How to DC step up 9v. 110v (or another way of speed control)?

I want to power a old furnace motor that uses 110v however I want my nxt mindstorms to control it's speed now the nxt only outputs 9v ive heard of dc to DC step up but I'm not sure how to build one. I would greatly appreciate your ideasHow to DC step up 9v. 110v (or another way of speed control)?
Well, you will not be able to directly power the motor from the mindstorm. while it is possible to get 110AC from it, by stepping the 9v to 12v and then using a power inverter to go the rest of the way. The problem with that however, is that there just aren't enough amps there to power the furnace motor. Instead, you will want the mindstorm system to tell a device to increase the power given to the motor. If the mindstorm system can give power on/off, then you could just use a solenoid switch. The 9vdc would power an electromagnet that would pull a switch into the closed position. you can pick up a solenoid switch at any Radio shack. They are less than $10. Just make sure you are buying one that is rated properly. In this case, you would be able to simply turn the motor on and off. Mind you that with this setup, the mindstorm would only power the electromagnet in the solenoid. The switch side of the solenoid would have to be plugged into the wall, and the motor would either run at full power, or no power.


Now, I am not familiar with what the mindstorm system is capable of. If it can give variable amounts of power to a small Lego motor, then we are getting somewhere. The problem is, I don't know enough about electricity to tell you how to make a controller to react to it. I know that such a simple system exists because it would be similar to how a treadmill works, even though treadmill motors are typically DC.


try out my solenoid setup for starters. Keep looking around on the internet. The answer is out there.How to DC step up 9v. 110v (or another way of speed control)?
Can not be done with the equipment you describe.





Furnace motor runs on AC current. Mindstorms works with DC.





Do not hook the two together. You could cause a fire or electrocute yourself!





Some motors will not vary their speed if you vary the input voltage. They will either run or they won't. If the voltage is too low, they will hum, vibrate and make lots of heat.





Other kinds of motors can vary their speed in proportion with the voltage input. But it's not possible to tell if you have the right kind of motor without a knowledgeable person looking at it. Chances are, the kind of motor a furnace uses does not have variable speed.





If it is, the device you need to make it work is called a ';Variac.'; (AKA: variable autotransformer.) It is a special kind of transformer designed to vary the voltage while keeping current relatively steady.





A Variac will cost you anywhere from $50 on up to hundreds of dollars.


These are not things you can buy at ';Radio Shack.'; You will have to find an electrical supply company.
It won't work without a power inverter. You need to not only step up the voltage, but convert it to AC. A 110 volt motor won't run on DC voltage. Then, you will have the problem of output power (wattage) of the 9 volt supply. Will it be strong enough to power an inverter?
Your furnace motor would run on AC though ??





The joys of Lego :D
go to radioshack