2007-11-23

Arc-welder in HO


I designed and made a welding machine out of thin card




Update: I have replaced the welding cables with a set that will actually carry the electricity that will illuminate the white LED that will simulate the welding. They look the same but come out a hole in the back of the welder and will go down to the underside of the layout to the welder module.

Here is the design as printed out by my CAD program.

I needed a person to operate my welding machine but the only man I had kneeling was a trucker that I think is meant to be changing a wheel on a truck.


I made him a welding mask out of some insulation stripped from some wire.

I gave him a blue boiler suit and then grubbied that up and painted on some leather gloves.

He now holds the end of the wire which supplies current to the white LED.

I built myself a welding simulator was described at http://www.cgs.synth.net/other/arcwelder/arcweld.html but that page is no longer available.

I ordered all the electronic components from mouser.com

Since I did not have the printed circuit board I had to map the circuit layout onto a 1/10" prototype board. I then drew where the connections had to be on the back using a pencil.

I found a plastic box that was a perfect size and I cut the board to fit



The power supply to the simulator is switched with a K84 module to that I can switch the welding on and off from the computer.

Here is the welder in action