Electric Blanket Repair

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by Ed in Tx

Actually it's called SoftHeat. It should be safer than the old Sunbeam, but whether it will still be working in 5, 10, 20+ years like the old Sunbeams, who knows since it has a 16V 3.5A switch-mode power supply to derive the 16V DC it operates on. I suppose it could run on a big battery if all else failed..

Could also find an appropriate printer power brick, or a beefy stepdown transformer....Heater wire don't care if it gets 16VDC or 16VAC (rms).

I don't think low voltage or DC operation makes the new ones safer (if the PS has enough overload, etc. protections built in IT might make it safer)....If you have ever had a starter motor short out in a BIG old American car and seen the sparks thrown off by the terminals, or built an output-transformer-less tube amp using 8 6AS7 tubes (with a heater draw of 2.5A @ 6.3V for each tube) and ran the 20A of heater current through wire rated for 11A (it was a temporary proof of concept test build) and watched it smoke, short and catch fire you would not find the low voltage alone to be more fire safe....