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From: Rich Grise, Plainclothes Hippie on 6 Aug 2010 19:31
I was just musing the other night about Tesla's AC and how it
revolutionized electric wiring, with the step-up transformers and
all.

Well, if you start with, say, 100V, you need to carry 1 amp to power
a 100W light bulb.

But if you step up the 100V to 1,000V, you only need wire that can carry
100mA.

And if you step it up to 1,000,000V, you only need 100 _micro_ amps.

So, logically, if you could step up the voltage enough, you shouldn't
need any wires at all!

Unfortunately, the darned electrons arc over to stuff before they get
to the destination transformer. )-;

But, in fairness, those guys were just discovering electricity for the
first time, and NOBODY knew anything about how it might behave.

Thanks,
Rich

From: Bill Beaty on 6 Aug 2010 21:29
On Aug 6, 4:31 pm, "Rich Grise, Plainclothes Hippie"
<Hip...(a)example.net> wrote:
> So, logically, if you could step up the voltage enough, you shouldn't
> need any wires at all!

Suppose you built a high-freq, high-volt, low-current power supply
which ccould drive impedance-matched devices using a single
conductor. Does it not make sense that you could connect this "single
conductor" to the Earth itself, and therefore operate many distant
grounded devices? :)

In practice it only works if you supply each distant load with an
infinite-Q tank circuit. I suppose a 1 : 10^20 step down transformer
would also suffice. But no progress will endure unless you first take
care to destroy your own sexuality and thereby avoid having your
Flight of Ideas derailed by French actresses dropping scented
handkerchiefs.

From: Tim Williams on 7 Aug 2010 05:03
"Rich Grise, Plainclothes Hippie" <Hippie(a)example.net> wrote in message
news:pan.2010.08.06.23.31.17.622517(a)example.net...
> And if you step it up to 1,000,000V, you only need 100 _micro_ amps.

Of course, you get more than 100uA to the surroundings through capacitance
alone (just at LF), and you get capacitive dividers everywhere. Even
without Hertzian waves (negligible for 25/50/60Hz), you lose voltage
everywhere.

> So, logically, if you could step up the voltage enough, you shouldn't
> need any wires at all!

So logically, if you could step up the voltage sufficiently, you could
lose voltage everywhere. :)

> But, in fairness, those guys were just discovering electricity for the
> first time, and NOBODY knew anything about how it might behave.

Tesla seemed to have a pretty good idea, except for the appreciation of
resonant loss.

His works suggest that you can keep adding energy to a resonant system and
it will stay there forever. In reality, a constant amount of power is
required. This is why you can't shake a house to pieces with a fist-sized
motor, it's too lossy.

Tim

--
Deep Friar: a very philosophical monk.
Website: http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms


From: Paul Keinanen on 7 Aug 2010 07:01
On Fri, 06 Aug 2010 16:31:18 -0700, "Rich Grise, Plainclothes Hippie"
<Hippie(a)example.net> wrote:

>I was just musing the other night about Tesla's AC and how it
>revolutionized electric wiring, with the step-up transformers and
>all.
>
>Well, if you start with, say, 100V, you need to carry 1 amp to power
>a 100W light bulb.
>
>But if you step up the 100V to 1,000V, you only need wire that can carry
>100mA.
>
>And if you step it up to 1,000,000V, you only need 100 _micro_ amps.
>
>So, logically, if you could step up the voltage enough, you shouldn't
>need any wires at all!
>
>Unfortunately, the darned electrons arc over to stuff before they get
>to the destination transformer. )-;

The G-line http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goubou_line could be used to
direct the RF energy to the place wanted :-).

From: PeterD on 7 Aug 2010 09:08
On Fri, 06 Aug 2010 16:31:18 -0700, "Rich Grise, Plainclothes Hippie"
<Hippie(a)example.net> wrote:

>I was just musing the other night about Tesla's AC and how it
>revolutionized electric wiring, with the step-up transformers and
>all.
>
>Well, if you start with, say, 100V, you need to carry 1 amp to power
>a 100W light bulb.
>
>But if you step up the 100V to 1,000V, you only need wire that can carry
>100mA.
>
>And if you step it up to 1,000,000V, you only need 100 _micro_ amps.
>
>So, logically, if you could step up the voltage enough, you shouldn't
>need any wires at all!

Take a minute. Divide it in half. Divide the remaining part in half.
Continue forever, and the minute never ends, right? Same (mis)
logic... So we have beat both power transmission and time!

>
>Unfortunately, the darned electrons arc over to stuff before they get
>to the destination transformer. )-;

What's a few sparks... I just hate it when my clothes stick to me,
along with every bit of fuzz and lint in the room. And you should see
the cat's reaction when I tried it--she freaked out.

>
>But, in fairness, those guys were just discovering electricity for the
>first time, and NOBODY knew anything about how it might behave.

Yea, but some day we'll figure it out!

What I want is unified connectors: power, signal and control in one
(standard AC three pin) connector. TV: plug it in and it works. Phone?
Plug it in and it works. Computer: Plug it in and it works!

>
>Thanks,
>Rich
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