48512450$1@news.povray.org...
>
> Oh goodie. Now I need to find some power from somewhere. :-/
>
> -- 
Out of curiosity, whitch model is your additionnal soundcard?

Marc

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Invisible wrote:
> Mmm - I understand you can also make a mic out of a speaker. But it 
> tends not to work well. ;-)

That's how the very first telephones worked. By the time they actually 
got to something like a switchboard (i.e., telephone rather than 
intercom) they figured they could separate the two.

> Hey, I wonder - can I use the alternator on my car to drive the car 
> instead of recharge the battery? :-D

Yes. It's called a starter motor. ;-)

-- 
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
  Helpful housekeeping hints:
   Check your feather pillows for holes
    before putting them in the washing machine.

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>> The pre-amp is probably expecting a real microphone, not one that needs 
>> power.
>
> Some top-notch microphones need power :-)

I was going to say... it's usually only *expensive* mics that need power 

only expensive studio equipment provides this power too...

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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> Hey, I wonder - can I use the alternator on my car to drive the car 
> instead of recharge the battery? :-D

Probably with half a dozen, I'd guess they'd be 2 - 5 HP each,
would need a good DC to 3 phase controller of course.
http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/showthread.php/alternator-motor-conversion-booklet-2959.html

It might be a cheap way to drive one of those carts they
get the HS students to race at the enviro-fairs.

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Darren New wrote:

>> Hey, I wonder - can I use the alternator on my car to drive the car 
>> instead of recharge the battery? :-D
> 
> Yes. It's called a starter motor. ;-)

The starter motor is designed to convert electric to kinetic. The 
alternator is designed to convert kinetic to electric. I'm musing over 
whether either device can do the *opposite* job. :-P

Actually, you laugh, but I did see a report about a car that has a giant 
motor inside it that drives the wheels at low speeds, acts as a starter 
motor to start the petrol engine when the car is moving fast enough, and 
acts as an alternator to charge the batteries thereafter. Basically the 
petrol engine only runs while the car is doing more than 20 MPH. The big 
advantage being that waiting at traffic lights uses no fuel.

[Actually, having computed that my car uses 10^(-6) L of fuel per minute 
even when it's flying down the road at 75 MPH, I wonder just how much 
fuel it can possibly be wasting on tickover? And also, doesn't 
repeatedly starting up a petrol engine waste fuel anyway?]

Last I heard the car never came to market. They were still playing with 
the control software to try to figure out the most optimal algorithms...

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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m_a_r_c wrote:

> Out of curiosity, whitch model is your additionnal soundcard?

Behringer F-Control Audio FCA202 (I think!)

Unbalanced input impedance = 24 kΩ, max level = 2 dBV.

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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> Actually, you laugh, but I did see a report about a car that has a giant 
> motor inside it that drives the wheels at low speeds,

A useful tip that (apparently) not many people know, is that if you've 
broken down in a dangerous location you can use the starter motor to move 
along at slow speeds in *any* car (ok maybe not in those american 
automatics).  Just put it in 1st gear and try to start the engine - it will 
allow you to move the car to a safer location (assuming you don't also have 
a flat battery!).

> The big advantage being that waiting at traffic lights uses no fuel.

My car does that already - as soon as you are stationary, in neutral, and 
let go of the clutch pedal, the engine stops.  And then as soon as you touch 
the clutch pedal it restarts.  Apparently meant to save a few % of fuel when 
driving in cities.

> [Actually, having computed that my car uses 10^(-6) L of fuel per minute 
> even when it's flying down the road at 75 MPH,

Wow! What car do you have with such great fuel economy? ;-)

> I wonder just how much fuel it can possibly be wasting on tickover?

I had a Ford once that showed the fuel economy in realtime as you were 
driving, but if you were stopped it switched to litres per hour, was 
something like 1.5 litres per hour IIRC when stationary.  I rememeber 
figuring out I could leave it running for a day or so until it used up a 
full tank.

> And also, doesn't repeatedly starting up a petrol engine waste fuel 
> anyway?]

Depends how warm the engine is and how often you restart it.  For a fully 
warm engine I think that if you're going to let it idle for more than a few 
seconds it's better to switch it off and restart.

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> A useful tip that (apparently) not many people know, is that if you've 
> broken down in a dangerous location you can use the starter motor to 
> move along at slow speeds in *any* car (ok maybe not in those american 
> automatics).  Just put it in 1st gear and try to start the engine - it 
> will allow you to move the car to a safer location (assuming you don't 
> also have a flat battery!).

The thing I find interesting is that my car weighs easily enough to 
crush every single bone on your body... and yet it's not actually that 
hard to push it along a road. If it's parked on the drive and I need to 
move it a few feet to open the guarage door or something, take the 
brakes off and push it... it moves surprisingly easily for such a damn 
heavy object. (I guess my wheel baring work really well?)

OTOH, if there's a hill... forget it.

(Also curios is the fact that the car doesn't accelerate when you drive 
it down a hill... You'd think it would.)

>> The big advantage being that waiting at traffic lights uses no fuel.
> 
> My car does that already - as soon as you are stationary, in neutral, 
> and let go of the clutch pedal, the engine stops.

Mmm, interesting.

I would think this electric motor trickery probably also saves fuel on 
low-speed manovers like trying to park. [Think how much you have to rev 
the engine to make a car move that slowly...]

>> [Actually, having computed that my car uses 10^(-6) L of fuel per 
>> minute even when it's flying down the road at 75 MPH,
> 
> Wow! What car do you have with such great fuel economy? ;-)

...OK, so maybe it wasn't exactly 10^(-6). But it worked out to be some 
absurdly small figure anyway.

>> I wonder just how much fuel it can possibly be wasting on tickover?
> 
> something like 1.5 litres per hour IIRC when stationary.

Interesthing. I thought it would be smaller...

>> And also, doesn't repeatedly starting up a petrol engine waste fuel 
>> anyway?]
> 
> Depends how warm the engine is and how often you restart it.

I've always wanted to know... An engine is a mechanical device. So why 
does temperature have any effect on anything?

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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48524503$1@news.povray.org...
> m_a_r_c wrote:
>
>> Out of curiosity, whitch model is your additionnal soundcard?
>
> Behringer F-Control Audio FCA202 (I think!)
>
> Unbalanced input impedance = 24 k?, max level = 2 dBV.
>
> -- 
> http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
> http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

this one then?
http://www.behringer.com/FCA202/index.cfm?lang=ENG

If I read correctly the specs sheet, it has a dual line input, no microphone 
input.
you need a preamp providing plugin power to get your pc microphone working 
with it.



Marc

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485259b1$1@news.povray.org...
.
>
> I've always wanted to know... An engine is a mechanical device. So why 
> does temperature have any effect on anything?
>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_point :-)

Marc

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