Efficient method for converting 230V AC (Germany) to 30V AC with only 5-10mA needed?

Variacs come in a range of sizes. It's not as wide a range as transformers, but there is still quite a range.

Here's a smallish one for you:

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/variacs/8902793/

The one I have is fairly small, but rated at a couple of kilowatts if I remember correctly?.

raxon said:

Indeed. The one I saw ages ago had the size of two shoeboxes and went for the prize of half a car. I haven't seen one since, but I don't doubt there is a niche for them somewhere.

Click to expand...

Niche....... if you've worked on Switch Mode Power Supplies a Variac is your best friend after repairing the SMPS to start it up gently and prevent magic smoke escaping. Kinda catch it before it kills itself. And you have to start the repair from scratch again.

But than, you don't know these basics do you?

tvtech

I use my variac all the time.

How else do you qualify a power supply at the low and high ends of it's operating range.

My two yen: a small, 1 VA transformer is the easiest, cheapest, safest solution and not expensive at all

Hi st,
I suggested a small transformer in post 2 but the idea was rejected by the OP. He has some very strange idea's about transformers. He was talking about winding one with 3 or 4 turns on the primary and 800 on the secondary (I thought at first it was just a typing error but further comments seemed to confirm that he did actually mean the turns ratio this way round.) Even if he had the turns ratio the correct way round the ratio would not give 30 volts output with a 230 volt input. He has also not told us what he wants to supply with the 30 volts AC even though he has been asked several times.

Les.

Wow, four pages of guesses and all because the op won't say what it's wanted for.

Mike.