New York City dwellers: Do you use Green Mountain Energy for your household power? Why or why not?
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posted by greta simone
on May 21, 2013 -
2 answers
Explain to me the technology of charging devices. Is it mainly about voltage? About current? How close to the "required" values must you be?
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posted by Obscure Reference
on Nov 16, 2012 -
9 answers
My computer cycles off without warning, and it's on a battery pack/surge protector UPS. What gives?
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posted by Chris4d
on Nov 14, 2012 -
13 answers
In 2009,
91.2% of Seattle's electricity was from hydroelectric sources, and in 2010,
87.9% was hydro. Is the hydro capacity maxed out, or will it scale up to meet additional demand and maintain that ratio? Here's what I'm getting at: If I were to use more electricity than now, will that incremental power effectively come from non-renewable sources rather than ~90% hydro?
posted by hodgebodge
on Jun 6, 2012 -
14 answers
A friend of mine has 20+ old arcade games in his basement. He has essentially set up a small arcade museum at his house. It's pretty sweet! The games are split between several circuits in the house but power is becoming a concern. These old electronics are sensitive to spikes and low voltages and we want to keep them running as long as possible - most of the circuit boards are not made and difficult to replace or repair. What should we consider for 110v line conditioning?
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posted by rwheindl
on Feb 29, 2012 -
6 answers
After months of rambling on the wonders of waffles to my UK housemates, I was gifted the best present ever...
a waffle maker! I am desperate to make this thing work. Need electrical advice.
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posted by iamkimiam
on Jan 12, 2012 -
34 answers
I'm about to teach a soldering class to kids, and it occurs to me that I may blow a fuse in the room that I'm doing the event in if I plug too many in at once... Any idea of how to gauge how many I can plug in simultaneously? This is the soldering iron I have.
http://www.elexp.com/sdr_5258.htm Ideally, I'll plug in 12 at once... thank
posted by davidvan
on Nov 29, 2011 -
6 answers
Need a step-down converter for plugging a printer sold in the US (110V power) into a 3rd-world socket (240V power). I get the voltage part but watts and amps and such are a bit beyond my electronoobicity.
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posted by allkindsoftime
on Jul 27, 2011 -
18 answers
Wires, cables - I hate them. What options are currently available (or
really just around the corner) to make my world wireless.
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posted by HopStopDon'tShop
on Jul 25, 2011 -
6 answers
I know you are not my electrician, but: Why does this electrical power outlet no longer work?
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posted by docgonzo
on Jun 27, 2011 -
8 answers
How can the new Macbook Pros use 90+ watts of power when they only have 85W power adapters?
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posted by mpls2
on Mar 25, 2011 -
6 answers
Where to buy a 4 1/2" outlet box that is open on both sides for back-to-back light fixture installation?
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posted by Jim Biancolo
on Dec 12, 2010 -
7 answers
Is there a simple way to put an electrical outlet on a "two minutes on, five minutes off" duty cycle?
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posted by TPIRman
on Oct 4, 2010 -
7 answers
What are the potential risks of leaving things plugged in on one end (to an outlet, to a computer) and free on the other end?
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posted by neuromodulator
on Sep 26, 2010 -
8 answers
My laptop power cord's ground prong (the third prong) broke off, and it stopped working in most wall plugs. I ordered a new one and when it came, it didn't have a third prong, but it works fine. Why is that? And more importantly, is there some future situation where I'm going to regret not replacing the old one with a new, three-prong plug?
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posted by malapropist
on Sep 20, 2010 -
4 answers
After a move, our computer (an older aOpen desktop) can't sleep through the night. It's fine if we leave it powered on, but if we put it to sleep, it seems to lose power sometime in the night and does not wake up properly in the morning. Will a cheap UPS (
this one, for example) solve the problem? Any other ideas?
posted by Xalf
on Sep 12, 2010 -
19 answers
Where can I find a compact power strip (that I can travel with) - kind of like the
USB octupus but for electricity. I always run into trouble sharing power outlets at airports etc. I'm living in Europe.
posted by mathiu
on Jun 27, 2010 -
7 answers
I'm going to be out of town for three weeks. Is it safe for me to turn off the water heater in my high rise apartment? Each unit has its own and I'd like to save water while I'm gone.
posted by Aanidaani
on Jun 11, 2010 -
18 answers
Does leaving my phone's car charger plugged in to the car at all times significantly drain my car's battery?
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posted by Vorteks
on May 20, 2010 -
22 answers
Which uses more electrical power: All of the hotels and attractions on the Las Vegas strip, or all of the hotels and attractions within Walt Disney World in Florida?
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posted by Mwongozi
on Feb 13, 2010 -
9 answers
So the place I work is about to grow and needs more power in the building for more people and a very large serverfarm upgrade. I am a bit unclear on a few topics, mainly related to three phase vs single phase power.
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posted by anonymous
on Jan 17, 2010 -
7 answers
Just returned from fabulous 2 week holiday in New York. I Brought back Epson Artisan 800 All-in-One Printer from Staples costing $230. Unfortunately, I cannot use it in U.K., unless I plug voltage converter/transformer products. Has anyone else bought this set over there with more success?
Any advice \ information appreciated.
Please specify me What exact voltage converter product to buy & where to buy it from USA online store. Thanks.
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posted by omaralarifi
on Jan 28, 2009 -
4 answers
What percentage of U.S. power plants can run on either natural gas or residual fuel oil? Please cite source.
posted by zembla3
on Jan 16, 2009 -
4 answers
Can I damage my laptop by using a power adapter that has a slightly higher wattage than the original adapter? The original adapter was 65W, and the aftermarket one is 70W. The voltage is switchable. My original adapter had a voltage of 18.5V, this one says that if I need 18.5V, I should choose 18V.
Any chance of damaging the computer by using this one?
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posted by leticia
on Nov 13, 2008 -
8 answers
Why should energy supply companies bother making people houses greener when they are essentially reducing demand for their good? (quite a UK based question)
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posted by henry.oswald
on Sep 8, 2008 -
11 answers
First time living alone, and just got my first electric bill... what's using so much power? How much power does my computer really use?
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posted by Kosh
on Sep 4, 2008 -
35 answers
When I plug my MacBook Pro Power Adapter into most/all outlets, I see a blue spark as the prongs enter the outlet. Is this normal?
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posted by plasticbugs
on Aug 17, 2008 -
10 answers
Help me understand electricity and physics and how they apply to motors. I have my head around electricity basics and electromagnetism, but I have a few unanswered questions about the more subtle aspects.
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posted by kaizen
on Jun 22, 2008 -
11 answers
Can anyone help me figure out what kind of power source I need for my outdoor art project?
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posted by xo
on Jun 5, 2008 -
10 answers
Working on DIY solar charger from modified garden power lamps. Of course the panels look different than the ones in the pictures!
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posted by aetg
on Feb 17, 2008 -
6 answers
Anyone know a simple and cheap solar panel setup to run a small boombox about 9-12V DC?
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posted by Bengston
on Dec 4, 2007 -
3 answers
When it rains / storms our power inevitably blinks out (usually comes right back online in a few seconds) and we have lost 1 TV and another one is now behaving erratically. Need help coming up with a plan of action.
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posted by dino terror
on Oct 9, 2007 -
8 answers
So the electrician said nothing was wrong. But something WAS wrong, only it fixed itself by the time he got there. Help me diagnose this maddening problem our tenant had.
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posted by dhartung
on Sep 21, 2007 -
17 answers
2 outlets & a ceiling light stopped working at the same time. None of the circuit breakers were flipped. What would cause this, and how can I troubleshoot it?
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posted by designbot
on Aug 30, 2007 -
15 answers
Solar photovoltaic fabric. I'm trying to find or recall about a particular type of technology that I half-remember, as well as find out more about the current state of the art for flexible and/or fabric and/or imprinted solar panels.
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posted by loquacious
on Jun 6, 2007 -
4 answers
I have a friend visiting me from the UK that is looking to buy a Nintendo DS while he is here to bring back home. Does he need to buy a converter to use with the included power adaptor, or does he need to buy a 240 charger back home? Will the US adaptor work with UK outlets?
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posted by skrike
on May 10, 2007 -
7 answers
Since December 2006, my electricity bill has shown at least a 1,000 KWH increase over the same period a year ago. We haven't purchased any new appliances, or done anything appreciably different. This month, we didn't use our air conditioning/heating unit at all, and our bill still came in 25% higher (500 KWH) than a year ago.
We're at a loss. What could be the reason? We ordered a Kill-a-watt, but till it arrives, we are trying to figure it out. Any thoughts?
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posted by wflanagan
on May 9, 2007 -
34 answers
I just picked up a 1000W step-down converter (220V-110V) to power a receiver after a 750W exploded in a blaze of glory when I turned it on one morning. I'd very much like to avoid this kind of thing again. So my question is, is it relatively safe to keep step-down converters turned on at all times? If so, will it constantly be using 1000W of power even when the receiver is turned off? I've heard differing opinions but found no definitive answer on the interwebs.
Related, is it true that you should always have something plugged into the converter when it is turned on?
posted by DefendBrooklyn
on Feb 17, 2007 -
7 answers
