Simple soft-start power switch

Oh man, this one is so simple, it's beautiful!



Found at http://diyparadise.com So check em out!
Enjoy!

P.S. Gyraf's penchant for rotary power switches would go well with this "circuit"

:?:

I'm not following.

What is this circuit for?

Sticking that on a rail would not softstart anything. That seems to be a circuit for a specific project.

You could softstart a DC rail easily by using a PWM driver IC like the 3525 set to 100% duty and allow it to drive a Mosfet into full conduction. That would give you some isolation from the rail and give a softstart that allows you to determine and realize your ideal time constant.

The power-up time constant is determined by how quickly you turn the knob from off to on.

I agree, this circuit is for a specific project, but changing the resistor value would allow you to set it up for a specific running current.

I'm sure your PWM softstart circuit would be the best possible way to do this, but it lacks the simplicity that, I believe, makes this idea great.