Does PC power supply work?

[jayu]

Hi, totally new to anodizing (I have done a little bit of reading though). I basically wanna do this on paintball guns only. Since I have a couple of them I thought I should just do this myself to save on money. Thanks in advance for answering.
I read somewhere that you can use a computer power supply (atx). Is this true? I have an extra PC power supply Im hoping to use... 19a @ 12v.
Also, when computing for surface area, do you take the inside into consideration? Thanks!

[acidrain]

Originally Posted by jayu

Hi, totally new to anodizing (I have done a little bit of reading though). I basically wanna do this on paintball guns only. Since I have a couple of them I thought I should just do this myself to save on money. Thanks in advance for answering.
I read somewhere that you can use a computer power supply (atx). Is this true? I have an extra PC power supply Im hoping to use... 19a @ 12v.
Also, when computing for surface area, do you take the inside into consideration? Thanks!

For consistant results, you really need a constant current power source capable of holding steady current in the 15v range.
For a small batch of PB parts, 10 amps will be fine, but for larger batches (more than just a body, gripframe and reg) you'll want a 20 amp PS.

Yes, you include all surfaces when calculating SA.

[jayu]

will this work?

[acidrain]

That unit is voltage regulated only. You need to control the amps, so look for something like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/MASTECH-VARIABLE...QQcmdZViewItem
BTW, that price is very good... you should jump on it.

[jayu]

Gone!! Thanx, ill look some more.

[GAWnCA]

Originally Posted by acidrain

That unit is voltage regulated only. You need to control the amps, so look for something like this: MASTECH VARIABLE REGULATED DC POWER SUPPLY 0-30V 0-20A - eBay (item 130202973939 end time Mar-07-08 21:34:04 PST)
BTW, that price is very good... you should jump on it.

They still have that available so now I'd like to ask, how large a tank and surface area will this anodize? Looks like a good price at $208.00 30v-20a Thanks,

[acidrain]

At 6 amps per sq.ft., you'll be able to ano to about 3 sq. ft. of surface area.
18 amps x 15 volts = 270 watts.
270 watts = 922 btu's during a 2 hour run.

[Grumple]

Originally Posted by acidrain

At 6 amps per sq.ft., you'll be able to ano to about 3 sq. ft. of surface area.
18 amps x 15 volts = 270 watts.
270 watts = 922 btu's during a 2 hour run.

Whats the formula for getting the btu's as I didn't see it with the 720 Rule calculator?

[acidrain]

The formula is:
amps x volts = watts
watts x 3.4121 x hrs. = BTU's

[Grumple]

How does the btu's figure in to the water temp? Like in the example above with 922 btu's in a 2 hour run, how many degrees does it raise the water temp? A BTU is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit so if he has 20 gallons at 8lbs per gallon thats 160 lbs....So would it be like 6 degrees??