Another thread on SIP mods, unsure of model

[disco stu]

Hey guys. I found this forum after buying an SIP mig for $30, cheap as. Very impressed with the amount of info found on here, some very "bright sparks"!! Its fairly rusty and stuff, can only assume they left it outside for a bit etc. Anyway, I've got it welding, but first issue is with the amount of run on.

I'm unsure what model I have as there is a lot of corrosion on the case. Only info I can get is that its minimum of 30a. Apart form that its a gas/gasless model, without anything to switch the gas in the actual gun, so I assume its another gun or there is a solenoid inside the unit for switching gas on and off. Power controls are min/max and 1/2.

I've got the control board out of it so I can do the braking relay mod. Code on the board is "MIG 01 1P".

Its got a 12v relay there for what seems to be switching the power to the welding transformers. I was thinking of plugging in to that to switch the relay for wire feed motor, and at the moment try just leaving the power coming from the main transformers as it was designed, and mod that later if need be.

Does it sound right using the 12v relay power for switching wire feed relay?

Can anyone help with some way of figuring out what actual model I have?

Anyway, just thought I would start a new thread as I didn't want to take over someone elses, and just wanted to glean any info possible of the collective brains trust here

Thanks in advance

Stu

 

[cumbriasteve]

May be worth putting a photo up Stu, that may aid in identifying it, although the early grey coloured models all looked about the same I think.

Can't help with the electrical advice sorry.

 

[disco stu]

Thanks mate. Good idea

This is the best I can do now is this with the cover and front. Might give some idea.

 

[BChild]

Looks like "no gas" only version (gas / no gas versions normally have some polarity swap facility)

It's not that rusty either - I was expecting something that looks like it spent time in Lake Conniston

 

[cumbriasteve]

It has dual purpose on the front, I would have thought that referred to the gas/no gas and if my memory is correct the leads change over point is inside the wire spool housing.

 

[disco stu]

Yes, that's correct-polarity swap is inside the wire feed cover. I assume there is a gas solenoid under there as well, cause there isn't anything to switch the gas on and off inside the gun

Its got a fan hacked onto the side of it at some point in its past. The cover over that is completely rust, and the wire spool cover has been lost, and the bodged up replacement looks like it spent some time in a fireplace. I've named the thing "horn of ugly"! If it does the job when I'm finished then I don't care what it looks like

 

[skotl]

Can you post a couple of pics of the board and the general wiring? There are a couple of circuit diagrams doing the rounds so I'd expect that one of them will match yours but it's as well to check.

Also - do you have a multimeter? If so, can you check the voltage at the motor at full speed? I'd expect it to be closer to 20V than 12V...

 

[disco stu]

The 12v I mentioned was just for powering the coil on the relay, as the 12v to the other relay on pcb is for turning on the power to the transformers, which would be a good time to start feeding wire too.

This is the photo of the control board. But different to others I've seen, but the trim put seems to be 100 ohm, which makes me wonder if this is actually a reasonably new model, just not looked after

 

[disco stu]

Got the relay hooked up tonight. Works great, a lot better than before. No run on at all.

I haven't got anything to weld yet, I don't even have any scrap steel sheet to practice on, so for the moment its a big bolt. I did notice as I welded a bit more that it seemed to change. Not sure if it was wire feed or the actual arc, but I do recall reading about the issues BChild had with the wire feed changing. I'll get some scrap to weld on and do some proper welds and see what happens there. If there is an issue I'll go straight for the independent power supply and also a separate speed control for the wire feed. I'll try and build one up to give my (lack of) electronic skills something to practice on.

 

[BChild]

Yes, that's correct-polarity swap is inside the wire feed cover. I assume there is a gas solenoid under there as well, cause there isn't anything to switch the gas on and off inside the gun

It wouldn't need anything inside the torch head - the solenoid would open of shut the gas supply based on the trigger being pressed on the torch head???

It would need a gas pipe from solenoid to the torch head.

my Cosmo didn't have a solenoid but had a valve assembly in the torch head - bloody rubbish - had to hit the torch head on something solid to get the gas to stop most of the time (one of the reasons why I went to a Euro torch - the other was hobby torch consumables are bloody expensive compared to Euro torch consumables not to mention the cost of a new hobby torch is as much as a Euro one)

 

[disco stu]

I saw something where there was the valve assembly inside the gun, so I gathered this was another gun on there until I saw what looked to be the solenoid hidden up the back. Would that mean that this is a later model than yours? Along with the 100ohm trim pot.

 

[BChild]

I saw something where there was the valve assembly inside the gun, so I gathered this was another gun on there until I saw what looked to be the solenoid hidden up the back. Would that mean that this is a later model than yours? Along with the 100ohm trim pot.

No idea on the age thing but would guess that yours is a fair few years old (mind you my SIP branded Cosmo is too now I know when I bought it - I just don't know how long it had been available for sale)

I think the 100 ohm trim pot was used in some models - I got a space control board from a member on here that was scrapping one and from memory it has a 100 ohm but it's identical to my original before I modified it (that was a bit of a one way trip to fit the pulse width modulator) so it was handy to have a back up if it all went Pete Tong!!!

 

[disco stu]

Interesting, cheers

It just seems weird that they would go from using a solenoid for gas control, to a less effective mechanical switch in the gun. Or maybe it was just models. Anyway, I've got what I've got.

Now I just need to find some sheet to practice my welding on

 

[BChild]

Interesting, cheers

It just seems weird that they would go from using a solenoid for gas control, to a less effective mechanical switch in the gun. Or maybe it was just models. Anyway, I've got what I've got.

Now I just need to find some sheet to practice my welding on

Shame you aren't local to me

this still looked like a car earlier today



And when I let the fumes out of the garage



The last picture makes me chuckle the SIP Cosmo was in the back because it was getting under my feet.........

 

[disco stu]

Does all that bodywork just unbolt on those, or did you cut it away? Pillars and everything are missing!! Just put the roll cage in it?

 

[BChild]

Does all that bodywork just unbolt on those, or did you cut it away? Pillars and everything are missing!! Just put the roll cage in it?

The cage was already in the car welded 8 point mount

On Wednesday it looked like this



So I cut all the bodywork off - It's my track car and I rolled it back in 2012 and every panel was dented/damaged so it's sat quietly and patiently waiting it's turn and now it's time has arrived.

Sorry didn't mean to derail your thread

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/...e-same-mistake-again.44604/page-2#post-605783

 

[disco stu]

Not derailing at all, nothing further I'm asking about my welder right now.

So the plan is to just weld the new body work on?

 

[BChild]

Not derailing at all, nothing further I'm asking about my welder right now.

So the plan is to just weld the new body work on?

Sort of...... I have another bodyshell - different Opel

Monza provides floor pan, suspension and running gear (all tied together with the cage already welded in) and the new car provides a shell with exactly same wheelbase and no suspension or running gear minus it's floorpan

Drop one on top of other and weld where they touch (slight joke there - I think it needs to touch in a lot of places

It's a daft idea I had years ago and it's kept nagging at me.

Nothing is lost at this stage - the other shell is still a rolling shell with a dead engine - I won't touch it will I'm absolutely sure it will work - any doubt and I'll cut the cage out and re-use as much as I can in the other car (engine, gearbox etc will drop straight in) - rear suspension and diff will transfer with some fabrication. Front suspension unfortunately won't transfer.

 

[disco stu]

SOunds like a bit of a crazy plan, but a cool one! Hopefully it works out easier