Print PDF
Favorite
Email
One day I needed a 90 volt AC power source for a project I had in mind. I thought about it for a few days thinking of all kinds of things that I had no parts for. Then one day I was in Home Depot looking for PVC pipe for a plumbing job I needed to do in the house. As was my habit, I walked down the electrical isle and spotted the dimmer controls they had and thought maybe I could use a dimmer switch.
As it turns out, I have found that to get the variable voltage part out of it you need to plug in a window fan as a ballast to stabelize the dimmer circuitry. If you plug in some electronic thing and try to lower the voltage you will get wild voltage swings and damage the equipment. A running fan will stabilize the dimmer and you will get accurite voltage measurements.
Dims lights, controls fan speeds, and provides variable voltages. My computer runs cooler on 115v.
In Hawaii, the voltages are often as much as 128 volts so I plug the dimmer into a surge protector, a fan into the dimmer and turn it on low, measure the voltage to 115v, and plug in my computer.
The computer seems to like it because it runs cooler and so doed the computer power supply.
As it turns out, I have found that to get the variable voltage part out of it you need to plug in a window fan as a ballast to stabelize the dimmer circuitry. If you plug in some electronic thing and try to lower the voltage you will get wild voltage swings and damage the equipment. A running fan will stabilize the dimmer and you will get accurite voltage measurements.
Dims lights, controls fan speeds, and provides variable voltages. My computer runs cooler on 115v.
In Hawaii, the voltages are often as much as 128 volts so I plug the dimmer into a surge protector, a fan into the dimmer and turn it on low, measure the voltage to 115v, and plug in my computer.
The computer seems to like it because it runs cooler and so doed the computer power supply.
Remove these ads by
Signing UpStep 1And Parts Is Parts:
See the photos below for the parts that were used.
Its pretty simple really.
Its pretty simple really.
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
I'm trying to build a PSU with transformers in series, but they're gonna draw much more power than a light bulb.
You did a good job illustrating it.
However, the box above seems to be VERY unhappy about it...
(Look at the center yellow box in the first picture.)
I have noticed the power supply runs cooler.
My point to all this was not so much for use on the computer as this type of supply creats a lot of RF noise.
W hat I did this project for was to supply old school equipment with low voltage. Restoring old AM Radios for instance. Sometimes the need arises to reform an old capacitor in a radio like this. The need for low voltage is there.
I work projects using old style neon bulbs that fire at 90v +/-. My supply needs to to be at 90v then. I really don't like to use voltage dividers.