Homebrew PCBs

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "mikezcnc" <eemikez@c...> wrote:
> 
> My laser is Laser 1 on 2, don't remember. I took it apart and it take 
> some searching for th heater element leads, but it my case it runs 
> from left to right, inside theheating drum. All other leads are for 
> temp regulation. I was curious to see if the fuser heats up and 
> decided to apply a 26V AC just because that was the transformer I had 
> at the time. I touche a thermometer probe to thedrum and connected 
> the 26V- the temp slowly, very slowly started to ramp up. That was 
> encouraging to me, it proved the fuser was operational. For some 
> eason the resistance I got was exceptionally low, 4 ohms or so. 
> 
> My next question si: can I use a regular dimemr to adjust the 
> temperature?
> 
> Mike

Nope.
You can use a dimmer to adjust the POWER.  That's not exactly correct,
but close enough for our purposes.  For a given power input,
there will be a thermal equilibrium temperature...that varies with
ambient, load, wind, etc.  

Get in your car, push the accelerator
half way down and hold it there.  How fast will you go???

There's not much room between "hot enough
to fuse toner" and "blowing the thermal fuse".  Do not under any
circumstances remove the thermal fuse.  Your fire insurance won't
cover you when you burn your house down.

mike