I am prototyping a trailer tie down strap and when done making it, I wanted to do some electropolishing (http://www.electropolishingsystems.com/bulk1.htm) and then plate it with nickel or zinc. While trolling the forums at Finishing.com and reading some of the electroplating books, I need to get about 0.5V, but high amps. This reminded me of a King of Random video where he made a welder out of a microwave transformer which got me watching a bunch of those types of videos.
Now that I have a little knowledge, it is a bad thing Here come the stupid questions.
First, I got the microwave transformer and cut out one of the secondary loops. I plugged the transformer in with just the small secondary (the shielded one that goes around 4 times. I had it on a volt meter to find how many volts I got from 4 wraps, but I tripped the breaker. I have read up a little about inductive resistance and understood this was why it didn't trip the breaker, but does it depend on there being a substantial secondary coil? I thought it was simply because it was wrapping around the iron core so many times that it was making an electromagnet that created that resistance.
If the answer to that is that it depends on there being a secondary coil, why didn't it work with the 4 loops? I realize it was thin gauge, so does it depend on me filling up the entire space with as much copper as I can? What do I do if the "right" number of wraps ends up being 2, but it isn't full, do I need to swap it out with a thicker gauge, or can I just make a second loop set and tie them together (so I have two sets going around 2 times) to fill up the remaining space.
Silly question, what is it that actually controls the amps? So lets say I want 1V. Coming from a 110V socket, what is the difference between going with a 110 wraps on the primary, and one on the secondary, vs say 550 wraps on the primary, and 5 on the secondary? On the microwave, they are using much heavier gauge wire on the primary than the secondary, does that supply more amps, or is it simply to prevent it from burning out the wire. I assumed that I could plug it in without a secondary at all since there was no "load", it would get it's inductive resistance - stabilize and sit there doing nothing for all intents and purposes, which of course it did - with the exception that it tripped the breaker before sitting there doing nothing.
Let's say we go back to the other question about the ratio of loops, if I am using battery cable wire and can only get 2 loops in and it ends up being the wrong voltage, can I just cut the primary a little shorter to reduce how many loops I am utilizing?
Sorry for so many beginner questions, trying to take it slow and safe - so I didn't play with it at all before cutting out the HV secondary.
Now that I have a little knowledge, it is a bad thing Here come the stupid questions.
First, I got the microwave transformer and cut out one of the secondary loops. I plugged the transformer in with just the small secondary (the shielded one that goes around 4 times. I had it on a volt meter to find how many volts I got from 4 wraps, but I tripped the breaker. I have read up a little about inductive resistance and understood this was why it didn't trip the breaker, but does it depend on there being a substantial secondary coil? I thought it was simply because it was wrapping around the iron core so many times that it was making an electromagnet that created that resistance.
If the answer to that is that it depends on there being a secondary coil, why didn't it work with the 4 loops? I realize it was thin gauge, so does it depend on me filling up the entire space with as much copper as I can? What do I do if the "right" number of wraps ends up being 2, but it isn't full, do I need to swap it out with a thicker gauge, or can I just make a second loop set and tie them together (so I have two sets going around 2 times) to fill up the remaining space.
Silly question, what is it that actually controls the amps? So lets say I want 1V. Coming from a 110V socket, what is the difference between going with a 110 wraps on the primary, and one on the secondary, vs say 550 wraps on the primary, and 5 on the secondary? On the microwave, they are using much heavier gauge wire on the primary than the secondary, does that supply more amps, or is it simply to prevent it from burning out the wire. I assumed that I could plug it in without a secondary at all since there was no "load", it would get it's inductive resistance - stabilize and sit there doing nothing for all intents and purposes, which of course it did - with the exception that it tripped the breaker before sitting there doing nothing.
Let's say we go back to the other question about the ratio of loops, if I am using battery cable wire and can only get 2 loops in and it ends up being the wrong voltage, can I just cut the primary a little shorter to reduce how many loops I am utilizing?
Sorry for so many beginner questions, trying to take it slow and safe - so I didn't play with it at all before cutting out the HV secondary.