Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] EDM power supply

Hi Jon,
I only mentioned it because an electrician once showed me how 'dangerous'
they were - he took the wire from the ballast, struck an arc to the sheet
metal fixture and proceeded to burn a hole through it. He was demonstrating
how you could short it out and it would not blow the breaker. Of course it
didn't because the ballast was power limiting the arc as it was designed to
do. I don't know what the current was but it seemed like quite a bit more
than 40ma. It was the ballast in an outdoor sign that had two 8' 80W tubes
in it.
There are also higher power ones used in mercury vapor, sodium and halide
lamps. If I were going to experiment with EDM I would probably play around
with these a bit. A full wave rectifier would give 120 sparks/sec.

Joel

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jon Elson" <elson@...>
To: <CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2001 2:27 PM
Subject: Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] EDM power supply


> Joel Jacobs wrote:
>
> > I wonder a fluorescent light ballast and a variac would work...
>
> No, a fluorescent light ballast is mostly an inductor, which
> limits current through the tubes to 40 mA or so. that wouldn't
> remove much metal.
>
> Jon