Re: Ballasting a Pole Pig (Revisited)

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

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
unit.  Perhaps there is some PFC or something
interfering?

Interested in any advice.

Thanks,

Curt.


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

> Original poster: "David Rieben"
> <drieben@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> Curt,
>
> You've pretty much got the right idea ;^) I assume
> that
> you have a 240 volt input stick welder, like one of
> those red Lincoln
> 225 amp arc welders? You simply series the input
> leads to the low
> voltage bushings of the pig with the po-
> wer input plug of the welder. For maximum output
> current,
> you short the welding leads together and turn the
> amperage
> selector switch all the way up to the maximum
> amperage setting. Be
> sure to the connect the 240 volt input leads
> to the two outermost low voltage busings on the side
> of the
> pole pig tank. Leave the center low voltage bushing
> uncon-
> nected as this will be the tank case ground
> (assuming your pig is a
> single phase, 120/240 volt output unit). This setup
> will allow you to
> draw 50 to 70 amps from the 240 volt ser-
> vice with the HV output bushings of the pig shorted.
>
> Good luck,
> David
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tesla list"
> <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Monday, December 19, 2005 3:45 PM
> Subject: Ballasting a Pole Pig
>
>
> >Original poster: "C. Sibley" <a37chevy@xxxxxxxxx>
> >I'm considering making the move to a Pole Pig since
> >I'm having a hard time finding anything larger than
> a
> >60 mA NST.  I have a old stick welder that I'm
> >considering using as a ballast, but am not 100%
> sure
> >how I should go about hooking it up.  Do I just use
> >the power inputs and run it in series with the pig?
> >Do I need to terminate the "welding" output?  Does
> it
> >matter what setting the welding output power is set
> >to?
> >Thanks,
> >Curt.
>
>