Where self heating of current through the metal of a bimetal strip to a heater or some other faily current hungry device, switches in and out some contacts and so gives some sort of an indirect regulator for the load. They were still to be seen in the dashboards of cars in the 1980s and just termed regulators in the car repair manuals.
When used in electric cookers to vary the heating I think they were called "simmerstats" but I don't know if generic or proprietary...
What were their purpose in dashboards?
Mike.
I dunno if they "... seen in the dashboards of cars in the 1980s...". That seems a little late.
Back in the olden days (the 1950's and before) many auto manufacturers built cars with 6V batteries. As the 12V rigs became more prevalent, it was easier to make existing, well proven "technology" believe that it was running on 6V -- fuel gauges for instance. In my old '67 Jeep (that I still have) I can actually see the fuel gauge pulse a little -- somewhat more than 1 times per second, IIRC. Too, I believe the ignition coil (and other steady-current-required devices) in those 'change-over' systems were fed by big, fat dropping resistors.
Over time "they" developed automotive components for the 12V systems that were reliable in that somewhat harsh environment.
I wonder when, and what large manufacturer used the last bi-metal regulator? (Other than the Trabant or Yugo...?)
Jonesy
Chrysler / Talbot Horizon registered 1981 that I owned, used at least one, confused me seing the term regulator in the manual expecting something electronical.
Sometimes incorrectly known as a voltage regulator (particularly suitable for stabilising the supply to hot-wire petrol guages which had a thermal lag that avereged out the make-and-break of the regulator).
They were also called "energy regulators" when used with hotplates and the like. This was an accurate description, because it was the energy that was measured and stabilised by the bimetal strip, not the voltage.
-- ~ Adrian Tuddenham ~ (Remove the ".invalid"s and add ".co.uk" to reply) www.poppyrecords.co.uk
The last time I saw one of these in automobile use was in cars in the 60s ( U.S.). They were called IVRs (instrument voltage regulators) when used for the gauges and plain old voltage regulator when used in conjunction with a n alternator. Shortly afterwards, both were replaced with transistorized (o r SCRs) electronic regulators.
Ah, the Bimetallic Question.
Michael
Is that similar to the heat anticipator in a thermostat?
My first car, a 1950 Mercury Coupe, had one in the headlight circuit. When a wire to the lights shorted, the strip would open momentarily and then close again for a bit. That gave me enough light to get safely off the road.
Paul
Car companies use their own language.
Japanese car companies use another language still.
My erstwhile building services engineer girlfriend called that device an accelerator. Even more confusing wrt automobile usage!
Mike.
** Electric stoves use "simmerstats" where the bi-metal device is indirectly heated and cycles on and off to control the average power.
Electric room heaters have "thermostats", that sense room temperature and control the load in relation to it and the setting.
** Cars do not have electric heaters, but use hot water from the engine and a thermostatic valve plus fan to warm the interior..... Phil
Fuse-boxes used mostly fuses but a few self-resetting circuit breakers in the '95 Chrysler and earlier. These may have used bimetal strips.
Automatic air-conditioning, far more trouble than it's worth, may use bimetal strips for thermostats.
The thermostat for electric radiator fans may be bimetal.
OTOH, cooling system thermostats, that sit in the water stream just before the water goes to the radiator, use aiui some sort of pellets that expand and contract, closign and opening the thermostat. I've never cut one open.
Its one of these I'm wrestling with
nd a thermostatic valve plus fan to warm the interior.
It's true that cars did not use these devices as thermostats, but they did as mechanical voltage regulators, although it was much earlier than the 198
0s. Here is a link to the instrument voltage regulator used in my 66 Musta ng:These open and close several times per second to provide an average of 5-6 volts to the gas, temperature and oil pressure gauges. The ammeter is of c ourse self powered. A variation of these is used as a self resetting circu it breaker built into the headlight switch. Most people these days remove the guts from the IVR and replace it with a 7805 IC.
I've remembered a possible use. Before electronics-everywhere, the flashing turn indicators used to use a small bi-metal strip + heater to flash the power. The heater was in series with the current to the bulbs, so the changed flashing rate showed that a bulb had blown. The device was put under the dashboard so the clicking was audible to the driver as a reminder to cancel the indicator.
But that would not have been described as a "regulator"...
Mike.
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