Hello Everyone,
I was wondering if there is a good way to halve the voltage from a transformer. I.E., if I had a neon transformer that outputted 9 kV and 60 mA would there be a good way to halve the voltage and double the current?
Halve Voltage
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Richard Hull
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Re: Halve Voltage
There are a couple of ways one virtually impossible for the un-informed and faint of hart and the other rather easy.
The easy way is to have two nine kilovolt transformers and parallel the primaries and secondaries (phasing is important!) then just use one knob and the center tap, (grounded case of the paralleled pair to get 4.5kv at double the current.
The hard way is to de-pot ( de-tar) the entire transformer and then dismantle the core (bolts hold it together). This is a filthy, dirty job that is truly regretted about half way through the procedure. Remove the two E irons and remove one and only one secondary winding, flip it around backwards, reassemble the core, re-grounding the removed secondary you flipped. Short the two high voltage leads from the secondaries together and you now have 4.5kv @ double the rated current.
Set aside two or three days of you life on earth to do this the hard way with one transformer, but 20 minutes to do it with two transformers.
Richard Hull
The easy way is to have two nine kilovolt transformers and parallel the primaries and secondaries (phasing is important!) then just use one knob and the center tap, (grounded case of the paralleled pair to get 4.5kv at double the current.
The hard way is to de-pot ( de-tar) the entire transformer and then dismantle the core (bolts hold it together). This is a filthy, dirty job that is truly regretted about half way through the procedure. Remove the two E irons and remove one and only one secondary winding, flip it around backwards, reassemble the core, re-grounding the removed secondary you flipped. Short the two high voltage leads from the secondaries together and you now have 4.5kv @ double the rated current.
Set aside two or three days of you life on earth to do this the hard way with one transformer, but 20 minutes to do it with two transformers.
Richard Hull
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
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Cameron Palte
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Re: Halve Voltage
Is there a way to decrease the voltage if you don't care about current.
Could I turn down a transformer voltage from 60 kV to 45 mV assuming I'm ok with losing or gaining some current either way.
Could I turn down a transformer voltage from 60 kV to 45 mV assuming I'm ok with losing or gaining some current either way.
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Rich Feldman
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Re: Halve Voltage
Cameron, that question (like the one in your recent vacuum thread) would be more appropriate in new users chat area.
You are asking for more than a million-to-one adjustment range, unless your mV was supposed to say kV.
Assuming the question is about 60 kV to 45 kV, the answer is a conditional yes. First get a transformer capable of 60 kV to begin with.
Then if you reduce its primary voltage to 75% of nominal, you'll get 45 kV.
Could reduce the primary voltage with a variac or a ballast in series with the primary. For a NST, as mentioned in your OP, the ballast could be one or more 120 V incandescent lamps or heating appliances. You could even set it up with switchable ballasts to vary the power to your plasma.
How will you measure your NST primary voltage? How will you measure your rectified high voltage?
You are asking for more than a million-to-one adjustment range, unless your mV was supposed to say kV.
Assuming the question is about 60 kV to 45 kV, the answer is a conditional yes. First get a transformer capable of 60 kV to begin with.
Then if you reduce its primary voltage to 75% of nominal, you'll get 45 kV.Could reduce the primary voltage with a variac or a ballast in series with the primary. For a NST, as mentioned in your OP, the ballast could be one or more 120 V incandescent lamps or heating appliances. You could even set it up with switchable ballasts to vary the power to your plasma.
How will you measure your NST primary voltage? How will you measure your rectified high voltage?
All models are wrong; some models are useful. -- George Box
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Richard Hull
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Re: Halve Voltage
You can never get more current by reducing the voltage, of course, using any external method like a variac or ballast. The very best you might hope for is to retain the original current rating at reduced voltage.
Richard Hull
Richard Hull
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment