RE: Ballasting a Pole Pig (Revisited)

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: Chip Atkinson <chip@xxxxxxxxxx>

Yeah, like I said earlier, you can run a decent jacobs ladder on nearly
the lowest setting, so maybe the pig is dead.

Have you tried running it with the low voltage connected to the HV leads
and measured the output of the lv ends?

On Mon, 9 Jan 2006, Tesla list wrote:

> 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...
>
>
>