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Re: Variac Safety



At 12:47 PM 12/1/00 -0800, Raymond Rogoway wrote:
Be aware that there are at least two style of Variacs out there.

Ahhh, good point.

One is a complete enclosed unit with a standard AC outlet built into it
and a fully insulated line cord.

That's what I thought we were talking about heretofore, since people cited
the "two wire" and "three wire" configurations.

However there are many styles that have exposed coils and
exposed terminals.

Right. I've used such things. That's the OEM model (Original Equipment
Manufacturer) --- it's supposed to be incorporated into a properly enclosed
instrument.

And these are usually the ones found in Physics labs because
being exposed one can show the students how they work. These are safety
hazards in the hands of high school students.

Urk! It is a Bad Idea to power up such a beast without an enclosure. Poke
at it, yes.... Power it up, yes.... But not at the same time! If you want
to _look_ at it during operation, a chassis with one or more transparent
sides is appropriate.