Checking amperage?

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If I put an amp probe on my stinger leed and ran a bead would that tell me what amperage I am truly running?  If that will work I will try this when one of my buddys come over.BrianMiller Thunderbolt 225 AC/DCEverlast 255 EXT with water coolerH.F. 170 Mig/Flux welderKent 3h.p. 9x42 milling machineHome Built 2"x72" variable speed 2 h.p. belt grinderHome built 9" variable speed 2 h.p. disc grinder
Reply:Why would you go through the trouble?  Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:yes an amprobe will tell you the actual current during the weldmig,tig,oxy,plasma,lathe,mill,bender,vise,grinder
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPWhy would you go through the trouble?
Reply:Originally Posted by melsdadI think the pointer bar on my welder may be off by about 15 amps or more. I was looking for a way to sort of  calibrate it.
Reply:You do know that's just for reference? On the job you may use 3, 4, or 5 different welders in a day. They all have different heat. Find the spots you like and do this. Attached ImagesDon’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Originally Posted by melsdadI think the pointer bar on my welder may be off by about 15 amps or more. I was looking for a way to sort of  calibrate it.
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPYou do know that's just for reference? On the job you may use 3, 4, or 5 different welders in a day. They all have different heat. Find the spots you like and do this.
Reply:Originally Posted by MinnesotaDaveI think it's definitely useful to know your actual amps while learning.After you are comfortable, you will just adjust by what you see while welding and the actual amps will not matter as much.But it sure helps set up faster having a scale that is correct and repeatable.
Reply:Originally Posted by MinnesotaDaveWhat's that old dirty looking thing?  That welder has no digital meter - you know people can't weld that way....
Reply:Originally Posted by melsdadThat is what I had in mind. I want to remove as many variables as possible as far as the machine. I want to narrow it down to me and my mistakes only while learn. I hope my intentions make more sense now.
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPOn the job some times you have to use your side cutters to changes the amps on a welder. My Dynasty was the first welder I ever owned with digital meters.
Reply:Hello melsdad, just be sure that your amprobe is DC rated, an AC probe won't work. There are not a lot of amprobes that are rated for DC testing and if the one you have is, be sure that it will handle the amperage that you are testing at. Whoops, if you are running AC current then an AC amprobe will definitely work. Best regards, Allanaevald
Reply:I have done this on a few welders.   It will also show you how steady the current is or if it fluctuates.    Sears sells a 400amp DC multimeter about $50.  I have one and they work good, but the Amprobe one I have has a much faster response time.Tiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:I have a relic welder that I use for stick, it came to me free. It works well, it's a rusty wreck. The knob with pointer is gone, in its place is a pair of vise grips. By the time I figure out where to put the vise grip to agree with the scale, someone "borrows" the vise grip. It has been so long since I was sure where it was pointing I don't know what amperage to set it at. I set it arbitrarily, then adjust to suit. How much salt do you want on your steak? If it needs more give it more, if it needs less, it's not as simple.
Reply:I could care less what my machine says on it for the amp setting. If I need more heat, I turn it up. If I need less heat, I turn it down. Simple as that. That's the way I look at it.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:Knowing the amps is important especially for mig , some welds look good on the surface and could be cold, so knowing the amps or volts for a particular weld joint is helpful in keeping it safe and strong.mig,tig,oxy,plasma,lathe,mill,bender,vise,grinder
Reply:Originally Posted by sparknessKnowing the amps is important especially for mig , some welds look good on the surface and could be cold, so knowing the amps or volts for a particular weld joint is helpful in keeping it safe and strong.
Reply:Originally Posted by sparknessKnowing the amps is important especially for mig , some welds look good on the surface and could be cold, so knowing the amps or volts for a particular weld joint is helpful in keeping it safe and strong.
Reply:I always enjoyCEP's replies....because his insights are so spot-on.       ...ok, and because of his avatar:-)Hobart Beta-Mig 2511972 Miller AEAD-200LEMiller 250 TwinNorthern Ind. Hybrid 200Longevity Stick 140Longevity Migweld 200SThermal Arc Pak 3XR
Reply:Originally Posted by snoeproeI could care less what my machine says on it for the amp setting. If I need more heat, I turn it up. If I need less heat, I turn it down. Simple as that. That's the way I look at it.
Reply:look at the puddle. But knowing a bit more is also useful when your learning as melsdad statedmig,tig,oxy,plasma,lathe,mill,bender,vise,grinder
Reply:There's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to know more, or more detailed info. Nothing wrong with verifying what you think you know. Measure the voltage too if you want. A whole lot of vehicles have voltmeters and even amp gauges on them. 95% of the people out there don't know what to do with that info but there it is. There are tachometers. What does a tachometer do for most? He11 that could be a high/low pointy device for the most part. Do we need an ammeter, speedometer, temp gauge, oil pressure gauge to drive? Nope. I like having detailed info every now and then. I like verifying that what I have a knob set at is close to what's happening. Call it routine testing and get with it. "The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:has anybody been on a job where an inspector hooks a meter to your machine to make sure your meeting currents spec.ed by the wps?it happens, and is good to know in case your super awesome xmt isn't putting out what the lcd says.i/ve been dieing to get one on my sa200 just to make sure its doing what i think its doing and is putting out factory rated currents. if its not, knowing so would be a good diagnostic toolbosses stuff:trailblazer 325maxstar 200my stuff:sa 200fronius transpocket 180100 amp Lincoln w/f97 f350 DITKevin
Reply:yea, they put a clampmeter to your hot leadThere is another possibly cheaper way to measure current. As current goes through something with some resistance (such as a cable) there is a slight voltage drop. Using ohms law, (U=R*I, Volt = Resistance * Ampere) the current can easily be calculated if the resistance is known and the voltage measured with something as a cheap multimeter.The resistance in welding cables is way too low to be measured with any cheap tools, but since copper has a very specific resistance that can easily be calculated. Unfortunately you guys are still using that backwards **** called AWG so I can't help you there, but for us metric guys it would go like this:Resistance of a 1m long 1mm^2 copper wire: 0,0172 ohm (This is a constant, for copper this is the number to use - other metals, other numbers.)Cable size, lets say 50mm^2. (I have no idea what welders use, but it seems plausible.)0,0172 / 50 = 0,000344The resistance in 1m 50mm^2 copper wire will be 0,000344 ohms. We could hook a voltage meter to two points 1m apart from each other on that cable, read something like 0,035V while welding and do the math:I = U / RI = 0,035 / 0,000344 ohmsI = 101ABut that isn't very quick and easy. If we were to use an other length of cable so we get a more even resistance that would speed things up, with a resistance only having a one (...00100...) the voltage can be converted straight to current by just moving the decimal point.0,000344 ohms is about a third of 0,001 ohm, so lets aim for that - especially since a ~3m length (10ft) would be a managable length to work with.0,001/0,000344= 2.9067...So if we use a 2.91m length of wire to measure, we get as close to 0.001 ohm as possible. Measuring at that length, we now see a voltage of 0.078V, let's go through the numbers again.I = U / RI = 0,078 / 0.001I = 78AWould you look at that, for every millivolt that equals 1A welding current. As simple as possible, just set the multimeter to show mV and you could read welding current in amps straight off the display, or if the meter only reads volts you simply multiply by 1000 = move the decimal point three steps to the right. (Looks like 0.001 ohm is a good resistance to aim for.)As for doing that using cable measured by any other meathod, good luck. I've learned the basics of most imperial units to be able to keep up with numbers whenever that's used, but AWG is just way too backwards to be bothered with. :PLast edited by G-son; 11-26-2014 at 03:23 AM.
Reply:I always bring my calibrated clamp meter (along with thermometer, flowgauge etc) with me when a manufacturer calls me to witness and qualify a new welding procedure.How are you going to record the electrical parameters of the welding procedure followed when you have a welding machine that does not have a digital display?Even if it does you will not believe how much off some machines are.There are even jobs nowadays where the welding machines have to be calibrated.
Reply:Originally Posted by 92dlxmanhas anybody been on a job where an inspector hooks a meter to your machine to make sure your meeting currents spec.ed by the wps?
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPYes I have. Also taken numerous self shielded wire tests when I walked into the test booth duct tape was on all the gauges. First part of the test was to set the machine with in manufacturer's specs. If not, I got to go home early that day. Which was a good thing, because I needed to hit the streets bright & early the next day to find a new job.
Reply:Knowing the electrical characteristics might be really important to a robot.  The robot could use this information in real-time feedback to adjust arc-gap, wire speed, and travel...  For us humans; our senses are the feedback.   (sight and sound)