Recent content by optimizer

Mouse/Rat fur more like. Well that's the thing, I'm not sure if it's better to service the beast or buy new. If I had more of an idea of what genrally goes wrong with motors (there's probably not very much to them), and if a simple repair can give it a continued long life, I could make a...

Hi, I have a 3HP motor running continuously. After about 5 years it has stopped, flicked breaker and it continued. That happened a few times. More recently, now 10 years, it stopped and wouldn't start. I tried a few things, but turning the motors shaft seemed to get it to work when power was...

Hi, I was wanting to test garden soil for its phosphorous content. I've seen test kits and electric/chemical kits and the like, but is it possible to do this DIY? I'd need to create a solution and have a scale to determine results. Thanks for your help.

No, the switch contacts are not avoiding each other in any way and one is sprung sufficiently to contact. The only thing that can be between them is that grease. So do all greases allow electricity to pass, or are there special ones specifically for that purpose? I will of course keep your...

Hi, I had auto lights failing and instead of let the mechanics supply me with a brand new switch unit at a great rate, I delved into the switch unit to see what was happening. I noticed a lot of oil and grease in the box containing the switches. The contact plates were covered in the grease...

It's the average sized one I'm trying to get the information on (?kW ?MW ?). Maybe there is an average for offshore and an average for onshore. 1/ What size do they generally use, and 2/ how many Joules do they produce per day (on average). 3/ How many pounds of air do they process to...

Hi, With all the wind farms being put into production recently, does anyone know what the average size generally is. I see they are generally between 10-kW to 5-MW, quite a difference, so I would think the large ones can only be used in certain places and need to be spaced apart more - but I...

Ah, sorry, I forgot to note I'm a Physics Dummy (one of those aged ones that's ready to learn after school days). Thanks for the answer, it's getting me there. Yes, so it's "maximum work" that I'm looking for, is it. I don't know the mg-h formula (willing to research, but probably quicker...

Hi, If I have a weight, an example could be the weights in a Pendulum type clock (weight could be pounds, or tons if we're talking Big Ben), is there a way to calculate the maximum amount of electricity the weight could be generating (kilowatts etc) if the clock was replaced with a generator of...

update That sounds real good too. Thanks. Hadn't thought of the indicator idea. Sounds good. Here's the latest (as the "edit" option isn't avail now) After 35 hours - Around 3.9 volts - and it's stopped snowing. So the voltage is slowly dropping. A few months ago when I first noticed the...

silver bats The Silver batteries I used before had been used for quite a while for Black and Decker tool purposes before I ever came up with an idea for using them to power a video camera instead of those Lithium Ions that seem such a waste/expense/don't run/last long. The silver batteries by...

Not Lion Not using Lithium, I'm using what I mentioned earlier - Black and Decker Versapak 3.6V NiMH's. The Lithium and it's Lithium replacement for the Video camera died very quickly. I studied batteries a little, and the more I read about Lithium the more I would not even have them in a house...

Hi, Thanks for the discussions. I had 2 Black and Decker VersaPak NiCD 3.6 volt batteries that worked fine. Replaced them with Black and Decker VersaPak NIMH's that when charged seem to charge to much more than 7.2 volts, more like 8 or even a little over for some reason. When they are used...

Hi, I built a 7.2 V battery pack using two rechargeable 3.6V dc batteries. They eventually died and I purchased some different new 3.6 V replacements. Unfortunately, when these are charged they pump out a total of 8+ volts and shut down my device. I'm an electronics dummy other than the...