OT - mobile phone chargers number 1 planet killer - official

Roderick Stewart wrote:

I'm sure it can't be legal to put mains directly on a low voltage
cable, so there must be isolation somewhere.

Yes, in a transformer, as I said earlier - a high-frequency
ferrite-cored transformer rather than an iron-cored job. Often a
switch-mode circuit will also use an opto-isolator in the path that
provides feedback of the output voltage (or current) to a control
circuit on the primary side for regulation.

And since most phone charger connectors are too small to include any
kind of switch, it can only be the low voltage circuit, not the mains
circuit, that is broken by removing it.

It wouldn't be a switch-mode charger if it didn't include _some_ kind of
switch :~)

--
Andy

JF wrote:
In message . com, Mark
Carver writes


A Sky box when in standby does nothing more than tune itself to the
'default' transponder, mute the audio and video outputs, and turn the
green front panel LED to red. ISTR there is hardly any difference in
consumption between 'On' and 'Standby'.

I think they also dump firmware updates somewhere such as shuffling EPG
numbers around. Such is the advantage of using a restricted licence
encryption system. AFAIA no Freeview box or integrated circuitry
performs that useful function.

Yes, firmware upgrades are downloaded to the boxes, although this still
happens when the box is 'on' and tuned to any 'Sky platform'
transponder anyway.

Sky have certainly 'Got It Right' when it comes to EPG reshuffles,
they're seamless, but as you say that's the advantage of operating a
'closed platform'.

"Steve Terry" wrote in message
...

"Digby" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 17 Nov 2006 02:05:33 GMT, "Steve Terry"
wrote:
"tim(yet another new home)" wrote in message
...

"Pyriform" wrote in message
...
Can you enlighten me how I'm supposed to use my
fridge freezer to save leccy?

Turn it down a bit?
Steve Terry

Turn it up surely

Turn the power down, allowing the temp to rise a bit.

I'm inclined to think that, whichever is the correct
way to say it, this would be irresponsible advice.

tim

"Pyriform" wrote in message
...
Steve Terry wrote:
"tim(yet another new home)" wrote in
message ...

"Pyriform" wrote in message
...
I have this morning received a communication from my current energy
supplier, Southern Electric. After explaining that they've
fulfilled their May promise not to increase my prices again for the
rest of 2006, and are therefore now going to increase them from 1st
January 2007, they point me in the direction of their handy
energy-saving leaflet, which they have enclosed.

"Work WONDERS in a WEEKEND", it proclaims, ahead of a list of 4
energy saving priorities. In fourth place, the fridge-freezer.

Can you enlighten me how I'm supposed to use my
fridge freezer to save leccy?

Turn it down a bit?

I omitted the suggestion, which was to go out and buy a replacement
A-rated appliance, because it was not relevant to the point I was
attempting to make about mobile phone chargers and corporate stupidity.

Ah, so in order to save the extra emissions from 5 quids worth
of leccy I'm suppoosed to throw away a perfectly servicable FF
and suffer the extra emissions from having a new one made and
delivered. I bet the van that brings it to my house would chuck
out more pollutants than can be saved in 5 years of use.

tim

In article , Max Demian
writes
"JF" wrote in message
...
In message , linker3000
writes of USB ports:

Some of this energy is now tapped off on modern computers to charge mobile
devices and also act as a personal space heater - if you have ever sat
with a laptop on your lap, you can clearly feel your nads warming up (not
the ladies, obviously).

I recently saw in Guildford's PC World a USB coffee warmer on their
wallyware display. It consisted of a USB lead and a pad which, presumably,
held some sort of element.

I was given one of those last Christmas. It gets hot, but, since almost all
coffee mugs have a rim on the base to stop heat from being conducted down to
the table, the same rim stops heat from the gadget from passing up to the
coffee.

I thought the ridge on the base was to prevent liquid being drawn
underneath by capillary action and causing the mug to stick. Since heat
rises this 'rim' should not cause much of a problem. I do question how
much heat will bas through the material the mug is made from.

--
Ian G8ILZ

"Roderick Stewart" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 17 Nov 2006 02:03:25 GMT, "Steve Terry"
wrote:

You could 'borrow' electricity from the neighbours if this comes about
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061115-8229.html

The trouble with Tesla is that he's not dead enough.

Little to do with dodgy dead Serbs.
The idea is the run a resonator on a standard frequency of around 6MHz
in each house, with chargeable products like laptops, mobile phones, etc,
having a built in matching frequency resonator detecting,
and rectifying down to DC to charge up.

Presumably it would have to be switched on all the time to be of more
practical use than something you have to remember, like plugging into
a conventional charger. I wonder how efficient that would make it?
Rod.

If you aren't coupled and drawing power, very little power lost.
Obviously both resonator and receiving appliance would have power meters to
show coupling efficiency

Bit like watching your wifi meter on a laptop

Steve Terry

"tim(yet another new home)" wrote in message
...
"Steve Terry" wrote in message
...
"Digby" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 17 Nov 2006 02:05:33 GMT, "Steve Terry"
wrote:
"tim(yet another new home)" wrote in message
...

"Pyriform" wrote in message
...
Can you enlighten me how I'm supposed to use my
fridge freezer to save leccy?

Turn it down a bit?
Steve Terry

Turn it up surely

Turn the power down, allowing the temp to rise a bit.

I'm inclined to think that, whichever is the correct
way to say it, this would be irresponsible advice.
tim

Only of your fridge temp rose above +4C
and freezer above -18C

Best thing Fridge/freezer manufacturers can do
is put in accurate thermometers controlling CPU temp regulation.

Instead of leaving it up to the owner to randomly wiggle a knob.
Would both save energy and users health

Steve Terry

"Steve Terry" wrote in message
...
"tim(yet another new home)" wrote in message
...
"Steve Terry" wrote in message
...
"Digby" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 17 Nov 2006 02:05:33 GMT, "Steve Terry"
wrote:
"tim(yet another new home)" wrote in
message
...

"Pyriform" wrote in message
...
Can you enlighten me how I'm supposed to use my
fridge freezer to save leccy?

Turn it down a bit?
Steve Terry

Turn it up surely

Turn the power down, allowing the temp to rise a bit.

I'm inclined to think that, whichever is the correct
way to say it, this would be irresponsible advice.
tim

Only of your fridge temp rose above +4C
and freezer above -18C

Well yes. But without first establishing that this won't
happen, suggesting that people turn up/down their control
is irresponsible.

tim




Best thing Fridge/freezer manufacturers can do
is put in accurate thermometers controlling CPU temp regulation.

Instead of leaving it up to the owner to randomly wiggle a knob.
Would both save energy and users health

Steve Terry

"Prometheus" wrote in message
...
In article , Max Demian
writes
"JF" wrote in message
...
In message , linker3000
writes of USB ports:

Some of this energy is now tapped off on modern computers to charge
mobile
devices and also act as a personal space heater - if you have ever sat
with a laptop on your lap, you can clearly feel your nads warming up
(not
the ladies, obviously).

I recently saw in Guildford's PC World a USB coffee warmer on their
wallyware display. It consisted of a USB lead and a pad which,
presumably,
held some sort of element.

I was given one of those last Christmas. It gets hot, but, since almost
all
coffee mugs have a rim on the base to stop heat from being conducted down
to
the table, the same rim stops heat from the gadget from passing up to the
coffee.

I thought the ridge on the base was to prevent liquid being drawn
underneath by capillary action and causing the mug to stick. Since heat
rises this 'rim' should not cause much of a problem.

"Heat rises" refers to convection currents. Conducted heat passes in any
direction with equal ease.

I suppose there may be a little convection in the space under the mug, but a
saucepan designed to be used on a hotplate or boiling ring has a flat bottom
and is made of a conductive material.

I do question how much heat will bas through the material the mug is made
from.

Not a lot as most ceramics are poor insulators..

--
Max Demian

"tim(yet another new home)" wrote in message
...

"Steve Terry" wrote in message
...
"tim(yet another new home)" wrote in message
...
"Steve Terry" wrote in message
...
"Digby" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 17 Nov 2006 02:05:33 GMT, "Steve Terry"
wrote:
"tim(yet another new home)" wrote in
message
...

"Pyriform" wrote in message
...
snip
Best thing Fridge/freezer manufacturers can do
is put in accurate thermometers controlling CPU temp regulation.
Instead of leaving it up to the owner to randomly wiggle a knob.
Would both save energy and users health
Steve Terry

Well yes. But without first establishing that this won't
happen, suggesting that people turn up/down their control
is irresponsible.
tim

Most people twiddle regularly with their knobs pointlessly anyway
(take that as you will)

Steve Terry