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Old 06-11-2008, 11:00 AM
seanc seanc is offline
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Default Re: Zinc plating issues

Ken:
Quote:
That friggin resistor was going to light up and fly away
They make darn good heating elements, eh?

w/30v available though, that .9 amp run should have plated fine w/the 8-ohm resistor. Shouldn't have needed more than 8 volts.

At higher currents, the resistor may not be necessary. Just depends on your particular power supply. You'd have to experiment with it to find the protection cut-off load.

But if you ever wanted to use a resistor at the full 10 amps, then 2+ ohms is about the largest value. But that would have to be @400 watts! You won't find one like that at Radio Shack! A 1-0hm would need to be 100 watts, .5-ohm @ 50 watts. These sizes are much easier to find.

Quote:
I will calculate the surface area of a part (say it's 8 sq in) and I typically go with .08 amp per sq in for plating power. I calculate roughly 650ma to plate but I end up having to use double that to actually get a good plate. It's weird.
That's good for the old formula electrolyte, but not enough for the new formula. The new would require @1.1 amps. Are you using the new or old formula electrolyte?

Sean
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Last edited by seanc; 06-11-2008 at 11:02 AM.
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