Electric blankets, Gratuitous complexity??

<clare@snyder.on.ca> wrote in message 
news:prdr98tujur9ofk02do25klmor59rupktc@4ax.com...
>...
> The small standby UPS does no wave shaping when allowing the load to
> run on "line " voltage - and most are, at best, modified sine wave
> output.

A UPS "modified sine wave" is a sequence of positive and negative 
square pulses at 160 to 170V, with enough off time between them to 
reduce the average (RMS?) voltage to 120V. I've seen the pulse width 
increase at higher loads that pulled down the peak voltage.

An APC Smart-Ups has a pure sine output on battery.
https://www.apc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=165

Some of them can run off large external batteries without overheating. 
Check the surplus stores for used ones. The downloadable manual shows 
the simple but not obvious way to remove the old batteries.

I just discovered that the sensor-logging feature of HWiNFO32 v4.06 
freeware can record the run time of an unattended laptop on its 
battery, It captures the battery voltage, the power drain and the 
estimated percent of remaining capacity, which will show a sudden drop 
to empty if the battery's microcontroller IC needs to recalibrate 
itself with a full discharge cycle.
http://www.hwinfo.com/

I use recording TV and displaying Internet weather radar as 
representative high and moderate power applications to check UPS run 
time. During an outage I wouldn't let it run idle on precious battery 
power though that's the easiest measurement to make. The Event Log 
will capture shutdown time.

I haven't tried yet, but it should also show when the UPS or inverter 
powering the laptop plus your test load shuts off and the laptop 
switches to internal battery.

"Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> wrote in message 
news:ZNGdnXCUbv92bgDNnZ2dnUVZ_oGdnZ2d@earthlink.com...
>
>
>   That Bethany VOA site is now a stinking golf course.

It went the way of the American values it promoted.

Jim Wilkins wrote:
> 
> "Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:ZNGdnXCUbv92bgDNnZ2dnUVZ_oGdnZ2d@earthlink.com...
> >
> >
> >   That Bethany VOA site is now a stinking golf course.
> 
> It went the way of the American values it promoted.


  It should have been turned into a museum.  That site had a huge impact
on W.W. II  It went from an empty pasture, to the most up to date Short
Wave Radio transmitter site in a very short period.  It fed news & music
to the world, and was a huge boost to morale.

On 11/09/2012 06:01 PM, Existential Angst wrote:

[snip]

>     My g-d electric blankeypoo dudn't WORK with my 1500 W fukn inverter!!!!!
> WTF??????
>
> And the reason quickly became clear:  some electronics don't work with
> modified (read: shit) sine wave power.
> But, what electronics are in a g-d electric blanket???

I sometimes use a heating pad, for a heated seat. Many of those won't 
work with an inverter.

[snip]

-- 
45 days until the winter celebration (Tue Dec 25, 2012 12:00:00 AM).

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us

"...your belief in God is merely an escape from your monotonous, stupid
and cruel life." [Krishnamurti]

On Sat, 10 Nov 2012 00:06:51 -0500, micky <NONONOmisc07@bigfoot.com>
wrote:

>On Fri, 09 Nov 2012 22:06:23 -0500, clare@snyder.on.ca wrote:
>
>>
>
>>  What he NEEDS is a 12 volt blankie.  
>
>I didn't know thtey had such things, but 
>http://www.amazon.com/Heated-Fleece-Travel-Electric-Blanket/dp/B000V8QVX6
>http://www.walmart.com/ip/Maxsa-Comfy-Cruise-12-Volt-Electric-Blanket-Navy-Blue/10756183
>
>Onlly 25 dollars for each. 
>
>>My baby brother has been a long
>
>They let babies drive trucks!

He turned 45 a couple weeks after the crash
>
>>distance trucker across north america, from Alaska to Florida - and
>>has 12 volt mattress warmer and 12 volt electric blanket for YEARS.
>>
>>Lost 'em both when he rolled the truck last year. Bust his neck too,
>>but he's back on the road - doing mostly short haul flatland driving
>>hauling crude - less than 2 years after the crash.
>
>Glad he's doing so well

 Yea, he's only got less than 30 degrees total lateral movement, and
by the end od a day his neck is sore - but with convex mirrors on the
truck he's OK as long as he's carefull.  Guess they figured it was
better to let him drive again than to try to retrain him for something
else.
Darn good driver. Other than being struck by lighning, a herd of
antelope, and about a hundred separate deer his record was very good
till he ditched and barrel rolled just west of Calgary 2 years ago May
24. Not sure how many million miles he and his little dog CB have
under thair belt - CB is 16 now and was on the road with him from the
time he was a pup antill about 6 months before the accident. (Jack
Russel /???? cross)

On Sat, 10 Nov 2012 00:28:53 -0500, "tm" <No_one_home@white-house.gov>
wrote:

>
><clare@snyder.on.ca> wrote in message 
>news:2omr98t4arl2kgo1kbe6bqadg9ns7i193b@4ax.com...
>> On Fri, 09 Nov 2012 21:30:28 -0600, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
>> <lloydspinsidemindspring.com> wrote:
>>
>>>"tm" <No_one_home@white-house.gov> fired this volley in news:k7khim$at3$1
>>>@dont-email.me:
>>>
>>>> Well, if it has a poorly designed triac controller, it may radiate RFI.
>>>
>>>Even well-designed ones do on the turn-on.  Only a lot of down-line
>>>choking and shielding will get it down to reasonable levels.
>>>
>>>But it's not likely that the RFI emitted from a 1/2-amp controller would
>>>emit enough to be harmful to tissue.  Could screw up your pacemaker, I
>>>guess...
>>>
>>>Lloyd
>> There ARE controllers that switch on the downward slope of the sine,
>> greatly reducung theRFI.
>>
>> One thing for sure - an electric blanket sure plays havok with
>> magnetometers, like in electronic compases - and electronic gyros.
>
>It's best when they switch on the zero crossings. 
  Which means either full on, half on, or off.

On Fri, 09 Nov 2012 21:46:08 -0800, miso <miso@sushi.com> wrote:

>I think we are feeding a troll (original poster), but yes, it is stupid 
>to boost a voltage or go from AC to DC for a resistive heater. A company 
>that I will not embarrass (plus I forget the name) was using a DC/DC for 
>a heated stethoscope. [Hey Doc, do you keep that thing in the 'fridge?] 
>Far better to get a heating element of the right resistance. And from 
>what I hear, it is the speculum that needs heating.
>
>BTW, I've been to the Jack Daniels factory. It is worth the tour. The 
>irony is the factory is located in a "dry" county, so you can't do any 
>tasting there. [See what happens when you let Bible thumpers get too 
>much power!] The factory is more like a college campus. Lots of 
>buildings surrounded by patches of green grass. The whiskey is aged in a 
>manner like you store explosives. The "bunkers" are away from the 
>factory and have a buffer zone so that all the stock won't be destroyed 
>should one site catch fire.
>

The county is now suggesting an increased tax, and Jack Daniels is
suggesting that it _can_ move and leave a bunch of unemployed :-)
		
                                        ...Jim Thompson
-- 
| James E.Thompson, CTO                            |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |
             
I love to cook with wine.     Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Fri, 9 Nov 2012 19:01:11 -0500, "Existential Angst"
<fitcat@optonline.net> wrote:

>OK.....
>
>So ahm happier'n'a alcoholic workin the night shift in a Jack Daniels 
>distillery....   with my 400# deep cycle battery, 1500 W inverter (sitting 
>in the back seat of m'truck), and my brand new blue electric 
>blankey-poo.....
>Now I can curl up in a fetal position -- in m'truck -- in compleat toasty 
>comfort.....
>
>Now, don't ax me WHY I gotta curl up in a fetal position -- in m'truck. 
>Just suffice it to say, if you had my yob, you'd be curling up in a fetal 
>position in YOUR truck, too.

Your job? Your truck? Your blanket?  

Luxury.

RL

On Sat, 10 Nov 2012 06:37:04 -0600, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
<lloydspinsidemindspring.com> wrote:

>clare@snyder.on.ca fired this volley in 
>news:2omr98t4arl2kgo1kbe6bqadg9ns7i193b@4ax.com:
>
>>  There ARE controllers that switch on the downward slope of the sine,
>> greatly reducung theRFI.
>
>Have you recently priced GTO triacs and SCRs?  You won't find a turn-off 
>style controller at consumer prices.
>
>LLoyd
 In residential lighting dimmers, Lutron turn-off dimmers are about
double the cost of the turn-on type - which is still reasonable.

On Sat, 10 Nov 2012 08:51:39 -0500, "Jim Wilkins"
<muratlanne@gmail.com> wrote:

><clare@snyder.on.ca> wrote in message 
>news:prdr98tujur9ofk02do25klmor59rupktc@4ax.com...
>>...
>> The small standby UPS does no wave shaping when allowing the load to
>> run on "line " voltage - and most are, at best, modified sine wave
>> output.
>
>A UPS "modified sine wave" is a sequence of positive and negative 
>square pulses at 160 to 170V, with enough off time between them to 
>reduce the average (RMS?) voltage to 120V. I've seen the pulse width 
>increase at higher loads that pulled down the peak voltage.
>
>An APC Smart-Ups has a pure sine output on battery.
>https://www.apc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=165

But a SmartUPS is not a standby - a Back-UPS is.
>
>Some of them can run off large external batteries without overheating. 
>Check the surplus stores for used ones. The downloadable manual shows 
>the simple but not obvious way to remove the old batteries.

That is not a "small standby UPS" by anyone's definition. It is an
online UPS - AKA dual conversion.
>
>I just discovered that the sensor-logging feature of HWiNFO32 v4.06 
>freeware can record the run time of an unattended laptop on its 
>battery, It captures the battery voltage, the power drain and the 
>estimated percent of remaining capacity, which will show a sudden drop 
>to empty if the battery's microcontroller IC needs to recalibrate 
>itself with a full discharge cycle.
>http://www.hwinfo.com/
>
>I use recording TV and displaying Internet weather radar as 
>representative high and moderate power applications to check UPS run 
>time. During an outage I wouldn't let it run idle on precious battery 
>power though that's the easiest measurement to make. The Event Log 
>will capture shutdown time.
>
>I haven't tried yet, but it should also show when the UPS or inverter 
>powering the laptop plus your test load shuts off and the laptop 
>switches to internal battery.
>