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Heater Element (Electric Blanket)

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nicosuave

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I am trying to make a very simple heating device like that of an electric blanket using 120V. The heater element needs to be adjustable in temperature.

I know basic electronic circuits but I don't know how to easily design electric circuits for an application like this. I realize that the heater wire (aka heater element) simply acts as a fuse when current is introduced. I'm not sure how to change the amount of current in order to change the temperature.

Any help is appreciated.
 
Blueroomelectronics, thank for the reply and great website, I should've discovered those toys 20 years ago.

I see what your saying here, the bimetallic switch interrupts the flow of current when a temperature is reached. However this would not be the preferred method of controlling temperature for this project.

Instead I would like to have to turn only a knob that would adjust what I believe to be the amount of current (I think this would be amps) therefore changing the temperature.

I was looking at using heater wire like this
**broken link removed**
because this would be used in a type of garment.
This type of wire provides an automatic tripping if the heating element over heats.
 
Instead I would like to have to turn only a knob that would adjust what I believe to be the amount of current (I think this would be amps) therefore changing the temperature.

That doesn't set the temperature, just the amount of current - it will 'change' the temperature, but the actual value will vary widely depending on the ambient temperature.

Use a thermostat - that sets the temperature.
 
If you just want to control the current going to the blanket you can use a 120V light dimmer cct. Just make sure that it has sufficient current/voltage ratings.
 
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