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Please help with info about a HOT-WIRE Supply kit

seza

Nov 6, 2015
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Nov 6, 2015
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Hi All,

Great forum thanks to all that made it possible,

I helped with a house clearance after the owner passed away,
Along with fair bit of electronics components such as resistors, caps etc
I came across a piece of equipment called " HOT-WIRE SUPPLY BY KEYBURN SYSTEMS",
Google search returned no information about it whatsover,
Why would an Electronics engineer use a hot-wire machine?
any info about it would be greatly appreciated as I hope to sell it at some point.
It is bit larger than a shoe box and very heavy - about 2 to 3 Kgs - Here a picture of it:


Many thanks
 
Last edited:

Minder

Apr 24, 2015
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Apr 24, 2015
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3,478
Often Hot wire system is associated with foam cutting, typical users RC plane makers etc.
What does the intentional use indicate?
M.
 

seza

Nov 6, 2015
40
Joined
Nov 6, 2015
Messages
40
Often Hot wire system is associated with foam cutting, typical users RC plane makers etc.
What does the intentional use indicate?
M.

Thanks for your quick reply - Minder,
well, unfortunately, I don't know the original owner who has now passed away,
from the paraphernalia - he was well into electronics and esp power,
but why he had a hot-wire kit - I will never know.
 

FuZZ1L0G1C

Mar 25, 2014
366
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Mar 25, 2014
Messages
366
If not used for polystyrene foam-cutting, a good hot-wire supply may be useful as a constant-current, low voltage power source.
As the nichrome wire of a hot-wire cutter heats up, its resistance changes, which if fed with a constant voltage source, has the disadvantage of the current (and watts, as heat) also being altered.
This could result in uneven cuts as the wire temp varies.
The constant current source varies the voltage to compensate for resistance change.
A typical current is about 5A max.
All parameters inter-dependent on wire thickness, wire length, wire material, heat required, or designed around available supply (eg a 12V lead-acid car battery).
 
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