New user with Cosmo 170 (SIP) and a headache

[BChild]

I think for me the issue is every single modification has consequences and sometimes the consequences require other modifications to fix them.......

Wire liner and a brace accross the rollers don't - everthing else does

 

[skotl]

Thanks guys. I'm very impressed with this thread. I kind of like the whole customisation and hacking thing, but yes, the welder should work fine out of the box!

Was going to try that one first Skotl, just need to get hold of the relay first. Need to pull my board out and see what power the other relay is etc. I have no idea what model or anything I have, apart from its a handymig with minimum 30a, and 4 power settings. The info is corroded off etc

If you're close to a Maplins, you'll be able to pick up the relay (and the holder - you need that, too!) over the counter.
The part numbers should be in this epic thread but shout if you'd like me to dig them up.

Also - don't be worried about starting a new thread about specific topics / questions, rather than adding more to this one - doesn't cost any more

 

[skotl]

I think for me the issue is every single modification has consequences and sometimes the consequences require other modifications to fix them.......

Wire liner and a brace accross the rollers don't - everthing else does

Well, your signature sums it up for you, I guess But I'm not sure that I'd agree that one mod requires another (off the top of my head, but happy to hear your counter-argument!).

For what it's worth, I didn't wake up one day and think "I know! I'll buy a really unreliable welder and spend two years trying to make it better!". Like many SIP owners, I ended up getting one cos it was cheap and I didn't know any better so it was a case of bin it or improve it. I've rather enjoyed the journey though, and I know a heck of a lot more about welders generally, and mine in particular, than if I'd bought one of these boring works-out-of-the-box machines

 

[disco stu]

Thanks mate. Ended up starting another thread like you suggested. I'm going to try and buy a relay tomorrow. Had a rummage through one of my many boxes of bits with no luck. Got a PCB mounted one here that is double throw, but it isn't marked at all, and datasheet for it are not helping as there seems to be a lot of different ones with the same code. Its 24v, and I don't have a 24v power source to power it so I can check which are the normal open and normal closed. Tried 12v but just not enough oomph. Not real keen on ripping out wires out of the machine just to play with this relay

 

[BChild]

I'm sure one mod leads to another.

Take the separate power unit for the wire feed motor - Before fitting the wire feed potentiometer is a fine tune (optimise) not a coarse adjustment with volts being stepped up primarily linked to the welding power

After a separate PSU - the same pot is then a single turn incredibly coarse adjustment for the whole wire feed speed range - breathe on the thing and it changes speed

Solution finer 5 or 10 turn pot to try to gain back some of the fine adjustment

Every mod has an advantage and a disadvantage except the real basic mechanical ones.

Yes you can learn a lot - yes it helps you understand the inner workings of the POS SIP but had I had my time again I really think I'd rather have bought a much better quality machine and practiced my welding and improved my technique rather than trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear (and still being left with a pigs ear with pretty stitching rather than a silk purse)

JM2pW

 

[BChild]

Thanks mate. Ended up starting another thread like you suggested.

That's great - the reason I ask (despite skotl's arguement that it doesn't cost anymore to have it in this thread) is because if you put mods into this thread it's gonna end up reading like "groundhog day" over and over again the same process of modifications carried out by different people and TBH this thread is confusing in places to me when I read it back and I wrote most of it......

 

[skotl]

That's great - the reason I ask (despite skotl's arguement that it doesn't cost anymore to have it in this thread) is because if you put mods into this thread it's gonna end up reading like "groundhog day" over and over again the same process of modifications carried out by different people and TBH this thread is confusing in places to me when I read it back and I wrote most of it......

I'd agreed with you - my post said (or was meant to say, I grant it perhaps didn't read that way) that it "doesn't cost any more to start a new thread". Perhaps tongue in cheek, but my recommendation was defo to start a new thread rather than continue on this one.

 

[BChild]

I'd agreed with you - my post said (or was meant to say, I grant it perhaps didn't read that way) that it "doesn't cost any more to start a new thread". Perhaps tongue in cheek, but my recommendation was defo to start a new thread rather than continue on this one.

Ha ha - my error - I did indeed read it the other way - sorry

 

[Tray]

Sorry to Necro an old thread but......
Hoping someone is still reading this.
I kinda gave up trying to weld lots of years ago after purchasing a Cosmo 130 which I believe is almost exactly the same setup.
My dad and my brother are/were both coded welders and always bigged up their welding skills.
I am in no way trying to say good welding is anything other than very difficult artistry, but... I always thought that just being able to run a bead without it looking like a dog with bowel issues had run past shouldn’t be too difficult.
I have recently had some time on my hands and some fixes that require welding on my work van (will have to let my brother lord his skills over me if I can’t do a simple weld), mods to my Harley 1992 Sportster not special but if I can weld it could be and sill repairs on an R107 Mercedes 380sl.
I know some of the welding is aspirational and am no way inclined to attempt anything structural. (Sills are structural I believe).
I am electrical by trade and have read and understood everything i have read in this thread.
I have the welder already I have no issue at all with carrying out the mods if they are worthwhile and love the post about about learning the hard way so you understand better how something works.(Driving without a clutch +1 done it myself)
My query is to any of you who has carried out these mods and used other welding machines.
Will I end up with a better machine than I could purchase today for about £300?

 

[a111r]

Welcome!
The answer is resolutely No. And not by a long way (been there).

Ebay it, then buy a used Clarke equivalent that just works.
Or buy one of the many cheap inverter machines and use it before it breaks.

 

[skotl]

Sorry to Necro an old thread but......
Hoping someone is still reading this.
I kinda gave up trying to weld lots of years ago after purchasing a Cosmo 130 which I believe is almost exactly the same setup.
My dad and my brother are/were both coded welders and always bigged up their welding skills.
I am in no way trying to say good welding is anything other than very difficult artistry, but... I always thought that just being able to run a bead without it looking like a dog with bowel issues had run past shouldn’t be too difficult.
I have recently had some time on my hands and some fixes that require welding on my work van (will have to let my brother lord his skills over me if I can’t do a simple weld), mods to my Harley 1992 Sportster not special but if I can weld it could be and sill repairs on an R107 Mercedes 380sl.
I know some of the welding is aspirational and am no way inclined to attempt anything structural. (Sills are structural I believe).
I am electrical by trade and have read and understood everything i have read in this thread.
I have the welder already I have no issue at all with carrying out the mods if they are worthwhile and love the post about about learning the hard way so you understand better how something works.(Driving without a clutch +1 done it myself)
My query is to any of you who has carried out these mods and used other welding machines.
Will I end up with a better machine than I could purchase today for about £300?

Welcome to the forum

Will I end up with a better machine than I could purchase today for about £300?

Nah - probably not. But if you can buy a SIP or Cosmo for £50 to £100 and spend £35 on it then you'll learn a lot about welders, and have a usable machine.

If you have £300 to spend then I'd spend it on a not-SIP, to be honest. That said, bear in mind you'll need gloves, a mask and some gas so if you don't have all that then budget £100-£130 for it.

...mods to my Harley 1992 Sportster...sill repairs on an R107 Mercedes 380sl...structural...

These are great tasks to aspire to be able to achieve but I suspect they're pretty ambitious as beginner's projects.
By the way, I'd consider sill repairs to be structural...

You probably want to get a lot of practise first on projects that people's health don't depend on. Or your enjoyment of your Harley

 

[Tray]

WOW!
Thanks for the instant replies.
Having a couple of beers at the mo and expectations were low.
a111r: exactly the kind of answer I was hoping for, straight to the point no messing.
skotl: yeah I really do appreciate the learning side of making something work, especially when it’s a new skill.
It gives me a better understanding of how to achieve my goal (I hope I haven’t miss understood).

I have pretty much done every electrical repair or mechanical replacement possible on vehicles from a MK1 1100L escort with 4 drum brakes which finished life as far as I know with a Jag rear axle, RS500 prop shaft shortened and balanced by Tippler Engineering Old Kent Road (No longer there as far as I know), 5 speed box, widened transmission tunnel (welding by dad), 3.0 Capri front struts and discs, reinforced front suspension strut mount area and brace(welding by dad), widened rear arches (welding by dad), upgraded rear leafs CD6 IIR, all nylon bushes, never got round to fitting a brake servo (huge right leg muscles required lol) and more. Too repairing the poorly manufactured EDU on my van.
I have just realised how long this post is so to finish, the Escort was stolen with no engine in it!
I had acquired a V4 Essex engine that I had workbench modded considerably and was ready to swap in(yeah I was still running the 1100 original to shunt it about up to the night it was stolen).
Tools which I would never normally have left in the boot of a car went too.
Sorry if this is a bit long winded had a few beers, and again thanks for the replies.
I’ll be asking about eBay offers soon.

 

[eddie49]

Or buy one of the many cheap inverter machines and use it before it breaks.

These include the Static Arc 140, the Uptime 160, and the Blackline 200. These inverter machines have infinitely adjustable variable power output, easy gas/gasless selection, and can also be used as Arc welders ( MMA ). There are reviews on this Forum. Prices range from £160 to £233.

 

[Tray]

These include the Static Arc 140, the Uptime 160, and the Blackline 200. These inverter machines have infinitely adjustable variable power output, easy gas/gasless selection, and can also be used as Arc welders ( MMA ). There are reviews on this Forum. Prices range from £160 to £233.

Had some Vodka too now!
Do you mean these will break or are you saying these will be better?
I get the idea of manufacturers making machines more cost effective with newer technology but I am not yet convinced complicated circuitry is anywhere near as reliable as wire wound transformers.
Even LED lighting, the LED will invariably outlast the driver (inverter) in my experience so I cannot understand how they are supposedly more cost effective/eco friendly in the long run.
Or more importantly as far as I’m concerned not going to fail when I need them.
(The lighting installations I work on range from 5-10 x 4watt domestic lamps to 12000 x 1KW commercial lamps for horticultural.
Only 1 of the growers I work with has LED because it was a new build, the others won’t convert due to reliability/replacement cost implication issues.
Sorry I may have had more than a bit of vodka.

 

[skotl]

Had some Vodka too now!
Do you mean these will break or are you saying these will be better?
I get the idea of manufacturers making machines more cost effective with newer technology but I am not yet convinced complicated circuitry is anywhere near as reliable as wire wound transformers.
Even LED lighting, the LED will invariably outlast the driver (inverter) in my experience so I cannot understand how they are supposedly more cost effective/eco friendly in the long run.
Or more importantly as far as I’m concerned not going to fail when I need them.
(The lighting installations I work on range from 5-10 x 4watt domestic lamps to 12000 x 1KW commercial lamps for horticultural.
Only 1 of the growers I work with has LED because it was a new build, the others won’t convert due to reliability/replacement cost implication issues.
Sorry I may have had more than a bit of vodka.

Kinda. Old transformer welders like an Oxford will last forever. Modern electronics tend to either break in the first six months or go on for years, but it's true that repairing them is likely beyond most hobbyists.
But... this is where we are now - 99.9% of the welders on the market are electronic so either hold out for a transformer unit, which may take ages, or plunge in. The key (just like cars!) is to see it working. If it works, and you're spending in the low hundreds of pounds, then there's little reason not to buy an inverter (aka electronic) unit.

 

[eddie49]

Do you mean these will break or are you saying these will be better?

They will be better in that they offer options and features that don't exist at all on transformer MIGs. For example, you can press a button, plug in an electrode holder, and use them as a stick welder. The inverter output can be changed from constant voltage control ( CV ) for MIG to constant current ( CC ) for Arc. So in the same unit you have a MIG for thin metal and an arc welder for thick plate.
The inverter MIG output can be varied anywhere from zero Amps to the maximum, which is much easier for thin sheet compared to the typical 4 coarse steps 40/80/100/120 Amps on a low-end transformer set.
They are much smaller and lighter - typically 10 Kg, but of course you still have to add the size and weight of a gas cylinder.
They all offer easy switching of output polarity, for swapping between solid and flux-cored ( gasless ) wire.
They are also relatively cheap, compared to the "established" low-end transformer MIGs from Sealey or Clarke.

The downside is that reliability, both short and long-term, is unknown. They may be DOA, fail after 6 months, or last for ever. If they do fail, then due to the complexity, lack of data, and unavailability of parts, it is very unlikely that a DIY repair is possible, or any repair is cost-effective. This problem can be avoided by buying your inverter from a well-established manufacturer or seller, with a good warranty and after-sales support. However, the purchase price will be much higher, for what is effectively the same generic Chinese-made box. E.G., the Uptime 160 or Blackline 200 at £160 to £233 compared to the Stahlwerk 175 at £399 but with a 7-year warranty.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Welder-S...DING-GAS-FLUX-GASLESS-CORED-WIRE/153567342326

 

[BChild]

Sorry to Necro an old thread but......
Hoping someone is still reading this.
I kinda gave up trying to weld lots of years ago after purchasing a Cosmo 130 which I believe is almost exactly the same setup.
My dad and my brother are/were both coded welders and always bigged up their welding skills.
I am in no way trying to say good welding is anything other than very difficult artistry, but... I always thought that just being able to run a bead without it looking like a dog with bowel issues had run past shouldn’t be too difficult.
I have recently had some time on my hands and some fixes that require welding on my work van (will have to let my brother lord his skills over me if I can’t do a simple weld), mods to my Harley 1992 Sportster not special but if I can weld it could be and sill repairs on an R107 Mercedes 380sl.
I know some of the welding is aspirational and am no way inclined to attempt anything structural. (Sills are structural I believe).
I am electrical by trade and have read and understood everything i have read in this thread.
I have the welder already I have no issue at all with carrying out the mods if they are worthwhile and love the post about about learning the hard way so you understand better how something works.(Driving without a clutch +1 done it myself)
My query is to any of you who has carried out these mods and used other welding machines.
Will I end up with a better machine than I could purchase today for about £300?

No - some of the mods have benefits without drawbacks (wire feed brace) but most of the mods after that result in needing other mods to compensate it is a slippery slope and I fell down it (I have no intention of doing it again) and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone

I had to help a mate earlier on this year with a car before CV reared it's ugly head - we needed to make a locking tool for a crank pulley so we could remove it. We had pretty much what we needed to make something up - MX5 Hub, Scafffold pole and a bit of box section - I said we can prepare all the bits of scrap and then I'll take them home and buzz them up with my portamig - he said he had a welder (Clarke 135T) I could use that - I wasn't looking forward to it but once I got the wire feed sorted out - the tension on the drive wheel was miles out and it was running on the 0.8mm groove for 0.6mm wire and a couple of other irritations like a kinked pipe on the gas feed it buzzed up the tool very well and the timing chain replacement job could continue. I was actually quite impressed with how well it welded (had to play with the settings for a bit before I found what I needed - I can take a guess with my portamig and 99% of the time no need to adjust - if I'd bought a clarke I'd have probably never bought a portamig but I'm glad I did as despite being impressed with how the clarke performed I had to do a little welding job the next day with my portamig and as I started I smiled and said to myself that's more like it

 

[Sean]

Im a pervert that actually really liked using my little SIP105 for thin bodywork stuff, steel liner, braced roller before id joined this forum then when was looking on the internet for "why has my welder stopped working again" found this forum , then someone came up with the transformer mod and that went in too.

In the end id done so much welding with it it was just second nature whether I was lucky, had sorted the problems or had just learned to compensate i dont know but rarely had a bad day with it.

id found a second hand "proper" welder( linked on this site) for £300 and took a punt but still miss my little 105 now and again.
id not go nuts spending money on a Euro torch etc but a quick 24v independant power supply for the feed motor will keep you going till something better pops up, oh and they weld best on Argoshield light or similar rather than Co2.

Sean

 

[BChild]

Im a pervert that actually really liked using my little SIP105 for thin bodywork stuff, steel liner, braced roller before id joined this forum then when was looking on the internet for "why has my welder stopped working again" found this forum , then someone came up with the transformer mod and that went in too.

In the end id done so much welding with it it was just second nature whether I was lucky, had sorted the problems or had just learned to compensate i dont know but rarely had a bad day with it.

id found a second hand "proper" welder( linked on this site) for £300 and took a punt but still miss my little 105 now and again.
id not go nuts spending money on a Euro torch etc but a quick 24v independant power supply for the feed motor will keep you going till something better pops up, oh and they weld best on Argoshield light or similar rather than Co2.

Sean

Looking back over this thread today I think in my case I was chasing a fault that was already present in the welder when I bought it......

No matter what I did modification wise I had continual problems with wire speed variation when welding it would just increase speed as you welded and would require constant trimming of wire speed to maintain a good sizzle. That was until I cut the wire feed section of the main PCB and fitted the PWM as control I finally got a stable wire feed speed but then it was too late for the SIP I'd already sold my soul and bought a portamig

It's somewhere in the back of my garage buried - I've nicked the relay off it for another application - the euro torch I've used on my Portamig as it didn't have a hair trigger like the one that came with it. Someone of here or another forum sent me another PCB and wire feed mechanism assembly from on that had died for another reason so one day I'll try that and remove the PWM just for fun

It was a journey I quite enjoyed but it did slow down the project I was working on at the time - long gone thank god I never want to see another Mini in my garage again

 

[Tray]

Oh dear!
Had a beer.
Sooo....
Like I said I appreciate the knowledge acquired by doing things the hard/wrong way, however I don’t see the need to make things harder if you already know the best/easy/open to interpretation way.
This is technically beyond me to understand but not beyond my nderstanding