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Opper77 · 10-27-2004, 03:34 PM

Quote: Is this just the smaller mig welders that do this? At work I use a miller mig setup where the power source and wire feeder are separate modules, and I can't see any way that the speed of the wire feeder could possibly affect voltage or amperage output of the power source.

Botboy, this is the way ALL Constant Voltage machines work (ALL MIG) whether they are integrated or seperate. Its just the way they must work due to the power supply having the flat volt/amp curve that they do. Believe it or not, it is the truth. Pick up any welding textbook to find out more about this.

There are different sizes of Weldpaks out there, some are 15 AMP draw while some are 20 AMP draw.....try a different circuit in your garage that might have a dedicated breaker for the one plug and you may find it works better. I have had mixed results with these welders (depending on the project) and I agree that a 20% duty cycle is pathetic if you're working on a big project. I have witnessed the breaker blowing and what not, and cursed it to death, but in those cases you just have to be patient an let the welder catch up.

10-27-2004, 03:34 PM	#12
Opper77 Ob-Gyn Kenobi Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Edmonton, Alberta Posts: 489	Quote: Is this just the smaller mig welders that do this? At work I use a miller mig setup where the power source and wire feeder are separate modules, and I can't see any way that the speed of the wire feeder could possibly affect voltage or amperage output of the power source. Botboy, this is the way ALL Constant Voltage machines work (ALL MIG) whether they are integrated or seperate. Its just the way they must work due to the power supply having the flat volt/amp curve that they do. Believe it or not, it is the truth. Pick up any welding textbook to find out more about this. There are different sizes of Weldpaks out there, some are 15 AMP draw while some are 20 AMP draw.....try a different circuit in your garage that might have a dedicated breaker for the one plug and you may find it works better. I have had mixed results with these welders (depending on the project) and I agree that a 20% duty cycle is pathetic if you're working on a big project. I have witnessed the breaker blowing and what not, and cursed it to death, but in those cases you just have to be patient an let the welder catch up. __________________ '85 GMC Shortbox... I used to have a firm handle on life....then it broke off. Last edited by Opper77; 10-27-2004 at 03:43 PM.