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Re: Home Made Variac
Tesla List wrote:
> Original Poster: Ed Phillips <evp-at-pacbell-dot-net>
> Tesla List wrote:
> > Original Poster: "Megavolt Nick" <tesla-at-fieldfamily.prontoserve.co.uk>
> > > expect to pay around $150. Even pricey Newark had a nice one on sale just
> > > recently. I mounted my variac
> > > in a wooden box with AC volt and ammeters. Cheap ones like the kind you
> > Are you joking? You can pick them up for $30 on ebay - and less from gov.
> > surplus places.
> As a practical matter it would take less work to earn $150 (or
$30) by
> working as a box boy at the market than it would to build a
> variac!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course, if you are a massochist and don't mind an
> inferior product, have at it.
I'm certain Hammer of Norway just loves that last comment.. >:)
http://home5.inet.tele.dk/f-hammer/tesla/variac/variac.htm
Certainly not inferior product, IMHO.
Anyway, the idea behind building a variac (or whatever object)
is either the un-availability of the object where one lives (as
perceived by the builder), or the JOY of building the object.
For the latter, I would indeed add that not everyone consideres
reaching the goal more important than the process/tools required
for it - in fact, perhaps it would be more satisfactory to oneself
to run a coil that has _all_ parts made by the coiler - the
extremist coiler would even smelt/cast/roll the transformer core
laminates from iron ore, draw the copper wires after isolating
copper from copper ore and make electricity for running the coil
by steam engine running alternator etc.. After all, this IS a hobby!!
Part of the fun is actually building things, "tinkering". Most of
us _could_ buy a TC instead of building one, but that would not
give the pleasure of building one.
Then again, not everyone has the _time_ to build everything, so in
that case it is mandatory to acquire some parts in order to prioritize
the time available. I guess this is the situation for most of us.
It is _always_ a compromise between (divinity and trickery, or) spending
more time, or more money, and one has to consider what one's free
time is worth, and how much one enjoys making variac or whatever.
Anyway, I think that it is perfectly reasonable to build something
even if it is available commercially for less money, for a bobby.
Kristian Ukkonen.
ps. Some people have actually built machine tools from scratch
by first building a charcoal foundry to cast parts etc..
http://www.lindsaybks-dot-com/bks/gingbks/index.html
Compared to making a variac, that is more profound.. :)