Joel308cal

I’m not sure if this is the correct spot to post this. I am in the process of rebuilding my power supply for foam cutting since my 30yr old DIY project finally kicked the bucket lol. That project used a 24V, 2amp transformer from RadioShack. I am wondering if this AC to DC converter would work. According to the calculations for a 40” bow with 26 gauge nichrome wire I would need roughly 20v and just under 2.5A. Should I step it up to 4A? Have any of you gents used anything like this before? TIA

paulo810

If your DIY power converter lasted 30 years, why not just make another one? You'll probably be dead before that one fails, LOL
I have a DIY in my garage based on a RS transformer that is close to 20 years old and still functions like new. Keep it simple. The one in the picture you posted looks way overkill to me.

Joel308cal

i actually went a different direction. I used a 19.5v, 6.5A laptop charger with a 12v to 24v light dimmer and fuse. It works freaking awesome. I can go down to 1.0v to max 19.6v and anything in between. But, best of all, I have an unlimited amount of laptop chargers for next to nothing lol.

paulo810

Nice! I don't have a picture of mine to post handy but it's controlled with a standard household dimmer switch.

Joel308cal

yeah, the previous one had a 110 to 24v, 2A transformer with a household light dimmer. It worked great too, but unfortunately the transformers are freaking expensive now. This laptop charger cost me a whopping $1.50 at the salvage yard. I have several on hand in cause one dies. In total I have about $20 in it with the dimmer being the most expensive part($14.99). I did find the exact one on eBay for $5 so I ordered an extra one just in case.

Russmall

Some chargers have a foam cut feature built in with fully adjustable amps and voltage. I use this one for all of my foam wing cuts and it works so well and stays cool. If you have a good charger, it might be worth checking.

Joel308cal

i tried every charger I own including some old skool Nicd/Nimh chargers to no avail. None had a “foam cut” feature so I decided to build this power supply.