KBK said:
I think Huimao was the one. I never could figure out a budget, I figure in mass quantities they must be cheap.
Correct me if I'm wrong. A woodstove works mainly on radiation rather than convection as opposed to your baseboard heat. So the idea would be to use massive heat sinks and tap the heat flux for current and use the warm air on the other side for room heat. I'm way out of my element here just thinking. If the thermopiles drive fans that blow on the cool end you get action in the right direction?
Gee there's a product for ya. 12V fans that run on <1A are cheap and plentiful, couple them with some Peltiers and you have a fireplace/woodstove heat circulator that has no power hookup at all and is self regulating. For instance the Vermont Castings heating insert I'm considering requires an inverter to run.
"If your electricity comes from coal fired plant, and you need to mow a lawn, which is the greater evil, a 4 stroke gas or an electric mower?"
The big problem with electric/petrol comparisons is allowing for the losses in the national grid. Apparently it's huge.
I think the evil is the lawn. I laugh inside when I see elderly gents feeding and watering all week, and mowing it all weekend. There are natural ground covers that are easy to maintain, and don't need mowing. I have had it in the past, and can't remember it's name. I have some in the corner of the yard, and it's spreading. No photo, and it's too cold to go outside. Too cold inside. So much for global warming.
What we need is multi purpose devices, those which utilise the spent energy, rather than wasting it. I envy the tube guys this time of year.
A bank of four 4X150s running class A would make a nice sounding heater.
The big problem with electric/petrol comparisons is allowing for the losses in the national grid. Apparently it's huge.
I think the evil is the lawn. I laugh inside when I see elderly gents feeding and watering all week, and mowing it all weekend. There are natural ground covers that are easy to maintain, and don't need mowing. I have had it in the past, and can't remember it's name. I have some in the corner of the yard, and it's spreading. No photo, and it's too cold to go outside. Too cold inside. So much for global warming.
What we need is multi purpose devices, those which utilise the spent energy, rather than wasting it. I envy the tube guys this time of year.
A bank of four 4X150s running class A would make a nice sounding heater.
Geoff H said:
I used to feed and water until my brother took me aside and asked why? He said the purpose of the lawn was to keep your carpets clean and it works just as well whether green or brown.
Smart brother.
My answer is to cut is as long as the mower will adjust. That and I tell my neighbors that a lawn is supposed to go dormant when it's dry and hot. This year I've notice some more people doing the same.
Then there are those with the short cut lawns watering it in the middle of the day. 🙄
-Chris
Then there are those with the short cut lawns watering it in the middle of the day. 🙄
-Chris
Hi Cal,
We plan to rid ourselves of grass entirely. It's boring stuff.
Planting beds and "stepables" will provide ground cover. Anita is playing with different plants already. Then we can get rid of the lawn mower.
I will not miss the grass in the least.
-Chris
We plan to rid ourselves of grass entirely. It's boring stuff.
Planting beds and "stepables" will provide ground cover. Anita is playing with different plants already. Then we can get rid of the lawn mower.
I will not miss the grass in the least.
-Chris
What, no future soccer stars in the family? What about bocce, badminton, horseshoes and volleyball? Can't do those in a garden. 🙂
Hi Cal,
-Chris
Three daughters. 😉
No, but they can go out and garden, leaving me a quiet spot to read. 😀
-Chris
http://video.google.com.au/videoplay?docid=5757587323690598971
Start the video at 1:05 (one hour and 5 minutes) or so.
See a full explaination of ~300 watts creating ~1200. This is relatively clear in it's explaination. They state no profit motive. They state the complete plans are available for free. This has got to be the 500th or so claim I've come across personally. One the concepts are understood, one can build almost any device of a similar nature...in their sleep. It's damn easy. A million different ways. Etc.
I suppose they are all greedy and lying 🙄 . Or they are thieves in disguise or something. 🙄 Or, heaven forbid...confused and unable to apply their engineering degrees successfully. 🙄
Start the video at 1:05 (one hour and 5 minutes) or so.
See a full explaination of ~300 watts creating ~1200. This is relatively clear in it's explaination. They state no profit motive. They state the complete plans are available for free. This has got to be the 500th or so claim I've come across personally. One the concepts are understood, one can build almost any device of a similar nature...in their sleep. It's damn easy. A million different ways. Etc.
I suppose they are all greedy and lying 🙄 . Or they are thieves in disguise or something. 🙄 Or, heaven forbid...confused and unable to apply their engineering degrees successfully. 🙄
SY said:
Did you watch the video? I can't until later. I've been following these stories for years, never found one where the results could be reproduced independently. More importantly, you've got hundreds of new money bozos willing to pay millions for Jeff Koon "art" why won't one of them bankroll some of these "inventors".
KBK said:
You can do better than this. NASA patented this idea in the 60's and offered it licence free (I think, it's certainly public domain now). Compresors, especially, can be gimicked with power factor tricks to draw less real power.
Thought experiment...put a big lossless inductor across the mains, no real power is delivered to the load even though there is certainly current. Now resonate that inductor at 50Hz with a big capacitor now you are drawing no current and no power. Some frat boys at MIT in the 60's demonstrated how you could take a HUGE spool of wire and make just the right inductance to slow your power meter while still using plenty of juice (this is a different application of the same principle, in this case fooling the power meter).
With all due respect this video does show total ignorance of basic engineering principles.
Just to complete the thought, I think in the end tuning the load got you a real 15% or so honest savings in power. To be fair these guys are doing some marginally useful stuff, but you can't measure REAL power without the phase information ie. the clip on ammeter does not cut it.
Yep, some folk here (Aust) used to leave a welder plugged in. The phase angle would spin the meter backwoods. Strange that they developed a new meter.
"No, but they can go out and garden, leaving me a quiet spot to read."
Chris, you sound like a well adjusted dad to your 3 daughters. You do need time out to cope. And sorry to wreck your day, but if you think educating them is expensive, wait till they start marrying. The person that started the tradition of the brides dad paying for everything was started by a "boys only" parent.
Chris, you sound like a well adjusted dad to your 3 daughters. You do need time out to cope. And sorry to wreck your day, but if you think educating them is expensive, wait till they start marrying. The person that started the tradition of the brides dad paying for everything was started by a "boys only" parent.
Hi Geoff,
I'm not worried in the least. I have no idea how I'd pay for such a thing, but it should work out (I hope!). I try not to worry about things I can't change.
The important thing is that so far they are all healthy and show good logic when they are on their own. Everything else is well out of my sphere of influence.
Thank you by the way. 🙂
-Chris 😉
LOL!
I'm not worried in the least. I have no idea how I'd pay for such a thing, but it should work out (I hope!). I try not to worry about things I can't change.
The important thing is that so far they are all healthy and show good logic when they are on their own. Everything else is well out of my sphere of influence.
Thank you by the way. 🙂
-Chris 😉