Simple useful appliance?

On Wed, 07 Feb 2018 15:18:37 -0800, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com>
wrote:

>On Wed, 7 Feb 2018 20:00:10 +0000 (UTC), Long Hair
><DecadentLinuxUserNumeroUno@decadentlinuxuser.org> wrote:
>
>>The absolute best way is to have a nice say 22kW Generac backup
>>generator AND a good power conditioner on your system.
>
>I hope you don't mean a ferroresonant transformer as a "power
>conditioner".  They work nicely, as long as you feed it with 60 Hz.
>Low in frequency, and the output voltage drops.  High in frequency,
>and it climbs.  Details:
><http://www.powerqualityworld.com/2011/04/constant-voltage-ferroresonant.html>
>Also, they're not very efficient (about 75%), get rather warm, and
>buzz loudly.  Despite these disadvantages, I've used them effectively
>with computers in place of a UPS.  I was doing some programming during
>a lightning storm.  The overhead fluorescent lights were flashing
>intermittently as the power flickered on and off, but the computah
>never missed a beat.  
>
>Most generators do not produce a clean sine wave or deliver a constant
>60.0 Hz.  The result is an even worse looking waveform from the
>ferroresonant xformer, wide voltage variations, or both.  Therefore, I
>would recommend *EITHER* a generator or a ferroresonant power
>conditioner, but not both.
>
>>Then, you simply go to sleep without a worry about what happens or
>>happened to your power that night.
>
>What, me worry?  Most of my critical gizmos are DC charged or
>operated.  I went through considerable difficulty finding phones,
>answering machinery, modems, routers, switches, media players, TV,
>hi-fi, etc, that run on 10-14VDC (also known as 12VDC nominal).  These
>are run by several big lead-acid or gel cell batteries, and charged by
>either a marine battery charger during the winter, or a solar panel
>during the summer.  If the power goes out at night, I usually don't
>notice.
>
>>Put some of your lights, your heating and air system, your kitchen,
>>and your computer UPSs on it.  
>
>The desktop computahs and one big monitor are the only devices with
>UPS protection because my battery system simply doesn't have the
>capacity to run them.  Also, finding desktops that run on 12VDC is
>rather difficult.  The plan is to switch to lower power desktop
>computers (laptop in a box) which will run on battery power, and
>dispose of the UPS.  
>
>>Your neighbors will always say "he's the
>>only one on the street who's lights never go out.
>
>That's been a problem.  We had a storm a few years ago that dropped
>quite a few trees in the area.  The power utility (PG&E) ran around
>fixing downed power lines.  Mine was one of the last to get fixed
>because the lineman saw that my house was normally lighted and drove
>by thinking that I had working utility power.  I switched to kerosene
>and propane lamps for emergency lighting and have not had that problem
>again.


We've had a good number of the Sola conditioners go off.  Bad oil caps
I guess.  They don't regulate much from the load side either.  
Done with them now.

On Thursday, February 8, 2018 at 4:02:14 PM UTC-5, tabb...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Thursday, 8 February 2018 10:36:56 UTC, piglet  wrote:
> > On 07/02/2018 20:44, tabbypurr wrote:
> > > 
> > > Reflex and reaction are 2 different technologies. Sadly it seems the 2 refused to work well together.
> > 
> > Sir Douglas Hall devised the gloriously named "Spontaflex" receiver. 
> > Reflex and regenerative (aka reaction) - later designs had an RF buffer 
> > between antenna and regenerative detector so were social to other band 
> > listeners. Naturally he reflexed the RF buffer so it also amplified AF.
> > 
> > All fun ingenious stuff. I built one circa 1970 and still have it, works 
> > beautifully, with delicate fingers can resolve SSB speech on the 75/80m 
> > ham band.
> > 
> > Many were published in British mag "Radio Constructor" available on 
> > americanradiohistory.com Also:
> > <http://www.spontaflex.free-online.co.uk>
> > 
> > piglet
> 
> interesting site. My brain just isn't following the circuits!

Oh good, I thought it just might be me. :^)  

George h. 
> 
> 
> NT

On Friday, 9 February 2018 20:25:51 UTC, Ingvald44  wrote:
> On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 08:31:26 -0800, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com>
> wrote:
> 
> 
> >The price of copper is steadily climbing again since it bottomed out
> >in 2015:
> ><http://www.infomine.com/investment/metal-prices/copper/all/>
> >Copper theft protection services and products have become required for
> >unmanned mountain top radio sites and the cost of insurance has
> >climbed faster than the price of copper.  Similar problem for the
> >homeowner:
> ><https://www.netquote.com/home-insurance/copper-theft>
> 
> We had to replace some of our heavy tower grounding leads with
> aluminum cable.  Less than idea.  Tried spray painting copper ones
> with aluminum spray paint.  That seemed to work.   We actually caught
> one bunch of thieves in the act.  Bunch of idiot rednecks.  (warning:
> trigger).
> 
> It was a public safety site--police and fire dispatch.  They got in a
> fair amount of trouble.

it always struck me that the solution to cable theft would be to move from copper to CCA where practical. The mix of metals hugely reduces their scrap value, plus the cable is cheaper to buy.


NT

On Fri, 9 Feb 2018 15:11:23 -0800 (PST), tabbypurr@gmail.com wrote:

>it always struck me that the solution to cable theft would be 
>to move from copper to CCA where practical. The mix of metals 
>hugely reduces their scrap value, plus the cable is cheaper to buy.
>NT

Copper clad aluminum will work nicely at RF frequencies, where the
only thing of importance is surface conductivity via skin effect.
However, if one is looking for a low frequency 60 Hz ground for AC
power wiring, or a DC ground for lightning protection, CCA won't work.
Towers also have to deal with building codes and construction
specifications many of which don't allow CCA wire.

That also includes CCA CAT5 ethernet and phone cable, which is
commonly available online but which is not recognized by any wiring
specifications.  100% copper is required to meet CAT specifications
and CCA CAT5/6 cable is generally considered to be "counterfeit"
because it can't meet any of the required specifications.

Various hits for CCA cable:
<https://www.bicsi.org/forms/Search/Google/Default.aspx?search=aluminum#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=copper%20clad%20aluminum>

Communications Cable & Connectivity Association
<http://cccassoc.org>
<http://cccassoc.org/index.php/search-results/?search_paths%5B%5D=&query=copper+clad+aluminum&submit=Search>
For example:
<http://cccassoc.org/news/press-releases/ccca-cites-actual-case-encounter-counterfeit-cable-certification/>

Of course, some groups think that CCA is just fine for some types of
residential wiring:
<https://iaeimagazine.org/magazine/2016/11/10/copper-clad-aluminum-building-wire-for-use-in-residential-branch-circuit-wiring/>



-- 
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

On Saturday, 10 February 2018 00:18:13 UTC, Jeff Liebermann  wrote:
> On Fri, 9 Feb 2018 15:11:23 -0800 (PST), tabbypurr wrote:

> >it always struck me that the solution to cable theft would be 
> >to move from copper to CCA where practical. The mix of metals 
> >hugely reduces their scrap value, plus the cable is cheaper to buy.
> >NT
> 
> Copper clad aluminum will work nicely at RF frequencies, where the
> only thing of importance is surface conductivity via skin effect.
> However, if one is looking for a low frequency 60 Hz ground for AC
> power wiring, or a DC ground for lightning protection, CCA won't work.

that just isn't true.

> Towers also have to deal with building codes and construction
> specifications many of which don't allow CCA wire.
> 
> That also includes CCA CAT5 ethernet and phone cable, which is
> commonly available online but which is not recognized by any wiring
> specifications.  100% copper is required to meet CAT specifications
> and CCA CAT5/6 cable is generally considered to be "counterfeit"
> because it can't meet any of the required specifications.
> 
> Various hits for CCA cable:
> <https://www.bicsi.org/forms/Search/Google/Default.aspx?search=aluminum#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=copper%20clad%20aluminum>
> 
> Communications Cable & Connectivity Association
> <http://cccassoc.org>
> <http://cccassoc.org/index.php/search-results/?search_paths%5B%5D=&query=copper+clad+aluminum&submit=Search>
> For example:
> <http://cccassoc.org/news/press-releases/ccca-cites-actual-case-encounter-counterfeit-cable-certification/>
> 
> Of course, some groups think that CCA is just fine for some types of
> residential wiring:
> <https://iaeimagazine.org/magazine/2016/11/10/copper-clad-aluminum-building-wire-for-use-in-residential-branch-circuit-wiring/>

Maybe it's time to change the regs to permit CCA with a low %age of ali, purely to make it unattractive to thieves. US home CCA mains wire is 90% ali, which is more brittle than Cu. 10% ali would not be significantly affected.


NT