Well, that was a satisfying result

[Harry Bloomfield]

I picked up two 240v mainframe cooling fans for 50p each at a car boot, with the idea to replace the inadequate ones I have had botched for a few years, to circulate heat from the oil burner in my garaage workshop.

I switched them for three speeds and off, Slow = both in series, medium = 1 on, high = both on. I wasn't sure how they might run in series, but they are fine. Mounted them on a neat frame and at last got around to making a tidier control panel for it, with an LED display for the burner temperature from a t/couple.

[docholliday93]

I modified some 110V kit to make it work on 220V. It had 5 110V fans, so I converted to two series pairs plus a new 220V fan. So far the only problem has been with the new 220V fan...

[Harry Bloomfield]

The thing is with some of this old kit, it will run for many years they are so well built. I used a 3 pole 4 way wafer switch and it is long time since I last had to work one out, I couldn't even think how to start working it out. Anyway, it worked :-)

[Chris J Dixon]

I remember having to specify bespoke multipole rotary switches - the suppliers' data sheets were dreadful, and it was all done using arcane codes. Sometimes we got what we wanted...

Chris

[The Natural Philosopher]

yerrs. The came a point at which a single pole switch, a PIC and some reed relays suddenly was much cheaper.

[Harry Bloomfield]

At around 15, i got a brilliant idea to build myself digital clock, using those numister neon displays and a series of wafer switches driven by a clock motor. I couln't get it to wor, but it kept me occupied for weeks. :D

[polygonum]

Around 15 I was involved in the school project to make an automatic bell-ringer. Used a cylinder of aluminium with holes into which screws were placed to indicate bell-ringing times, a stepper to rotate it, a multiple divider to get from mains frequency to a suitable rate for stepping, ...

All good fun. Most metal parts cast or made by us.

[SteveW]

These days you can go to the manufacturer's website, build up a virtual version, test it operates correctly and then it'll give you the appropriate ordering code.

SteveW