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Re: ballasting transformers



Original poster: "Gregory Hunter by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <ghunter31014-at-yahoo-dot-com>

"Ballast" is simply a fancy word for "current
limiter", and is anything used to limit current.
Ballasts can be roughly grouped into resistive or
reactive types. Resistive ballast is just a big
resistor, such as a high wattage light bulb, electric
heater, stove element, water heater element, etc.
Resistive ballast wastes power and reduces maximum
voltage, so you should avoid it if possible. Reactive
ballast is inductance or capacitance in series with
the load. It is more efficient than resistive ballast.
A spare MOT is a popular choice for reactive ballast.
I've got one small MOT that draws 17A from a 120vac
circuit in a shorted-out condition. It makes a handy
benchtop ballast for small power supply projects. I
also made a 240vac/20A ballast from two MOTs in series
with their secondaries shorted out. They did a fine
job for several months as a pole pig ballast.

Hope this helps,

Greg
http://hot-streamer-dot-com/greg

--- Tesla list <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com> wrote:
> Original poster: "Cory Roussel by way of Terry Fritz
> <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <imcuddlycory-at-yahoo-dot-com>
> 
> Hello i am a beginner coiler and i was just
> wondering
> how to "ballast" a MOT to keep it from tripping my
> circut breaker...  Also, how would they run if 120V
> 15A was put in each of them if you had 2 in series? 
> Do you think they would overheat?  I realize that my
> breaker would be blown but i am considering making
> the
> outlet individually controlled...  also how would
> this
> be done (putting a fuse on a standard socket so it
> can
> output more than the standard 15A breaker current)? 
> 
> _
> 
> 


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