shout out for making something that so perfectly gives off that vibe of "i found this in my grandpas old shop and have no idea what it is but it seems scary"
What you want for your welder's cables is funnily enough called Welding Cable. It uses much finer strands then typical wire and EPDM or neoprene insulation for greatly improved flexibility. FYI it is also great for use in high power rv dc power systems because it's much easier to route and work with in confined spaces.
You can also use silicone cable from eBay etc (maybe 8GA?), car jumper cables, or the wire they use for high power audio amplifiers. The silicone cable from eBay will be the most flexible (by far).
@@johncoops6897 I agree. Probably much cheaper. The key is using oxygen free copper or ofc with silicone insulation. Stay away from copper clad aluminum or ccl, it will also usually be cheaper than the ofc
@@georgec1979 - Don't be so silly. This is very low frequency AC so _"Electron flow happens primarily on the surface of the wire strands"_ is just rubbish. Where do people pick up this idiotic ideas, Audiofool Forums? EDIT TO ADD: At 60 Hz in copper, the skin depth is about 8.5 mm. So, unless each *strand* in the cable is greater than 17mm (about 3/4") the skin effect is totally irrelevant.
@@Moonsauc3 - no need to worry about "Oxygen Free" or similar marketing rubbish. Plain old copper is what you need - oxygen is useful stuff in the air you breathe, but isn't significant in power cables. The conductivity of common C11000 Copper (ETP) and higher-cost C10200 oxygen-free (OF) Copper is identical. The extremely expensive C10100 grade OFC used in cryogenics is only 1% higher conductivity (insignificant)
@@johncoops6897 it's not the conductivity that I was concerned about, it's about the rigidity of the wire itself. The ccl is much more stiff than pure copper. Plus it doesn't break as easily over time.
We are so here for this kind of fabricobbling content! It's always a joy to watch. Seeing you comment about security Torx fasteners gives many of us AvE vibes. 😁👍
It's funny who you'll meet in a youtube comment section. Watched your videos years ago and suddenly you show up on InRange and now here. It's indeed a small world or rather there's only little quality content.
"Transformers are electromancy" *Proceeds to build and program a solid state arduino controlled curcuit capable of handling a massive amount of current supplied by a basic single phase step-down transformer that works on the very first try*
@@Gcrilla It's not even controlling the primary. It's controlling the relay that is controlling the primary. Much like an ogre, electrowizardry has layers.
Hey Robert, I have looked through your arduino code and I think it might be worth adding a safety feature to it. Currently, you're checking if the button is pressed on every loop of the program and activating the relay if that is the case. So if you hold the button pressed in all the time, the relay will activate again and again on every loop of the program. As a result, if you set the activation time low enough and/or don't release the button quickly enough, the relay will activate multiple times. You might want to add some code, to check if the button had been released and pressed in again, so it would only activate the relay once for every button press. Might save you from burning up the connections you want to spot weld and save you from a fire, in case the button gets stuck pressed in. Anyway, great project, you might have convinced me to try it myself. There have been times when I wished I had a battery spot welder, but not often enough to go out and actually buy one and I've been hesitant to make it myself.
if(isButtonPressed()) { activateRelay(300); //hard coded during development delay (500); //debounce delay while (isButtonPressed()) { //this while loop hangs until the button is released for the next activation // Do nothing } } }
Just FYI: if you can, it's better to remove the secondary without cutting the transformer open (you can for example cut the winding in half and punch it out) because if you break the core you'll never weld it together perfectly and it's gonna change both the inductance of the primary and in general increase the loss of the transformer. You can see this in the video when the transformer vibrates really loudly and draws a lot of current even with no load
The audio edit about 4 minutes in, with the sound of it being on only stopping when you touched the transformer, but you had it unplugged the entire time, is pure genius. Thank you for being you and trusting us enough sharing it.
you seem to have an endless supply of mahogany. When we get the next tour of the woodshop, I expect to see the only mahogany French cleat wall in existence.
Actually also tuning a 3D printer can be a pain in the ash. Filament and slicing settings can offset even more than the tolerances in normal substraction manufacturing
This is a masterpiece and I loved the humour involved in it's making, but I particularly liked the unintentional Teckno music effect when making the box joints.
The channel might be called Under Dunn, but I'd say that spot welder might be Over Dunn. Makes me want to make one now, even though I have no use for one.
Until 9:15 I was wondering where the mahogany in the title was going to be used. Awesome spot welder! Amazing how we now typically use Arduinos where we used to use a simple 555 timer or even a single transistor with an r-c circuit to time it. But then, it wouldn't have worked the first time.
@@sugarbooty I meant the scenario in which the uC would get blown up, both more expensive and time consuming to repair than just swapping socketed 555 or smtg.
"Excessive Mahogany" - it's interesting to see the different region UA-camrs with their different locally available excessive species. In the vague hope that you'll see this - I just thought I should mention that your regular channel is not featured on this channel! I actually came for the woodworking content and now suddenly I'm watching a guy deconstruct a bus, but it took me months until the algorithm told me about the other channel!
With a program like VCarve or Aspire, you can easily CNC parts from 3D printer models. There is no reason your handle or button grip should not be a matching wood for your case.
Fusion 360 would do the same job, and Robert's clearly familiar with the software. I was also thinking that he (you, Robert) could've designed his circuit in Fusion 360 and had a PCB made especially for the spot welder, all within Fusion 360. Then it would've been COMPLETELY OTT.
@@tomconway6808 It's hard to cut square corners with a spinning router bit, so there would be a lot of hand-finishing to make the two sides of the boxjoint interface correctly (unless he also applied a corresponding convex 3d profile to the fingers of the boxjoint).
Well I think some of the better electric cars you have sitting around are going to get functional better battery upgrades soon and you have a cool new toy to do it with, a win win in my book. Wish I'd watched this sooner but glad I finally did, that was fun to watch and maybe you get a microwave upgrade 😉👍
I forgot you mentioned this channel. I only found it on this video when watching videos on batteries. Now I get to hear you talk about more stuff. I don't know why but I enjoy your style of videos.
I made one a year ago and used it to cobble a 18V 18650 bosch battery for dirt cheap. Almost the exact same setup as yours just it featured a foot switch which i also made from microwave relay from doors lol
You should have made the arduino play some short annoying tune every time it has produced a welding pulse. It helps in remembering that tune for the rest of your life when seeing a battery pack.
Well, if you hadn't gone that fancy with the woodworking, then you couldn't have posted it to your woodworking channel! I love it, what a great device you made and you survived to upload the tale!
Oh man, this is giving me flashbacks. I used to work at Batteries Plus store, and we would rebuild battery packs for customers. Most of the time it was things like odd drill pack batteries which are just a bunch of Sub-C's spot welded together. Our machine had a foot lever lever that that would lower the probe and trigger it; I swear it had a bicycle pedal on it. I don't know why, but there was some finesse to it, if you pressed down too hard you would "pop" the weld. You're set up with the trigger looks much easier!
The joy of making useful tools, I also enjoy making tools by myself instead of buying them if I can make that happen, so thanks to you for that, I have all the necessary parts and going to start as soon.
We used to say that the most dangerous thing in the world is a programmer with a soldering iron… and that was before people started tearing apart microwave ovens. Nice job!
I think that it's great that you show your mistakes, makes your videos more enjoyable to watch knowing you're human like most of us! Plus I learn best from making mistakes! Keep up the good work!
Great content. I specially liked the notice at the end saying that the most important thing is the spot welder itself, and not the fancy box and all the tools needed to build it. People often do not make difference between a UA-cam channel and real life.
Any time I hear microwave transformer, I get incredibly nervous! Looks like you did a great job, and didn't hurt yourself (at least that you've shown on video!)
I don't know if I've watched too much of these, but my first reaction when I saw the box-joint jig was a "did he mess this up". I know this is pure torture, but I'd like you to know that "twas was for naught" as some twisted person half-way around the got a hefty chuckle out of this and the first smile of the day :D I short, a humble thank you!
If you want to go Super Fancy with your power cords, you can get IEC power cord (think "computer power cord") receptacles off of a bunch of different things, and the hole shape is cad file is easy to find.
Cool, I've used a wine bottle box and instead of cutting the core I've sawed off one end of high voltage coin and pushed it out. For the switch I've used a "wall mounted" 230V spring loaded light/doorbell switch bolted to a plank so that I can operate it with a foot.... Although I've never made a spot welder head, instead I've used it to heat wire to cut Styrofoam. And for melting stuff :)
@@nyetloki And what's a classic door bell if not an electromagnet pulling the bell hammer? But sure, these are drawing milliamps so wear of the contacts is minimal. On the other hand same switch design, lacking only a spring is used for light switches and some lights, e.g. linear fluorescent are inductive loads.
@@nyetloki That's a tricky question because the switch is rated for 10 A with no mention of type of load. That switch, in a regular light switch variant which only lacks a spring could be used to switch dozens of linear fluorescent tubes with magnetic ballasts which will be below 10 A, but would be definitely an inductive load. I think it would wear out prematurely.
Safety note about solid state relays. They always pass voltage! Not an issue with 2v, but when I used one to control the heater on an electric hot tub I was introduced to 240vac several times. Mind you it's in the single digit milliamps but still not fun.
If the load is 240VAC (in North America) you would need 2 SSR's, 1 in each power lead to isolate the load as there would be a path through the load (presumably resistive heat elements) to the unswitched line. With 240VAC, (sometimes called 2 phase) there is 115VAC to ground on each line.
If you put a dark piece of semi-transparent plastic in front of the display, it will show the numbers more clear. You can also use something like paper. The point is that you are blocking the ambient light from lighting up the unlit segments and letting the lit segments "blast" through the darkened "glass".
Awesome project! Tip: when I need heavy gage wire that is flexible, I use welding cable, it's available down to 6 awg from McMaster and can handle mass quantities of amps. Edit: What Robert built reminds me of the transformers plumbers use to thaw out frozen copper pipes, 120V in, 6 Volts out but high amps continuous. Not sure if the amperage would be high enough to spot weld though, but would be cool to try. The Arduino is neat too, but probably overkill for the application. I think a 555 r/c timer circuit would have done as well. But hey, if it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing!
Cutting out the box joints reminded me of the song Doubt by Delphic Also, brushed vacuum headers for CNC machines don't last all that long and don't look nice for most of their life cycle. When they get all messed up just replace them with stiff enough silicone sheets spliced near the bottom - works perfectly and stays decent for years.
I built a much less fancy version of yours a few months ago. To anyone wanting to make a much worse but still functional version, I used 1/8 copper rod with points ground on it for the electrodes and used only an arduino and a push button switch. To adjust the timing, I make changes in the arduino code. It’s much worse but for my purposes the timing can pretty much be set and forgot. Another tip is if you don’t want to (or in my case couldn’t) disassemble the transformer, you have another option. I used a saws all to carefully cut each end of the secondary winding flush with the iron body of the transformer and then used a 3/8 drill bit to drill out as much as I could. With the majority of the material removed, it was easy to punch out the rest with a flathead screwdriver. Also if you mostly work on cars and small electronics, remember to switch your meter to ac before checking the transformer. That took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out.
My MOT spot welder gets _very_ hot. Mind you I weld light gauge sheet metal. But still, that's a lot of current in that wire, and once you start tacking a lot of batteries, give it time to cool down between batches.
This isn't as dangerous as it seems. I don't see any comments *thoroughly* explaining this, so I'll try my best. First, I'd like to discuss the misnomer that it's not the voltage that kills but the current. This is technically correct, but not the full story. It boils down to Ohm's law, which says Current = Voltage ÷ Resistance. These three values are always tied by this relationship. And there are some consequences to this: 1. An open circuit (no connection) will have an infinite resistance. No current will flow and a power supply will be at its max voltage. Here we see 2V. 2. A short circuit will have no resistance. Therefore infinite current will flow in theory. Metal is an approximation of a short circuit due to having low resistance. If the power supply cannot keep up, it's voltage will drop to maintain Ohm's law. 3. Due to consequence 2, Robert should have actually measured current while welding. (A short circuit) Not while open. The 10A is probably just due to losses. The real current might be much higher than 600A through metal. 4. The human body is pretty resistive. The exact number will depend on what two points of the body you measure through. But even two points close together on the skin has a high resistance. As such, at 2V, the current is very low. Nowhere near enough to hurt you. At 120V, you can flow enough current to kill depending on where through the body it flows. (Particularly the heart) 5. Due to that, the output is actually less dangerous then the input to that transformer after modification. (NOT before) 6. Still, it makes the metal hot. If you touch it while it's welding or shortly after, you will hurt yourself. Be careful nonetheless! Hopefully this has been educational. Electricity is truly fascinating, and I'm all too happy to spread my knowledge!
I'm sure one could have a very simple timer circuit run from a 555 or something similar with a potentiometer to control pulse time to avoid all the programming malarkey.
Tip for the 3d printing. Instead of having to change design in fusion360, in the 3d printer slicer you can adjust the fit using the xy size compensation
@@petermiddo sometimes you might need to adjust the xy size to make it fit when using a different 3d printer, instead of making the design fit the printer.
@@robertmason6233 Sure, but very, very rarely are you designing something for other people to use on their own printers, as well as yourself. Most people start out with one small volume 3d printer and that's where they end, with it being a just fad. Some just buy the biggest volume printer they can afford and stick with that one. There are some who buy a small, starter 3D Printer to see if they like it & it's useful to them, and then buy another, larger volume one and keep the little one to increase output. So, in the 2 instances where you've only ever going to have one 3D printer (along with the option of being able to reprint the design on the printer you printed it on in the first place, anyway), changing the design within whatever CAD/CAM software you designed it in is probably still,the smartest idea. That way, if the original part breaks, you simply pull up your design, send it to the slicer without the need to remember to modify it, and jam out the replacement part without printing it, realising you've forgotten to change the dimensions in your slicer and wasting another 3 hours of print time and all that filament, which is plastic waste. Or that's the way it makes sense to me.
i built a microwave oven transformer power supply a few years ago. i went a little crazy with my wire and used some 0ga wire. got ~2.2v and dead short, measure out at 1360 amps. just used it a couple weeks ago to weld up some tabs on some 18650's to make a battery pack. best FREE.99 i ever spent.
What made you decide to go through all the extra steps and headache of using an arduino instead of a simple timer? Something like a Littlefuse TSS421 .05sec to 3sec adjustable timer to run your high current solid state relay. Once you get the time delay figured out for the application the digital readout isn't really needed.
some youtube videos I can walk away and listen while I go grab something from another room. here, as soon as I do that, there's a childish giggle and i have to finish what I'm doing, come back, and rewind to see Robert knock half a transformer off with a chisel.
This is so cool, unfortunately I always get hopelessly lost when electrical projects are intertwined with electronics because I do not understand or know anything about electronics, electronic parts and components, circuit boards, electronic wiring or how to make any of it work in conjunction with electrical hardware. It is a very nice knowledge to possess and it sure does turn your electrical tools into very safe, controllable and refined tools. Wish I understood any of it.
With the heavy gauge wire he's used for the new coil, it might have been very difficult to thread the new coils in without damaging the insulation. He might also have a use in mind for the finer wires of the old secondary.
Super nice job. If the spot welder leads were detachable, the side of the box had an open extension to hold the leads and button with a nice carry handle, that would be complete.
Super super nice episode !! Here you get different elements, such as electronics, some data coding, welding current, and wood work. Stop saying you're an idiot, because you are not. I look forward to more such episodes, it's fun and you are very skilled, and now I have to work on my own projects... .. and as before, fantastic video editing!
For people who are allergic to Arduinos, a 555 timer IC and a handful of penny parts can do the exact same thing. You won't get the fancy 7 segment LED display, but a trim pot and a dial works just as well.
08:20 Suggest you use a double pole switch to avoid you are opening the neutral and still have the live on. Nice video, well done project, and the humorous twist is great. Now you know it is not just software writers that would do this or that different….also electricians 😉
Yes DEFINITELY a double pole switch. Even if you wire it correctly with a SP switch on the active line, the house wiring (particularly if it's very old & without safety switches, or in countries with poor compliance) can have the active & neutral lines reversed. A great recipe for electrocution!
I love watching you build and make things, and especially happy for you having success early on. You've made a nice workshop and some great creations come out of it. Absolutely love your attitude and personality. Nice job on the spot welder and good luck for the next stage :)
I guess that "modern man" has forgotten the special digits that form a magical number: 555 All that hardware and programming, for a simple pulse? A potentiometer, with a dial that you calibrate, two capacitors, a couple of resistors, a potentiometer, and a 555...
to learn enough arduino to fabricobble your ideas in to reality is in general way easier that analogue circuitry. of course the analogue solution is way more elegant but i think it's great that people can make shit without much barrier of entry. also he can update functionality of this device with software updates.
Don't use electric tape for the handle, get some 3m self healing rubber tape. It's sold at various hardware stores like Lowe's and home Depot, you can also just order on Amazon but I can never remember exactly what it's called. It has a much higher electrical resistance, not that it matters in this application.. it has a much higher physical resistance, you can wrap the entire handle from end to end, it will not wear out readily. It will also make a very nice handle, and look way better than the electrical tape... Also won't leave some weird grimy sludge attached to the equipment overtime.
Fwiw the no load current doesn't tell you much about the amperage of the secondary. The turns ratio is close to predicting the voltage current transformation. A 10 to 1 turns ratio will step up/down the voltage and step down/up the current. Iow 10x the current at 1/10 the voltage or 1/10 the current at 10 times the voltage. Ignoring efficiency losses and core saturation copper losses etc. Probably a good idea to mention making sure it's unplugged and the high voltage capacitor is shorted out. There is no guarantee the drain resistor is present and functioning. Note capacitors can partially charge themselves up without violating any laws of physics.
shout out for making something that so perfectly gives off that vibe of "i found this in my grandpas old shop and have no idea what it is but it seems scary"
you mean like the arc welder i inherited from my grandfather that has cloth covered wires?
What you want for your welder's cables is funnily enough called Welding Cable. It uses much finer strands then typical wire and EPDM or neoprene insulation for greatly improved flexibility. FYI it is also great for use in high power rv dc power systems because it's much easier to route and work with in confined spaces.
You can also use silicone cable from eBay etc (maybe 8GA?), car jumper cables, or the wire they use for high power audio amplifiers. The silicone cable from eBay will be the most flexible (by far).
@@johncoops6897 I agree. Probably much cheaper. The key is using oxygen free copper or ofc with silicone insulation. Stay away from copper clad aluminum or ccl, it will also usually be cheaper than the ofc
@@georgec1979 - Don't be so silly. This is very low frequency AC so _"Electron flow happens primarily on the surface of the wire strands"_ is just rubbish. Where do people pick up this idiotic ideas, Audiofool Forums?
EDIT TO ADD: At 60 Hz in copper, the skin depth is about 8.5 mm. So, unless each *strand* in the cable is greater than 17mm (about 3/4") the skin effect is totally irrelevant.
@@Moonsauc3 - no need to worry about "Oxygen Free" or similar marketing rubbish. Plain old copper is what you need - oxygen is useful stuff in the air you breathe, but isn't significant in power cables.
The conductivity of common C11000 Copper (ETP) and higher-cost C10200 oxygen-free (OF) Copper is identical. The extremely expensive C10100 grade OFC used in cryogenics is only 1% higher conductivity (insignificant)
@@johncoops6897 it's not the conductivity that I was concerned about, it's about the rigidity of the wire itself. The ccl is much more stiff than pure copper. Plus it doesn't break as easily over time.
We are so here for this kind of fabricobbling content! It's always a joy to watch.
Seeing you comment about security Torx fasteners gives many of us AvE vibes. 😁👍
It's funny who you'll meet in a youtube comment section. Watched your videos years ago and suddenly you show up on InRange and now here. It's indeed a small world or rather there's only little quality content.
@@Amarok41 hah, I broke into this comment section because it wasn't locked in a serious way 😉👍
He must not have his attack chicken out.
@@zendell37 indeed, nobody wants to mess with an angry chicken 🐔 😯
Hah, I wouldn't have even looked at the name if it hadn't been for that first reply. I just got roped in by the word "fabricobbling"
''Honey where is our microwave?''
''Funny you mention that, actually...''
Hot in here, or is it just me...
Just swap out the welding tips for skewers and instant kabob cooker!
He put it back and waited for someone to use it and discover it don't work. Then he just went out and bought another one. They will never know.
Spot welder go BZZZZT
"I'm using it"
"Transformers are electromancy"
*Proceeds to build and program a solid state arduino controlled curcuit capable of handling a massive amount of current supplied by a basic single phase step-down transformer that works on the very first try*
That is technomancy. Technomancy is totally different from EElectromancy.
Technically, it's controlling the primary which isn't a massive amount of current.
But it is indeed wizardry
@@Gcrilla It's not even controlling the primary. It's controlling the relay that is controlling the primary. Much like an ogre, electrowizardry has layers.
The machine spirit wills it today -Random Adeptus Mechanicus
Black box theory my dude
Hey Robert, I have looked through your arduino code and I think it might be worth adding a safety feature to it. Currently, you're checking if the button is pressed on every loop of the program and activating the relay if that is the case. So if you hold the button pressed in all the time, the relay will activate again and again on every loop of the program. As a result, if you set the activation time low enough and/or don't release the button quickly enough, the relay will activate multiple times.
You might want to add some code, to check if the button had been released and pressed in again, so it would only activate the relay once for every button press. Might save you from burning up the connections you want to spot weld and save you from a fire, in case the button gets stuck pressed in.
Anyway, great project, you might have convinced me to try it myself. There have been times when I wished I had a battery spot welder, but not often enough to go out and actually buy one and I've been hesitant to make it myself.
if(isButtonPressed()) {
activateRelay(300); //hard coded during development
delay (500); //debounce delay
while (isButtonPressed()) { //this while loop hangs until the button is released for the next activation
// Do nothing
}
}
}
With how fancy of a box Robert made for his spot welder, I cant wait to see the box that he makes for his batteries!
That's gonna be Sandalwood with Yew Wood accents. 🤣🤣🤣
If he makes it out of wood maybe we can get to see some of the magic smoke. If there's tung/linseed oil it'll be extra coochy.
I am here from the future! He hated it, so he did the Robert thing and made an even more complicated one out of metal and acrylic! :D
"How do you get people to stop using your tools?"
Dude I almost spit out my coffee! Nicely done
Another Channel where UA-cam recommendations algorithm was eerily spot-on. Enjoyed the info and delivery.
Just FYI: if you can, it's better to remove the secondary without cutting the transformer open (you can for example cut the winding in half and punch it out) because if you break the core you'll never weld it together perfectly and it's gonna change both the inductance of the primary and in general increase the loss of the transformer. You can see this in the video when the transformer vibrates really loudly and draws a lot of current even with no load
Would be cool if he could try this with a different transformer and see how much current it draws without load.
Microwave transformers are purposely lossy. Wasting power with no load was the cheapest way to current limit the magnetron tube.
@@anullhandle Yeah, but still, drawing 10A @120V is a lot of power loss. I don't think they're supposed to waste a kW just sitting there idling
@@gigigigiontis8 yeah that's a cubic butt load. I think they had magnetic shunt pcs in there making them lossy but kw idle is a BIT much :)
Yeah, there was a visible gap where he welded it back together.
Hi Robert, I found your channel through the Hackaday blog, super happy they linked it! Having a blast going through your videos, love 'em!
I really love how over-under-over-engineered this project is!
The audio edit about 4 minutes in, with the sound of it being on only stopping when you touched the transformer, but you had it unplugged the entire time, is pure genius. Thank you for being you and trusting us enough sharing it.
Your edit on cutting the box joints is my favourite part.
you seem to have an endless supply of mahogany. When we get the next tour of the woodshop, I expect to see the only mahogany French cleat wall in existence.
5:30 - You learned tolerances! Hurray! The worst part about taking your beautiful CAD model and bringing it into the real world.
The real world is a jerk..
@@Entarra Meatspace is worst space.
Actually also tuning a 3D printer can be a pain in the ash. Filament and slicing settings can offset even more than the tolerances in normal substraction manufacturing
for the size of those copper chop sticks i would have just given each side a skim with the grinder rather than printing a new one.
This is a masterpiece and I loved the humour involved in it's making, but I particularly liked the unintentional Teckno music effect when making the box joints.
That was totally intentional. It's way too good.His editing is amazing.
*Easy to assemble **Fastly.Cool*
Scammer
Best "how to" on these DIY welders I've seen.
The channel might be called Under Dunn, but I'd say that spot welder might be Over Dunn. Makes me want to make one now, even though I have no use for one.
I get the feeling we're going to see a ton more 3D printing in the future. "When all you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail"
Building cool stuff while exercising self deprecation at the highest level. Awesomeness
Until 9:15 I was wondering where the mahogany in the title was going to be used. Awesome spot welder! Amazing how we now typically use Arduinos where we used to use a simple 555 timer or even a single transistor with an r-c circuit to time it. But then, it wouldn't have worked the first time.
Having precise control of the timing is nice, although analog has a certain charm to it
Seems like wasteful overkill to me.....
@@sugarbooty u also don't have to spend day reprogramming shit if it blows up.
@@plainedgedsaw1694 it would take me 10 or 20 minutes to program something this simple, and if it blows up its probably not the microcontrollers fault
@@sugarbooty I meant the scenario in which the uC would get blown up, both more expensive and time consuming to repair than just swapping socketed 555 or smtg.
"Have you seen the microwave Robert?" **Zap** 'No'
"Excessive Mahogany" - it's interesting to see the different region UA-camrs with their different locally available excessive species.
In the vague hope that you'll see this - I just thought I should mention that your regular channel is not featured on this channel! I actually came for the woodworking content and now suddenly I'm watching a guy deconstruct a bus, but it took me months until the algorithm told me about the other channel!
I came for the bus and only found out about this channel because Robert mentioned his "other channel", ie this one.
Even then I had to search for it.
I see you're flaunting your UA-camr wealth with all that copper!
As others have mentioned, we're here for the fabricobbling!
With a program like VCarve or Aspire, you can easily CNC parts from 3D printer models. There is no reason your handle or button grip should not be a matching wood for your case.
I was thinking he could have cut his box parts and joints using the CNC as well.
Fusion 360 would do the same job, and Robert's clearly familiar with the software.
I was also thinking that he (you, Robert) could've designed his circuit in Fusion 360 and had a PCB made especially for the spot welder, all within Fusion 360. Then it would've been COMPLETELY OTT.
@@tomconway6808 It's hard to cut square corners with a spinning router bit, so there would be a lot of hand-finishing to make the two sides of the boxjoint interface correctly (unless he also applied a corresponding convex 3d profile to the fingers of the boxjoint).
@@EmyrDerfel Oh duh right.
Well I think some of the better electric cars you have sitting around are going to get functional better battery upgrades soon and you have a cool new toy to do it with, a win win in my book. Wish I'd watched this sooner but glad I finally did, that was fun to watch and maybe you get a microwave upgrade 😉👍
Love the way you approach things and your sense of humour!!
I forgot you mentioned this channel. I only found it on this video when watching videos on batteries. Now I get to hear you talk about more stuff. I don't know why but I enjoy your style of videos.
I made one a year ago and used it to cobble a 18V 18650 bosch battery for dirt cheap. Almost the exact same setup as yours just it featured a foot switch which i also made from microwave relay from doors lol
The best part of your videos is just how fearless you are! Thanks for sharing.
I like you, you're hilarious. This video was brilliant, thank you. I more-than-half expected the finger-joint cutting montage to turn into a song.
You should have made the arduino play some short annoying tune every time it has produced a welding pulse. It helps in remembering that tune for the rest of your life when seeing a battery pack.
Man, Can you believe his patience and attention to detail. Incredible. truly Incredible.
Well, if you hadn't gone that fancy with the woodworking, then you couldn't have posted it to your woodworking channel! I love it, what a great device you made and you survived to upload the tale!
If you had half as much fun doing it as we had viewing it, you had a lot of fun indeed!
Oh man, this is giving me flashbacks. I used to work at Batteries Plus store, and we would rebuild battery packs for customers. Most of the time it was things like odd drill pack batteries which are just a bunch of Sub-C's spot welded together. Our machine had a foot lever lever that that would lower the probe and trigger it; I swear it had a bicycle pedal on it. I don't know why, but there was some finesse to it, if you pressed down too hard you would "pop" the weld. You're set up with the trigger looks much easier!
The joy of making useful tools, I also enjoy making tools by myself instead of buying them if I can make that happen, so thanks to you for that, I have all the necessary parts and going to start as soon.
We used to say that the most dangerous thing in the world is a programmer with a soldering iron… and that was before people started tearing apart microwave ovens.
Nice job!
I hope you still have the remains of that microwave. There are a couple of pretty good magnets in there that you can salvage.
Turntables can be fun for photography or other projects too.
Plus some microswitches that would work well for a foot pedal.
I think that it's great that you show your mistakes, makes your videos more enjoyable to watch knowing you're human like most of us! Plus I learn best from making mistakes! Keep up the good work!
I had no idea you were a professional level wood worker. Fantastic work!
Great content. I specially liked the notice at the end saying that the most important thing is the spot welder itself, and not the fancy box and all the tools needed to build it.
People often do not make difference between a UA-cam channel and real life.
Any time I hear microwave transformer, I get incredibly nervous! Looks like you did a great job, and didn't hurt yourself (at least that you've shown on video!)
Microwave transformers rock. Lichtenberg burning!
wow, that enclosure is seriously professional looking, except more stylish! i love it!
Nice. I didn’t see a fuse in there. Hope ya got one! I’d feel bad if I didn’t say anything
I don't know if I've watched too much of these, but my first reaction when I saw the box-joint jig was a "did he mess this up".
I know this is pure torture, but I'd like you to know that "twas was for naught" as some twisted person half-way around the got a hefty chuckle out of this and the first smile of the day :D
I short, a humble thank you!
If you want to go Super Fancy with your power cords, you can get IEC power cord (think "computer power cord") receptacles off of a bunch of different things, and the hole shape is cad file is easy to find.
Cool, I've used a wine bottle box and instead of cutting the core I've sawed off one end of high voltage coin and pushed it out. For the switch I've used a "wall mounted" 230V spring loaded light/doorbell switch bolted to a plank so that I can operate it with a foot.... Although I've never made a spot welder head, instead I've used it to heat wire to cut Styrofoam. And for melting stuff :)
FYI those switches are not designed for inductive loads AFAIK.
@@nyetloki And what's a classic door bell if not an electromagnet pulling the bell hammer? But sure, these are drawing milliamps so wear of the contacts is minimal. On the other hand same switch design, lacking only a spring is used for light switches and some lights, e.g. linear fluorescent are inductive loads.
@@mibars you think a common doorbell switch is made to handle 1400W inductive loads?
@@nyetloki That's a tricky question because the switch is rated for 10 A with no mention of type of load. That switch, in a regular light switch variant which only lacks a spring could be used to switch dozens of linear fluorescent tubes with magnetic ballasts which will be below 10 A, but would be definitely an inductive load. I think it would wear out prematurely.
Combination of electrical interest and woodworking. Man after my own heart. Subscribed!
First “safe” one of these I’ve seen. Nice job
Make that switch button into a foot switch! You'll really like having a free hand. 13:37 - You will desire!
he could make a handle with the button on it and literally weld with it lol
@@yurmofuggndad - yes, he did not protect in the code against re-triggering, so actually possible! 🤓😁
I like how the box jig saw sped up ends up sounding like an 80s synthesizer.
Safety note about solid state relays. They always pass voltage! Not an issue with 2v, but when I used one to control the heater on an electric hot tub I was introduced to 240vac several times. Mind you it's in the single digit milliamps but still not fun.
If the load is 240VAC (in North America) you would need 2 SSR's, 1 in each power lead to isolate the load as there would be a path through the load (presumably resistive heat elements) to the unswitched line. With 240VAC, (sometimes called 2 phase) there is 115VAC to ground on each line.
CNC, 3D printing. This is getting fancy! Have fun with the welder!
This guy's the best. Best sense of humor too.
If you put a dark piece of semi-transparent plastic in front of the display, it will show the numbers more clear. You can also use something like paper. The point is that you are blocking the ambient light from lighting up the unlit segments and letting the lit segments "blast" through the darkened "glass".
I appreciate you making videos like this mr Dunn. I love watching them.
You’ve really gotten better as a presenter. Great job!
Nice methods and solutions on the box. I can see I am going to have to watch more of your videos.
Great craftsmanship there, thank you!
Awesome project! Tip: when I need heavy gage wire that is flexible, I use welding cable, it's available down to 6 awg from McMaster and can handle mass quantities of amps. Edit: What Robert built reminds me of the transformers plumbers use to thaw out frozen copper pipes, 120V in, 6 Volts out but high amps continuous. Not sure if the amperage would be high enough to spot weld though, but would be cool to try. The Arduino is neat too, but probably overkill for the application. I think a 555 r/c timer circuit would have done as well. But hey, if it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing!
as a welder i can confirm lol
@@yurmofuggndad Beats THHN wire all day long!
The 555 wouldn't have given the pretty display and micro adjustments are often difficult. You are right on a fundamental level, though.
Much easier to just BUY a proper *spot welding controller* from Ebay, Amazon or similar marketplace.
@@johncoops6897 yeah, but where's the fun in that, exactly?
Cutting out the box joints reminded me of the song Doubt by Delphic
Also, brushed vacuum headers for CNC machines don't last all that long and don't look nice for most of their life cycle.
When they get all messed up just replace them with stiff enough silicone sheets spliced near the bottom - works perfectly and stays decent for years.
Transformers are created by electromancy.
You could also use a mechanical relay timer instead of the Arduino and still get fairly finite control.
But sub second timing with a timer relay is harder and probably more expensive
I built a much less fancy version of yours a few months ago. To anyone wanting to make a much worse but still functional version, I used 1/8 copper rod with points ground on it for the electrodes and used only an arduino and a push button switch. To adjust the timing, I make changes in the arduino code. It’s much worse but for my purposes the timing can pretty much be set and forgot. Another tip is if you don’t want to (or in my case couldn’t) disassemble the transformer, you have another option. I used a saws all to carefully cut each end of the secondary winding flush with the iron body of the transformer and then used a 3/8 drill bit to drill out as much as I could. With the majority of the material removed, it was easy to punch out the rest with a flathead screwdriver. Also if you mostly work on cars and small electronics, remember to switch your meter to ac before checking the transformer. That took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out.
A footpedal would be great to have to actuate it instead of the hand button
OR Grip mounted trigger :-)
My MOT spot welder gets _very_ hot. Mind you I weld light gauge sheet metal. But still, that's a lot of current in that wire, and once you start tacking a lot of batteries, give it time to cool down between batches.
*I'M GLAD I FOUND THIS CHANNEL!!*
I understood about 1% of this project but i loved the video all the same! Keep it up man!
This isn't as dangerous as it seems. I don't see any comments *thoroughly* explaining this, so I'll try my best.
First, I'd like to discuss the misnomer that it's not the voltage that kills but the current. This is technically correct, but not the full story.
It boils down to Ohm's law, which says Current = Voltage ÷ Resistance.
These three values are always tied by this relationship. And there are some consequences to this:
1. An open circuit (no connection) will have an infinite resistance. No current will flow and a power supply will be at its max voltage. Here we see 2V.
2. A short circuit will have no resistance. Therefore infinite current will flow in theory. Metal is an approximation of a short circuit due to having low resistance. If the power supply cannot keep up, it's voltage will drop to maintain Ohm's law.
3. Due to consequence 2, Robert should have actually measured current while welding. (A short circuit) Not while open. The 10A is probably just due to losses. The real current might be much higher than 600A through metal.
4. The human body is pretty resistive. The exact number will depend on what two points of the body you measure through. But even two points close together on the skin has a high resistance. As such, at 2V, the current is very low. Nowhere near enough to hurt you. At 120V, you can flow enough current to kill depending on where through the body it flows. (Particularly the heart)
5. Due to that, the output is actually less dangerous then the input to that transformer after modification. (NOT before)
6. Still, it makes the metal hot. If you touch it while it's welding or shortly after, you will hurt yourself. Be careful nonetheless!
Hopefully this has been educational. Electricity is truly fascinating, and I'm all too happy to spread my knowledge!
Can't wait to hear you merge CNC router, the router table, drill, and brad nailer into a rhythmic symphony. Great job!
I'm sure one could have a very simple timer circuit run from a 555 or something similar with a potentiometer to control pulse time to avoid all the programming malarkey.
Exactly, but honestly, arduino makes it even easier than using a 555 for people that have never used either. More support for arduino, I think.
Your Dad has an awesome garage.
You are absolutely correct having it work the first time is an amazing feeling. Nicely done!
An awesome spot welder project, LOVE IT Rob!
Isn't lithium spot welding supposed to be low power? Cause heat bad.
Tip for the 3d printing. Instead of having to change design in fusion360, in the 3d printer slicer you can adjust the fit using the xy size compensation
I'm told it's better to change it as design stage and it definitely is a relatively easy task in Fusion 360
@@petermiddo sometimes you might need to adjust the xy size to make it fit when using a different 3d printer, instead of making the design fit the printer.
@@robertmason6233 Sure, but very, very rarely are you designing something for other people to use on their own printers, as well as yourself.
Most people start out with one small volume 3d printer and that's where they end, with it being a just fad. Some just buy the biggest volume printer they can afford and stick with that one.
There are some who buy a small, starter 3D Printer to see if they like it & it's useful to them, and then buy another, larger volume one and keep the little one to increase output.
So, in the 2 instances where you've only ever going to have one 3D printer (along with the option of being able to reprint the design on the printer you printed it on in the first place, anyway), changing the design within whatever CAD/CAM software you designed it in is probably still,the smartest idea. That way, if the original part breaks, you simply pull up your design, send it to the slicer without the need to remember to modify it, and jam out the replacement part without printing it, realising you've forgotten to change the dimensions in your slicer and wasting another 3 hours of print time and all that filament, which is plastic waste.
Or that's the way it makes sense to me.
@@petermiddo that's fair.
i built a microwave oven transformer power supply a few years ago. i went a little crazy with my wire and used some 0ga wire. got ~2.2v and dead short, measure out at 1360 amps. just used it a couple weeks ago to weld up some tabs on some 18650's to make a battery pack. best FREE.99 i ever spent.
The entire video was excellent. Great and entertaining editing, and a cool useful project.
Subscribed, can't wait to see your channel explode.
Loved it. Surely the next step is incorporating the trigger button into the spot welding "pen"?
this man deserves so much more love!! These videos on both channels are so amazing
I like how it's called the 'Zip-Zap' yet looks like a professional modern but tasteful well made box haha.
I'm getting some real Mattias Wandel vibes from the woodworking, I love it.
What made you decide to go through all the extra steps and headache of using an arduino instead of a simple timer? Something like a Littlefuse TSS421 .05sec to 3sec adjustable timer to run your high current solid state relay. Once you get the time delay figured out for the application the digital readout isn't really needed.
This must be one of the most terrifying things I've ever seen you do! :) ++applause++
hey - if not already mentioned, basic idea is turns ratios, mains to output, to get the approximate output Ts/Tp * Vin
some youtube videos I can walk away and listen while I go grab something from another room.
here, as soon as I do that, there's a childish giggle and i have to finish what I'm doing, come back, and rewind to see Robert knock half a transformer off with a chisel.
This is so cool, unfortunately I always get hopelessly lost when electrical projects are intertwined with electronics because I do not understand or know anything about electronics, electronic parts and components, circuit boards, electronic wiring or how to make any of it work in conjunction with electrical hardware. It is a very nice knowledge to possess and it sure does turn your electrical tools into very safe, controllable and refined tools. Wish I understood any of it.
You don't need to cut the transformer apart at all, you can just cut the old secondary coil out.
That's what I've done since falling at my first one!
With the heavy gauge wire he's used for the new coil, it might have been very difficult to thread the new coils in without damaging the insulation. He might also have a use in mind for the finer wires of the old secondary.
Super nice job. If the spot welder leads were detachable, the side of the box had an open extension to hold the leads and button with a nice carry handle, that would be complete.
Super super nice episode !! Here you get different elements, such as electronics, some data coding, welding current, and wood work. Stop saying you're an idiot, because you are not. I look forward to more such episodes, it's fun and you are very skilled, and now I have to work on my own projects... .. and as before, fantastic video editing!
For people who are allergic to Arduinos, a 555 timer IC and a handful of penny parts can do the exact same thing. You won't get the fancy 7 segment LED display, but a trim pot and a dial works just as well.
08:20 Suggest you use a double pole switch to avoid you are opening the neutral and still have the live on. Nice video, well done project, and the humorous twist is great. Now you know it is not just software writers that would do this or that different….also electricians 😉
Yes DEFINITELY a double pole switch. Even if you wire it correctly with a SP switch on the active line, the house wiring (particularly if it's very old & without safety switches, or in countries with poor compliance) can have the active & neutral lines reversed. A great recipe for electrocution!
People who can create both software and hardware will rule the future world.
Please add a note about the capacitor, to make sure to discharge it safely before cutting any cables.
I love watching you build and make things, and especially happy for you having success early on. You've made a nice workshop and some great creations come out of it. Absolutely love your attitude and personality. Nice job on the spot welder and good luck for the next stage :)
I guess that "modern man" has forgotten the special digits that form a magical number: 555
All that hardware and programming, for a simple pulse?
A potentiometer, with a dial that you calibrate, two capacitors, a couple of resistors, a potentiometer, and a 555...
to learn enough arduino to fabricobble your ideas in to reality is in general way easier that analogue circuitry. of course the analogue solution is way more elegant but i think it's great that people can make shit without much barrier of entry. also he can update functionality of this device with software updates.
"Heirloom spot welder" sounds pretty cool to me. Could probably sell a few of those...
Don't use electric tape for the handle, get some 3m self healing rubber tape. It's sold at various hardware stores like Lowe's and home Depot, you can also just order on Amazon but I can never remember exactly what it's called.
It has a much higher electrical resistance, not that it matters in this application.. it has a much higher physical resistance, you can wrap the entire handle from end to end, it will not wear out readily. It will also make a very nice handle, and look way better than the electrical tape... Also won't leave some weird grimy sludge attached to the equipment overtime.
Fwiw the no load current doesn't tell you much about the amperage of the secondary. The turns ratio is close to predicting the voltage current transformation. A 10 to 1 turns ratio will step up/down the voltage and step down/up the current. Iow 10x the current at 1/10 the voltage or 1/10 the current at 10 times the voltage. Ignoring efficiency losses and core saturation copper losses etc. Probably a good idea to mention making sure it's unplugged and the high voltage capacitor is shorted out. There is no guarantee the drain resistor is present and functioning. Note capacitors can partially charge themselves up without violating any laws of physics.