units of electricity used by various appliances

[duff beer dragon]

Know those high school physics equations like P = I V

( that example is probably wrong, can't find any of those types of equations online to check it against )

where V is always going to be the voltage of the mains or supply,

and P is the power consumed by the appliance, in watts,

other than doing the equation - how can you find a current rating ( value I ) for any particular appliance.

Something sounds very wrong to me about power consumption of electricity but I can't put my finger on it yet - something to do with the current being the rate of flow.......

so if you had two 50 watt speakers and you pulled in the max. current to achieve that power output, then this then will cost you less in terms of electricty units than if you had two 100 watt speakers at full burn.

Here's the bit that doesn't make sense -

you can swap to a great degree your speakers over and keep the same stereo or amplifyer -

how come those same circuits are able to handle such divergent current rates?

Build a high-voltage transformer right - take minimal mains power in, and bump the voltage right up - how to do that, so you're paying the same amount of money for the electricty, but you have a higher voltage ; or, depending on how that equation works, how about lowering the voltage - there's only two other elements to the equation,

that means it should be fairly simple to get a very high current rating just by being able to alter the voltage, and therefore a far higher power output, at a low power price.

Anyone got any links to webpages with those high school equations on them?........

 

[mickeyblueiiiis]

Hello there, your equation for power is correct there are a number of different equations P =IV being the easiest to remember. What you have to remember is that V=IR. That means that voltage and current are relative to one another but resistance(impedance) opposes the current flow. The more resistance the less current will flow, current is the Juice so to speak, voltage is electrical pressure which pushes it around.

If you have a certain voltage and wish to step it up through a transformer to a higher voltage that is possible but you dont get nothing for nothing, you will lose out on current gain on voltage until you step it back down again. If you have a certain voltage and step down through a transformer you will lose voltage but gain current.

Electronic circuits are difficult at the easiest of times, if you wanted to find out how much juice a rig is using for instance you would have to observe the power supply over a peak time say one hour at an inside party and note the KWh killowatt hour units on the electricity meter this will let you know how much it is costing. At an outside party you will be using a generator get this matched to the line current needed by the rig as some, Mackie for instance, will not operate below 97%

The important thing to remember is the electricity board have got it all sewn up, you get nothing for nothing, unless you know the other methods........Mickey, electrician for psy trance generation

 

[Goz]

http://science.howstuffworks.com/electricity5.htm

For a very basic explanation ...

Build a high-voltage transformer right - take minimal mains power in, and bump the voltage right up - how to do that, so you're paying the same amount of money for the electricty, but you have a higher voltage ; or, depending on how that equation works, how about lowering the voltage - there's only two other elements to the equation

As voltage increase current decreases. And as voltage decreases current increases. Power remains constant. Though as mickey points out resistances comes into play (V = i / r though). The higher the voltage the less resistance (W = v^2 * r).

that means it should be fairly simple to get a very high current rating just by being able to alter the voltage, and therefore a far higher power output, at a low power price.

Power is the constant. You can increase the amount of power but to do also requires a corresponding increase to voltage or current. Now if you lower the voltage you do indeed get a higher current rating but the power remains constant. 120W draw is 120W draw whatever the voltage/current settings. Thus if you boost the current or voltage the other drops and you still pay for exactly the same amount of electricity you always did. If you draw more current AND voltage you draw more power and pay more for that power. This is why you are charged for kilowatt hours and not volt or amp hours ...

 

[duff beer dragon]

thanks for replies!

Right, I remember Resistance - that's measured in ohms.

But what are they actually measuring?!

And even with Power - watts yes, is the unit, but - what are they actually measuring?

A resistor in a circuit for example can be made be making the wire thinner or doping it with some impurity - to slow the electricity down, ie - impede it.

I think there is something highly exploitable there. In a superconductivity like way.

The river or waterway equivalent is a good one - so the Volts are like the amount of availible water, the current is the rate of flow, and then the Resistance will be anything altering the flow rate - rocks, drops, turns, different river beds - these are like the circuit board components then.

Funny co-incidence - I had mentioned that Paris meridian thing in another thread here today, well in the Rennes les Chateau painting, Bergers d'Arcadia, they are pointing at a capital letter R.

This will sound daft, at first,

obviously electricity is thought of as electrons passing thru the cables, wires, circuits -

what happens to all the atoms that are stripped of those electrons? ( e- ) Do any old atoms work that way......cause if fuels are burned to move the generators, the e- flow isn't coming from the actual atoms being burned as part of the fuel, meaning - fuel burned doesn't transfer it's stripped electrons to the battery or the fuel tank or generator, and then they flow thru the wires to the house or the car, the e- just sort of appear.......

Wouldn't loads of e- in the atmosphere combine with existing atoms? And then change those atoms?

 

[mickeyblueiiiis]

ahhh lots of e in the atmosphere certainly changes things.

What you have to look at is electron flow, electricity is made up of free electrons. the hydrogen atom has an atomic value of 1 that is the nucleus is made up of one proton which is positivly charged and one electron which is an orbiting negative charge. In other atomic make ups it isnt balenced enabling the electrons that arent mated with a proton to move between other atoms basically shagging about....thats electricity mate.

You cant see it, you cant smell it.....but you can definately fucking feel it

what kind of power are you trying to increase? There are methods but the rules are bendable depending on situations. Like your thinking anyway

 

[duff beer dragon]

I've got nothing to do and I think a lot about energy

You can certainly hear it buzzing in pylons!

Probably smell it - sometimes.

Yes to the atom thing, tho' I was meaning more this -

I learned that the atmosphere is composed mainly of Nitrogen, Carbon Dioxide, Oxygen, and then a small percentage of some others......

so where are those unstable atoms coming from that are meant to provide all those free electrons......


As to what would be being bumped up, nothing in particular, just trying hard to visualise how it works - Tesla coils for example boost the voltage and current too........just an idea of plugging a smallish wattage circuit into the mains or a battery, and bumping up the juice but without taking a large load off the power source. One idea is to have one circuit that boosts current and another separate one boosting the voltage, and feeding them separately to the same appliance or battery bank.