# Cheap DIY Rheostat/dimmer with 600Watt max load.



## petoly (Sep 29, 2012)

*This is a tutorial on how to make your own Rheostat for farely cheap. The benefit also is you get 600watt max load, vs the rheostat I believe zilla sells which has a 300watt peak load and costs like 50 bux. With this rheostat you can control the temperature of your heat mats, heating tape, heat rope or whatever heating device you use as well as dim your spot lamp lights to lower temps if needed or for nite time viewing.*

*Equipment needed:*








screw driver (flat head)

electrical tape (optional)

extension cord (walmart) 2$

a single pole rotary dimmer 6.99$ on amazon or home depot or lower or osh. But I think at the store they are a bit more pricey

electrical twist caps (the orange things) 0.75$

outlet box 50cents (the grey box which encases the dimmer)

protective cover 99 cents (the white cover ) this is optional but it looks nicer and encloses the electric parts

scissors and or wirestrippers


*Assembly*






Step 1

Cut the extension cord in Half, and strip the ends carefully Look closely at the two cords. One will have a ridge or a black line or something subtle to distinguish it from the other cord. I marked the cord with a sharpie so I know which end goes to where






Step2

With a flat head screw driver press on the slots on the bottom of the outlet box to pop them open. Feed the wire stripped ends through the holes made like so. So one half of the extension cord is in one hole and the other is in the other hole.






Step 3

Remember the wires I marked? the wires you checked for the ridge or sign to distinguish it from the other wire? Take each one of them and twist it with either one of the black wires on the dimmer switch. Take the other marked wire from the other half of the extension cord and twist it to the other black wire on the dimmer switch. Leave the green wire of the dimmer switch alone. it's not needed. Now you should have two extension cord wires connected to the dimmer switch and two floating extension cord wires. Connect the two floating wires together.






Step 4

Use the elecrtical screw caps to secure the wires in place. Optionally for extra security you can wrap electrical tape right under each screw cap.






Step 5

Carefully stuff the wires in the box and secure the dimmer to the box with the screws the dimmer came with.






Step 6 (optional)

secure the faceplate with the screws it came with to the dimmer, put the knob on and voila'! you just made yourself a 600 Watt rheostat for 11.25$ And it works better than the 50$ model! =)

I hope you enjoyed this diy and please feel free to ask any questions

DISCLAIMER:

I am not responsible for any damages caused by your own rheostat you built. This is for informational purposes and you chose to build this at your own risk.


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## Mime454 (Sep 29, 2012)

There goes the lawsuit I was hoping to file against you!


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## aNisip (Sep 30, 2012)

Thank you sooooo much for this! I saw you were going to post a dyi for this and I couldn't wait!

Thanks again,

Andrew


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## Crazy4mantis (Sep 30, 2012)

You're awesome dude thanks!


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## agent A (Sep 30, 2012)

what is the difference between a thermostat and a rheostat? can i use either for heat tape?


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## Crazy4mantis (Sep 30, 2012)

thermostat automatically turns on/off at a certain temp. rheostat adjusts power output manually. (am I right)

petoly: do you know how to make a DIY thermostat? I NEED ONE!


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## petoly (Sep 30, 2012)

yes you are right. A thermostat will automatically shut stuff off and on. With a rheostat temps will fluctuate according to ambient temperature but they are easily adjustable.

I wish I knew how to make a DIy thermostat LOL! but that requires a cirquit board a probe and the board tells the unit to turn on and off based on the probe readings. That is something that's way above my head. However you can get some really good thermosts on amazon for 25 bux. Not very expensive at all =) they are technically for germinating seeds, but they work perfect for reptile stuff too.

AgentA yes you can use either for heat tape. you can use both for any heating or lighting device. I wouldn't use it on fluorescents since it won't dim them it will just turn them off.


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## agent A (Nov 21, 2012)

can i use this thing as a dimmer???

http://beanfarm.com/product_info.php?cPath=1238&amp;products_id=5697


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## petoly (Nov 21, 2012)

yeah that's the brand I use actually. you can get them for cheaper at Osh


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## agent A (Nov 21, 2012)

Osh???


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## petoly (Nov 21, 2012)

Orchard supply store. it's a hardware store like home depot or lowes only cheaper


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