Re-iterating, and far more bs then is needed in a thread about inexpensive welding, BUT what the heck, I think this train is running down the road anyway
A mig is CV or Constant Voltage and a Stick machine will be CC or Constant current, then machines that are multipurpose will be able to switch between the two. (such as my Trailblazer) which can be a powersource for a MIG or can be a standard stick welder.
I think the formulae is e=I X R or something along those lines, so when you hold the one (either v or C) constant, then the others will fluctuate. (added on edit, that they will fluctuate because you are holding the welding rod / torch etc in your hand and the air gap that you are working with will change, a good welder will change less then a poor welder, machine operations will hold all the parameters the same so you will not see a change) So if you watch the meters on a CC machine while the welders weld, you will see the V meter dancing around if it is me at the helm, and stay real steady if thingy has the stick. It will vary the voltage as my arc gap changes.
On the mig it is just the opposite, it is a CV machine, and you will see the current changing as the stickout changes also as Thingy said if you vary your wire speed etc. it would change as well, but generally that is set, and you are making fine adjustments with the amount of stickout that you are using, which in turn will change the operating amperage of the machine as you have designated and locked in a constant voltage.
And thingy several of the newer welders are featuring "synergistic" (or whatever that brand wants to call it) controls where the wire setting is a relationship with the heat range, and the speed is automaticly varied as the heat range is changed, instead of being direct control over the feed it becomes a percentage of control of what the speed parameters should be for a particular VOLTAGE setting.....
Oh, and Gem, on my post I was just poking fun that you said you changed the amperage and you do not have a knob for that....
