Crock Pot Surgery!

[Joe Gwinn]

What [does] the 1N5408 do to drop the temp in this circuit?

This is a rectifier diode, so it blocks every other half-cycle of the AC sinewave. This cuts the power in half.

[David Schwab]

OK, so the Mini Crock pot is not usable for me, to pot pickups. It gets the wax so hot that it deformed an ABS bobbin so badly that I can't use it.

I'm going to have to go back to my leaky paraffin warmer unless I can knock the temperature down.

Oh well, at least it was cheap.

[big_teee]

OK, so the Mini Crock pot is not usable for me, to pot pickups. It gets the wax so hot that it deformed an ABS bobbin so badly that I can't use it.

I'm going to have to go back to my leaky paraffin warmer unless I can knock the temperature down.

Oh well, at least it was cheap.

Make the 100Watt dim bulb tester, it takes about 30 minutes and a few bucks.
T

[David Schwab]

Make the 100Watt dim bulb tester, it takes about 30 minutes and a few bucks.
T

Well I'm getting ready to move, so maybe after the move.

[big_teee]

Well I'm getting ready to move, so maybe after the move.

Hope the new place comes with a shop building?
T

[David Schwab]

Hope the new place comes with a shop building?
T

No, it will be smaller than where I live now, but there will be less people there then here, if you know what I mean.

So I will have more room a better winding setup at least.

[big_teee]

Here's a Pic of my 2 bulb tester.
Not too pretty, I made it from scraps.
I made it for amp work, but I'm finding it has many uses.
T

[Steve A.]

Here's a Pic of my 2 bulb tester.

Kewl! I was expecting something made out of those ancient porcelain closet light sockets.

[Chuck H]

How come no one has opened up the thermostat on the crock pot yet? It's probably a bi metal thingy. If so you could probably bend, test, repeat until it holds the wax at the correct temperature.

[big_teee]

Don't have time!
Too busy trying to get pickups made to put in the Crock Pot!
I thought about getting another one to work on, til I got it right.
Then I could work on the first one.
T

[J M Fahey]

You may use one of those $2 bimetallic temp sensors usually attached to heatsinks.
Maybe you even needn't *buy* one, but cannibalize one from a dead amp.
You bolt it to the bottom or side of your crockpot , your choice, waterproof the screw holes with some silicone rubber and, of course, do not forget to insulate the 120V carrying terminals.
You may even wire a neon lamp across the thermal switch legs to show its operation.
They usually trip around 75ºC , do the math.

[David King]

Wouldn't a harbor freight router speed control ($9.99) keep a lid on a crock pot.
Someone needs to bite the bullet and hook up a PID controller PID controller - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (about $20) and take care of this problem in the most elegant way possible.

[big_teee]

Wouldn't a harbor freight router speed control ($9.99) keep a lid on a crock pot.
Someone needs to bite the bullet and hook up a PID controller PID controller - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (about $20) and take care of this problem in the most elegant way possible.

"PID Controller"
I read about it, and am still Wondering, "What to Hell is It"???
My crock pot, only cost a couple bucks on sale.
Hate to have to hook a Nuclear Reactor to it to control it!
T

[J M Fahey]

Weeellll, it might actually *be* hooked up to a Nuclear Power Reactor, for all I know.
Although maybe through a 2000 mile power line, of course.
Unfortunately, the only abbundant power source left, for now, is Nuclear.

[Joe Gwinn]

Dimmer control of crockpots

A crockpot with a hi-lo-off switch or a non-electronic bimetal controller can be controlled with an ordinary lamp dimmer. A large crockpot uses about 300 watts, half what the typical wall-mount lamp dimmer can handle.

If the crockpot has any electronics, no go. Unless you eviscerate it.