Hobart Advantage HF

[PiperPilot]

Hi folks!

I'm new to the board and wanted to say HEY and ask a question.

I have owned a Hobart Champion Combo 18 for A LOT of years. The thing still runs and welds like a dream. I have always kept the preventative maintenance up on it and it has never let me down. Through the years I have been using a Hobart Advantage HF box with it and have loved it a lot as well. I have always just used the "scratch start" method with it and this has served me fine but now I would like to hook up a foot pedal. This is where I run into a problem. The box has a "remote" canon plug (5 Pin). I have opened the box up and found that on the back of the canon plug, it only has two of the pins utilized, a black wire and a white wire to be exact. Luckily I have a pretty good grasp of electrical/electronics. I know that when the box is in "remote" mode, jumping the two wires together just make one of the relays (I would guess the start relay) connect. I have a miller foot pedal that I would like to "spilce" into the box to give me total control, i.e., amp and start/stop control. I can and have made the foot pedal control the start/stop function. Now my problem is how and what do I need to do to make it control the amp's. I would love to find a wiring diagram on this unit but it is so old that thats darn near impossible.
The miller foot pedal I have has 5 wires as well. a black and white that controls the start/stop switch in the foot pedal and then there are three other wires coming off of the potientiometer. This of course is what would control the amp's. I just need to know where the remaining three wires on the foot pedal plug wire should connect inside the unit.....I know this can be done, I just don't know enough about the guts on the inside of the unit.

Any help would be great. Thanks in advance.

~ Russ

[ztoolman]

Hi Russ,
I ran across you post in my search for a replacement manual for my Hobart Advantage HF unit. ( which I hope you can help me with if you have a copy)
As for the remote on this machine I made my own pedal for this unit. It only takes two of the 5 pins to work as it only engages the HF unit and acts as the start for the Gas solenoid. When you let of the remote it stops the HF signal and then after about 15 seconds the gas stops flowing (timed gas solenoid off circuit) It does not control the welding current or voltage, ONLY the start of the HF signal so when you lay the torch down just remember the welding current is still there.

It works great on my AC Cracker box welder to TIG weld Aluminum. You can get a cannon 5 pin plug from Allied electronics on line, Or you can just replace the existing cannon type plug with you own male and female two pin connectors.
The polarity of the two pins does not matter either as the pedal you need to use on this is simply an "on /off momentary switch" you set on the floor.
The other option is to make a small pushbutton switch and add it to your TIG torch and push the button when you’re ready to start the HF arc.

The biggest advantage for the remote switch is the on/ off control of the gas and that is about all.

I have thought about adding another circuit inside the Hobart with another relay and come out of this with a large magnetic contactor to control the welding power this way when you let off the remote not only would the HF stop so would the welding power.
I love the HF start circuit but man will it light you up if you put yourself in the circuit.

If you have a copy of the Advantage manual I sure would like to get a copy.

Take Care,
~Bud Hensley - Dripping Springs, TX

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ztoolman
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