Electronics Advice

[skotl]

Just found an excellent writeup on DIY AC to DC conversion, here; http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_6/chpt_5/6.html

It makes a couple of excellent points that I omitted;

1. In theory, you could/should add a smoothing capacitor (something like this) but for your application, which does not need a particularly smooth output, it's probably overkill
2. The rectifier will get hot! So bolt it to either a metal heatsink, or the metal box (the regulator case is electrically insulated from all four tabs)

 

[ajlelectronics]

Smoothing it would also increase the output voltage a tad.

 

[bigegg]

Just a thought.
Depending upon what your application is, surely the magnets would run on AC power just as easily?
The polarity would change 50 times a second, but if that wasn't an issue...

 

[skotl]

Probably generate a lot of heat in the windings?

 

[bigegg]

I dunno owt about electrickery.

 

[ajlelectronics]

No you couldn't. The solenoids would just sit there buzzing and getting hot.

 

[bigegg]

Oh right - the only electromagnets I'm familiar with have basically been an iron core surrounded with coils of copper wire. Guessing there's more to it than that.