Voltage Controller
Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 4:40 pm
There has been a few questions about voltage controllers, so here is what I use.
This is a information topic so you can easily explain to your electrician what you need them to build. Do not wire this yourself
We use a SSR (Solid State Relay) that accepts a resistance to control the output voltage. It will vary from 0 volts to 240volts (240v being the given input voltage, or 110v for some countries). It must have a capacity equal or greater than the load it will be used for, in this case we are using a 25va for a maximum of a 10amp load. - $8 ebay
A pot (Potentiometer) that matches the SSR, both in resistance and in current (watts). - $5 ebay
* Using a pot with a higher resistance value means the voltage will cut to zero at a higher setting.
* Using a pot with a lower resistance value means the voltage may not be able to achieve a zero value.
* The pot must meet or exceed the watts specified on the SSR. In this case 2w.
* In this build the SSR requires a 500k ohm 2w pot, my electrician had a 560k ohm 2w and I hit zero voltage at around 1/3 on the dial.
Enclosure to put it in. - available form Jaycar.
Heat sink - Jaycar for a neat external style.
Thermal paste. - ebay, Jaycar
Cables / plus. - almost anywhere.
{optional} Voltage gauge to show the output voltage. - I get these from Uxcell.com
I'll let the picture do most the talking
The front - including optional voltage gauge.
Inside
Back - note you can see the screw that mounts the SSR onto the heat sink.
http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af3/ ... f42898.jpg
Some notes
[*]The back of the enclosure is cut away so the SSR sits directly on the heatsink.
[*]Some versions do not attach an earth lead to the pot, I prefer to be safe and have an earth point. Most decent pots will have a hook up point, you can see this pot has a dedicated pin for it.
[*]The internal wiring does not have wires for the volt gauge in the photo. The gauges Active is hooked to SSR terminal 2, and the Neutral is wired to the Neutral joiner.
This is a information topic so you can easily explain to your electrician what you need them to build. Do not wire this yourself
We use a SSR (Solid State Relay) that accepts a resistance to control the output voltage. It will vary from 0 volts to 240volts (240v being the given input voltage, or 110v for some countries). It must have a capacity equal or greater than the load it will be used for, in this case we are using a 25va for a maximum of a 10amp load. - $8 ebay
A pot (Potentiometer) that matches the SSR, both in resistance and in current (watts). - $5 ebay
* Using a pot with a higher resistance value means the voltage will cut to zero at a higher setting.
* Using a pot with a lower resistance value means the voltage may not be able to achieve a zero value.
* The pot must meet or exceed the watts specified on the SSR. In this case 2w.
* In this build the SSR requires a 500k ohm 2w pot, my electrician had a 560k ohm 2w and I hit zero voltage at around 1/3 on the dial.
Enclosure to put it in. - available form Jaycar.
Heat sink - Jaycar for a neat external style.
Thermal paste. - ebay, Jaycar
Cables / plus. - almost anywhere.
{optional} Voltage gauge to show the output voltage. - I get these from Uxcell.com
I'll let the picture do most the talking
The front - including optional voltage gauge.
Inside
Back - note you can see the screw that mounts the SSR onto the heat sink.
http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af3/ ... f42898.jpg
Some notes
[*]The back of the enclosure is cut away so the SSR sits directly on the heatsink.
[*]Some versions do not attach an earth lead to the pot, I prefer to be safe and have an earth point. Most decent pots will have a hook up point, you can see this pot has a dedicated pin for it.
[*]The internal wiring does not have wires for the volt gauge in the photo. The gauges Active is hooked to SSR terminal 2, and the Neutral is wired to the Neutral joiner.