Despite the lack of audio description, and the annoying music, I can see variable wirespeed, gas pre- and post-flow, spot timer and burnback control. Nice features, but still it is just a 140 Amp MIG with four coarse steps.
Some useful features to add.
I've never used any arduino stuff so have no idea how simple or reliable it is.
Personally, I would do the same things with good old chunky switched and timers.
Although I'm not sure I'd spend the time/effort adding them to a budget machine with a low duty cycle.
And once you start looking at heavier duty/better quality machines even the old transformer ones that can be picked up for scrap value often offer most of those things anyway.
Here in Portugal the price of them its costly. A telwin 180 amp machine cost around 1.100 euros you find second hand for 500 to 600 euros minimum.
As for my 140 amp machine (haven´t got 3 phase) a spot timer and post and pre flow gas can be achived for thin metal bodyparts. and i don´t need a arduino only some time delay relays .
384952161282
Ebay
You can get them cheaper from china.
I cut a hole in the back panel to mount the timer. Put a switch on the front panel.
I didn't have room to mount that thing on the front panel but you can get just the timer on a pcb for under £5 and then get some panel mounted pots. You might even be able to get a "on" pot with a switch in it so you only need 2 round holes on the front panel?
I'm sure I've seen a mig torch with a slider that let's you chose if the torch button is locking or not.
When it's in the locking position you push it on then it locks then you push it again to release.
Might have been on a migatronic
Some welders give further functions like cold start and crater fill when in 4t mode.
If the output power of the welder can be varied during welding then you could probably even add stuff like that easily if you wanted.
I've only ever had a need for those on aluminium though and, if you are welding enough aluminium for them to be useful, you will probably want power and duty cycle over extras like crater fill
I had a go at modifying my Clarke 151TE for welding think sheet metal but using overlapping tacks , this is from the original thread 7 years ago.
I've been playing this weekend, first of all trying to work out how the circuit board inside my welder works (a clarke 151te) and gave up, so then looked at being able to control the circut board indpendantly of the trigger switch in the torch handle. I ended up doing this by playing with the wiring, adding a 12v dc mains led driver and a 12v relay to make sure I could do this and it seemed to work ok. the trigger in the torch was operating the relay (which was powered by the led driver), and the relay operated the circuit board.
last week also got delivery of a usb digital oscilloscope off ebay, for use with an old netbook,as I thought it would give me a help with working electronics of the pulse generator.
I also found this circuit on the net and with a few tweaks looks to do what I'm wanting
the 555 timer chip on the left if for setting the frequency, I'll be looking at having a pulse between 1 and 6 seconds. the 555 chip on the right is for setting the length of the pulse, so I'll be looking at times between 0.3 and 2 seconds. my thought are that a long pulse and long on time can also be used as a timer for plug welding if necessary. so I'll be looking of on pulses of 0.3, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.5 and 2 seconds, and the time between pulses of 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 3.0 and 6 seconds, both set using rotary switches instead of variable resistors.
and playing on a breadboard
and the oscilloscope software in use
hopefully it'll work when I get round to trying to weld with pulse, as its all a bit of guesswork at the minute.
suprisingly I got it to work and was definately easier to use than manually using the trigger on the torch to do the pulses for overlapping tacks.
I used the circuit above as a base and the circuit board ended up like this
and for the period of the pluses (1/frequency) and on time of the pulses I used rotary switches instead of potentiometers (space ends up being quite tight)
and the modified front of the welder,the button next to the min/max button turns the pulse on and the dials below are the rotary switches to control the on time of the tack welds and the time between the tack welds
there is a few more modifications to the wiring inside, but I wouldnt want to be responsible for people copying me as electrics can be dangerous.
when I first used the pulse I found that the off time after the first tack was about one and a half times the rest of the off times (after the tacks) and later realised it was due to the design of the 555 timer chips, that the first pulse on an astable oscillator is always longer then the rest.
the problem with the longer gap between the first and second tack welds is that the first tack will cool more than subsequent tacks. also burn back of the wire didnt appear to be an issue, and I didnt manage to make any holes on my short test.
so its back to the drawing board, with the 555 (on the left in the above circuit diagram) that controls the frequency being replaced with a op-amp oscillator. I've got to this stage and so far seem to be working better as the first off time is the same as the rest.
and this is the new prototype
I didn't quiet get it to work properly, as occasionally it would miss a tack, I but guess the issue would have been the amount of electrical noise in a welder, so just use it manually for doing the overapping tacks.
Can I ask (as a pretty novice hobby welder) ...... just how useful are features like a Spot Welder Timer or a short "pulse" Timer (say for continuous tacking of thin bodywork type steel)?
Currently if I'm welding a plate in and I've drilled 5mm holes to "spot weld" I just "pull the trigger" and release.
I do use the "continuous tack" method to produce a weld run without blowing through by of course an on/off, on/off trigger action.
Would adding an adjustable timer and "automating" these processes make an appreciable positive difference (I have an Oxford MigMaker 180-1 but without the optional factory spot-weld timer)?