With a 35mm² AWG 2 wire, with 2 turns in secondary coil, I got 1.6v 522.4 A in my tip heads which are made of zirconium copper alloy. This alloy is the nessecary one to use in point welding machine cause of it's thermal resistance and conductance properties. I also use the 220v fan motor of the original microwave oven for cooling and one thermal fuse of the same oven and there is no heat problem so far. Fast and easy project. For technical calculations of anyone interesting have in mind.. How to calculate the output ampers? Use the equation : Is = Vp/Vs • Ip were Is = Amper of the secondary Vp = Voltage of the primary Vs = Voltage of the secondary Ip = Amper of the primary Now how to know the primary coil amperage is simple. Just devide your transformer given Watt number by the used voltage e. g. 850/220 = 3.8A (or for USA 750/120 = 6.25A) Also if you are curious about how to count the primary turns for other calculations the equation is: Vp/Vs = Np/Ns were Ns = turns of the secondary and Np = turns of the primary So following this equation you can for example find that the primary coil turns of your transformer is: Vp/Vs = 220/1.6 = 137.5 and for the primary turns you have to find the same number. So Np/Ns must be also 137.5 and that means Np/2 = 137.5 so on Np = 2 • 137.5 = 275 turns on primary. To ensure the calculations correctings just use the following equation: Vp • Ip = Vs • Is this means 220 • 3.8 = 1.6 • 522, 4 (approximately) is giving the same number. Correct!! Hope I help some interested. Have fun with your project and always take a really good care of the current for your safety!
Hi. Really thanks for all the valuable information! Could you please confirm if the control circuit used in this video is adequate, or if there are better ones to use with a modded microwave transformer for a DIY spot welder. Congratulations.
Skip the hardware store for thick transformer wire and get a starter cable from an auto parts store. Also, put thermal fuse on primary since the secondary current can weld it "on"...
I made one of these, a bit more robust, years ago, but it worked well only a few times, maybe I can fix it, but I never needed. The electrodes I used are from "electrolytic copper". Thanks for sharing !
The problem is due to still high voltage. I made one with a thicker secondary cable that I've made myself from 0.9 sqmm EmCu. I have like 25 individual wires in parallel, 2 turns. Voltage is 2 V, but the current is very high. I still don't have the timing thing implemented, but I'm using it to weld other things than battery strips. Keep up with the good work
the reason you cant control the current is that you copied what 98% of people on you tube do, they havent got a clue, they all buy the 100a version then use it to switch the primary side of the transformer and expect to control the current that way. the reason you would need a 100a tyristor is to control the secondary current. and you can have more than one winding in the secondary hence you could get your 12v from there
hey ,i have to spot welders for battery tab welding,one is build around an MOT with a Crouzet syr line digital timer (the timer was gift from my father-in-law,cause it's very expensive for a diy project cost around 200 euro) a solid state relay to switch the primary,the second welder is build around 8 irf1404 power mosfets an arduino timer and i'm using it with a 450 CCA 12v car battery ,both of the welders working very well , i'm planning to do a video for both of them with a more detailed presentation and explanation
The sparks are due to the loos contact between the electrode and the strips. If you noticed the second weld at 12:31 did not spit out any spark. The spot weld pulse time looks a bit too much because the weld has burnt of some of the strip surface. It could be probably because of the first weld. During a spot weld there should be a firm contact and pressure in order to get the best weld and reduce sparking. I did not see any sparks when I tested mine.
yes and no. I have observed that a lack of a perfect contact will let the sparks fly but I also noticed that the electrodes stick to the weld, while on the sunkko spot welder with it's special electrodes it does not. Do you use the same solid copper wire as electrodes? (though I would expect differences even between solid copper wires from different manufacturers)
I don’t use thin copper electrodes. I used thicker ones about 4mm I think. I suspect your electrodes being thin cannot take the current. You could reduce the cycle like 1 cycle. I use dual pulse with first cycle at 10ms, pause of 450ms and final weld at 20ms.
Cool build but I'd go with a tact switch instead of a pedal to lower the storage footprint haha. I love seeing how different everyone breaks out the probes
I like the idea of using the bought controller board and other parts to make it work more professionally. If I ever get access to enough batteries I'm tempted to make one using your design with some modifications to the arm build. I've watched several videos on this and yours is one of the best I would just like a more substantial design for the arm
I agree the weak point of my design is the welding arm, I just don't have the skills to build something better mechanically. An alternative solution would be to use one of those welding pens with wires.
@Voltlog, Hi man, you should really do the 2024 version and elaborate on zero cross detection. There is much to review on the delivery of pulse to the electrodes. This is a great project to upcycle a readily available component. I am doing a 20S10P Li Ion pack so it requires extra long arms to allow comfortable access to a frame that is 400 x 200 approx I have the scorch marks on my wallet from sourcing the 18650's out of the USA Factor CAD to USD conversion, shipping, brokerage, taxes I think it was little under $1280 CAD, now add a quality BMS, shrink tube, and other, it's getting up there. Now I Have a background in LiPo batteries and have repaired many Dewalt and Milwaukee power packs but I am still a little sketchy on all the details of this endeavor.
Hey you know what Might make a good housing for that. A filled box used to store ammo. I’m in the process of making one and decided that’s what I will use. If it turns out well I’ll show the outcome of it. Anyways great video.
Great work on the welder and explanation of your design , today is the first time I have seen your videos and they are great ! like your other viewers have stated we don't need music sound effects or how to get it out of the box just the facts very often over my head when it comes to the technicals in the electronic components but it gives me great confidence to know all that stuff is in there haha, Thanks !
Thank you! very informative. I have made my MOT welder long ago with those old UA-cam diy post but not as informative as your video. I liked all the details that you mentioned that I did not have when I first did mine years ago. I may need to update my old one and your controller idea is great. I did not actually used mine because it seems like it heats up more than a blob of solder. It may be good on melting metal but not with li-ion batteries. I was not sure what to do with the magnetic shunt when I built mine so I left it in. I also heard that less turn means lower voltage --higher current. Also, tighter joints means less resistance =higher current. I checked those cheap controllers, and there's no instructions--great for pointing out to use 9v-AC. I saw some pictures that says 9v-12v but no specs that it can really handle 12vac. One of my problems long ago also was that both copper probes should make good and even contact to make better welds. It will also be great if you could give us the best adjustment timing that produces the best weld as you used yours. Your initial welding setting was set to 5-30, I know it may vary but at least an idea.
I get good welds with minimum settings on the controller which is a sign that my welder has plenty of power. Like you observed in the video, start with minimum settings and increase if you don't get good welds. Like you mentioned contact resistance is important, have good sharp, clean electrodes.
I modified my 18650 tab welder and incorporated what I learned from your video. It worked very well for me. I even made a video. Just for everybody's info, the controller has 2 amp types- the 100a one has the bigger black chip on its side. ua-cam.com/video/8q-7rd7KLB0/v-deo.html
You can''t use the another secondary winding of the MOT because you switch the primary winding with the TRIAC. So until you switch ON the MOT with your pedal switch there is no voltage applied to the auxiliary secondary 9VAC winding of the MOT. The circuit doesn't work. You need a second transformer.
This is a rapidly growing area of interest, I build battery packs for myself and the Arduino welders and perhaps this one are better than the Sunnko. This is the most sophisticated for the price. All in well under $50,
Because the microwave oven transformers can be obtained for free my build budget is probably around the $20 mark. If you count a ready made welding pen and electrodes from aliexpress than you might push it up to $50, but I don't think there's anything out there to beat this.
VoltLog price wise no, no competition. But a fellow in Croatia builds a $100 unit that we who are not as talented as you can/could repair. Seems less threatening than a microwave version. BUT it does require a large SLA or a LiPo pack to power. Perhaps safer?
My offer to send the device you already had extends to the JP Spot Welder. I’ve had 4 versions, but not this Aliexpress $13 version. I like running power from my used 12v SLA. Others are using Hobby LiPo. I don’t feel safe with it. I suppose my fears are more a result of my age and my aging acuity. I’d like a review of it. May I have a method of private communication? I have no financial interest in the product, but a domhave a passion for the global exchange that happens here. I’ve learned a lot here. Thank you!
If the circuit is wired up properly the left knob control the current and the right knob control the timer, the tyristor(triac) is suppose to switch the secondary side, otherwise you would only need a 10amp tyristor. since 240v * 100a = 24kW
@@peterdietrich9491 yes all the circuit diagram shows it on the primary side, the thyristor is an scr hence only half wave is going to the transformer, I wouldnt normally feed dc into a transformer nor halfwave but I suppose 98% of people who use this doesnt do electronics so it wouldnt matter to them
I had two of these red boards. one with a simple LED display and one with a black and white display. both didn't work. one time the soldering is too weak and the next time it's too strong and sparks fly. No adjustment made it better.but most of the time the Nickel sheet metal sticks to the poles
I used this control. Getting 4v open cct voltage. Using aliexpress copper probes. Setting I am using is 4 ms? and 50A seems OK for 18650 tabs. Works well enough.
Specebo. The demo or the Educational video, you presented is quite exemplary and easy to comprehend, even for a novice. Let me tell you that your welder spots are clean and strong. Using ‘special Alloy’ electrode is a waste of funds and as the venders specify, their ‘special’ electrode many not be an alloy at all. The DIYers are not metallurgists, to know if the electrode is genuine CuAlZr alloy. Your method is the best, normal 12AWG pure Cu. By the way is your weld material CuNi alloy? I have tried pure Cu strip with no result. But Yousun (YT publisher) posted a technic of Spot welding Ni Cu laminate, which resulted in good bonding. The technic is Cu strip overplayed with Ni strip with 20mS timer worked well. The bonding seemed to be prefect. Recapitulating, your project looked extremely good and the explanations, too good, to understand. Specebo.
I have an older microwave sitting under my bench ready for the task and would like to free up that space. I had no idea about the control boards. Hadn't even posed the question! But I don't have much LiIon battery replacements to do. :-( Maybe if I build it, they will come :-)
I saved quite a few dollars by ordering 8 gauge jumpers, and then cut the ends off, cit both red and black into equal thirds/ 10 feet, lastly I stripped them and attached them to a secure point, twisting , it all came together like a rope. Now I have a perfect gauge that fits into 3/8 battery terminal lug. what kills me though, Advanced auto is crap compared to what it use to be! yo use to be able to rent or borrow automotive tools., I had to buy a terminal / lug press for 15 dollars . the hammer kind/ I still saved Bec.4 gauge battery wires go for over 30 Not MUCH THOUGH! unless i send back the lug crimper when done!
Thank god for your post. I bought the same controller board but mine is a 40A, while yours is 100A. Now, my problem is, I accidentally smashed and destroyed my MOT's primary. (reckless me...) and my question, can I replace the primary winding wire with a different size, or should I find a new MOT? Thanks in advance for your answer.
It give to much weld. I believe the foot pedal and or the board needs a faster cycle time, so if you can make that board cycle faster I would try that. Using the battery, solenoid and momentary switch, I learned the faster I tapped that switch the longer the copper contacts last and perfect welds. Even though they're both different ideas the time on allows for too much amperage.
I'm running the control board turned almost to a minimum. There are different ways one could do spot welding, each method with different advantages and disadvantages. Also I'm expecting to refine my technique as I use it more.
Thank you once again for the demo. I watched this video for the 2nd or 3rd time, because your descriptions are much better than many, I have observed. A few things to note here; is as follows, for your info and others. 1) The TRIAC heat-sink tab is electrically insulated. Therefore a good heat sink may be attached, using silicone grease, in between the HS and the TRIAC. 2) When you mentioned the auxiliary power to the electronics, you said, “ either 9 or 12 volts could be applied”. What was the actual power applied ? What company is ANG and what’s your local power supply voltage? 3) The electrodes you made, were sticking to the Ni strip and you said “ this is due to Electrodes made from normal Cu. I fail to understand that phenomenon, because, even after, Cu alloy electrodes were used, the Electrodes, were still sticking and fusing to PURE Ni strip. The reason of fusion is due to higher Amps. This could be avoided by reducing the Amps. 4) None of the links that was provided for parts and supplies, worked as it should be. I suspect this could be due to different location, from where the links were viewed? FYI I’m from United States. Please respond. Thanks regards and respects.
Theoretical P=U.I= 230V.6A(max input transformer amps)= 1380W so, 1380 / 2,3= 600A(output) not taking the loses in consideration! so if you lesser the turns of your secondary so that you get a lower voltage, you get more amps!! Actually 3,5V on the secondary is a bit too high lower the turns and you will not need a thicker cable for the secondary...16mm2 can carry even the theoretical 600A in the short amount of time its seeing it even the insulation is enough. Try that!
Very good information sir.I am making a similar type . will you please tell me without current and timing controlling board is it possible if I use a little thin/thick wire and timing by pedal switch?
Can you successfully weld 0.2mm nickel strips to the battery with this welder? Is there difference when welding 0.2mm PURE nickel vs 0.2mm nickel PLATED strips? This vid is among best explained DIY spotwelders!
I can weld 0.2 pure nickel with welder like this. I can weld 4x0.1 pure nickel strips together with longer time and current at 100%. Only difference (main i guess) is wire thickness. I use 35mm2 wire (2 turns=1.8V) and i get enough power from 700VA transformer(shunts removed of course). Also make sure your electrode tips are good. Tellurium copper if you can find. High pressure also needed. Best welds are on 1 or 2 (20/40ms) time settings with this pcb.
The electrodes appear to be "Alumina copper" but I would be interested in other materials too. I presume very high conductivity is a must, and aluminium doesn't stick or weld to steel/nickel
I was thinking the same thing.. I have several old MOT laying around from 1000 units and probably 200 18650's collecting dust. I think this may be exactly what I have been looking for. I will give it a try with the tungsten tips as a welding supply shop is just down the road from me. but But it will take 4-6 weeks for aliexpress...lol
I was thinking the same thing. I was going to make a self-start for my old stick electrode welder, and the circuit uses Tungsten tips for the spark gap so it doesn't wear.
I guess I could give them a try but I need to figure out a way of attaching them. Are they brittle? Can the electrode be sandwiched between the two washers tightened with a nut?
@@voltlog They should be, there used as welding tips here in the states and are fit inside a hollow bolt and clamped with a allen bolt . normally it has no more than about 35% copper or cu35w65 but a cu30w70 is also common but both can be expensive.
Your video inspired me to build a welder Thanks , I have a question , I ordered a 100 amp control board the Chinese one with one control and 3 segment display's it requires 12V AC do you think I could use a 15 V AC adapter ?
Hi great work!! I have a question. Does the controller triggers the weld as soon as pedal is pressed or when you lift the pedal. I have a controller which triggers only when you release your foot after pressing it. Please let me know. Thanks.
nice video I tried to follow along with it and bought a used MOT, the seller connected ac voltage to the primary winding (thin wire side). And it created humming sound. At home I removed that side and when I connected ac to the secondary side it created smoke and smell and became very hot to touch. Seems like the Secondary was already short? What you say? Also Now can i rewind it using suitable size enameled wire? Will winding it with slightly thinner wire be ok for spot welding? Current winding is using 0.9mm enameled copper wire and the length and breadth of cross sectional area is 15 by 17 mm..
I built one purely out of luck because the transformer was sitting there on the table that day but now I actually need it because I need to make some battery packs. Honestly the build is pretty simple, I'm sure you will be successful.
Could you explain how you can make additional turns on the main transformer which Wil be powered through the board when you are gonna weld during the oftime there will be no current when you don't use it so it's impossible to power the board?? I am looking forward to your explanations about this iseu 👍
Hey, I was just searching YT for the NY-D04 kit after looking at it on AliEx. It looks like you uploaded this in January and the D01 seems very similar. With your Sunkko unit in a useful case, have you actually used this D01 kit much? Was this a decent buy or has it just sat on your shelf? What's the verdict :-) -Jake
I've used it moderately for maybe 20-30 welds and it performed ok, no problems so I would say it's a decent buy. It's always worth researching the offer because sometimes, 6 months later you get a newer and better module for the same price so I would recommend you do some searching on aliexpress to see if something newer appeared.
Hi and thanks for this excellent vid. I'm going to have a go at it and have already removed the secondary from my MOT. I've got the circuit board and the other bits are on their way. I've bought a proprietary hand held battery spot welding pen though. Will this be OK? Also, where is the very high voltage you mention? Is just from the triac to the primary on the transformer?
Any ready made welding pen should help you avoid the trouble of building one yourself. The high voltage is on the primary side of the transformer, the one connected to mains AC. The control board, specifically the TRIAC part of the circuit is at that high voltage potential as well.
VoltLog Thanks so much for the reply. I'm struggling with the 12vac input. I'd like to power it from my 12v dc solar but can't find any suitable power supplies. Any ideas?
Thank you for your video and tutorials; and especially the safety warnings and advice .i will be attempting to recreate your spot welder.. keep up the good work and i look forward to more of your videos . 👍🏽
Your welds are not good as almost any other DIY MOT spot welders here on youtube. Welding time can be set to maxiumum 02 - 40ms(this is already too much time) because too much time will make burned nickel strip and welds will not be good. 01(20ms) will be ideal but for this you need 50mm2 wire. I use 35mm2 on my spot welder with 02(40ms) and 75% current settings for 0.10 pure nickel strip. My MOT is 700VA (its about 1100-1200W when shunts are removed). With 35mm2 i can get 2 full rounds - 1.5V and i can confirm its enough. I have bigger MOT (1750 VA) but dont have time to test it. I guess i will get around 2500-2800W with shunts removed. This MOT should be enough for 0.2 and maybe 0.25 pure nickel strip. Also the reason why your electrodes sticks to the welds is welding time - reduce welding time and electrodes wont heat up that much.
Absolutely correct info, and I found it myself after trial and error. You should aim to have a complete, nice weld in 20mS.If you are not getting a good weld in 20mS , then increase the amps either by increasing the secondry wire cross section or by adding another transformer. Best to add another transformer in series. In that way, you can reduce the turns on secondry to half, thus doubling the amps and doubling the voltage by adding another transformer.
What AWG gauge wire are we Yanks going to use? 25mm^2 ~ approx. 3 AWG. But all I see is THHN which, by definition, has both poly insulation and (clear) nylon sheath for abrasion resistance--which adds unnecessarily to the diameter. Is a poly-only or other thinner insulation wire available domestically? I don't see MTW in that size...
I don't know what's available there but I'm pretty sure you could find something close enough, like I did in my case, I couldn't find 25sq mm and I got 16sq mm which still does the job fine.
I do some projects, working with 25 sq wire do 3 laps in microwave MD-701EMR-1 and not get good welding. I use NY-D08 Board and spot welding pen. Anyone have idea?
If I have 2 MOT's sitting here, what is the best configuration to utilize them both in this project? Primaries in parallel. 1 single secondary wound around one core then the other core? Or...?
The two transformers would need to be identical and several conditions met for wiring their secondaries in parallel. Considering the high currents, I would advise against doing this, because it could end up in smoke.
@@voltlog Secondaries not in parallel. The secondary wire wound around one transformer core, then the same wire wound around the second core. This is series, yes?
hi all .. is anyone else using a similar setup ? i just made it and the spots go red hot but not really perfect welds . i checked another video and according to him it might be less amps so i added another transformer . still everthing gets hot ( even at lowets numbers ) but does not properly weld . any suggestions @voltlog ?
No, it isn't. Unless the gloves are very much conductive, the voltage is too low for a significant current to flow. Even bare fingers won't feel anything besides the heat of the electrodes after a few welds.
I have only 1.7V output, maybe its so less and use some 3 full cooper wire around secondary. My output is scrap, do it bolts, maybe need better secondary wire or wire stick.
@@martinhyska1206 You can measure voltage drop and calculate current. Also you can measure amps on input side (its much less amps so easier to measure) and calculate. This is not precise but gives you some info. When u use thick secondary wire - you can just have more power. For example - i have 1750VA transformer - when i remove shunts i should get about 2500W of power - maybe more im not sure. I will use 75mm2 secondary wires to get maximum power from my transformer. With this i should get 1200-1500 Amps peak at maximum settings. After that i can use chinese module to control power based on my nickel thickness and battery material. Spot welding time should be set always to 1 - its 20ms. This is maximum time for spot welding but unfortunately we still dont have cheap module with 5 or 10 ms time settings. You can use 2 smallet transformer in parallel in theory but i never tried this. I should finish my big MOT spot welder soon so i will give you some feedback.
@@krlenjuska i buy some 13mm secd cable, but bad is i can do only half turn or 1 turn, so probably not usable. But y say 75mm2? that must be super huge against mine.
@@krlenjuska thanks bro. Please can 25mm of wire work fine on secondary? And how many turns do you advise. My major challenge now is the secondary winding. Bless.
It doesn't worth to buy it. Because it's pretty expensive in eBay or AliExpress. Buy a broken or used microwave and take the trans out of it. This is the best way to have one
My DIY MOT welder can do 750 A at 2,5V or 2,8 open circuit, and it makes pretty good welds, I use an arduino as controler and build my own triac trigger circuit. I may make a video about it but will propely not be in english
Great concept but show if they actually completed working model with the proper heat sinks. Items from overheating from continuous duty cycle. Advance to keep components: the case order the correct electrodes for doing the spot welding so you can actually show with a working model that UA-cam we can copy without danger
With a 35mm² AWG 2 wire, with 2 turns in secondary coil, I got 1.6v 522.4 A in my tip heads which are made of zirconium copper alloy. This alloy is the nessecary one to use in point welding machine cause of it's thermal resistance and conductance properties. I also use the 220v fan motor of the original microwave oven for cooling and one thermal fuse of the same oven and there is no heat problem so far. Fast and easy project.
For technical calculations of anyone interesting have in mind..
How to calculate the output ampers? Use the equation :
Is = Vp/Vs • Ip
were Is = Amper of the secondary
Vp = Voltage of the primary
Vs = Voltage of the secondary
Ip = Amper of the primary
Now how to know the primary coil amperage is simple. Just devide your transformer given Watt number by the used voltage
e. g. 850/220 = 3.8A
(or for USA 750/120 = 6.25A)
Also if you are curious about how to count the primary turns for other calculations the equation is:
Vp/Vs = Np/Ns
were Ns = turns of the secondary and
Np = turns of the primary
So following this equation you can for example find that the primary coil turns of your transformer is:
Vp/Vs = 220/1.6 = 137.5 and for the primary turns you have to find the same number. So Np/Ns must be also 137.5 and that means
Np/2 = 137.5 so on Np = 2 • 137.5 = 275 turns on primary.
To ensure the calculations correctings just use the following equation:
Vp • Ip = Vs • Is this means
220 • 3.8 = 1.6 • 522, 4 (approximately)
is giving the same number. Correct!!
Hope I help some interested. Have fun with your project and always take a really good care of the current for your safety!
Hi. Really thanks for all the valuable information! Could you please confirm if the control circuit used in this video is adequate, or if there are better ones to use with a modded microwave transformer for a DIY spot welder. Congratulations.
Skip the hardware store for thick transformer wire and get a starter cable from an auto parts store.
Also, put thermal fuse on primary since the secondary current can weld it "on"...
That's a great tip. Thank you.
I made one of these, a bit more robust, years ago, but it worked well only a few times, maybe I can fix it, but I never needed. The electrodes I used are from "electrolytic copper". Thanks for sharing !
thanks for the tip!
I have been looking for a explanation of the way these boards work! Thank-you!
The problem is due to still high voltage. I made one with a thicker secondary cable that I've made myself from 0.9 sqmm EmCu. I have like 25 individual wires in parallel, 2 turns. Voltage is 2 V, but the current is very high. I still don't have the timing thing implemented, but I'm using it to weld other things than battery strips. Keep up with the good work
the reason you cant control the current is that you copied what 98% of people on you tube do, they havent got a clue, they all buy the 100a version then use it to switch the primary side of the transformer and expect to control the current that way. the reason you would need a 100a tyristor is to control the secondary current. and you can have more than one winding in the secondary hence you could get your 12v from there
hey ,i have to spot welders for battery tab welding,one is build around an MOT with a Crouzet syr line digital timer (the timer was gift from my father-in-law,cause it's very expensive for a diy project cost around 200 euro) a solid state relay to switch the primary,the second welder is build around 8 irf1404 power mosfets an arduino timer and i'm using it with a 450 CCA 12v car battery ,both of the welders working very well , i'm planning to do a video for both of them with a more detailed presentation and explanation
The sparks are due to the loos contact between the electrode and the strips. If you noticed the second weld at 12:31 did not spit out any spark. The spot weld pulse time looks a bit too much because the weld has burnt of some of the strip surface. It could be probably because of the first weld.
During a spot weld there should be a firm contact and pressure in order to get the best weld and reduce sparking. I did not see any sparks when I tested mine.
yes and no. I have observed that a lack of a perfect contact will let the sparks fly but I also noticed that the electrodes stick to the weld, while on the sunkko spot welder with it's special electrodes it does not. Do you use the same solid copper wire as electrodes? (though I would expect differences even between solid copper wires from different manufacturers)
I don’t use thin copper electrodes. I used thicker ones about 4mm I think. I suspect your electrodes being thin cannot take the current. You could reduce the cycle like 1 cycle. I use dual pulse with first cycle at 10ms, pause of 450ms and final weld at 20ms.
Cool build but I'd go with a tact switch instead of a pedal to lower the storage footprint haha. I love seeing how different everyone breaks out the probes
Excellent instruction on making this - Thank You
I will be making one with that particular PCB.
Cheers
I think this is best video on spot welder topic.
I like the idea of using the bought controller board and other parts to make it work more professionally. If I ever get access to enough batteries I'm tempted to make one using your design with some modifications to the arm build. I've watched several videos on this and yours is one of the best I would just like a more substantial design for the arm
I agree the weak point of my design is the welding arm, I just don't have the skills to build something better mechanically. An alternative solution would be to use one of those welding pens with wires.
@Voltlog, Hi man, you should really do the 2024 version and elaborate on zero cross detection. There is much to review on the delivery of pulse to the electrodes. This is a great project to upcycle a readily available component. I am doing a 20S10P Li Ion pack so it requires extra long arms to allow comfortable access to a frame that is 400 x 200 approx I have the scorch marks on my wallet from sourcing the 18650's out of the USA Factor CAD to USD conversion, shipping, brokerage, taxes I think it was little under $1280 CAD, now add a quality BMS, shrink tube, and other, it's getting up there. Now I Have a background in LiPo batteries and have repaired many Dewalt and Milwaukee power packs but I am still a little sketchy on all the details of this endeavor.
Hey you know what Might make a good housing for that. A filled box used to store ammo. I’m in the process of making one and decided that’s what I will use. If it turns out well I’ll show the outcome of it. Anyways great video.
Now I know what my 7 year old daughter will be building this weekend...
She'll love taking this to school to show the other kids.
:)
that sounds like an awesome family.
😂😂😂
Super.Bune sfaturi . Am cumparat si eu unul.
Conductorul este fabricat la Bistrita...RCB Electro !!!
Great work on the welder and explanation of your design , today is the first time I have seen your videos and they are great ! like your other viewers have stated we don't need music sound effects or how to get it out of the box just the facts very often over my head when it comes to the technicals in the electronic components but it gives me great confidence to know all that stuff is in there haha, Thanks !
Thanks for another great post, I look forward to watching them. great job!!
thank you! it was a pleasure to build this project and I finally had time to document and publish it.
Thank you! very informative. I have made my MOT welder long ago with those old UA-cam diy post but not as informative as your video. I liked all the details that you mentioned that I did not have when I first did mine years ago. I may need to update my old one and your controller idea is great. I did not actually used mine because it seems like it heats up more than a blob of solder. It may be good on melting metal but not with li-ion batteries. I was not sure what to do with the magnetic shunt when I built mine so I left it in. I also heard that less turn means lower voltage --higher current. Also, tighter joints means less resistance =higher current. I checked those cheap controllers, and there's no instructions--great for pointing out to use 9v-AC. I saw some pictures that says 9v-12v but no specs that it can really handle 12vac. One of my problems long ago also was that both copper probes should make good and even contact to make better welds. It will also be great if you could give us the best adjustment timing that produces the best weld as you used yours. Your initial welding setting was set to 5-30, I know it may vary but at least an idea.
I get good welds with minimum settings on the controller which is a sign that my welder has plenty of power. Like you observed in the video, start with minimum settings and increase if you don't get good welds. Like you mentioned contact resistance is important, have good sharp, clean electrodes.
I modified my 18650 tab welder and incorporated what I learned from your video. It worked very well for me. I even made a video. Just for everybody's info, the controller has 2 amp types- the 100a one has the bigger black chip on its side.
ua-cam.com/video/8q-7rd7KLB0/v-deo.html
built my own thanks to your video thanks! Works great and I used 4x 12awg wire in parallel as my secondary with no issues. :)
Nice to hear people are building this project! Thanks!
Is 12 AWG wire really enough for this? I thought of maybe getting 8-10 AWG, I already own 12 AWG though.
@@msacco Remember the important part of his statement " in Parallel ".
You can''t use the another secondary winding of the MOT because you switch the primary winding with the TRIAC. So until you switch ON the MOT with your pedal switch there is no voltage applied to the auxiliary secondary 9VAC winding of the MOT. The circuit doesn't work. You need a second transformer.
Excellent project
thank you!
This is a rapidly growing area of interest, I build battery packs for myself and the Arduino welders and perhaps this one are better than the Sunnko. This is the most sophisticated for the price. All in well under $50,
Because the microwave oven transformers can be obtained for free my build budget is probably around the $20 mark. If you count a ready made welding pen and electrodes from aliexpress than you might push it up to $50, but I don't think there's anything out there to beat this.
VoltLog price wise no, no competition. But a fellow in Croatia builds a $100 unit that we who are not as talented as you can/could repair. Seems less threatening than a microwave version. BUT it does require a large SLA or a LiPo pack to power. Perhaps safer?
My offer to send the device you already had extends to the JP Spot Welder. I’ve had 4 versions, but not this Aliexpress $13 version. I like running power from my used 12v SLA. Others are using Hobby LiPo. I don’t feel safe with it. I suppose my fears are more a result of my age and my aging acuity. I’d like a review of it. May I have a method of private communication? I have no financial interest in the product, but a domhave a passion for the global exchange that happens here. I’ve learned a lot here. Thank you!
Thomas Jaszewski you can email me contact at VoltLog dot com
If the circuit is wired up properly the left knob control the current and the right knob control the timer, the tyristor(triac) is suppose to switch the secondary side, otherwise you would only need a 10amp tyristor. since 240v * 100a = 24kW
primary side
@@peterdietrich9491 yes all the circuit diagram shows it on the primary side, the thyristor is an scr hence only half wave is going to the transformer, I wouldnt normally feed dc into a transformer nor halfwave but I suppose 98% of people who use this doesnt do electronics so it wouldnt matter to them
I had two of these red boards. one with a simple LED display and one with a black and white display. both didn't work. one time the soldering is too weak and the next time it's too strong and sparks fly. No adjustment made it better.but most of the time the Nickel sheet metal sticks to the poles
Thank you Sir, i was looking for cooper diameter data for the transformer, you revealed it to me.
Im so gratefull.
I used this control. Getting 4v open cct voltage. Using aliexpress copper probes. Setting I am using is 4 ms? and 50A seems OK for 18650 tabs. Works well enough.
Specebo. The demo or the Educational video, you presented is quite exemplary and easy to comprehend, even for a novice. Let me tell you that your welder spots are clean and strong. Using ‘special Alloy’ electrode is a waste of funds and as the venders specify, their ‘special’ electrode many not be an alloy at all. The DIYers are not metallurgists, to know if the electrode is genuine CuAlZr alloy. Your method is the best, normal 12AWG pure Cu.
By the way is your weld material CuNi alloy? I have tried pure Cu strip with no result. But Yousun (YT publisher) posted a technic of Spot welding Ni Cu laminate, which resulted in good bonding. The technic is Cu strip overplayed with Ni strip with 20mS timer worked well. The bonding seemed to be prefect.
Recapitulating, your project looked extremely good and the explanations, too good, to understand.
Specebo.
Great step by step explanation! Would it weld thicker stainless eg. 0.5+0.5mm ???
I have an older microwave sitting under my bench ready for the task and would like to free up that space. I had no idea about the control boards. Hadn't even posed the question!
But I don't have much LiIon battery replacements to do. :-( Maybe if I build it, they will come :-)
I saved quite a few dollars by ordering 8 gauge jumpers, and then cut the ends off, cit both red and black into equal thirds/ 10 feet, lastly I stripped them and attached them to a secure point, twisting , it all came together like a rope. Now I have a perfect gauge that fits into 3/8 battery terminal lug. what kills me though, Advanced auto is crap compared to what it use to be! yo use to be able to rent or borrow automotive tools., I had to buy a terminal / lug press for 15 dollars . the hammer kind/ I still saved Bec.4 gauge battery wires go for over 30 Not MUCH THOUGH! unless i send back the lug crimper when done!
Thank god for your post. I bought the same controller board but mine is a 40A, while yours is 100A. Now, my problem is, I accidentally smashed and destroyed my MOT's primary. (reckless me...) and my question, can I replace the primary winding wire with a different size, or should I find a new MOT? Thanks in advance for your answer.
It should be easier to just find a new MOT.
Hello, can you use this board without the pedal switch and how? Regards
It give to much weld. I believe the foot pedal and or the board needs a faster cycle time, so if you can make that board cycle faster I would try that. Using the battery, solenoid and momentary switch, I learned the faster I tapped that switch the longer the copper contacts last and perfect welds. Even though they're both different ideas the time on allows for too much amperage.
I'm running the control board turned almost to a minimum. There are different ways one could do spot welding, each method with different advantages and disadvantages. Also I'm expecting to refine my technique as I use it more.
Thank you once again for the demo. I watched this video for the 2nd or 3rd time, because your descriptions are much better than many, I have observed. A few things to note here; is as follows, for your info and others.
1) The TRIAC heat-sink tab is electrically insulated. Therefore a good heat sink may be attached, using silicone grease, in between the HS and the TRIAC.
2) When you mentioned the auxiliary power to the electronics, you said, “ either 9 or 12 volts could be applied”. What was the actual power applied ? What company is ANG and what’s your local power supply voltage?
3) The electrodes you made, were sticking to the Ni strip and you said “ this is due to Electrodes made from normal Cu. I fail to understand that phenomenon, because, even after, Cu alloy electrodes were used, the Electrodes, were still sticking and fusing to PURE Ni strip. The reason of fusion is due to higher Amps. This could be avoided by reducing the Amps.
4) None of the links that was provided for parts and supplies, worked as it should be. I suspect this could be due to different location, from where the links were viewed? FYI I’m from United States.
Please respond. Thanks regards and respects.
2/ the input AC can be between 9V min up to 12V max
Theoretical P=U.I= 230V.6A(max input transformer amps)= 1380W so, 1380 / 2,3= 600A(output) not taking the loses in consideration! so if you lesser the turns of your secondary so that you get a lower voltage, you get more amps!! Actually 3,5V on the secondary is a bit too high lower the turns and you will not need a thicker cable for the secondary...16mm2 can carry even the theoretical 600A in the short amount of time its seeing it even the insulation is enough. Try that!
How many amps you used for the controller board because i found 40a and 100a
Complimenti per il progetto creativo 👍👏😁🔋
excellent video i was hoping to power it up- with a battery pack now i know why i can't thank you
I need to make the Welder please confirm to me is input Voltage to the transformer is OK to us 120 v.
Very good information sir.I am making a similar type . will you please tell me without current and timing controlling board is it possible if I use a little thin/thick wire and timing by pedal switch?
Great job ,what about earth cable? Did U connected ?
Can you successfully weld 0.2mm nickel strips to the battery with this welder? Is there difference when welding 0.2mm PURE nickel vs 0.2mm nickel PLATED strips? This vid is among best explained DIY spotwelders!
nickel plated strips are easier to weld because they have higher resistance.
I can weld 0.2 pure nickel with welder like this. I can weld 4x0.1 pure nickel strips together with longer time and current at 100%. Only difference (main i guess) is wire thickness. I use 35mm2 wire (2 turns=1.8V) and i get enough power from 700VA transformer(shunts removed of course). Also make sure your electrode tips are good. Tellurium copper if you can find. High pressure also needed. Best welds are on 1 or 2 (20/40ms) time settings with this pcb.
I wonder if tungsten rod for a TIG welding torch would work for your electrodes
The electrodes appear to be "Alumina copper" but I would be interested in other materials too. I presume very high conductivity is a must, and aluminium doesn't stick or weld to steel/nickel
I was thinking the same thing.. I have several old MOT laying around from 1000 units and probably 200 18650's collecting dust. I think this may be exactly what I have been looking for. I will give it a try with the tungsten tips as a welding supply shop is just down the road from me. but But it will take 4-6 weeks for aliexpress...lol
I was thinking the same thing. I was going to make a self-start for my old stick electrode welder, and the circuit uses Tungsten tips for the spark gap so it doesn't wear.
I guess I could give them a try but I need to figure out a way of attaching them. Are they brittle? Can the electrode be sandwiched between the two washers tightened with a nut?
@@voltlog They should be, there used as welding tips here in the states and are fit inside a hollow bolt and clamped with a allen bolt . normally it has no more than about 35% copper or cu35w65 but a cu30w70 is also common but both can be expensive.
nice build. What kind of fuse did you use and is that it in the clear plastic case on the brown wire going to the transformer?
Your video inspired me to build a welder Thanks , I have a question , I ordered a 100 amp control board the Chinese one with one control and 3 segment display's it requires 12V AC do you think I could use a 15 V AC adapter ?
Hi great work!! I have a question. Does the controller triggers the weld as soon as pedal is pressed or when you lift the pedal. I have a controller which triggers only when you release your foot after pressing it. Please let me know. Thanks.
nice video I tried to follow along with it and bought a used MOT, the seller connected ac voltage to the primary winding (thin wire side). And it created humming sound. At home I removed that side and when I connected ac to the secondary side it created smoke and smell and became very hot to touch. Seems like the Secondary was already short? What you say?
Also Now can i rewind it using suitable size enameled wire? Will winding it with slightly thinner wire be ok for spot welding? Current winding is using 0.9mm enameled copper wire and the length and breadth of cross sectional area is 15 by 17 mm..
Thanks for sharing your build! I think I need one now, haha
I built one purely out of luck because the transformer was sitting there on the table that day but now I actually need it because I need to make some battery packs. Honestly the build is pretty simple, I'm sure you will be successful.
Please, the link is broken, can you write the amperes is the 9Vtrafo?
i also did the same. But always my nickle strips getting hole, if not, get stick to electrodes. What will be the solution? May be high amps?
Hi mr, i have use the exactly the same method to build one but its not sticking..(((
great build ❤
Very nice explanation amazing, proud to be ur subscriber hats off 👏 👌
Could you explain how you can make additional turns on the main transformer which Wil be powered through the board when you are gonna weld during the oftime there will be no current when you don't use it so it's impossible to power the board?? I am looking forward to your explanations about this iseu 👍
you're right, that's not gonna work if there is no current in the primary.
I rewound my transformer with 4 gage wire and it puts out 4 volts will that be good
Awesome project, how much current does the PCB draw as I'm trying to work out what capacity transformer to buy
I can't measure it right now but I would guess less than 100mA.
Hey, I was just searching YT for the NY-D04 kit after looking at it on AliEx. It looks like you uploaded this in January and the D01 seems very similar.
With your Sunkko unit in a useful case, have you actually used this D01 kit much? Was this a decent buy or has it just sat on your shelf?
What's the verdict :-)
-Jake
I've used it moderately for maybe 20-30 welds and it performed ok, no problems so I would say it's a decent buy. It's always worth researching the offer because sometimes, 6 months later you get a newer and better module for the same price so I would recommend you do some searching on aliexpress to see if something newer appeared.
I tried several modules and this is still best buy option. Just make sure you have enough power from your transformer.
if can use a microwave transformer to make multi points spot welding
How is the transformer primary and AC power input connected to the controller board ? I couldn't figure it out .
I can use only 110V microwave transformer here. What needs to change to make a spot welder for 18650 battery packs?
this module is also available in 110V
Hi and thanks for this excellent vid. I'm going to have a go at it and have already removed the secondary from my MOT. I've got the circuit board and the other bits are on their way. I've bought a proprietary hand held battery spot welding pen though. Will this be OK? Also, where is the very high voltage you mention? Is just from the triac to the primary on the transformer?
Any ready made welding pen should help you avoid the trouble of building one yourself. The high voltage is on the primary side of the transformer, the one connected to mains AC. The control board, specifically the TRIAC part of the circuit is at that high voltage potential as well.
VoltLog Thanks so much for the reply. I'm struggling with the 12vac input. I'd like to power it from my 12v dc solar but can't find any suitable power supplies. Any ideas?
Thank you for your video and tutorials; and especially the safety warnings and advice .i will be attempting to recreate your spot welder.. keep up the good work and i look forward to more of your videos . 👍🏽
NO.
what is the maximum amperes that the Triac support?
Hi, what are those four leds for? Can you explain.
Hello. I just subbed to your channel. Can you tell me, why you don't use a simple Switch?!
Your welds are not good as almost any other DIY MOT spot welders here on youtube. Welding time can be set to maxiumum 02 - 40ms(this is already too much time) because too much time will make burned nickel strip and welds will not be good. 01(20ms) will be ideal but for this you need 50mm2 wire. I use 35mm2 on my spot welder with 02(40ms) and 75% current settings for 0.10 pure nickel strip. My MOT is 700VA (its about 1100-1200W when shunts are removed). With 35mm2 i can get 2 full rounds - 1.5V and i can confirm its enough. I have bigger MOT (1750 VA) but dont have time to test it. I guess i will get around 2500-2800W with shunts removed. This MOT should be enough for 0.2 and maybe 0.25 pure nickel strip. Also the reason why your electrodes sticks to the welds is welding time - reduce welding time and electrodes wont heat up that much.
Absolutely correct info, and I found it myself after trial and error. You should aim to have a complete, nice weld in 20mS.If you are not getting a good weld in 20mS , then increase the amps either by increasing the secondry wire cross section or by adding another transformer. Best to add another transformer in series. In that way, you can reduce the turns on secondry to half, thus doubling the amps and doubling the voltage by adding another transformer.
What AWG gauge wire are we Yanks going to use? 25mm^2 ~ approx. 3 AWG. But all I see is THHN which, by definition, has both poly insulation and (clear) nylon sheath for abrasion resistance--which adds unnecessarily to the diameter. Is a poly-only or other thinner insulation wire available domestically? I don't see MTW in that size...
I don't know what's available there but I'm pretty sure you could find something close enough, like I did in my case, I couldn't find 25sq mm and I got 16sq mm which still does the job fine.
use capton tape
What gage wire you using? And how many voltage you getting? Thank you
I only getting 1.7 volts with 8gage wire 1 turn
with should build this following my recommendations, that way you get a good start with something that actually works.
@@nicfpv9969 please does the 1.7 work for your lithium battery?
@@Kogitesolar yes it does
Im using a 14awg silicone wire
I do some projects, working with 25 sq wire do 3 laps in microwave MD-701EMR-1 and not get good welding.
I use NY-D08 Board and spot welding pen.
Anyone have idea?
I only say u r a great person.
If I have 2 MOT's sitting here, what is the best configuration to utilize them both in this project?
Primaries in parallel.
1 single secondary wound around one core then the other core?
Or...?
The two transformers would need to be identical and several conditions met for wiring their secondaries in parallel. Considering the high currents, I would advise against doing this, because it could end up in smoke.
@@voltlog Secondaries not in parallel. The secondary wire wound around one transformer core, then the same wire wound around the second core. This is series, yes?
@@davecc0000 You wouldn't gain any extra current by doing that, you would just be increasing the output voltage.
there are two options for controller, 40A and 100A , what's the difference between those two, 40A one is cheaper
Only difference is tyristor. If you use 2 transformers in parallel or some BIG transformer - you should buy 100A version.
Hola, interesante lo de remover las láminas del núcleo del transformador
Really nice work, dude!!!
hi all .. is anyone else using a similar setup ? i just made it and the spots go red hot but not really perfect welds . i checked another video and according to him it might be less amps
so i added another transformer . still everthing gets hot ( even at lowets numbers ) but does not properly weld . any suggestions @voltlog ?
Hello. Did you found any solution for this problem? I have same problem. Thank you
Hi .Can you able to weld 2.0mm stripe with this ?
Why u use wood? Can i use metal tube quare?
You realise that if you don't make full contact with the battery that shock is welding those gloves to your fingers instead!
No, it isn't. Unless the gloves are very much conductive, the voltage is too low for a significant current to flow. Even bare fingers won't feel anything besides the heat of the electrodes after a few welds.
Will the timing module also work on 50Hz AC
I have only 1.7V output, maybe its so less and use some 3 full cooper wire around secondary. My output is scrap, do it bolts, maybe need better secondary wire or wire stick.
1.7V is enough. I have 1.5V and works just fine
@@krlenjuska I try order china end pen. Maybe whan wiring goes thin and then wide, it lose Amp. How can i measure amps on output?
@@martinhyska1206 You can measure voltage drop and calculate current. Also you can measure amps on input side (its much less amps so easier to measure) and calculate. This is not precise but gives you some info. When u use thick secondary wire - you can just have more power. For example - i have 1750VA transformer - when i remove shunts i should get about 2500W of power - maybe more im not sure. I will use 75mm2 secondary wires to get maximum power from my transformer. With this i should get 1200-1500 Amps peak at maximum settings. After that i can use chinese module to control power based on my nickel thickness and battery material. Spot welding time should be set always to 1 - its 20ms. This is maximum time for spot welding but unfortunately we still dont have cheap module with 5 or 10 ms time settings. You can use 2 smallet transformer in parallel in theory but i never tried this. I should finish my big MOT spot welder soon so i will give you some feedback.
@@krlenjuska i buy some 13mm secd cable, but bad is i can do only half turn or 1 turn, so probably not usable. But y say 75mm2? that must be super huge against mine.
@@krlenjuska thanks bro. Please can 25mm of wire work fine on secondary? And how many turns do you advise. My major challenge now is the secondary winding. Bless.
What thickness nickel did you use in this?
Very informative good job
Does 100a means the TRIAC output 100a?
several of your links seem to be dead
let me know which ones and I'll check.
How much the voltage at the output of transform?
Great job!
bro i cant find the transformer, any good idea.i need to buy one
It doesn't worth to buy it. Because it's pretty expensive in eBay or AliExpress. Buy a broken or used microwave and take the trans out of it. This is the best way to have one
My DIY MOT welder can do 750 A at 2,5V or 2,8 open circuit, and it makes pretty good welds, I use an arduino as controler and build my own triac trigger circuit. I may make a video about it but will propely not be in english
Microwave oven transfer watt??
very good
The site said 100a would this be good for 4kw?
You have 4KW transformer??? :D Yeah 100A version should be ok. I tried 40A version on 2.5KW transformer and works without issues.
it looks like you are pressing to hard on the cell while welding
Не нужна в таком слабом споттере регулировка мощности ! ))))
Три трансформатора вместе...возможно ))))
Thx 😊
Thank
I get 1.3volt output voltage is that OK?
Please did the 1.3v output work for you?
Nice
Mey by transformer 12V 300mA??
Great concept but show if they actually completed working model with the proper heat sinks. Items from overheating from continuous duty cycle. Advance to keep components: the case order the correct electrodes for doing the spot welding so you can actually show with a working model that UA-cam we can copy without danger
Mai rezista?