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Posted by Jeff Wisnia on January 9, 2007, 8:42 pm
From time to time I've wondered why the standard US lighting voltage
was (when I was a kid) 110 volts and not a "rounder" number like 100 or
maybe 150.
I think I may have located a believable answer, purportedly in Edison's
own words, on page 66 of this document, under the heading "Why 110 Volts":
http://www.ias.ac.in/resonance/Jan2000/pdf/Jan2000p60-70.pdf
Now, can someone tell me when and why it was "increased" to 115 and then
120 volts? Will I live to see it become 125 volts in a few years? <G>
Jeff
(Next, why did the early phonograph records revolve at 78 RPM? and have
you ever wondered why 33 and 45 add up to 78?)
--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.98*10^14 fathoms per fortnight.
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Posted by dpb on January 10, 2007, 12:46 am
Jeff Wisnia wrote:
> From time to time I've wondered why the standard US lighting voltage
> was (when I was a kid) 110 volts and not a "rounder" number like 100 or
> maybe 150.
>
...
> ... Will I live to see it become 125 volts in a few years? <G>
...
Heck, I see anywhere from 123 to 130 now! (Although it usually seems
closer to 127) :)
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Posted by Doug Miller on January 10, 2007, 7:59 am
>(Next, why did the early phonograph records revolve at 78 RPM? and have
>you ever wondered why 33 and 45 add up to 78?)
"Earliest rotation speeds varied widely, but between 1900-1925 most records
were recorded between 74-82 rpm. In 1925, 78.26 rpm was chosen as the standard
because of the introduction of the electrically powered synchronous turntable
motor. This motor ran at 3600 rpm with a 46:1 gear ratio which produced 78.26
rpm. In parts of the world that used 50 Hz current, the standard was 77.92
RPM ..."
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramophone_record#Speeds>
--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)
It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.
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Posted by hallerb@aol.com on January 10, 2007, 8:28 am
higher voltage reduces current a little too.....
euope uses higher voltage to keep conductors smaller, and remember the
power to your home gets converted many times by transformers before
arriving at your socket. low voltage can cause big grief so the keep
raising it over ime
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Posted by Stubby on January 10, 2007, 9:49 am
hallerb@aol.com wrote:
> higher voltage reduces current a little too.....
>
> euope uses higher voltage to keep conductors smaller, and remember the
> power to your home gets converted many times by transformers before
> arriving at your socket. low voltage can cause big grief so the keep
> raising it over ime
>
True, but they use 50 Hz rather that 60 Hz in the US. That makes for
bigger transformers. If we were serious about saving, we'd increase
the frequency to about 10,000 Hz.
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