As some may remember, I managed to scrounge up a big assed Hobart welder. CyberTig II 500 DCS.
The welder is tig/stick, but needs either a jumper Plug or a foot pedal to run. I found a wiring diagram for another Hobart tig machine, so looking at the back side of the plug, determined that the wires all went to the same pins as the diagram, and took a chance.
After a quick trip to Radio shack and getting a 4.7k resistor and a
25k pot, I made up a breadboard based on the pedal diagram and plugged it in.I flipped on the power switch, and voila! the various dials came to life showing volts (80) and amps. Taking a wild guess at what some of the knobs, thumbwheels and whatnot meant, I tweaked them to what appeared to be a conservative setting. I then hooked up a heavy pair of jumper cables to the machines stick lugs, and grounded the end to a piece of 2x2" thick wall square tubing, clamped a 1/8" piece of 7018 to the jumper cable and donning my mask, scratched.
YEEHAWWWWW!!!!! A marvelous arc formed and with a high pitched singing sound, I ran that rod. Beautiful weld. (not me...the machine).
I dont think Ive ever heard that kind of sound in an arc before. Almost sounded like very high freq, but the switch is in Stick and the HF is turned OFF.
Dinking around, I couldnt get the various settings to increase much more, so it dawned on me, that the pot on the bread board was likely set too low. Giving it a turn to the other stop, I again prepared to weld. This time I used a firm tap to start.
FLASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Holy F*CK!!!!!!!!! Big light! Way big light. Jaaaysus!
Removing my mask, I was rather bemused to find that the welding rod had not scratch started the arc, but simply BURNED its way though both sides of that 2x2" thick walled square tubing and was sticking out of both sides of the tube. There it was..a bent, smoking swizzel stick poking through both sides of that chunk of steel.
Checking the dials and gizzmos, I reckon I had it set a the full 699 amps the machine is supposed to be capable of, given the readings on the knobs and gauges and dials and thingabobs.
I think..Ill be a bit more conservative the next time I tweak that pot..and a manual would be of great help as well...gulp.
Well hell..I think I got myself a welder.....
Anyone know where I might pick up a used foot pedal with an Amphenol
10 pin connector on it?Or just a couple of Amp 10 pin connectors? This thing uses the screw on type, not the twist lock style.
Ive got a pedal, but I dont know if its any good, and it is wired to connect up to that Thermal Dynamics plasma torch control that came with it (still dont know if it works) ,.m and Id rather not break up that set.
I need to make up a proper jumper plug for stick welding and Ill need to start scrounging Stuff to activate the TIG side of the welder. I already have a chiller, though dont know if it works yet.
Good used tig stuff Id like also. I can come up with a bit of cash, though not much, but could easily trade for machine tools or tooling. Ill need a torch, hoses etc etc. Cosmetics are not important, just as long as they are usable with this beasty.
Anyone got the original jumper plug? Appears to be standard Hobart wiring.
Gunner
"The Democratic Party is the party of this popular corruption. The heart of the Democratic Party and its activist core is made up of government unions, government dependent professions (teachers, social workers, civil servants); special interest and special benefits groups (abortion rights, is a good example) that feed off the government trough; and ethnic constituencies, African Americans being the most prominent, who are disproportionately invested in government jobs and in programs that government provides.
" The Democratic Party credo is 'Take as much of the people's money as politically feasible, and use that money to buy as many of the people's votes as possible'. Tax cuts are a threat to this Democratic agenda. Consequently, Democrats loathe and despise them." -Semi-reformed Leftist David Horowitz