[Boatanchors] One more point 120 vac Variac

[Richard Knoppow]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rob Atkinson" <ranchorobbo at gmail.com>
To: "Dick KF4NS" <kf4nsradio at verizon.net>
Cc: <boatanchors at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 6:56 AM
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] One more point 120 vac Variac


>I know I have seen some graded in volts but mostly it is %.
>
> My guess is % is used because then a single round 
> graduation plate can
> be made for a number of different models and voltages.
>
> Rob
> K5UJ

    Not according to the General Radio catalogues. The dials 
are calibrated in _volts_. There are two scales on most, one 
on each side, for the two ranges. For 115V nominal Variacs 
the ranges are 0-115 and 0-140V on the overvoltage side. The 
range depends on the connections made on the terminals. 
Portable Variacs have a terminal board on one side. The 
exceptions are stacked arrays which have dials calibrated 
from 0 to 10, and, of course, 220V units which have 
appropriate voltage calibration.
    I looked at several catalogues spanning perhaps a thirty 
year period and can find NO Variacs with percentage scales, 
although they may have been made.


--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
dickburk at ix.netcom.com