hello everyone i,am new to this forum etc, and after some help & advice please" regarding my mig welder when used on low settings for car body repairs. Would it be a good idea to replace or retro fit capacitors to make for a nicer smoother weld on low settings. The only reason i,am asking is its as clear as mud the info iv,e looked up on google so, now want to learn more if doing these sort of modifications or upgrades actually work for the better as my welder is old/aged bought secondhand from ebay last year and only gets used when and as needed etc. Also i must add" i hav,nt had the side off my mig yet to look for any capacitors and to be honest its age and how long is a capacitors life accessed and when do they require replacing etc as i do repair the odd valve radio etc and have the tools at hand or is it a case of if it works dont fix it""
- Thread starter KDU5SE
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mike 109444
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Welcome 
KDU5SE (almost looks like a call sign?) Looking through the few schmatics I have (courtesy of other members posts) could only fine one for a Migatronic 160. Looking at that shows 2 x 22000 uf 40V caps. Not sure why you are looking to mod machine but when i had some problems with one of my welders and it's capacitor (the rivet that attaches the blade connector to the cap had become loose and intermittent connection) this fault would cause the weld to not penetrate and sit ontop of the metal even on the highest of the 6 power settings! then sometimes it would connect ok and if still on a hight setting would blow through. Ended up replacing the cap for a new one to fix.
Note ori and new were the size of a bean can!! So unless you are getting poor penetration then doubt caps are at fault. Note there is also an inductor "L1" that also plays a part in the operation of the arc. Some machines have multi inductors that the operator moves the earth lead from one to another depending on thickness of material being welded, but again if I recall increasing inductance = stronger arc. Think others have played around with different (and homemade, wire wraped round iron pipe) inductors. Worth a try? Let us know any results you find.
All this should be a breeze for someone who dabbles with valves ect
KDU5SE (almost looks like a call sign?) Looking through the few schmatics I have (courtesy of other members posts) could only fine one for a Migatronic 160. Looking at that shows 2 x 22000 uf 40V caps. Not sure why you are looking to mod machine but when i had some problems with one of my welders and it's capacitor (the rivet that attaches the blade connector to the cap had become loose and intermittent connection) this fault would cause the weld to not penetrate and sit ontop of the metal even on the highest of the 6 power settings! then sometimes it would connect ok and if still on a hight setting would blow through. Ended up replacing the cap for a new one to fix.Note ori and new were the size of a bean can!! So unless you are getting poor penetration then doubt caps are at fault. Note there is also an inductor "L1" that also plays a part in the operation of the arc. Some machines have multi inductors that the operator moves the earth lead from one to another depending on thickness of material being welded, but again if I recall increasing inductance = stronger arc. Think others have played around with different (and homemade, wire wraped round iron pipe) inductors. Worth a try? Let us know any results you find.
All this should be a breeze for someone who dabbles with valves ect
mike 109444
Member
- Messages
- 4,743
It is possible that the caps may have dried out (guess you know what's in electrolitics, and for thoses that don't it's a layer of foil then a layer of impregnated paper then layer of foil aka a sandwich rolled up and put in a can!). If you are getting inconsistant weldes on thin metal then start off with the basics. Get a sheet of clean metal and check you have a good earth to it then run some beads of weld aprox 2" long on the 1st 4 of your 6? power settings. Mark these up as 1 to 4 then you have a yard stick to check against once you go through any changes or fixes. It would be worth going through the wire feed ie clean feed rollers, replace liner, replace tip. Then go through the connections inside machine inc on the diode asy and rear of earth clamp lead.
Post up some pics of your welds to show where they are going wrong.
Post up some pics of your welds to show where they are going wrong.
