Mighty Monarch of The Air

[Phil Nelson]

I don't think it's a big priority to rush out and spend a bunch on a variac for your first restoration project. If your main concern is not frying your TV, a cheap dim bulb tester actually provides more protection. If your TV has a dead short, the bulb simply lights up, and no harm is done. With an un-metered variac, you can still burn up a power transformer while gradually increasing the voltage, a fact that I learned to my dismay some years ago. A metered variac lets you monitor current use while you increase voltage, of course.

Phil Nelson