Voidugu:
I bought an 80VA 24 volt transformer and ordered a 24V 50W soldering iron (big mistake). Since i would like to get as much power as possible from the transformer i thought of 'overclocking' the iron a bit. I was thinking of turning the AC output of the transformer into DC with the use of a bridge rectifier, and then set the ripple of the output waveform using capacitors. This way i would increase the voltage going to the iron and therefore its power output ( to lets say 70w). The iron's temperature will be monitored and kept constant.My question is:
Would it be a good idea to 'overclock' the iron or will it get burned?Thank you in advance
I don't know why ordering a 80 watt transformer to drive a 50 watt iron is a 'big mistake', the iron will only draw the power it requires according to it's resistance. However if you can somehow raise the voltage output of the transformer you could force the iron to draw more power and deliver a higher temperature, unless it's of the temperature controlled type.
The key specification of running a soldering iron is it's running temperature, too hot or too cold will make soldering more difficult. Different solder formulas have different optimum temperature ranges so that is a factor also.
Bottom line is you should be more concerned about the temperature output of the iron, not the power consumed. What temp is your iron running presently? What temp do you wish it to run at? If you can't answer those questions then you have little to gain trying to force more or less power to your iron.
Lefty