Hi all,
My welding set contains a 75 amp battery charger, but it doesn't work. I'd like to fix the battery charger so I can use it for electrolytic de-rusting and electroplating, but I'd rather not pay for the welding supply shop to fix it.
The welding set is a Cytringan Bantam 180 amp oil-cooled AC set. I don't have the digital camera to hand, but it looks very similar to the Cytrigan set shown at the top of this page, just a little smaller:
My question is, does anyone know what I can expect to find if I open the welding set, and what the problem might be? I'm assuming the battery charger uses a single diode to produce half-wave rectified DC. You can adjust the battery charger current using the same knob used to adjust the welding current, but the charger current apparently only reaches about half the welding current. There is a separate terminal for the battery negative, and you connect the battery positive to the welding earth. Even with no load, there is no voltage measurable between these terminals.
I'm guessing that there's a dud diode or loose connection inside. I hope there's nothing wrong with the transformer (it welds fine). Anyone know what I might find inside the set, and what the problem might be?
Best wishes,
Chris
PS: Got some 6011 rods on Monday. Will try them this weekend.