[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
STOCK UP ON NSTs FOR Y2K!!!!
Dear EVERYBODY
I was just on an NST trip and picked up 4 15/30s and a 15/60 (wahoo!) and
found out from the man at the Portland Sign and Neon Co, Portland, OR that
in the next two years, due to new government regulations regarding high
voltage commercial NSTs,
ALL NSTs THAT WORK IN TESLA COILS WILL BE PHASED OUT AND REPLACED WITH NEW
NSTs WITH SPECIAL CIRCUIT BREAKERS THAT ARE AUTOMATICALLY THROWN WHEN THE
NST IS RUN UNDER ITS MAX OUTPUT VOLTAGE!!! THIS MAKES THE TRANSFORMERS
OVERHEAT AND FAIL!!!
I don't know if you will be able to bypass the internal circuit breaker by
depotting and rebuilding or not, but apparently to reduce the risk of fires
in neon signs due to running them with an NST with an output bigger than the
sign's load, (apparently in the sign industry this is done quite often) new
NSTs with an internal circuit breaker will be mandatory. NSTs like we all
know and love will still be produced for two years, but after that
apparently all NSTs will have to have the breaker.
They are still producing them for two years so that neon sign repairmen can
run a sign with a convenient transformer (if the sign is not working) and
quickly check for shorts. Some of the new NSTs have a button you can push
to bypass the breaker for 30 minutes, but most of them won't. SO if a neon
sign doesn't work, the repairman must take out the transformer with the
breaker, put in an old one to check for shorting, fix it, and put the new
one back in.
I am not exactly clear on how or why the breaker works, but the man at the
Portland NST company said that it when it is thrown it makes the transformer
overheat itself and stop working.
I will try to keep everyone posted as I learn more and understand better.
Perhaps some more source checking will be required...
This could impact Tesla Coiling as we know it!!
BTW, has anyone else heard about this....?
For now, STOCK UP ON NSTs WHILE YOU CAN STILL GET THEM!!!
Regards, Nathan Ball
PS. thanks for warning me about the Fluke! You all probably saved my butt!
I'm sure i would have fried it...
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail-dot-com