Cheap heated waistcoat

I know this item is a ginge from last year.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Search.aspx?criteria=waistcoat&doy=22m12&source=15

but with the addition of an 18ohm ceramic resistor (less than a pound)
and a bit of wire snipping & joining this feeble battery eater has been
turned into a roaring 12v cold-weather-beater.

I'm just feeling pleased with myself so I thought Id share it.

I reckon with a bit of waterproofing and a bigger resistor it could be
converted to mains use and help avoid those unpleasant "down-yer-back"
draughts in showers.

 

For mains use you need a 9v isolating transformer, you self-immolating
bastard.
For use on the bike, it wouldn't cost much to make a proper controller
with a pot, a 555 and a transistor, rather than a fixed resistor, so
you can vary the heat.

 

Yebbut then I'd need to know what I was doing, rather than just asking
somebody what size resistor would do.

I had to turn off my first attempt (without the resistor) on the bike
after a couple of miles yesterday morning. It went from "Brr" to "Ohh
nice and warm" through "Hmm wonder how much hotter this will get" to
"Argh must stop and unplug". I could smell softened nylon all day.

The resistor made it just right this morning, and also added its own
little bit of heat.

 

On my screen big is exactly three characters wide.








The waistcoat is 21 inches across laid flat on the floor so around 42
inch waist (and chest, come to that).

I'm skinny but it's not so big I could get a friend in.

They were out of stock when I ordered mine last year too. It finally
turned up at the end of March just after the cold weather finished.

 

Disney characters?

Let me guess... Dopey, Grumpy & Sleepy ... they should be right at home
here on ukrm.