December 2001 --
Mobile Welding & Power, Inc. has just released there
latest and greatest new mobile ARC welding system, the "MOBI-ARC."
This is extremely compact & powerful ARC welder shares a lot of
the same great features as the previous welder but includes several
notable improvements.
This new system has
been engineered to work in conjunction with your current OEM
alternator. Whether you plan on installing the Mobi-Arc into your
Jeep, Toyota, Chevy, Ford, Dodge or any rig, your O.E.M. alternator
will work. MOBI-ARC CONTROL UNIT BASIC
FEATURES / SPECIFICATIONS:
v Dimensions
(W x H x D): 4.6" x 2.5" x 4.5"
v Weight: 24 oz.
v Solid-state Switch-Mode power supply
v Automatic Charging in welding mode
v Fail-safe mode
v LED indicator lights
v Welding cable sockets
v Maximum switchable current: 250 amps
v Thermal / Amperage Overload Protection
v Water & Dust proof BEFORE INSTALL
(ALTERNATOR MODIFICATION)
Before installing the Mobi-Arc, there was a
15-minute modification that we made for our particular alternator
(Delta wound Alternators only). Scott at Mobi-Arc sent a diagram on
how to perform this modification. It involves opening the
alternator up (remove 4-screws) and removing the diode-trio. This
is located on the back half of the alternator. To remove this
diode-trio, you must remove 4-screws and take the somewhat L-shaped
diode out. Then install the screws back in their original position
and put the alternator back together. That concludes the alternator
modification. The alternator is ready to re-install back into the
Jeep.INSTALLATION:
The first step to installing the MOBI-ARC unit is
to decide on a mounting location. We wanted to mount it beneath the
hood of our Jeep Wrangler for easy use and access.
For this, we considered three locations. The first
was to mount it in-cab within the glove compartment. This would
allow the welder to easily be accessed, kept clean, and most
importantly secured with a lock and out of sight of potential
theives. The other locations were either the passenger or
driver-side upper fenders.
We chose to
mount the control box on the passenger-side fender, next to the
battery tray. A good reason for this is that there are several 4awg
wires exiting the back of the control box. We wanted to hide these
and avoid a sloppy look and avoid creating a rat's nest of wires
within the engine compartment. Besides, it's a perfect location
considering it is adjacent to all the necessary components that
this box runs off of.
For Larger Photos, Visit the Photo
Gallery
NOW MOUNTING THE CONTROL BOX:
The Mobi-Arc comes equipped with its own mounting
bracket and hardware. The next step was to mount the MOBI-ARC
mounting bracket. This was a piece of cake, basically the same as
mounting a CB (drill a couple holes and bolt it down). I waited to
install the Mobi control box though. We figured it would be much
easier to wire it up before we mounted the Mobi control box.
WIRING THE MOBI-ARC:
The first step of wiring the Mobi-Arc was to measure and cut
each wire to length. Mobi supplied us with several feet of
installation 4awg wire and fittings, enough to mount the Mobi on
the rear bumper of an F-350 chase truck.
Mobi color-codes the wires. Yellow = alternator wire, Red =
Power (+) wire, and Black is the ground (-). The wiring took about
3-4 hours but went pretty smoothly. We did have a few questions
during the installation, which Scott at Mobi-Arc was more than
happy to help with. Thanks again Scott! WELDING WITH THE MOBI-ARC:
After installing the Mobi-Arc, it was time for the
moment of truth. We used some 6011 series rod as suggested by
Scott. For the initial welding test, we used 1/4" steel.
We set the engine RPM's at 2,000rpm and began
welding. This seemed about perfect for 1/4" steel. We were
immediately impressed by the penetrating welding power of the Mobi-Arc.
After completing a few more
welds, I was confident enough to begin welding other materials. By
the end of the day, I welded three new mufflers on some of my
friend's rigs. The MOBI-ARC worked perfectly slightly above idle
(1100 rpm) for the thin exhaust material.
I
also welded my front shock mount back on which took about 1- minute
(est. 1,500rpm). To end the day on a good note, I welded my
Traction bar mount back onto the rear axle tubing, which I recently
snapped.
This concluded one day's worth of
welding. I enjoyed the simplicity of the Mobi-Arc and its
operation, but most of all, I look forward to using the Mobi-Arc in
the future for both projects and emergency repairs. EMERGENCY BYPASS:
This new Mobi-Arc
has a bypass configuration allowing me to remove the control box if
needed and still allow my alternator and battery to work in unison
as if there the Mobi was never there. Therefore, it would be easy
to wire all our rigs to run the Mobi-Arc and transfer a single unit
between them within minutes.
Bypass
hardware Provided:
· 5/16" brass bolt (1)
· 1/4" brass bolt (1)
· Roll of Electrical Insulation Tape
1. Disconnect Battery
2. Remove "IGNITION" & "REGULATOR" Wires from Control Box
3. Attach "IGN" & "REG" wires with provided 1/4" brass bolt
4. Secure with Nut & Washer from Control Box and Insulate
5. From back of control box remove "ALTERNATOR" cable, "BATTERY"
cable and thin red 18 AWG wire (#87 on relay) from Control Box
6. Attach "ALT," "BATT," and thin red 18 AWG wire (#87 on relay)
with provided 5/16" bolt.
7. Secure with Nut & Washer from Control Box and Insulate
8. Be sure of proper insulation & secure cables from moving
parts
9. Reconnect Battery, start vehicle, and verify normal
charging
SOME ADDITIONAL FEATURES:Waterproof & Dustproof: Mobi engineered this new control box with a new (PCB) Printed
Circuit Board, which has been completely encapsulated in epoxy,
which protects the board against water and vibration damage. This
is a great feature considering most people install Mobi-Arc's under
the hood, where electronics are exposed to a number of foul
conditions. Solid-State
Switching: This switching allows the
welder to have an extremely long life expectancy of millions of
cycles. It also produces no broadband noise or radio interference.
It is also immune to shock and vibrations. Automatic Battery Charging:
The new Mobi-Arc control is designed so that it
will automatically charge your battery when the control box is in
"Weld" mode but you are not welding. This is a great feature since
most welding consists of welding for a few minutes then lifting the
mask, chipping away slag, inspecting and replacing rods and then
continuing the welding process again.
The
Mobi-Arc will automatically begin charging your battery. But as
soon as you strike an arc and begin welding, the control box
switches back into "Weld" mode.
For Larger Photos, Visit the Photo
Gallery
Overload Protection:
As we all know, welding consist of very high voltage and
energy transfer. The Mobi-Arc covered this aspect for safety
reasons. The new control box has a patent pending circuit board
design that includes voltage limiters and thermal overload
protection. This prevents burning up an alternator, shorting
on-board CPU's, overheating batteries, and most importantly,
shocking the hell out of you. The last feature is pretty
comforting. Conclusion:
After using the Mobi-Arc for variety of projects
within the last couple weeks, I am proud to say I have absolutely
no complaints. The unit worked flawlessly each time we used
it.
One of the most impressive features was being able
to weld on or off-road. This acts as an additional security and
safety device when offroading. The biggest concern with offroaders
is ensuring that we make it back home and not end up stranded in
the middle of nowhere.
Imagine breaking a
crucial drivetrain component that disables you from moving any
further. With my Mobi-Arc, you can weld it back together and
continue on. It sure does beat having to run to the nearest 4x4
shop 100 miles away and hope they have the part you broke.
I still ask myself why I procrastinated so long
getting a Mobi-Welder. The uses are unlimited compared to a home
unit.
Mobile Welding & Power,
Inc.
805 Niantic Court, San Diego, CA 92109 (858) 488-2305 FAX (858) 488-9878
| 
