Re: unsteady power?

[Lee Hart <leeahart@earthlink.net>]

Michael Haseltine wrote:
> I do have the Curtis pot box, but an Auburn controller, for
> which I don't think there's a 'ramp-up adjustment'...

No, I don't think there is. However, I wonder if you can use a trick
that works with Curtis controllers: Put an electrolytic capacitor across
the pot wires. At half throttle (2.5k ohms), a 100 microfarad capacitor
would give you about a 1/4 second ramp up/down time when you moved the
pot.

> I think there's a spot in it where it tends to jump from
> 500 to 600 ohms with no apparent transition.

The Curtis potentiometer is a rather modest "industrial quality" unit. I
prefer a better grade pot for such a critical function, like an Allen
Bradley Type AB. It is a mil-spec grade pot with a demonstrated life in
the millions of cycles.

However, all this is in the category of "might be the pot..." Then
again, it might not. We haven't really eliminated other potential
sources of the problem yet. A loose connection anywhere in the power
control wiring could produce the hesitation and jumpiness you described,
too.
-- 
Lee A. Hart                     Ring the bells that you can ring
4209 France Ave. N.             Forget the perfect offering
Robbinsdale, MN 55422 USA       There is a crack in everything
phone (612) 533-3226            That's how the light gets in
leeahart@earthlink.net                  Leonard Cohen