--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: EF300007 Date: 10/31/97 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 07:13pm \/To: ELVIS HARGROVE (Read 2 times) Subj: ENGINE DESIGN Elvis Hargrove wrote in a message to Jim Dunmyer: -> Do you have for-sure knowlege of this sort of driveline being used on -> surface ships? My information says that most are driven by -> mechanically-driven EH> Jim, I've only served on a few ships being something of a EH> landlocked sailor, but I was assigned to "Wiper" duty on two EH> of them, and they used Fuel oil -> boiler -> steam turbine EH> -> AC generator -> 3 Phase motor -> gearbox -> prop shaft -> EH> prop, type power transmission, and I believe that was EH> typical for ships of that era. Designed roughly 40-50 years EH> ago. Dunno what they're doing NOW, but we thought that was a EH> very flexible and adequately efficient drive train at the EH> time. EH> Another ship was Diesil -> AC generator -> multiphase AC EH> motor (Multi-pole switchable) -> propshaft -> propeller. EH> One of those Diesil gensets would power a small town I was EH> told. The whole engine room, (Four gensets) could drive that EH> flatbottomed scow over twenty knots. (And the deckplates EH> vibrated like it was coming apart!) Normally only one genset EH> was ON-Line with another idling. EH> Such a system would make a HECK of a backup HOMEPWR setup! EH> Ian could run his whole shop off the one idling. Sorta makes you wonder what happens to that stuff when they scrap out one of those old ships, doesn't it...? :-) Just how big was this stuff, anyhow? email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: EF300008 Date: 10/31/97 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 07:15pm \/To: DAY BROWN (Read 2 times) Subj: 12 volt power supplies Day Brown wrote in a message to Roy J. Tellason: DB> On 10-27-97 Roy J. Tellason wrote to Jim Dunmyer... RJ> > What I don't understand is why there aren't power supplies that'll RJ> > work with a 12vdc input. I have heard of such, but they don't RJ> > appear to be out there at a reasonable cost, compared to the RJ> > "standard" stuff... RJ> RJ> JD> Why? I'd guess that there is only a very small demand for RJ> JD> such a thing. RJ> RJ> You're probably right, that would seem to account for there not being RJ> the RJ> push toward lower prices that we see in so much else in RJ> this computer stuff... DB> They do make them for laptops; but they do not have grounded DB> chassis, or good isolation between the inputs and outputs. DB> I build some from scratch that ain't so fussy, because as DB> you note, there ain't much demand, so no vendors. I dunno about "no" vendors, I do recall seeing that sort of thing out there at some point in time, though it wasn't recently. There was also the UPS that would fit in the space where your normal power supply went, and I'm sure that something like that could be adapted for external battery power. email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: EF300009 Date: 10/31/97 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 07:17pm \/To: JIM DUNMYER (Read 2 times) Subj: ENGINE DESIGN Jim Dunmyer wrote in a message to Roy J. Tellason: >JD> of this. Where do you go to get your natural-gas fueled auto >JD> filled up? :-) > > There seem to be plenty of places around here that sell bottled gas, > lots of places that use gas-operated forklifts, and just about JD> I know there are plenty of places to fill up a JD> Propane-fueled auto, but I mentioned Natural Gas above. To JD> my knowlege, the only place around here is 15 miles away, at JD> the Gas Company's HQ. Ah, well, if you want to make _that_ distinction then the same is probably true in this area as well. There is piped natural gas in some areas, and we've had it in some places that we've lived, but not out in the rural parts like where I am now... email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: EF300010 Date: 10/31/97 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 07:19pm \/To: TIM HUTZLER (Read 2 times) Subj: Chevy Co-Gen investi Tim Hutzler wrote in a message to Craig Healy: TH> The 90% is probably close enough. If you recapture the heat TH> from the exhaust and block, you can increase the figure to TH> almost 99%. But, the risks with exhaust recapture seems not TH> worth being too stingy. [grin] They're not that risky, that's how you got heat in a VW Bug, sorta... email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: EF300011 Date: 10/31/97 From: IAN WOOFENDEN Time: 07:57pm \/To: KYLE HEARN (Read 2 times) Subj: solar power in apt? On (29 Oct 97) Kyle Hearn wrote to Ian Woofenden... IW> Get a catalog from Trace Engineering in Arlington, WA. They IW> are the foremost manufacturers of inverters (DC to AC). Cost IW> depends on capacity and power quality. One of their best IW> machines, the SW4024, gives 4kW of sine wave power, and costs IW> about $2500. KH> This doesnt seem that expensive, really. An energy inefficient KH> house in Texas especially during the summer _is_ expensive. Hey, for what they do, they are a great deal. Excellent machinery. KH> I've probably saved myself hundreds of dollars over the past KH> few months alone by cutting my bill from $90 monthly down to KH> $15-$20. That's great! The down side is that now it makes even less sense to go solar. :) KH> If I could manage to power a few low power lights, a cd KH> player, and an alarm clock. I'd be pretty happy. I'm dying to KH> go offgrid. Give it a try then. Experiment. Any way to get a panel on your apartment building's roof? Ian ... Knowledge is power. Know your enemy, or he is you. ... "Liberty is the condition that makes it possible for conscience to govern." - Lord Acton --- PPoint 1.96 * Origin: Woof Point West (1:101/525.3) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: EF300012 Date: 10/31/97 From: IAN WOOFENDEN Time: 07:59pm \/To: JIM DUNMYER (Read 2 times) Subj: SOLAR POWER IN APT? On (30 Oct 97) Jim Dunmyer wrote to Ian Woofenden... JD> I'm sure that Trace's stuff is better than what I have for JD> UPSs. As you said, they even wind their own transformers in JD> order to get higher efficiency. My units are meant for standby JD> use, and first cost is much more important than efficiency JD> while on battery power. And for off-grid use, the equation is exactly opposite... JD> You might be able to answer this question: Can one of those JD> big inverters (Trace, Heart, or ..??) be used as a standby JD> power supply? I'm getting a BUNCH of computers here, most of JD> which need to be on a UPS of some sort; I already have 2 1KVA JD> and an 800 VA units, all of which run on 24 VDC. It'd be nice JD> to replace them with one big UPS that would use my existing JD> batteries. You bet! Many of their models are built to do just that, and they come with lots of bells and whistles and are pretty brainy. :) Get a Trace catalog by calling them at 360-435-8826, or check them out on the Web at . And if you want to talk to a transistor head, ask for someone in engineering. Nice guys. And they design dynamite equipment... Ian ... OPERATOR! Trace this call and tell me where I am. ... Buckminster Fuller said he would rather be not understood than misunderstood. --- PPoint 1.96 * Origin: Woof Point West (1:101/525.3) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: EF300013 Date: 10/31/97 From: IAN WOOFENDEN Time: 08:04pm \/To: ELVIS HARGROVE (Read 2 times) Subj: ENGINE DESIGN On (29 Oct 97) Elvis Hargrove wrote to Kyle Hearn... -> For what it's worth, I find all of it fascinating although I -> haven't seen the rules as I'm a newbie to the echo. EH> The rules are pretty simple and they'll be coming around on EH> the guitar any day now. Yikes! I thought you were too old to like Arlo... Ian ... All rules have exceptions except this one. ... I lost Faith In Skepticism. It wouldn't work, anyway. --- PPoint 1.96 * Origin: Woof Point West (1:101/525.3) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: EF300014 Date: 10/31/97 From: IAN WOOFENDEN Time: 08:05pm \/To: JUSTIN KEYS (Read 2 times) Subj: SOLAR ENERGY On (29 Oct 97) Justin Keys wrote to All... JK> Hey, can any body help me with a solar energy project that is JK> easy. I have to do this for a school science project and is JK> due next week. If you have any ideas,please write back.... That's not much time! One of the funnest projects is to get a small solar panel and a small DC pump. Hook the pump to the panel and put the pump in a bucket of water. Then play with how much water it pumps in different light conditions. Try Edmund Scientific for equipment (800-728-6999), or find a local renewable energy dealer to help you. Where are you? I'll recommend someone if I know someone in your area. Have fun, Ian ... Alarm clock: small device for waking up people who have no children. ... Ideas, properly understood, never disappoint. Candidates, properly observed, always will. - Wall Street Journal founder --- PPoint 1.96 * Origin: Woof Point West (1:101/525.3) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: EF300015 Date: 11/01/97 From: ELVIS HARGROVE Time: 01:06am \/To: ROY J. TELLASON (Read 2 times) Subj: ENGINE DESIGN -> Just how big was this stuff, anyhow? DAMN big! They were pumping (As I remember it) 3600+ horsepower into each of the Diesel->generator sets and there were four of them. (This was on a SMALL ship) The generators on the Steam->turbine->generator sets were a BUNCH bigger, (Over 8 feet tall lying on their side and were 12-14 feet long.) There was a "Turning gear" gadget that plugged into the end of the motors that were not on line, where you took a ratchet handle and cranked a worm gear that moved the shaft. (To keep the bearings fron sticking .) The ratchet was five feet long! I expect the scrap value on this stuff makes it impossible for mere mortals to buy them whole. (Like the BEAUTIFUL 50 voltDC generators that came out of the Telephone CO when they replaced their standby equipment several years ago.) ^..^ --- FidoPCB v1.5 beta-'j' * Origin: BOO! Board Of Occult, Rio Grande Valley Texas (1:397/6) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 272 HOME POWER Ref: EF300016 Date: 11/01/97 From: ELVIS HARGROVE Time: 01:09am \/To: ROY J. TELLASON (Read 2 times) Subj: Chevy Co-Gen investi -> They're not that risky, that's how you got heat in a VW Bug, -> sorta... But not MUCH! That's how you get heat in a baby airplane too, and that's how much you get..... NOT MUCH! Most light aircraft have carbon monoxide indicators too. Getting monoxide poisoning while you're flying will ruin your whole day! ^..^ --- FidoPCB v1.5 beta-'j' * Origin: BOO! Board Of Occult, Rio Grande Valley Texas (1:397/6)