RE: Ballasting a Pole Pig (Revisited)

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: "C. Sibley" <a37chevy@xxxxxxxxx>

True, that's 50 Amps at max current.  At a lower
setting you should still be able to get an arc with
less current, correct?  If the pig we ballasted down
to 15A it would still be 3KVA.  I would expect that
you could run a 10KVA pig at 1/3 power and still get
an arc at the HV terminals, couldn't you?

Curt.


--- Tesla list <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Original poster: "Rich & DJ  Schmuke"
> <rdjmgmt@xxxxxxxxxx>
>
> My Lincoln 225 welder requires a 50amp circuit.
> 	Rich , from Missouri
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tesla list [mailto:tesla@xxxxxxxxxx]
> Sent: Monday, January 09, 2006 1:57 PM
> To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: Ballasting a Pole Pig (Revisited)
>
> Original poster: "C. Sibley" <a37chevy@xxxxxxxxx>
>
> David,
>
> I only have a 15A 220V circuit to play with, and am
> in
> the process of getting the electrical upgraded.  I
> can
> run the setup for longer periods with the welder set
> to a lower current.  But at the lower currents the
> voltage to the pig is essentially zero.  I have
> verified and cleaned all of the hookups.
>
> I'll try one of the other ballast methods and let
> the
> list know what I find.
>
> Curt.
>
>
> --- Tesla list <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>   > Original poster: "David Rieben"
>   > <drieben@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>   >
>   > Curt,
>   >
>   > It sounds almost like you have a short circuit
>   > somewhere,
>   > as the welder should not be tripping breakers
> that
>   > quickly
>   > under any circumstances. What size is the
> circuit
>   > breaker
>   > that you're on and how big is your welder? I
> have
>   > person-
>   > ally never used an AC/DC welder for ballasting a
>   > pig, but it seems to
>   > me that it shouldn't be much different than
> using a
>   > straight AC one.
>   >
>   > Are you sure that you have the welder in SERIES
> with
>   > the in-
>   > put to the pig's LV inputs? Only 25 volts
> reaching
>   > the pig is
>   > certainly not right. I would definitely suspect
>   > either the hookup
>   > connections or the welder itself as the culprit
> in
>   > this situtation.
>   > Try using the 120 volt input winding of an
>   > MOT with its secondary shorted as a temporary
>   > ballast and simply feed
>   > your pig 120 volts and see if you get any
>   > output at all from the pig in this fashion. You
>   > could also use
>   > a 500 ft spool of #12 AWG THNN building wire
> from
>   > Home Depot or
>   > Lowe's as a ballast with 120 volts input to try
> this
>   > out. If you do
>   > get some output with your pig wired up in this
>   > fashion, then the
>   > problem is most likely that your welder is bad.
>   >
>   > David Rieben
>   >
>   > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tesla list"
>   > <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
>   > To: <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
>   > Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2006 10:45 PM
>   > Subject: Re: Ballasting a Pole Pig (Revisited)
>   >
>   >
>   > >Original poster: "C. Sibley"
> <a37chevy@xxxxxxxxx>
>   > >This weekend I did as suggested below and had
>   > >unsucessful results.  With the pig set up as a
>   > Jacobs
>   > >Ladder, and the welder set on the highest power
>   > >setting, I was unable to get any spark from the
> pig
>   > at
>   > >all.
>   > >The problem appears to be the welder taking all
> of
>   > the
>   > >power, input voltage to the pig is only 25V
> with
>   > the
>   > >welder on and running.  I do not have an AC
>   > Ampmeter
>   > >so am uncertain of the current, but was
> tripping my
>   > >bbreakers after only 1-2 seconds.  Setting the
>   > welder
>   > >at a lower rating would allow the breakers to
>   > remain
>   > >on, but with essentially no voltage to the pig.
>   > >One posibility, is that my welder is an AC/DC
> unit,
>   > >and must have additional circuitry over a basic
> AC
msnip...