electrical power

[brendan hedges]

hi,

i have a question that has been puzzleing me since looking into chrome plating.

i understand that you need to pass an electrical current through the solution for the process to work but,

it is not easily understood how you regulate this flow of amps. i see lots of pictures of batteries, transformers etc but no explaination of how they are regulated.

there are mentions of connecting light bulbs into the circuit to regulate the flow. but how do you now how many to connect and are they wired in series or in parallel?

i think a section on the web site giving basic advise and examples would be an exellent idea.

best wishes

still confused

brendan

[mcaswell]

This information makes up a huge section in our plating manual, which we don't feel guilty about charging people for.

How many bulbs you place in the circuit depends on the size of the part you want plated and your power source.

If you have a large power source, and need to plate a small item (that requires a small amount of power to plate) you place more bulbs in the circuit. The bulbs act as resistors to bring the amperage down.

Hope that serves as a basic example. They're are many other, more technical, more professional and more costly ways of regulating the current. Bulbs are just one way.