Router variable speed controlers

Can anyone tell me if the work by reducing the voltage to the equipment?

Hi Tom,

Can you be a bit more specific. I am not sure what your asking. What kind of router? Are you looking to modify the router?

It is a device that you would plug a woodworking router into in order to vary the operating speed.
I was considering using it as a way to drop the voltage on a hotwire station that I am working on.

The station will have 12 of nichrome wire @.8 ohms per foot and I want to operate it with 120 volt but reduce that to about 30v ac. I believe if I calculated things right I should get 350 to 400 degrees from it at about 3 amps.

That is 12feet ---I should proof before hitting send

If I read this right, your question is: Will an AC speed control intended for a router, work to control the temperature in a length of nichrome wire?

I think the answer is, probably. Most speed controllers work by cutting the duty cycle of the AC, which effectively reduces the average voltage. I wonder though, if the speed control will go as low as you need it to, while still giving a good control of the temperature.

Since you figure you only need about 30V, I'd put an ordinary incandescent light bulb in series with the wire, then run that off the speed control.

Finally, you do realize that you will have a very dangerous set up there, right?

Thanks for the reply ---- well I guess the router controller won't work for me --- didn't lower the voltage much. I know there are variable voltage controllers out there but don't want to spend the 100 bucks. I did find something I can use however. It's a speed controller for a trad mill (ya I'm a bit of a pack rat). The motor it ran is 2 1/2 hp dc permanent magnet. I did a test on a 1' resistance wire and got cherry red at 3 v so I believe it will work. Have to test it now with full resistance.
Thanks again for taking the time to try to help me.

" - didn't lower the voltage much."

Well, I said that it trims the duty-cycle, not the voltage. This reduces the average power, but this will not be reflected in a voltage measurement by a non-true RMS voltmeter. Most inexpensive digital meters will only read an AC voltage correctly if it is a sine wave. With the duty cycle chopped up by the speed control, it's no longer a sine wave. The power is reduced, your meter just doesn't show it.

At any rate, your DC controller sounds a lot safer.