Thread: DC arc welder converter

For Sale
CIG DC Converter for an AC arc welder.
Enjoy the advantages of DC welding with your standard AC arc welder, just connect the leads and away you go
$95.00 Ascot Vale IMG_1193.jpgIMG_1194.jpg

Peter, can you have a look inside the unit before you sell it (if you haven't already), and let us know what is inside them? I suspect it is just a rectifier, but would like to know for sure, maybe it also has a choke or capacitors - in which case an indication of their electrical size would be great!
I looked for one years ago and couldn't find one. So I built one myself - with just a 200Amp rectifier. The arc still has a 50Hz hum, and I wonder if the commercial units are any different.

I was given a unit just like that one last year.
It was indeed just a high current rectifier with some caps and a fat choke/transformer coil made out of Al strips, the insulation between which had disintegrated, plus the fibreboard style insulators to the chassis were somewhat frayed. I was going to rebuild it but in the end I just took it apart as I have a perfectly good AC/DC TIG machine.

BobL, can you give me some dimensions of the choke core and maybe the windings - if you still have it and the winding layers are obvious?

Originally Posted by jhovel

BobL, can you give me some dimensions of the choke core and maybe the windings - if you still have it and the winding layers are obvious?

Sorry Joe I no longer have the choke. It was made of Al strap, probably 1mm? thick and maybe 15mm? wide and not that many turns from what I remember. There was a sort of plastic/varnish insulation between the turns that had disintegrated. I did take photo of the inside of the unit but I cannot find it.

Hi Joe
Some more photos
IMG_1200.jpgIMG_1201.jpgIMG_1202.jpgIMG_1203.jpg
Cheers
Pete

Yep that's almost identical to the one I had except mine was in much poorer condition and to had a few more (10/15) small caps sort of all over the place.

Originally Posted by jhovel

BobL, can you give me some dimensions of the choke core and maybe the windings - if you still have it and the winding layers are obvious?

I've got one too if you're interested. Haven't used it in years and can't see that I ever will. Happy to swap for something useful....

PDW

Originally Posted by PDW

I've got one too if you're interested. Haven't used it in years and can't see that I ever will. Happy to swap for something useful....

PDW

Okay then

Looking at the photos of the inside, I marvel at the minimalist though clever electrical and physical design.
Slot ventilation of the case might have helped reliability.

Originally Posted by mike48

Looking at the photos of the inside, I marvel at the minimalist though clever electrical and physical design.
Slot ventilation of the case might have helped reliability.

IMG_1204.jpgLots of slots in this case
Hi Mike
I used this all the time with my old arc welder, never had a problem with it or the welder.
I now have an inverter type DC arc welder which is great to use, however l suspect that it won't be quite so reliable.
Cheers
Pete

I have decided to keep this for when my inverter welder drops its load
Cheers
Peter
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