On Sat, 04 Nov 2006 15:09:41 -0800, T-n-T wrote:

Thinking more about it now I do want to err on the side of not killing
my terrarium inhabitants. So a wall wort transformer is the way to go.
the purpose of using wire and a resistor is so the wire can be sealed
in silicone tubing for fish tanks and siliconed on the ends., it just
seems easier to seal up. what theory do I need to apply to heat up say
4 feet of wire not just the resistor?

You'd need some 2.4 ohms per foot resistance wire, and a 12 volt 1.5
amp transformer.

Nichrome wire is normally used, but stainless steel or phosphor-bronze
will also work if you can find it in the right size range. You could
coil the wire around a piece of tubing or some other substrate to get
by with different ohms/foot wire - you need 9.6 ohms, or close, to get
15 watts with 12 volts input.

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