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From: stevem@specialix.co.uk (Steven Murray)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: What is a triac
Message-ID: <1991Jun4.142949.1326@specialix.co.uk>
Date: 4 Jun 91 14:29:49 GMT
Article-I.D.: speciali.1991Jun4.142949.1326
References: <035305.13208@timbuk.cray.com>
Organization: Specialix International, London
Lines: 28

snowden@sequoia.cray.com (Jim Snowden) writes:

>I'm going to try running a CD-ROM player (US 110V) in the UK and someone told
>me I could use a transformer to convert the voltage, but not to use a triac.

>Could someone tell me what a triac is and why it wouldn't be suitable?
>(I think I have one of these triac convertors from Radio Shack but I 
>don't want to use it if it would break the CD-ROM player!).

>Thanks for any help,

>Jim Snowden, snowden@sequoia.cray.com

There are two ways to convert 240v to 115v - with a transformer, and with
a sort of a 'switcher' unit that just lets part of the sine wave through -
it chops up the waveform - so that something like a lightbulb gets as much
power as if it is running off 115 vac when really it is running off hacked
up 240 vac.  That the point - this works fine with things like light bulbs,
but anything electronic will be rectifying the voltage, and thus will see
the full 240v still ....  BANG!  :-)   Don't use 'triacs' as he says!

Regards
Steven Murray
-- 
Steven Murray
uunet!slxsys!stevem  stevem@specialix.co.uk
I must write out one thousand times "I will not leave myself logged in"
main{int a;for (a=0;a<1000;a++)printf("I must not leave myself logged in");}