Welding Tips and Tricks

Haven't found a pedal I couldn't improve to suit me better.

by making sure the wheels/belt rolling the potentiometer all line up and adjusting on/off switch to click ay very slight pedal movement, hooking up ohm meter to set the max ohms/lowest amp setting to start a little after the machine start, for me I want amps to tail off to machines minimum capabilities before it shuts off.
sometimes I upgrade potentiometer if range sweep is not smooth and linear

move pedal pivot or mount heel clip to put pivot point of pedal under middle of the arch of my foot, then adjust spring pressure to suit(I like mine soft/easy).

last if the pedal assembly feels tippy/unstable/slip sliding on floor add a bigger heavier base and or non-slip feet.

Range sweep can only be checked accurately with analog ohm meter
if arc start/control is erratic check pedal and wiring,then machine grounds both to work piece and machine earth

The pedal and other things are designed by people who think they know what one needs(or made very cheap)

The finest/best design can turn to cr*p with poroduction/cost compromises

Rick,

Thanks for the info. Regarding the pots... I gather that there is no one standard range for pedals; I think I've seen 2-3 different values. What's your experience there, and have you seen solutions that worked better than a pot?

Cheers,
Richard

must use pot with correct value for the welder
not for the price of radio schak pot
even new check ohm value and linear smooth hi/lo

"sometimes I upgrade potentiometer if range sweep is not smooth and linear"

i am assuming you use a potentiometer of the same rating so how
do you upgrade . better manufacture?

Analog Ohm meter in hand
check pedal output for smooth and linear meter reading
if herky/jerky remove to verify pot or linkage problem
Linkage fix/modify/pedal pivot,get start/end points right
If pot,ohm meter in hand down to Radio Shaak
can't find one that feels good and reads good,Call digikey,talk to rep, order their best
Surprise! arc/amperage control becomes smooth / sensitive , welds get better
If needed relocate foot on pedal or pivot point to your foot/ankle comfort range
Get comfortable = better welds quicker learning curve

thanks you helped me to understand the electrical part
now ill dive into it
thanks again