UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum - View Single Post

paulsherwin · 25th Aug 2019, 1:48 pm

Chris, a regulator maintains the value of something. In electronics that normally means maintaining a particular voltage, but an oven thermostat on a gas cooker is also a regulator, and the term is used more loosely in other fields such as steam engines. A variac doesn't regulate anything - it is a variable ratio transformer which can be used to step up or step down an AC voltage. You are confusing 'regulator' with 'selector' or 'adjuster'.

Enough of this nit picking though - back on topic please.

25th Aug 2019, 1:48 pm	#17
paulsherwin Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 27,943	Re: Philips 170A restoration Chris, a regulator maintains the value of something. In electronics that normally means maintaining a particular voltage, but an oven thermostat on a gas cooker is also a regulator, and the term is used more loosely in other fields such as steam engines. A variac doesn't regulate anything - it is a variable ratio transformer which can be used to step up or step down an AC voltage. You are confusing 'regulator' with 'selector' or 'adjuster'. Enough of this nit picking though - back on topic please.