How to Repair and Improve Any Mig Welder. Make even the cheapest mig welders run like the best.
Walk through video Upgrading from inferior cheap diodes on a Sealey 180 Mig Welder and many other similar priced welders, which are fitted with press fit diodes that are prone to overload failure.
I used Vishay 70 Amp 1600 volt in parallel pairs, which is two sets of matched pairs, one reverse polarity and one standard polarity. The diodes are clearly marked with arrows showing the current direction.
This modification involves some soldering so you will need a soldering iron capable of heavy duty work. For this I used an old copper iron heated on a gas ring which worked very well.
The repair cost:
2pc Standard Recovery Diode 70HFR160 70A 1600V VISHAY £8.47 plus £3.90 postage
2pc Standard Recovery Diode 70HF160 70A 1600V VISHAY
£8.47 plus £3.90 postage
I would not have been able to upgrade this welder had it not been for the people in welding forums who provided photographs and suggestions and reasoning as to why I should not simply replace with another inferior bridge rectifier containing what appear to be vehicle alternator diodes which are not up to the job. So a big thank you to you guys for sharing your knowledge.
A rectifier is an electrical device that converts alternating current (AC), which periodically reverses direction, to direct current (DC), which flows in only one direction. The process is known as rectification.
29 сен 2024