Patent ID: 8080761

Claim:
An electric arc welder having a peak power rating, comprising: at least one electrode for forming an electric arc with a workpiece; and a welding power supply comprising: a battery; a non-battery energy source capable of generating a maximum power level that is less than the peak power rating of said welder; wherein said battery and said non-battery energy source are configured to supply said current to said electrode simultaneously; a current feedback sensor in series with said battery; means for sensing charge level of the battery; and an electric circuit comprising: a battery charging circuit that selectively directs current from said non-battery energy source to said battery; a welding circuit that directs said current at least from said battery during formation of said electric arc; and also wherein said welding circuit directs said current from said non-battery energy source to at least one of said battery and said at least one electrode, when required based on signals from said current feedback sensor representative of energy levels in said battery and/or current demand of said electric arc, and; an open circuit detector is configured to determine whether an arc is being formed or is about to be formed between the electrode and workpiece during a welding operation, wherein if an arc is not detected, the open circuit detector is configured to discontinue power delivery to the at least one electrode.