Mike Raiford wrote:

> Hehe... with a handfull of caps, some diodes and a 555 timer as the 
> clock source, you can create your very own chargepump.

This, apparently, is why USB flash drives can work. They use a charge 
pump to generate the large voltages needed to erase a block prior to 
reprogramming it.

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Wow.  I kind of feel sorry now for all the people who grew up after ICs were 
common and don't know how capacitors work or what a power transistor is for.

-- 
Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
    Eiffel - The language that lets you specify exactly
    that the code does what you think it does, even if
    it doesn't do what you wanted.

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Darren New wrote:
> Wow.  I kind of feel sorry now for all the people who grew up after ICs 
> were common and don't know how capacitors work or what a power 
> transistor is for.

Any specific reason?

Anyway, I only work with low-power electronics, so I don't know a whole 
heap about how to engineer (say) the lifting motors for a gigawatt damn 
sluce.

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

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On Fri, 04 Jun 2010 10:22:44 +0100, Invisible wrote:

> Also, most transformers are small square lumps about the size of your
> thumb.

I'm about to blow your mind:

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&source=imghp&q=power
+transformer&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

Jim

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>> Also, most transformers are small square lumps about the size of your
>> thumb.
> 
> I'm about to blow your mind:
> 
> http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&source=imghp&q=power
> +transformer&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

Yeah, well *obviously* a transformer than supplies 20,000 homes is going 
to be slightly bigger than the one that supplies the 20 mA to the 
speaker in your pocket radio. :-P

The thing is, you don't have a transformer like that IN YOUR HOUSE. And 
yet, my dad for some reason DOES have this monster transformer...

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

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On Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:22:04 +0100, Orchid XP v8 wrote:

>>> Also, most transformers are small square lumps about the size of your
>>> thumb.
>> 
>> I'm about to blow your mind:
>> 
>> http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&source=imghp&q=power
>> +transformer&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=
> 
> Yeah, well *obviously* a transformer than supplies 20,000 homes is going
> to be slightly bigger than the one that supplies the 20 mA to the
> speaker in your pocket radio. :-P
> 
> The thing is, you don't have a transformer like that IN YOUR HOUSE. And
> yet, my dad for some reason DOES have this monster transformer...

I do have a pretty good sized transformer in a PSU for an amateur radio 
rig in the basement.

Jim

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On 6/4/2010 1:22 PM, Orchid XP v8 wrote:
> The thing is, you don't have a transformer like that IN YOUR HOUSE. And
> yet, my dad for some reason DOES have this monster transformer...

I have one about the size that you mentioned.  It's a neon sign 
transformer that puts out several kilo-volts.  I used to have it hooked 
up to a rather large Tesla coil.  The coil was dismantled many years 
ago, but I still held onto the transformer, just in case.  ;-)

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Kyle wrote:
> On 6/4/2010 1:22 PM, Orchid XP v8 wrote:
>> The thing is, you don't have a transformer like that IN YOUR HOUSE. And
>> yet, my dad for some reason DOES have this monster transformer...
> 
> I have one about the size that you mentioned.  It's a neon sign 
> transformer that puts out several kilo-volts.  I used to have it hooked 
> up to a rather large Tesla coil.  The coil was dismantled many years 
> ago, but I still held onto the transformer, just in case.  ;-)

I would imagine that to HOLD ON TO a transformer like that would be... 
inadvisible. (!)

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

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Orchid XP v8 wrote:
> Kyle wrote:
>> On 6/4/2010 1:22 PM, Orchid XP v8 wrote:
>>> The thing is, you don't have a transformer like that IN YOUR HOUSE. And
>>> yet, my dad for some reason DOES have this monster transformer...
>>
>> I have one about the size that you mentioned.  It's a neon sign
>> transformer that puts out several kilo-volts.  I used to have it
>> hooked up to a rather large Tesla coil.  The coil was dismantled many
>> years ago, but I still held onto the transformer, just in case.  ;-)
> 
> I would imagine that to HOLD ON TO a transformer like that would be...
> inadvisible. (!)
> 

Only while there is still some power left in it.

That kind of voltage and current is safe if you respect it. Had a
impromptu band play on campus, where the bass line was a jacob's ladder
sticking out of the back of a microwave. The drum stick was a metal tip
glued on to a good length of acrylic. No Tesla coils, yet.

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> The thing is, you don't have a transformer like that IN YOUR HOUSE. And 
> yet, my dad for some reason DOES have this monster transformer...

People who have moved from 110V countries to 220V ones (or vice versa) often 
have a chunky transformer like that so they can run their old equipment.

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