Foot pedal DIY

[mic_hviid]

Hi guys

Im about to make myself a footpedal while i save some cash for the original (Esab FS 002 which is about £1k !? thats twice what I payed for the welder with water cooling unit).

I have found an old pedal from a sewing machine which is sooo simple to modify. Inside is an old wired resistor on a ceramic cylinder. It has multiple out-takes connected to 8 metal blades seperated by insulators. The pedal simply squeezes them together to sequentially join more of the resistors in series i guess. This will control 0-100% of what the welder is dialled in to deliver. I will simply replace the resistor with seperate modern ones adding up to the correct total resistance needed for my welder (old Esab DTA 200 AC/DC).

However, since there is only 7 discrete steps at hand, should I make it linear or will I want smaller steps in the bottom or the top?? Which would be the most usable?

Then I must figure out the cabling. But I have problems sourcing the original plugs used (one two-point for the switch and one three-point for the amp control). They are Cannon/Amphenol plugs (12S-3 and 14S-1). Where would you find aomething like this?

Kind regards

Michael Nielsen

 

[steve nunn]

Farnells used to amphernol plugs

steve

 

[hotrodder]

A grand! for a foot remote?! Foot remotes are just a poteniometer, what's so special about the ESAB ones?

Might be worth contacting SSC controls to see if they do something suitable- very nice pedals, they make OE pedals for Lincoln

 

[metaljoiner]

Do these foot pedals operate the same way as Guitar foot pedals? please forgive me, I know nothing of electronics, just it seems along the same lines to me.

 

[madkayaker]

the too one to me looks like a microphone jack. the bottom one just change for a different 2 pin e.g. lawn mower 2 pin? Depends on the voltages or current but worth a look. or try RS they usually have this kind of stuff or can advise suitable.

 

[shenion]

It is probably a 3-wire connection. If I remember right guitar footpedals are 2-wire.

You need to us ethe right value potentiometer. Transformer-based units may have very specific requirements on the resistance value. My Airco specified a 150 watt, 25-ohm rheostat. Dialarcs are usually 150 ohm 25w.

Inverters usually don't care and most are 5-10k.

Maybe you can find a manual on the correct footpedal and it might specify the value of the pot or rheostat.

Wiring it wrong or using the wrong value will burn up the unit (or at least the pot.) Don't do anything unless you know exactly what it needs.

 

[JW240]

I am going to make a footpedal for my esab as well (DTD 250 ac/dc + watercooling), it also uses the FS002 pedal iirc, i have the circuit diagram/manual.
In my area there is an electronics dump where they sell all kinds of military and high end stuff, i bet they have the right connector there (they have a whole section with connectors). If you can supply me with the right info i can ask them for the connector.

 

[GeorgeB]

I have problems sourcing the original plugs used (one two-point for the switch and one three-point for the amp control). They are Cannon/Amphenol plugs (12S-3 and 14S-1). Where would you find aomething like this?

Why spend more than a few minutes looking for special plugs? If these plugs prove difficult to obtain, you could perhaps remove the original sockets and fit your own plug and socket, or simply 'hot wire' the lead, so it's permanently connected.

 

[metaljoiner]

Do the thumb switch on the Gun do the same thing as the foot control pedal, what are the benefits of the foot peddle

 

[shenion]

The switch on the gun is just on/off. A footpedal also varies the current.

 

[metaljoiner]

How do people get on with just the on and off thumb switch, looks like I will be needing a foot peddle when I get my TIG then, always something more to get.

 

[shenion]

Depends on the machine. If it has up/down slope you can do steel with just a switch.

If it also has pulse mode, you can do just about anything with just a switch.

I used mine with just a switch, I did find doing aluminum that a footpedal was a big help as you need to start maxed out then use less as you get going.

 

[mic_hviid]

Thanks guys!

Hi guys and thanks for the overwhelming replies!

Steve: You are right - Farnell can get them it seams. At £30 a piece though. So maybe I'll do as GeorgeB suggests - replace the connectors with my own ones. But then I'll have to do the torch ones as well.

The Esab is nothing special - its just a microswitch and two pots, one for the pedal and one for manually adjusting how many percent of the max it is supposed to control. It is build like a tank though. I had my eyes on a used one up for auction but it went for £700! So is you have these lying around - flock them and get rich.

SSC does specifically mention that their foot pedals does not fit the Esabs. That was my first try.

I have checked the microphone plugs (XLR) but they dont fit (the positioning of the pins differ somewhat).

JW240: I really like that electronics dump! Most of that stuff would live quite happily in my own piles of interesting stuff.

The pots in the pedal are 2.5K Ohms and 10K Ohms but unfortunately it doesnt specify the wattage. The Essab is a squarewave - so its probably a bit like the inverters at the "out-end". I hope. Inside the welder there is 4 or 5 fuses just for the pedal. I guess that I take the rating on those.

MetalJoiner: The footpedal is not only a switch on/off but also stepless adjustment of the amperage, so it offers much more control (and I hope it will make learning to weld alu a bit easier ;-)

All of this started with an old Land Rover I bought which had been standing in a barn for 15 years and just needed the brakes fixed and a couple of patches on the chassis rails - yeah right! I now have half a metal workshop with both mig and tig and have learned quite a lot on the way here but the car still doesnt drive....yet.

By the way - the two places I have had most help are from the series2club (www.series2club.co.uk) and this forum. That must be why they call it GREAT britain.

Michael

 

[metaljoiner]

Scott,
There are so many Tig welding Machines out there and most are not supplied with the Foot peddle option, or are they?, what can people do, especially when it's a Chinese/ machine, you have everything but no foot controller, and they all have different input/output Pin adapter configurations

Michael,
Please don't think I have Hijacked this thread , I am very interested what you are doing hoping someone come up with solutions, I cant afford a mega bucks Miller

 

[fingers99]

Foot pedals are nice, but, TIGing as I was today on top of a step ladder in a strong breeze, I don't think I could have benefited! You never saw so many touchdowns!

 

[shenion]

Many don't come with a footpedal and they are ridiculously expensive.

The lower end models (especially the CHinese ones) dont even have a remote current input to support a footpedal.

 

[metaljoiner]

But you have the input/out for your gun that goes into the front or back panel on the tig unit, dont you plug your gun in to the foot peddle, foot peddle plugs into the Unit

 

[fingers99]

Something like that but the remote will generally come before the torch. You need the remote out and in (some electronics) and -- preferably -- a switch to turn the remote on and off -- you don't want to have to use a remote up a stepladder or under a car!

A truly competent electronics person could probably make something to suit, but it's a long way past DIY for most people.

A foot pedal is a distinct advantage, essentially it's an easy peasy way of adjusting on the fly, but not a necessity.

 

[metaljoiner]

I seen foot peddles for Tigs, Cheapest was £128 then you have got to get the pin configuration corect for your machine, like that whats been said about chinese Tig machine you have got to have a dedicated plug in for foot peddles or be a electronics wizard! I dont think I will be able to afford anything but a good Chinese Tig.

Fingers,
Glad you said it's not a Necessity, but I hope you didn't mean that's only if your fully competent Tig welder.

 

[fingers99]

For a newbie, a foot pedal could be just another peice of co-ordination to master.

As Shenion says, with slope down (prevents cratering) and pulse you should be able to get along very well indeed.

I get along fine with just HF start and post flow, but my welding is way short of Snowy or Matt, for example.