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Re: Home Made Variac

Tesla List wrote:
> 
> Original Poster: "Kristian Ukkonen" <kukkonen-at-cc.hut.fi>
> 
> 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.. :)

	That is indeed beautiful workmanship and evidence of the expenditure of
a lot of time and skill.  Of course if, as you mention, the purpose of
the project is the fun of the construction itself things become
different.  I have a pretty good machine shop (no home-made tools) and I
enjoy making, among other things, small hot-air engines out of ancient
plans.

	One thing that worried me about the variac picture was the apparent
width of the brush.  It looked like copper or at least a metal, and I
would think it would short out several turns.  I suspect that anyone who
would go to that much trouble would know enough to use the right brush
material.

Ed