Greetings EEVBees:
--I purchased this Variac setup (see pictures below) from an estate sale for $75. The heart of this device is a General Radio Co. 10A Variac. The bottom plate of the Variac was missing, so I had no choice but to try to fix what I have. I removed and tested the Variac. It made horrible, loud, ominous, humming and arcing noises. I took it apart, and the problem is that the previous jakeleg had left a screw inside the case which was shorting the coils. After I fixed that, the Variac was completely normal. I also realigned the brass shaft extension and re-shimmed the bottom to take the 1/2" wobble out of the dial, it was horrible. I have the feeling that the maker never got to finish his creation, and so the problems. The last work on this one had to have been 40 or 50 years ago.
Now, on to the electrical. There was a blown 32V 20A Fast Blow fuse in the 32mm fuse holder, eegad. The first thing I plan to use this on is a OCZ 600W MODSTREAMPRO PS, which draws a max of 10A. So I bought 20mm fuses (32mm are expensive and harder to find), at 10,5,3 and 1 Amps in fast and slow blow. I am assuming that slow blow is what I want to test the OCZ PS, since the caps will probably spike at over 10A. I will extend the 20mm fuses to 32mm using a piece of heavy gauge copper.
--The power comes out of the Variac and the two wires each go through one of the two coils pictured, and then on to the out receptacle and the front gauges. Each of these coils has a 400V 0.01 uF cap between the bottom of the coil and ground. There is a third 400V 0.01uF cap between the tops of the coils. Exactly what the purpose of the coils and caps is beyond my present state of knowledge. Please enlighten me. In any case each of the three 400V 0.01 uF caps are marked with a line (like a diode is marked) at one end. The bottom 2 caps both read 1.34uF but the top one is completely open. Would someone please tell me what to replace these with.
"A three legged dog goes into a bar and says "I'm looking for the man that shot my paw"
Jim Varney 1949 - 2000
Best Regards
Clear Ether