Re: Will this particular Arc Welder work as a ballast????

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "BunnyKiller by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <bigfoo39-at-telocity-dot-com>

Hi All...

using low end ( cheap) welders for ballast is a recipe for failure of 
the welder. The cores of the low end welders are wrapped with aluminum 
wire, not copper. If you were to exceed the primary amperage rating for 
more than a few moments, the welder melts the primary winding, thus 
leaving you dead in the water.

If you are still interested in using a welder as a ballast, look for one 
with a VERY substatial core size wound with copper wire, and be sure to 
make arraingments for forced air cooling.  ( basically a medium to low 
end commercial welder will suffice).

soap box time....

do most people who intend on using a welder as ballast want to use it to 
control the current in a variable situation? or do they set it at a 
perminent value and go from there?

what is the difference from setting up an inductor to a max rating and 
then use the variac to control the coils output?

If I understand this correctly.... if you use a variable inductor and 
the "voltage " stays the same, you still are effecting the power in the 
long run. If the inductor is static, and you control the voltage, arent 
you still controlling the power ?? The end results being the same??? 
 Seems to me that by controlling the voltage instead of the current, one 
will reduce the amount of heat created in the system.

lets hear from you guys and gals as to why a controlled current ( 
variable) is more advantagious than controlled voltage... ( well 
excluding laser power supplies) 


Scot D