🚀 go-pugleaf

<I'm reposting the previous article, this article, and the next one due to
 server problems>

I just wanted to write a short note about a problem I recently had with my
Tower Hobbies power panel. There's a 100K potentiometer which controls the
pulse width of the glow driver output, thereby controlling the amps going
through the glow plug (higher resistance == more current). Unfortunately, my
pot got a bit dirty and starting producing open-circuit faults. The designers
thought of this (kind of) since two of the pot leads are wired together to
ensure that the resistance is never more than the 100K rated value of the pot.
Unfortunately this is like turning the pot all the way up (plus a bit), and my
poor 1.5 volt glow plugs vapourize in a fraction of a second.

Since I never turn the dial past half way anyways, I figured I would put a 100K
fixed resistor in parallel with the pot, effectively turning it into a 50K pot.
This way, the worst that can happen is that my glow plug will light correctly!
I now have to turn the dial up all the way (instead of half way) to get a
healthy glow, but I sure won't be burning up any more plugs unnecessarily.

Cheers!
Max

P.S. I cleaned the pot too.
--
Max Feil  mkfeil@bnr.ca | Disclaimer:
Bell-Northern Research  |   What do I know? I'm just a Nerd on the Big Ranch.
P.O Box 3511 Station C, |
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.| "Enrich The Soil, Not EveryBody's Goal" Peter Gabriel