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Pole pigs -- costs
Greetings all,
One thing not mentioned in the pole pig purchasing discussion is that
they cost much more than just the transformer.
With a neon transformer, you just need the neons and a variac of about 20-30
amp/120V capacity.
With a pole pig, you need the following items that you don't need for
neon based systems: (Your prices may vary)
A pole pig ------------------- $300
50A/220V worth of variacs ---- $200
Arc welder ------------------- $200 (new)
Oven elements ---------------- Free (salvaged at recycling center)
Wire for power cabinet, etc. - $100
Power cabinet (contactors,
circuit breakers, wire,
meters, etc, no variacs) ----- $150 (est.)
Rotary gap
(materials: G10, Plexiglas,
polycarbonate, shaft,
bearings, nuts, bolts, motor - $180 (est.)
--------------------------------------------
Total: $1130
There are probably some items you can do without, but if you have kids,
you will want a cabinet to enclose the dangerous/delicate stuff, and
with resistive load, the performance is not as great (I hear).
Basically don't expect to plunk $300 down for a pig, take it home and plug
it in.
Flames are always "welcome".
Chip