Electronic lock-on wire feed switch device

A switch lock-on device for use in combination with a wire feeder for controlling the supply of electrode wire from the wire feeder to a welding torch, the switch lock-on device comprising:

• a housing mountable to the wire feeder;
• and
• a trigger circuit including a controller disposed in the housing and coupled to the welding torch and the wire feeder for receiving a trigger signal from the welding torch indicating that a trigger of the torch has been pressed;
• said controller counting the time in which the trigger signal is received by the controller and, in response to the time the trigger signal is received alone, transmitting a feed signal to the wire feeder to activate the supply of wire through the torch,
• said trigger circuit includes a switch mounted on the outside of the housing to allow a welder to select between a normal mode of operation and a lock-on mode of operation of the welding torch,
• when the normal mode is selected, the trigger circuit produces the feed signal in response to receiving the trigger signal, and
• when the lock-on mode is selected, the trigger circuit produces a feed signal in response to receiving the trigger signal and counts the period in which the trigger signal is received, when the trigger signal is received for a predetermined time period, the trigger circuit locks on the wire feeder by transmitting the feed signal to the wire feeder regardless of whether the trigger of the welding torch is pressed.