Path: csiph.com!fu-berlin.de!uni-berlin.de!individual.net!not-for-mail From: "Carlos E.R." Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc,alt.comp.os.windows-11 Subject: Re: Pickup trucks for city boys Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2025 15:16:37 +0200 Lines: 183 Message-ID: References: <106mke5$1di32$1@dont-email.me> <2W2pQ.10557$uCGc.6020@fx14.iad> <108428t$7mtq$4@dont-email.me> <108aefl$1n7i9$9@dont-email.me> <108hddu$3bl64$2@dont-email.me> <108leod$b9i7$1@dont-email.me> <108mli5$k17h$1@dont-email.me> <108moro$ktk8$1@dont-email.me> <108muat$m6bo$1@dont-email.me> <6P6cndY_yqfjxS31nZ2dnZfqn_SdnZ2d@giganews.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Trace: individual.net I+ClM8bJO/4rgrl1uHGr2gZsTN9VvkE7lawlM8aFrtjLSal3NS X-Orig-Path: Telcontar.valinor!not-for-mail Cancel-Lock: sha1:avxO0+kfDyQ4bgFw7QsU8kZBZRs= sha256:4YSBW3gQMVaw2xxqsdSxWSaCHmaci9GTlszTD5e/pao= User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird Content-Language: es-ES, en-CA In-Reply-To: Xref: csiph.com comp.os.linux.misc:72631 alt.comp.os.windows-11:23268 On 2025-08-29 09:13, c186282 wrote: > On 8/28/25 3:27 PM, Carlos E.R. wrote: >> On 2025-08-28 15:24, c186282 wrote: >>> On 8/28/25 7:29 AM, Carlos E.R. wrote: >>>> On 2025-08-28 06:53, c186282 wrote: >>>>> On 8/27/25 8:40 AM, Daniel70 wrote: >>>>>> On 27/08/2025 9:06 pm, Graham J wrote: >>>>>>> Paul wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> [snip useful figures] >> >> ... >> >>>>>    120v requires slightly larger wires. You WANT 12ga but >>>>>    beware cheap-ass contractors who try to sneak in 14ga >>>>>    to save a few bucks. On the plus, 120v is less dangerous >>>>>    than 240v. >>>> >>>> Except fire-wise :-) >>> >>> >>>    Only if you let the contractor fudge it :-) >>> >>>    If building a brand new house now I'd insist >>>    on 10ga for 20a breakers - a fair safety margin. >>>    Very worth the slight extra expense. >>> >>>    A guy I know CAUGHT the contractor putting 14ga >>>    on 20a circuits - made him tear it all out and >>>    do-over. NEVER count on 'inspectors' - they >>>    don't WANT to see anything and some get brown >>>    envelopes full of cash too. >> >> Good. >> >> On most places, I guess the connections are not soldered, and rust is >> a possibility. Then there are sockets and switches. They can heat up >> after some years. > >   There are two enemies of electrical connections ... oxidation >   and the tendency of copper to keep compressing under load. >   Either can lead to overheating/fire eventually. > >   Had an odd problem in an out-building. The lights would >   come on BUT if you flipped on the little welder unit >   everything would go black. An electrician finally found >   that the 40 year old connection to the out-building in >   the main panel had 'compressed' and was nearly just LOOSE. >   A quick re-tighten fixed all ... but that sort of thing >   CAN sneak up on you. > >   Worst problem ever, USA, was when aluminum electrical >   wire was first introduced. Especially in coastal areas >   the stuff would corrode - every plug socket. Five or >   ten years and the flames would start. > >   Soldered connections, they just don't DO that anymore. >   It's twist (maybe) and one of those screw-over caps. >   NOT really good. Short-term cheap, longer-term DOOM. > > >>>    My existing house is OLD - early '50s. Most of >>>    the original wiring was twist+SOLDER splices >>>    and industrial Romex and most is also in metal >>>    conduit. Don't know HOW they did solder in the >>>    old days - giant iron, pot ? DOES bar oxygen and >>>    corrosion though. The builder built it for HIMSELF >>>    and did live there for a few years. >> >> I re-wired part of my house, cables are soldered except at some points >> when they go into some device. > >   Then you're in luck ! > >   Really DO want those soldered connections esp for stuff >   in the ceiling and walls where you can't see or get to it. >   Otherwise ... do you REALLY want connections in the attic >   getting red hot ? Breakers/fuses won't SEE that. > >   But, they don't DO that anymore. > >   The guy who built his/my house had access to true 50s >   'industrial' Romex. Insulated wires, HEAVY outer cover >   plus HEAVY fiberglas-reinforced 2nd jacket. Should be >   used everywhere IMHO, but, of course, they won't. > >> ... >> >>>>>    Oh, for DATA wiring - like RS-485 and friends - you >>>>>    only connect the ground on ONE end because over some >>>>>    hundreds or thousands of feet the value of 'ground' >>>>>    is DIFFERENT. Large, albeit low voltage, currents >>>>>    can be obtained from separated grounds. Always >>>>>    thought that might be exploited somehow. >>>> >>>> Oh, I know that one, learned early. I did that trick on the loud- >>>> speaker system of a student venue. I managed long microphone cables >>>> without hum. >>>> >>>> >>>> On my first job, I experienced a related one. Me or my boss >>>> connected a printer (parallel cable) to a computer, saw a tiny >>>> spark. Sure enough, the printer port on the computer was fried. I >>>> measured the voltage at the computer chasis: 110ac, half the mains >>>> voltage. A subproduct of the PSU filtering. >>>> >>>> The computer was not grounded. Taught my boss the importance of >>>> grounding the computers from then on. >>> >>>    Differing ground potential IS an issue - esp with >>>    communication circuits. Can burn those tiny wires. >>> >>>>>    Anyway, that's my 45+ years of paycheck experience. >>>>> >>>>>    Suggest "Ugly's" handbook for the short and sweet. >>>> >>>> :-) >>> >>>    Got a copy of "Ugly's" ?  :-) >> >> Oops, I was smiling at the previous sentence actually :-) > >   The 45 years ??? Hey, they DID pay me for this stuff. > >   Dad was a master electrician, industrial/mil. Sometimes >   I paid attention. > >   My fave was 50-100hp pump control panels. You could >   wait three months, pay $9000, OR build them yourself >   from parts on Grainger/McMasters. 3-phase main breaker >   feeds phase/voltage monitor which feeds restart delay >   timer which feeds the actual motor-starter. Fuses in >   between each stage. Not too difficult. In case of >   a power blink you do NOT want a large pump immediately >   restarting because there'll be a back-surge - and you >   will either shear off your impeller or overload the >   motor or both. A simple 60sec delay timer fixes that. >   Reversible pumps double the complexity, but not the >   logic. Never had complaints from any 'real' electricians >   who came along after. > >   Anyway, you could build them in a day for WAY WAY >   less than $9000. > >   Also interesting are '3-phase converters' - 1ph to 3ph. >   MOST of them are CRAP, really NO power to the 3rd leg >   except right at start-up to get it going in the right >   direction. Can't always get 3-ph alas but you NEED it >   to run larger motors. I did not know that. In the 90's we used inverters to drive three phased motors, some quite big, and it was actually three phases. And some were "four quadrants", meaning you could use it as a brake and feed electricity to the network. Sometimes we used DC motors. My boss said that for small powers it was better three phase motor and inverters and for big powers DC was better (aka cheaper). Or the other way round, I don't remember. Now days my AC says it is inverter driven. All I know is that it runs very smooth, I have seen the compressor draw under 200Watts when the temp is stable at night. My fridge is also inverter driven. > >   "Rotary" converters work well - BUT if in like a >   sea-side environment they'll CORRODE. "Static" is >   best there. Strongly rec "RONK" static converters. >   You DO have to "tune them in" - adjust transformer >   and cap-bank jumpers - but if you do it right you >   can get almost perfect power on all 3 phases. >   DO remember the 'yellow wire' ... important  :-) > > > >>>    There are a few other good field guides, but >>>    DO love the name "Ugly's". > > > -- Cheers, Carlos.