How to test amperage

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how can i accuratley test the amperage of my miller thunderbolt xl welderQuality is our policy.
Reply:Take it to a repair center that has a load bank and have them test it..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:And prepare to hand over some scratch.  It costs around 80 bucks around here for them to put it on the rack"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:If you buy a $300 Fluke DC amp meter and attach it to the ground cable, you'll get what you need. I wanted to see what my Millermatic 252 was putting out with different voltage and IPM settings for the purpose of duty cycle observance. Here's a crappy video of it:Last edited by Gobysky; 06-29-2012 at 04:41 PM.
Reply:Borrow or buy an AC/DC clamp on ammeter.Thread one lead through clamp and weld at different amperage settings - shouting out the amperage settings as you go.Record the readings from the meter and audio using a digital camera in movie mode (use a tripod).When done welding. play back the video and you will hear your amperage setting and see what amperge you were really welding at.Rick V 1 Airco Heliwelder 3A/DDR3 CTC 70/90 amp Stick/Tig Inverters in Parallel1 Lincoln MIG PAK 151 Oxy-Acet
Reply:Hang a meter on the lead & have someone jot down the actual amperage on the meter  in relationship to the dial settings while running a bead. For future reference you can jot down the dial / actual amperage on the machine sheet metal with a fine point magic marker. If you lengthen or shorten the leads the readings will no longer be accurate.Last edited by Old Skool; 06-29-2012 at 09:00 PM.
Reply:Most decent ammeters have a hold button. Hold the meter in one hand and hit the hold button while drawing a bead. That's a good enough reading."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:Originally Posted by SandyMost decent ammeters have a hold button. Hold the meter in one hand and hit the hold button while drawing a bead. That's a good enough reading.
Reply:If it's DC then you can simply use a shunt resistor and a volt meter.Welding/Fab Pics: www.UtahWeld.com
Reply:One thing... I tried this technique on an old Sears Craftsman / Century transformer stick machine.  Could not get decent readings in DC mode.  Worked fine in AC mode.  I think the machine just had a rectifier bridge without any capacitor.. So in DC mode the wave form was not a constant voltage.  Good luck with it.