• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Carla Burke
  • John F Dean
  • Timothy Norton
  • Nancy Reading
  • r ranson
  • Jay Angler
  • Pearl Sutton
stewards:
  • paul wheaton
  • Tereza Okava
  • Andrés Bernal
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
gardeners:
  • Jeremy VanGelder
  • M Ljin
  • Matt McSpadden

build a diy DC welder

 
Posts: 6
2
  • Likes 8
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Hi All
This is a DC welding machine i built to do racking repairs in large warehouses. The power supply were forklift batterys depending on the batterys available i set the welder to 24 vdc, 36 vdc, 48 vdc  The reason i built this is as follows. In the large WH Theirs is no AC near by and if there is power the fork lifts moving product would run over any cables also  in many cases i could not run engines inside the building. So i had a challenge I decided to start with a 150 amp dc battery charger. I removed the controls ac cooling fan.  left the step down transformer the load resisters and added 2 more load resisters a 200 amp .5 ohm.
i installed 3 battery sb plugs 24 v 36 v 48 v  each one was connected + to the transformer secondary coil. This acted as a choke ie resister. next to a 500 amp contractor with a 24 vdc coil. . This controlled the power to the stick. control wire was run down the whip to handle. After the contractor there were 3 welding cable twist lock plugs. first plug had large double resister second had one resister and third had no resister. The neg power was run from SB plugs to neg twist lock on front of welder. I installed a 24 vdc fan for cooling The 24 vac components had resisters to reduce voltage from the other battery voltages.  I know you're wondering if car batterys would work. Yes they will. BUT the design of the internal parts of a car or light truck battery are light and this will be hard on the plates and links inside. and deep cycle are more delicate. I used old led acid i cant say if the new agm and lithium could withstand the load.
any way for you off girders that need to do a bit of welding this is a basic design that may be  use full.
fyi this welder made the smoothest welds ever pure dc is vary nice.
 
gardener
Posts: 3132
2095
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Any pictures? We love pictures here!
 
gardener
Posts: 461
Location: Northern Ontario, Canada
317
goat dog gear books bike building
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I second Jordan's request for photos! This sounds like a very cool project. I've only ever seen people weld with batteries as an emergency measure, so to see a 'welder' that does it regularly will be super neat.
 
Why is the word "abbreviation" so long? And this ad is so short?
Learn Permaculture through a little hard work
https://wheaton-labs.com/bootcamp
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic