UTH & Thermostat help?

Possibly a stupid question, but I'm planning on getting my first BP (Wanted one for ages now)
n I have a question about heat mats & thermostats, cause I'm a little confused
Can you use any heat mat with any with any thermostat (Assuming the plugs match of course) how does the thermostat regulate the heat mat, which I'm assuming has a base/set temp depending on the wattage, does the thermostat turn the heat mat on & off accordingly to get it to the desired temp set by the thermostat
I probably sound sound like an idiot but I'm just really confused by this???
Can someone just give me a run down of how they work with the heat mat

It's pretty simple. Plug the heat source (UTH) into the thermostat. Plug the thermostat into an outlet. Place the t-stat probe between the bottom of the enclosure and the UTH and set the thermostat to the desired temperature. You may have to set the t-stat a few degrees higher to account for heating through the enclosure and substrate.

Check this out:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...-With-Pictures!

Everything that EL said. In addition there are on off thermostats ( rheostats), and there are proportional (stay on) type thermostats. The better ones are the proportional thermostats hence a bit more pricey. :)

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h1...psp2koldrd.jpg

To add to what Albert said, there are also 2 types of proportional T-stats. The pulse proportional which is still an on/off type but it pulses extremely fast. This is how it achieves the stable temps. Then there are dimming style proportional which work like a lamp dimmer and throttle voltage as needed. Any style will work on stuff like UTHs and RHPs and CHEs but for anything that gives off light like a light bulb or basking bulb, you need a dimming proportional or else you are going to have a strobe/disco light show going on. Herpstat offers both forms in anything from a Herpstat 1 on up and Vivarium Electronics offers a dimming model on their "D" model only, rest are all pulse proportional.

If you really want the complete run down on exactly how the pulse proportional works with sin waves etc, send Dion from Spyder Robotics an email. He can explain it in depth. He also did a post here awhile ago about how exactly it works.

And others have said, you plug the t-stat into the wall, then you plug the heat source into a plug on the t-stat. Some have 1 plug, some can have as many as 6 plugs. Each plug on the t-stat will have a corresponding temp probe plug to which you plug the probe into the t-stat and then you set the temp probe up in such a way as to monitor the heat source. The t-stat then will either vary the voltage via one of the methods mentioned above and keep everything good.