Got'er did, now I sit waiting

Pistolero

Pistolero

Well-Known Member
An electrical engineer friend of mine once pointed out that "in a circuit with
solid state device and fuses, the solid state devices will always protect the fuses."
:eek::eek:
Response time and overload tolerances of solid state devices is way less than any
sort of thermo-mechanical ancient device like a fuse.

So, now you will create a special storage place for your LED bulb receipts. :(

Bill
 
Ian

Ian

Notorious member
Pistolero said:
An electrical engineer friend of mine once pointed out that "in a circuit with
solid state device and fuses, the solid state devices will always protect the fuses."
:eek::eek:
Click to expand...

In Chrysler automotive electrical III training class an instructor remarked that the supplier of electrical boards for the various on-board computers was required to meet some SAE J-spec (I forget exactly which number he made up) in their manufacturing, a spec which requires 25 CC of "magic blue smoke" per square inch be infused into the circuit boards as an overload "indicator".

Anyone who doubts that all solid-state electronics operate on Magic Blue Smoke should try to get them to operate after it has been liberated.
 
Ian

Ian

Notorious member
Ours go in the box in the pantry that contains spare bulbs. If I was smart, I'd scan and print them, or just email them to myself, because the print on the register tape tends to self-destruct very quickly. More than once I've pulled out a receipt to plead my case with a warranty policy and found it nearly blank.
 
Pistolero

Pistolero

Well-Known Member
Yeah, letting the smoke out is ALWAYS bad. You can never get it back
in correctly, at least in my experience.

Well when the darned things cost enough, I start paying attention to
the warranty stuff. I don't find that these new bulbs last anywhere near
as long as they say they will, well the stupid compact flourescents, at least.

I have pretty much avoided the LEDs due to ridiculous cost and the fact
that I laid in a good supply of normal bulbs at 25 cent each when the
pukes in DC decided that I wasn't smart enough to select my own light
bulbs.

Still boils my blood that these thugs shut down perfectly good
US industries so that we have to import all our extremely expensive
replacement bulbs from China.

Bill
 
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Rick

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
I have a digital meter that reads voltage, it's a leftover from the RV days and generator usage. It's plugged into an outlet in the kitchen. For the 1 hour 45 minutes the generator was running today it read 118 volts and 60 cycles without wavering so this generator did exactly as it's supposed to with no worries over computers or TV's plugged into it..

.
 
Ian

Ian

Notorious member
I wonder what your meter would have read during the surge? That's pretty good for a generator under load. Mine creates a lot of "noise" so the house computer network that uses the 110V wiring and all other sensitive electronics have to be disconnected before reverting to backup. But mine only cost me $100 and a few hours of my time to fix....
 
Rick

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
Dunno what it read during the surge but it was plugged in and it survived. I plugged it in right after the generator was installed last August and left it there waiting for the generator to run the house so I could see what it was doing.
 
smokeywolf

smokeywolf

Well-Known Member
I just spent half a whole house generator on a new trombone for the 15 year old and all of a whole house generator for a new safe.
 
Brad

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Thermal receipt tape fades quite fast. Best bet is to scan it in and save on your computer. Well, for Luddites it is. I would photograph them with my phone and email the photos to my computer for easy storage.

Rick does have a nice generator. Ask him for photos of his concrete pad for it.
 
Rick

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
The pour is fine, quite solid. I did get air bubbles along the edge of the front of the form, covered it up.
 
Rick

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
Pistolero said:
I have pretty much avoided the LEDs due to ridiculous cost. Bill
Click to expand...

LED's have come way down in the last couple of years. I have a house full of them at $10 each. Lowes now has the same bulbs in a package of two for $4. Today I replaced the kitchen LED in the ceiling can that went out with the power surge, it's a 95 watt equivalent using 14 watts of power. Front of the package says lasts 22+ years. the back of the package has the warranty . . . . . . 5 years. :confused:

.
 
Brad

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Costco had some the other day, 60 watt equivalent for 2-3 bucks each.

We replaced the fluorescent tubes in the kitchen wth LED. Used 4 tubes stead of 8. Instant on, no dimming with time. No replacing after 2 years. They should last a decade. Well worth the cost to me.

We won't buy another bulb that isn't LED, until they come up with better.
 
Ian

Ian

Notorious member
After the CFL fiasco, I decided to wait it out until LEDs got cheap and mainstream. It's starting to happen, and the timing is perfect as our CFLs are beginning to bite the dust.

What really made me mad about CFLs is the only fixtures in the house which are "approved" for them due to position are five table lamps. Still, they've lasted at least five years with a 10% or so failure within the first few months. I think there's still one or two in the garage that have been going for 11-12 years.

The LEDs are fantastic. We got Cree brand for the living room lamps because they throw light both up and down, illuminating the end tables.
 
Brad

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
We had CFLs in the ceiling. They took minutes to come on fully, worst in winter. LED is instant on. We like the bright, white light. Cost wasn't a huge factor as the life means I don't need to replace lights 18' up for a long time.
I need a couple LED fixtures in the garage. Never can have too mch light around tools.
 
Brad

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Rick, those storms would never develop if Ian would keep his heat and humidity in TX where it belongs. He sends me storms too.
 
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