RE: Ballasting a Pole Pig (Revisited)

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: "Rich" <rdjmgmt@xxxxxxxxxx>

Yes, I agree with you Curt, I was just saying my welder requires a 50
amp circuit and forgot to add only at the higher settings. I would also
think as you do that you would get quite an arc at even at half the
power it is running. Has it been tried to apply a small voltage, even
120, into the high voltage side and check it as a large filament
transformer?

Rich, from Missouri

Subject: RE: Ballasting a Pole Pig (Revisited)

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...