiller
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Location: Greensville,Ont
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Posted: 14 Jun 2022 at 10:08am |
There's a website/guy who modified his 225 ! 'somewhere'... You'll need a dead microwave. grab the transformer from it, remove the wires, then wind 5-6 turns of welding cable through it to make a 'choke'. That'll 'smooth' the DC from the diodes to get a better weld.... I'll try to find the article...right now trying to get RID of the MS 'news KRAP' that magically appeared in the 'search' spot of the taskbar. So far 5 different ways to get RID of it hasn't,grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
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3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112
Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor)
Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water
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steve(ill)
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Posted: 14 Jun 2022 at 12:19pm |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VL_ggERQjU
Edited by steve(ill) - 14 Jun 2022 at 12:32pm
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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Coke-in-MN
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Location: Afton MN
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Posted: 14 Jun 2022 at 10:19pm |
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Jay - try CC Cleaner - free - I have been using that couple times a week when logging in and sure removes a lot of junk .
Somewhere around here I have another 6 or so of them big diodes still from another rectifier I scrapped .
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Faith isn't a jump in the dark. It is a walk in the light. Faith is not guessing; it is knowing something.
"Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."
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Les Kerf
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Location: Idaho
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Posted: 15 Jun 2022 at 4:20am |
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My neighbor (now deceased) built his own full-wave bridge rectifier for his Lincoln buzz box 40+ years ago; he said it worked great but I never used it myself.
That rectifier shown above by Steve (ill) looks like a nice, easy option.
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jaybmiller
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Posted: 15 Jun 2022 at 6:42am |
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coke.. somehow MS installed 'news and interests' in the 'search' spot on the taskbar.Mouse over it and a HUGE 'window' appears. I ain't the ONLY guy pizzed about it and so far 4 different ways to eliminate it, even editting the registry don't KILL the damn thing......
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3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112
Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor)
Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water
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steve(ill)
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: illinois
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Posted: 15 Jun 2022 at 6:19pm |
nella, i have not converted an AC machine, but have thought about trying it on an old BUZZBOX..... My daily machine is a AC/DC MILLER 200 amp..
Looking on "THE NET" it appears most will use the combination DIODE set i posted above.. You need the 300 amp size or so... there are 100 amp and 200 amp models also.. surely the 100 amp would be minimal size.
It is a good idea to buy an aluminum heat sink and bolt to the back of the DIODE set to get rid of the heat.
The diode gives you a PULSE DC output.. You want a somewhat CONSTANT DC so one way to do that is to add a BIG CAPACITOR... Something in the 50 - 100,000 uf size rated at 50 -63 volt range....
Some of the sites talk about using a "CHOKE" which is a coil of welding lead around an iron core.... but some do not use that.
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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