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Hello,
This instructable explains how to make a spot welder from a MOT (microwave oven transformer).
The primary coil (thick wire) will still be used as primary windings. The secondary coil (thin wire) will be replaced with very thick wire of less windings.
Warning:
Do NOT plug in this transformer before it's ready. Especially not when the original secondary windings are still in there! This device outputs an extremely deadly high voltage. You have been warned!
Also, as in all my other instructables, read all warning notes! I'm not responsible for any accidents.
Test video:
Another video:
This instructable explains how to make a spot welder from a MOT (microwave oven transformer).
The primary coil (thick wire) will still be used as primary windings. The secondary coil (thin wire) will be replaced with very thick wire of less windings.
Warning:
Do NOT plug in this transformer before it's ready. Especially not when the original secondary windings are still in there! This device outputs an extremely deadly high voltage. You have been warned!
Also, as in all my other instructables, read all warning notes! I'm not responsible for any accidents.
Test video:
Another video:
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Signing UpStep 1Requirements
- a MOT (microwave oven transformer)
- 3 female slide connectors (not required, you can also solder the wires)
- wall plug with ground terminal
- pliers
- cutting pliers
- drill with thick iron drill bit (10mm or so)
- iron handsaw
- wood saw or jig-saw
- 1m thick 2 gauge flexible wire (1 meter) (if you don't have this, check step 5)
- a volt-meter (or multimeter)
- a wooden shelf (see step 7)
- some other small wooden pieces (see step 6 and 9)
- 3 female slide connectors (not required, you can also solder the wires)
- wall plug with ground terminal
- pliers
- cutting pliers
- drill with thick iron drill bit (10mm or so)
- iron handsaw
- wood saw or jig-saw
- 1m thick 2 gauge flexible wire (1 meter) (if you don't have this, check step 5)
- a volt-meter (or multimeter)
- a wooden shelf (see step 7)
- some other small wooden pieces (see step 6 and 9)
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
Regarding the risks of electricity.
ASSUME ALL ELECTRICITY CAN BE FATAL. People have been killed by very small voltages while others have survived lightening strikes. There is no hard and fast rules. Yes it's the current (amperage) that does the damage, but that is related to voltage and resistance.
I can easily put my phone charger to my tongue without a problem. It's rated at around 500 milliamps, but the electricity's easiest path would be along the moisture of my tongue. If I stabbed the individual wires into each of my thumbs (creating a path with my heart closer to the middle) it may kill me. It may not, but I won't test that.
I didn't see it mentioned. Think of electricity as a river. Voltage is the the size of the river (width) and amperage is the speed of the flow. A wide lazy river would be a high voltage, low amperage. A set of rapids would be akin to lower voltage and higher amperage. The Amazon (which looks still in parts) is high voltage and high amperage. A pond would be a high voltage and minimal amperage (if you consider evaporation the flow). A shallow river that you can walk across could drown you if the current sweeps you off your feet
Just take precautions when dealing with any electricity. The analogy sucked, I sure somebody will do a better job with it.
When someone creates stuff that works on 110V, people know it's dangerous, and nobody starts talking about 'oh noo this is super dangerous, beware, this might kill you, ...) but right now, when the voltage is +-2V people suddenly feel like they need to keep going on about that. imo, 2V is still 50 times safer than 110V if the human resistance stays the same.
I know that poking wires into both your fingers with 2V is dangerous, but then again:
Why keep talking about those dangers if poking a 9V battery into your fingers is More dangerous?!?!
So unless your body resistance is less than 400ohm, please stop talking about this stuff...
Oh, and keep in mind that when measuring the resistance of your body, your multimeter probes have a tiny voltage across them which might kill you if you stick the probes across your heart .. -_-
What about splinters? or flying molten metal?
Don't burn yourself, now I feel good about saving the world one burn at a time...
Dry air and floor are vital as electricity resistant gloves ...
Electricity is no game ...
Be sure you don't bet your life !
The dangers of electromagnetic radiation became apparent after World War II, when certain diseases started appearing with greater frequency among WWII radar personnel. Since then, the science and medical communities have produced a crush of evidence that exposure to radio frequencies is linked to cancers, brain tumors, lymphomas, headaches, melanomas, leukemia, Alzheimer’s, memory loss, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, high-blood pressure, and brain damage.
That is really excellent information about the dangers of unshielded magnetrons. You should post it on any Instructables that suggest the use of magnetrons, particularly unshielded ones!
This Instructable, however, has nothing to do with magnetrons. It's about re-purposing a transformer that originally powered a magnetron. You could conceivably do the same with a transformer that once powered a rotating anode x-ray generator, or a search light, but it wouldn't be necessary to warn readers about the dangers of x-rays or damage to the eyes from bright light.
When you post a comment saying "By all means, never never do this!" you should make sure you know what you're talking about. It's unfair to the author to have people warned away from a very good Instructables project by a confused concern troll.
See how long you'll survive there.
Then decide which is more deadly :D:D:D lol
Survive as in "not starve to death", maybe, but live in any way comfortably, probably no...
Technology plays a HUGE part of our lives today...
Just for fun, look up "First world problems" :D:D:D
I would not mind trying it out, take a hunting knife on my belt, and leave into the woods in what I'm wearing (say for a year).
But, on the second thought, maybe not :)
Cheers
and the world will end too.
There is nothing here that need fooling around with magnetrons. It uses only the transformer - there is NO microwave production whatsoever.
So, no harm possible. And you can use an "Andre Phillipe" symbol to cut radio frequencies. Google it and you will learn about it.
Best Regards
dudaott
except for the HV capacitor ;)
Please keep math/solutions simple, and as percise as possible so those of us who are "idiots" can understand it. 'Explain it to me like you are talking to an eight year old' comes to mind...
My own examples:
I have inadvertantly touched frayed household wires-110v AC, 15amp circuit- and shocked the poop out of myself, no burns, no lasting pain.
Once touched the wires on an active phone cord and it hurt MUCH worse than the AC circuit.
Once, while working on a car, I managed to ground my hand on the body, and touched the + terminal on a 12V 60 CCA battery and it threw me six feet, unconsious for almost a mimute, with bad burns, pain, and other side effects for over one hour.
Been hit one time with a stun gun- handheld, not a Tazer- and I beat the living crap out of the guy who zapped me.
I touched 12V 120Amp Bats many times and felt nothing ... Very strange ...
Could you elaborate ?
Lots of sweat...
Hand on body reaching for wrench on other side...
Touched sweaty chest to battery...
Good Night.
Ouchie!
Any shock you live to tell the tale about was likely under .02 of an amp, as some die at .015 and the rest by .035 of an amp. So it pays to make yourself as lousy a current conductor as you can.
This is why it is so hard to meet old electricians who were just going with the flow their whole careers!
But you still mssed the point I was making- - - -
Your arguments about current, voltage, amperage just confuses people more when you keep "correcting" each other and repeating your "solution" in NON SIMPLE terms so that those who are NOT electronics wizards cannot understand.
Keep the AMPS, OHMS, VOLTS, and CURRENT explanations and solutions simple and precise so others can follow along. Pretend you are a professor and all of your atudents are eight year olds...
I never said, "Don't Touch It" Furthermore I did not correct anyone. I am not a professor but if I was I'd certainly not teach eight year olds! I am an electronics wizard though. Have been all of my life.
No more comments.
(my post of Oct 23, 2011. 12:22 AM)
Electricity being a stickler for the rules strictly follows Ohm's law and a current flows through any path electricity encounters from higher potentials to lower ones as dictated by Georg Ohm's law. When the current flow exceeds the current carrying capacity of a conductive path then there is a problem.
Electricity doesn't much care if that conductor is a light bulb filament, or your uncle Phil*. Once a capacity is exceeded it is lights out with a flash and a bang as far as the electricity is concerned.
* No one named Phil was harmed during the creation of this post.
I don't really understand what you're trying to say now. All things have been explained by now right?
" I don't understand that.."
I can agree with you on that.
What I am trying to say is avatar_i is looking for some kind of measurement value when electricity poses a risk. There is no such figure. What you do in some situations can put you in danger though. No, don't touch it isn't a valid answer either.
Why do you think it's missing in this thread? It's well explained.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ox1A6CUW4W0
Those BTW are the same words that control Gort in The Day the Earth Stood Still. So they are powerful magical! I figure I'd better explain my obscure references when I crack a joke.
But seriously the danger lies when you get in the path of electricity. A bird can land on a high voltage wire and not so much as ruffle a feather. It isn't because birds are electric proof either. So obviously the simple act of touching something has NOTHING to do with it!
Many people here have been trying to explain how dangerous this is, they have even tried to prove it with calculations, and still you say that we didn't even came close to telling people how dangerous electricity can be.
I said, to simplify:
You people who were arguing in your comments about the other guy being wong, and not supporting your reasoning with actual things that the average non-electrician could understand, was CONFUSING PEOPLE FURTHER.
Problem- in addition- is that evidently some of you don't understand simple comments like this.
I am now completely done with this thread and will comment no more, thank you.
It was a reply to pfred2
of course you didn't say that :/
Also, there have been many different explonations for the dangers involved here, and that's because multiple people reply here. It's completely norlam that this happens.
If you say that people will get confused, yes, that happens if they read all comments. But they don't need to do that. If they want a simple explonation, they can find that in the instructable.
The goal of this instructable is for people to follow the steps, and read everything there. The comments don't need to be read, only if they need more information. The reader should then also know that that information might be incorrect or misleading.
I hope you understand what I mean, I never wanted to create a big discussion like this, I only tried to answer everyone's questions.
However, If there are any more questions I'll explain it.