77magnum13hundy Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Hey so i got this old mig star 180 off the tard a while back and its spitting out the wire too fast. It has power settings 1,2,3,4,5,6. The higher the power the faster the wire also goes. It also has the knob to turn the wire speed up and down.... ive got it set on the lowest setting but it seems to still piss out too fast. Can i install another resistor on the power side of the electric motor feed which would half the speed and allow me better control of the wire, as it seems this has been a hinderance on my welding stz... Im guessin the motor that feeds the wire in is a dc powered one doesnt seem to have too much grunt, could i just put in a cabin light dimmer out of a car (variable resistor) type thing or would some place actually sell them. Do i need to pay any special attention to AMPs and stuff like that? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Could be that there is already one in there that has shorted. Does the speed control actually change anything? that could be broken too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
77magnum13hundy Posted January 15, 2013 Author Share Posted January 15, 2013 yeah its even faster, like stupid fast. say it starts at a 9 o'clock position and goes around to the 3 o'clock position, if it goes about to 10 or 11 its way too fast. I could crank the heat up to compensate but im only dealing with sheet metal at the mo, once we get into 3-4mm stuff its in its element. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Ah, do you know what the min current it can run is? /no help at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjrstar Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Incorrect diameter drive wheel fitted possibly? although you should be able to turn feed right down to almost nothing if it's working corretly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
77magnum13hundy Posted January 15, 2013 Author Share Posted January 15, 2013 yeh, i think the wire feed motor was replaced, its set on almost nothing, they could have not got the wires in properly, but i did ask a welding machine repair shops in akl and they wanted me to bring it in for a small inspection fee of 100 dollars..which was a no... My thinking is that if the voltage supplied to the motor was increased then that would have great effect seeing as how i'm hardly turning up the wire speed. I think I'll run a voltage meter across it see what its reading and if its about 12vlts then reduce to 8 with a resistor.it may well blow up. it just feels too rushed when i try to start the pool going, and it makes it a crap outcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjrstar Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 pull trigger, measure how much comes out in 6 seconds, multiply by 10 and you will know in mm/minute it's feeding this will give you an actual detail if it's feeding too fast or if it's just a hunch.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drftnmaz Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 the adjuster on the front will normally just be a pot that varies resistance to a transistor inside the unit that varies the voltage to the motor, so measure the motor with multimeter and see whats its doing? it may be supplying 12v and a 5v motor may be fitted? or the transistor has gone bad (not too likely) or the wiring from the pot at the front has been damaged creating a high resistance so telling the transistor to supply more power than it should Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Drop in at ProTechNZ at 143A Hepburn in Glendene (you're in Auckland right) Go after hours, like 5:30 maybe? Talk to Pete and tell him Ned sent you and he may be happy to help you out for a box of beers... Worst case, they have a $30 inspection fee if he's too busy to do after hours shit and they will be able to tell you if/how to get the feed to slow down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
77magnum13hundy Posted January 16, 2013 Author Share Posted January 16, 2013 yep i live on hepburn chur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Can't get much easier then can it haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoKer Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 OT but I saw in the new Shed mag a gadget to convert your ARC welder into a Gas mig setup! either I'm behind times and thats old but I thought it was neato! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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