--Previous Message--
: Bert-
: Thanks for responding--I have a complete contoller system with 30amp
: variac, fuses, gauges, Ballast Inductor, etc. My previous experience is
: three years with NST', one and two at a time, rolled caps, and mmc's that
: work great. My newest coil is a Magnifier system, which I had been powering
: with several NST', however I got my hands on this pole pig and wnat to use
: it, for the obvious reasons.
: I hope that gives you a better idea of where I'm at.
: I am using a standard 240v in from my main service, one side running
: through variac and inductor and the other side pretty much straight through
: to the pig. The powerstat variac only hooks up to contol the voltage of one
: side, however, according to the volt meter that is tied in after the variac
: and inductor, it comes up to the correct amount of volts before it hooks up
: to the pig.
: I totally understand the danger involved with these transformers--I'm
: not a kid(52 in may '04)and I my job requires servicing the lighting system
: of the store that I work at(very large store), so I'm very careful and have
: the greatest respect for electricity!
: Hope you can help me figure this out. Jeff

Hi Jeff,

Sorry for the delay in responding, and thanks for providing the additional details on your system. It sounds like you've got the pig hooked up properly - one side of the mains to X1 and the other side (through the variac and ballast inductor) to X3. X2 (the middle LV lug) should not be connected to anything. The transformer can should be connected to mains earth. However, first make sure that the center lug (X2) is NOT also electrically connected to the case via an internal strap. If it is, you'll need to pop the lid on the transformer and disconnect the strap connecting X2 to the can.

It sounds like your voltmeter is correctly hooked up across the LV input to the pig. With the HV side of the transformer open circuited, does the voltmeter seem to track the incoming voltage properly as you ramp up the voltage? If the voltage stays low and you also begin to pull significant current through the ballast, you may have a short circuited transformer. You'll need to remove the lid of the transformer to see if there are any obvious signs of damage. A shorted transformer will most likely require rewinding.

If the above test passed, kill power and short circuit the pig's HV output. Then power up again and carefully begin to increase the voltage with the variac - are you now pulling current through the transformer's LV winding? You should see the current rise fairly linearly as you increase the voltage to the pig. The voltage across X1 and X3 will stay at about 0 volts during this test. If this does not occur, you may have an open primary, an open secondary, or a defective tap switch. In this case, you'll need to disconnect the pig and, using an ohmmeter or continuity checker, verify continuity across the primary and secondary windings. Note: the secondary may be a bit difficult to accurately measure with an ohmmeter due to the high inductance of the winding - all you are looking for is continuity. An open on either the primary or secondary side will require that you pop the lid on the transformer can to see if there are any connections that have come undone or if there is any other obvious internal damage to the pig.

Good luck and best regards,

-- Bert --