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Re: Trash



"Jim" <alarminex@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:73a2524e-9c3a-472c-9e46-921d00d13c5e@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Saturday, July 2, 2016 at 1:20:19 PM UTC-4, Bob La Londe wrote:
> Still not sure what to do with that stack of solar panels I had for model
> homes that didn't have power yet.  Maybe I'll use them to put a backup
> lighting system in the shop.  Not enough watts for much else.

I'm noticing around here that is seems that as the price of solar comes down
the popularity of LED effect lighting is increasing. Pool, landscape lights
etc. I think I saw something about a system that uses capacitors to hold the
charge instead of batteries. So that means after you buy the items there's
no further cost to run it. Cool!

I can remember back in the 60's when I got to work with my first LED's.
(which I guess was a new invention along with the transistor then) It seemed
like it was just a novelty at the time. Who knew? I sometimes think about
the fact that my first foray into technology was based on devices that ran
on vacuum tubes. I'd bet that less than 2 out of a 10 technical people I
deal with today have ever even seen a vacuum tube, much less know how they
work.

~~~~~~~~~

Makes sense, but it would need a pretty good voltage regulator to make
optimum use of the CAPs.  You would want to charge them up near their
maximum voltage rating.  I've got caps in some of my CNC machines that would
take days to discharge if I didn't put a parasitic load across them.  They
are capabable of enough momentary current to weld doors shut if you did
something dumb.

I think the cap bank to do the job would need to be a little expensive and
large, but the cycle life would be quite long.  I have a couple caps on the
78VDC PS on my large mill that are about 30 years old.

Chemical batteries are a lot more efficient at storing power though.  Its a
trade off I guess between power storage and cycle life.

Haven't really spent much time thinking through this application just yet.
I've got so much other work to do.  Right now I am making a "machine room"
in the shop that I can air condition so I don't die working through the
summer.




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