Has anybody successfully modified a foot pedal yet?

Tue, 31 Aug 2021 09:40:12 GMT

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I was just wondering if anybody has successfully modified a different brand foot pedal for any of the powertigs and if so how does it work? Was it a pain to do? I have another foot pedal and i am wanting to do this, that 5" tall box just isnt working for me. Thanks
Reply:make a raised platform with a rectangular hole the size of the foot pedal so that its flush with the surrounding area. a piece of plywood and a couple 2x4's trimmed to the right height would do it.
Replyepending on the unit.  The LX, EX, and Power Pro series require a 47K ohm pot hooked to pins 3, 4 and 5.  4 being the center/common pin on the pot (3 and 4 should be the 0 ohms side with the pedal at rest/pedal up).  Short pins 6 and 7 so the unit knows it's controlled by a pedal (not the front panel).Pins 1 and 2 are your on off switch.  This is documented in tech bulletins on our website.It would not be hard to do.  I've talked to a couple people that have done it, never asked for details other than gave them to pot value and pinout.I believe we are working on a new pedal.  Sure Mark will post the progress on it soon.Mike R.
Reply:Will the new pedal be able to use the machine max amperage setting and vary the percentage of that, or will it be a slimmer version of the current design with the amperage control knob on it (or in the line possibly)?
Reply:The new pedal may only apply to the higher end units...It will probably cost more.IF we do offer the pedal in question, it will not change the current operation of the units as they are now.  The pedal would then be required to operate in the same way for the existing units, so some would have a rheostat on the pedal and others would not.Let me try to explain the "madness" about the pedal operation issue with a little humor (I hope no one takes offense)..lolNot all units adjust on the pedal. Some do and some don't.  Some models preset the amps on the panel and some on the pedal and others not at all.  There are different price ranges and different functions.  I cannot even begin to count the people I have talked with about it.  You'd be surprised at the number of people that actually WANT it to adjust on the pedal and buy those type machines... They usually say its better when they are working extended lengths from the machines.  These guys are usually old school and want to carry their pedal with them wherever they drag it to weld.  Its easy to reach down and adjust.   They don't need no stinkin' display to tell them how hot they are welding!  They just know.  They won't use the panel controls EVER!  They want something that'll go and weld with no frills.  They would swallow their tobacco juice if they ever caught someone trying to weld with a panel controlled torch switch with pulse and cycle control.  They use sharpened tungsten for their toothpicks.Now, then we have just the opposite where we have the the technophiles that want everything exact and perfect so they can visually see the exact setting they use and return there every time. These guys are meticulous and  and have to have everything well defined.  They usually  floss their teeth before and after every meal too and lay out their clothes for the next day.  They like to see the pretty red numbers reflecting exactly the right amount of amps in the display so they know they are welding correctly.Now, some of this may be stereotyping but it goes to the point of what I am trying to say.   The pedal issue will never please all people.  We try to offer different price ranges and product features.  If we didn't we'd only have one machine to sell.  Not everyone wants  the same thing their neighbor has but maybe some do...So the issue will always be up for debate.  We will continue to put the features in the products we feel are best suited for the product level and price.  We will listen and take advice. Remember some of those guys that want the pedal with the rheostat aren't too computer friendly, but they know how to dial a phone...so not all voices are heard just here.Last edited by lugweld; 04-29-2010 at 01:52 AM.Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:The simple solution would be to offer the range adjuster pedal as an option on the less expensive machines. Forget trying to get people to upgrade to a more expensive machine if all they need is a 205 with an inexpensive rheostat added to the pedal control.Sometimes those pesky customers are telling you something you may not want to hear, but might be wise to listen to.Many of your competitors now offer a range control pedal on their machines which are priced below yours. Your machine may or may not be better and I think your support is most definitely better, but most buyers of these import welders will be trying to find the biggest bang for the buck (pun not intended) .In any case, giving the purchaser the option of paying a bit more for the better pedal should do away with most of this debate.You might even find people are happy to pay $30 for an 80 cent (in china) rheostat!Here is a prediction; within six months all of your machines other than the panel range control type will already come with a rheostat on the pedal and most of the $400-$600 Ebay welders will too, although on many of those the pedal will still be an extra cost item as it is now.Duncan at Everlast Canada only sends out the rheostat control pedal now (on the non panel range control machines) and has been doing so for a couple of months. On another note, I fitted a size 9 torch to my little 205 unit. I went down to Linde Canada to get a fitting to adapt the torch to the Everlast dinse connector. When the Linde salesperson realized the dinse was not his own he wanted to know what make of machine it was from. When I told him it was an Everlast and that I am using it to tig weld a SS motorcycle frame I got a lecture on the evils of attempting to build something important with a cheap Chinese welder that isn't capable of making a decent weld!I told him that this unit tig welds just as nicely as my friend's Lincoln 185, outdoes his $1300 Hypertherm plasma cutter 2 to one for thickness capability and is just as smooth cutting. On top of that the stick welder is the best I have used for low amperage start and arc holding.He repsonded that my consumable consumption on plasma will be much higher than the Hypertherm.  I left the store and made the fittings on the lathe out of brass stock. It works great. I won't be going back to Linde for anything, ever.  I guess I am one of those pesky customers too!Last edited by worntorn; 05-04-2010 at 01:05 PM.
Reply:i guess my problem with the 200dx footpedal is not the amperage knob on the footpedal overriding the amperage knob on the main panel, but the fact that the footpedal knob works completely differently from the main panel knob; the main panel knob dictates max current, but the foot pedal knob dictates min current. when running sans footpedal you know that the display shows you the max amperage you'll get, but with the foot pedal engaged, the display tells you the amperage you'll get with the footpedal barely engaged. furthermore, the amperage delta between footpedal barely engaged and pedal-to-the-metal is the same regardless of if footpedal knob is set to 10 amps or 100 amps. im just a noob at this but its quite unintuitive to me. i'd definitely consider forking up the doug if it is possible to make a pedal that allows you to set the max current a-priori and then have the pedal depression determine welding amperage between min and whatever max has been preset.if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat - 2 Thessalonians 3:10
Reply:Im yet to see a cut comparison that equals Hypertherm quality and i would doubt that consumables would even last half as long.Show me the pics.
Reply:If I get time in the next few days I'll do a direct comparison of the same guy(me) cutting on the same piece of steel with both machines. I'll let you figure out which  is which.I'll also get my friend to do cuts with both machines (he owns the Hypertherm and loves it) to see what the results are.As of now I have used both machines but at different times on different items. My sense was that one was as good as the other except the Everlast will cut 3/4" cleanly whereas the Hypertherm 30 will only cut 3/8" cleanly.As far as the consumables go, that I cannot comment on, haven't used the machine enough.On the other hand, judging by your signature and comment it is unlikely you own or have ever even used a Chinese machine and yet you claim to know the comparable rate of consumption of the consumables!Same with the guy in Linde, he had never used a Chinese welder in his life but he knew they wouldn't work properly because they come from China and don't cost nearly as much as the european and other units he sells!reminds me of a story told by Canadian Folksinger Rita MacNeil. She had a very opinionated neighbour in her hometown who once told Rita's Mother, "you know, I never liked her music until I heard her sing!!!"
Replyarry, What would satisfy you?  Hypertherm is a good product.  Keep in mind NOW it is our customers making the claim, not us.   First people weren't satisfied with our claims, now they aren't satisfied with uncompensated customers claims....Sheesh.I personally won't say we are better, but I have seen circumstances where our cut quality is nearly as good as a Hypertherm .  But I have seen our PP80 make nice clean 1.5" cuts. Here's video of a PP 60 cutting  1" stacked plate from 1/4" plate.  [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lutd2fZglm0[/ame]Another one of the PP 50 cutting 1".  Though neither are high def pictures, you can get the idea.[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ8nqYRgwx0&feature=related[/ame]Do the consumables last as long?  Probably not.  But they aren't as expensive as the hypertherms either and they are available from a variety of online sources in large volumes.  But we do have a new consumable supplier that uses hafnium electrode cores from western europe along with improved consumable designs.Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Replyarry O has a valid point in that most run of the mill Exports of Chinese consumables are not made to the same quality as we expect in the West. the usual offerings on Ebay prove this point.Regardless of how accurate the machining is done in making the consumables they will never last as long as the Major names in the Business .The reason for this is very simple . Chinese Domestic materials have far too high of a Tin content in them. I can actually feel the weight difference in a 60 Cut Electrode from the normal  manufacturers compared to our own Consumable manufacturer.The Reason for this is again very simple , Our consumable manufacturer imports his raw Material from Finland . And as part of my Commitment to Everlast i feel we need to supply the very best components we can. And this includes our Consumables. Over the last year on each of my trips to our manufacturer i have made a point of visiting consumable manufacturers ( obviously not all ) and to date our new supplier is by far the most impressive.The first 2  pictures i took showing the start of the product from our manufacturer and testingThe next picture shows the CNC machines for making the various consumables we use. The Young Lady in the picture ( Her English name is Vanilla) is a good friend of mine and she travels with me as my interpreter when i am in China visiting our ManufacturerI think you may be surprised if you have similar style Consumables and compare ours to what you currently use Attached ImagesLast edited by titan winch; 05-04-2010 at 06:17 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by worntornIf I get time in the next few days I'll do a direct comparison of the same guy(me) cutting on the same piece of steel with both machines. I'll let you figure out which  is which.I'll also get my friend to do cuts with both machines (he owns the Hypertherm and loves it) to see what the results are.As of now I have used both machines but at different times on different items. My sense was that one was as good as the other except the Everlast will cut 3/4" cleanly whereas the Hypertherm 30 will only cut 3/8" cleanly.As far as the consumables go, that I cannot comment on, haven't used the machine enough.On the other hand, judging by your signature and comment it is unlikely you own or have ever even used a Chinese machine and yet you claim to know the comparable rate of consumption of the consumables!Same with the guy in Linde, he had never used a Chinese welder in his life but he knew they wouldn't work properly because they come from China and don't cost nearly as much as the european and other units he sells!reminds me of a story told by Canadian Folksinger Rita MacNeil. She had a very opinionated neighbour in her hometown who once told Rita's Mother, "you know, I never liked her music until I heard her sing!!!"
Reply:Well Larry, I might have jumped the gun a bit by saying the Everlast cut is as good as the Hypertherm 30. As I mentioned I have used both but haven't done a side by side comparison yet. It is very smooth and we'll see how they really compare once the test is done.If my $800 machine which I bought primarily for TIG and Stick welding turns out to have a plasma cutter which is only "almost" as smooth cutting as my friend's $1300 Hypertherm, but has twice the thickness capability, then I think that is still quite a bonus.On TIG I can quite comfortably compare it to the Lincoln 185  I recently spent three weeks using. I'm equally happy using either machine, can't really say one will make a better weld than the other.On stick I can compare it to my 230 amp Miller DC or my old P+H 400 amp DC which is a great old welder. I have owned and welded with these machines for many years.The Everlast has both of these machines beat as far as low current startup and maintenance of the arc. I suspect this is one of the differences between an inverter welder and a transformer welder.  I'm not a fan of all things Chinese or Asian, there are a lot of really poorly made machine tools coming from Asia  still. My shop is full of woodworking machines from all over the world except ChinaHere is a partial list;Germany(Raimann 25hp line rip) Italy (SCM 120 power feed shaper and SCM 24" thickness planer with built in grinder/sharpener )Canada(General table saw and jointer) Japan (Makita 16" thickness planer) USA (Dodds auto Dovetailer and 16,000 lbYates American triple head 48" oscillating drum Sander) more Italy(30" Bandsaw and SCM  10' sliding table saw, EMA sliding table power feed tenoning Shaper) more USA(14,000 lb Kearney and Trecker all hydraulic Milling machine)  and some others including a very old 12" US built jointer with feed, can't remember the brand at the moment.The only Chinese machine in the shop is a good sized floor model 3/4" chuck Drill press I bought about thirty years ago. It is better than drilling with a hand drill, but that is about the best I can say of it!As I see it, these inverter welders have more in common with a new TV set or a computer than they do with machine tools. In that world of electronics the Asian companies seem to do very well, I think Samsung (Korean?) is right a the top of the heap right now and seems to win all the major TV quality comparison tests.Glen
Reply:Hey, im not against anything Asian.  My first welding experience was with a Chinese welder.   We all own Asian stuff.My TIG is made in Japan.  I sure there are a lot more things from that region in my garage too.I know your machine will outcut a PowerMax30 in thickness ( 30 amp to 50-60amp comparison ).If you do a comparison, do it within the cut capacity of the 30 amp unit to see difference.I know that my 45 will outcut some 50-60amp units.I suppose if you brought a TIG/Stick machine and it plasma cuts as well, even if not quite Hypertherm quality, thats a bonus .I wasnt trying to flame up here, it was that you quoted twice as saying it would cut better than a $1300 Hpertherm unit, and with some of the pics ive seen on this forum and others in the past, i havnt seen cut quality as good as the Hypertherm.I know that they are always improving on their products, and maybe with new torch design and quality consumables, the cut quality has somewhat improved.
Replyarry, I don't think I said it would cut better than the Hypertherm for smoothness, only that it was about as good.Here is the quote taken directly from my post. This was my response to the Linde salesman after he kept badgering me about buying a Chinese welder:"I told him that this unit tig welds just as nicely as my friend's Lincoln 185, outdoes his $1300 Hypertherm plasma cutter 2 to one for thickness capability and is just as smooth cutting"I said cut quality was as smooth, not better.There again, he had my back up a little, it may turn out that the Hypertherm has the edge on smoothness of cut, but this Everlast machine is right up there.Then when you consider the other functions of this machine and the cost, it is no wonder the guys at Linde are feeling a bit uncomfortable.GlenLast edited by worntorn; 05-06-2010 at 12:55 AM.
Reply:I find the cut to be exceptionally smooth and even quite square even at top end of the units cutting limits.  However, I will say that you may find a little more dross to the bottom side.   But a lot of these issues depend upon operator skill too.Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:I've also noticed the extra dross vs the Hypertherm cut.  It can be knocked off  easily and leaves a clean cut underneath so it really isn't a problem. I suppose for someone doing miles of cutting this might make a difference, although the Hypertherm cut still required the same procedure of dross removal, there was just a little smaller strip coming off.
Reply:I retrieved a piece of 1/4" plate cut by the Hypertherm from my friend Murray's place today.I'll do a similar piece with the Everlast just as soon as the new Dinse connector shows up.I robbed the one from the plasma cutter in order to set up a small tig torch and one piece power cable.The Hypertherm cut looks pretty nice alright, it will be interesting to see if I can match it or at least come close, after making my claims!Last edited by worntorn; 05-08-2010 at 12:37 AM.
Reply:I received the pedal with the range control knob at front and tried it out yesterday.It definitely does knock the top off the amp curve, but not in a straight line kind of way.Turned all the way to ten the max power available with pedal floored is 100 amps. This is reached in about half a pedal though. Same with some of the lower settings, if you set the knob on 5 , for example, the max power available is about 40 amps but it is reached with just a small amount of pedal.So you really still don't know quite where you are at for amps with this pedal, only that the max will not go above the preordained amount. When you start to back off, you don't know where you are backing off from, that is, if you have the pedal depressed past the point where the preset amperage is reached, you must back off to that threshold before any amperage change will occur. This means you might back off a considerable amount on the pedal and not see any change in weld heat.I'm back to using the regular pedal with a stop. That way you hit the stop and know you have the amps you want , plus as soon as you start to let the pedal up the amps start to drop.Now a really good TIG weldor wouldn't care about any of this, he or she would just watch the puddle and control it with the pedal (either one would work). they wouldn't need to know they have this number of amps or that number of amps.The problem is, I'm not a really good TIG welder, so a repeatable setting is needed at this point!The mechanical stop made up for the regular pedal seems to solve the problem.Full marks to the sales staff at Everlast, they are the most helpful group I've dealt with in a long time. I've chatted with both Alex in the US and Duncan in Canada, can't say enough about there great manner in dealing with the customer.I've also fitted a small(wp9 flex head) tig torch to my Everlast. This instantly improved the quality of my TIG welds.
Reply:Our new pedal version in stock in Canada.see pictures here http://www.everlastgenerators.com/fo...read.php?t=544Oleg [email protected]/650 588 8588 x201www.linkedin.com/pub/oleg-gladshteyn/48/b08/875
Reply:Hi there I have a miller dynasty and was thinking of getting one of these everlast 200dx tig and selling my miller.I'm now confused on the pedal issue I read the topic twice can someone just explain to me really simply what the issue with the pedal is? How is it different from what I use now?Now I just set the amps to whatever I want on my machine and can really nicely control from zero to max with the pedal......i use my pedal a lot and don't really care what it says on the machine. and just control it with the pedal.Thanks
Reply:yeah,just think how confused the poor guy who started this thread is.it was hiljacked and changed to other topics.
Reply:The pedal had some issues with the way the rheostat and control/down rod meshed together.  It could get pushed off the cog...let me explain. The down rod from the pedal pushed down onto a cog that is fastened to the rheostat.  (The down rod had a rubber rack screwed to it that would interface with the rubber pinion gear on the rheostat)   But in shipping, a lot of times the cog or down rod would get bent out of place.  That is the main issue that has been reported.  Most cite that control is great and range of motion is fine as well, except it down break over parallel with the floor for max amps.Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT