The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: billt on January 02, 2021, 08:12:38 AM
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Help me out here guys. I was surprised to see this type of plug available. And I don't understand how it works? How can I plug this adapter into the big 50 AMP outlet on my generator, that accepts the bulk of the power the generator can make. (9,500 Watts). Then plug a low draw, 120 Volt electrical device, (say like a kitchen clock), into the other end, and not have the clock explode?
I know batteries don't push current. You can take a small 12 Volt light bulb, and attach the leads to a giant 12 Volt storage battery, and it will just burn forever. But don't generators push current? If you stick your finger into a 50 AMP receptacle, you're going to get a hell of a bigger jolt, than you would if you did the same thing with a 120 Volt 15 AMP wall outlet. So again, why wouldn't the clock explode?
https://www.homedepot.com/p/AC-WORKS-1-5-ft-4-Outlet-NEMA-14-50P-RV-Range-Geneator-Plug-to-4-NEMA-5-15-20R-20-Amp-Household-Female-Connectors-Adapter-Cord-S1450F520-018/305439343
(https://i.imgur.com/6U8GvBn.jpg?1)
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Your appliances and things take as much power as they need and that's all. Your finger will take everything it gives you. That's just how it is I guess. Electrical flow in its simplest terms is a whole lot like plumbing in many ways. You need connections going to all the right places and the "pipes" have to be big enough to meet the demand. There are other similarities too. Someone else will have to explain 3-phase and all that stuff because I only use regular AC.
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Resistors are used to reduce current in order to prevent light bulbs and other electrical components from “exploding”.
Snip
“Electrical components are given a “power rating” in watts that indicates the maximum rate at which the component converts the electrical power into other forms of energy such as heat, light or motion. For example, a 1/4W resistor, a 100W light bulb etc.
Electrical devices convert one form of power into another. So for example, an electrical motor will covert electrical energy into a mechanical force, while an electrical generator converts mechanical force into electrical energy. A light bulb converts electrical energy into both light and heat.
Also, we now know that the unit of power is the WATT, but some electrical devices such as electric motors have a power rating in the old measurement of “Horsepower” or hp. The relationship between horsepower and watts is given as: 1hp = 746W. So for example, a two-horsepower motor has a rating of 1492W, (2 x 746) or 1.5kW.”
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But isn't that 50 AMP outlet at 240 Volts? If that's the case, how can it not "blow up" the 120 Volt clock? Or is the wiring inside splitting the 1, 240 Volt 50 AMP outlet, into 4, 120 Volt lower amperage outlets??
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Similar to the voltage coming into your house, yes the device is splitting the voltage.
Take a look at your breaker box. Your dryer, range, AC etc. are two branches of 120 off of the buss bar to equal 240. The device is designed to do the same. Current into the house is 100 or 200 amps at probably 600V. A device is designed with resistors to only draw what current needed to power said device.
100 watt bulb @ 120 V draws about 0.90 amps.
100/120 = 0.83 amps
Power (watts) divided by Volts equals current flow (amps)
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It’s been about 50 years since I learned all this crap so forgive me if I miss a few things!
👍
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Most of the time we have a steady voltage and know the wattage of a tool or appliance from the label, but need to figure out the amperage to see how much stuff we can plug in on one circuit. Let's say you have a 1500 watt space heater that runs on 120 volts. Watts / Volts = Amps. 1500/120 = 12.5 amps. If you plug that into a 15 amp circuit that a lot of old houses have and crank it up all the way, you better not have too many other things plugged in or the wiring in the house can heat up.
ETA: Corrected. Watts / Volts = Amps. Watts / Amps = Volts. Amps X Volts = Watts.
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QUICK TIP — What’s the difference between Amps, Volts and Watts?
We get the question, “What’s the difference between amps, volts and watts?” enough that we thought we would address it here. There are some fairly complicated answers to this question but we thought we’d try to simplify the answer by using an analogy.
If we think of electricity as water flowing through a pipe it can help us understand amps, volts and watts. Amps would be the volume of water flowing through the pipe. The water pressure would be the voltage. Watts would be the power (volts x amps) the water could provide (think back to the old days when water was used to power mills). So with this analogy in mind the definitions below for amp, volt and watt should be easier to understand:
Amp – an ampere is the unit for measuring electricity. The accepted standard unit used for measuring how fast an electric current flows is an example of an ampere.
Volt – the basic unit of electromotive force in the SI and MKS systems, equal to the electromotive force, or difference in potential, that causes a current of one ampere to flow through a conductor having a resistance of one ohm.
Watt – the basic unit of electric, mechanical, or thermal power in the SI and MKS systems, equal to one joule per second or 10 ergs per second (of a horsepower): for electric power it is equal to one volt-ampere.
Back to our analogy; electricity is the flow (like water) of electrons through a conductor like a wire. The rate at which electricity flows is measured as an electric current. The electric current is measured in amps. What makes the current flow? In our water analogy we could say a battery would be the pump that makes the water flow which creates pressure in the pipe. The pressure is the voltage. And as we said before the watts are the power the water could provide (like to a mill wheel). The watt is a measure of how much power is released each second.
We hope you now have a better understanding of the difference between amps, volts and watts.
http://www.newelectric.com/whats-the-difference-between-amps-volts-and-watts/
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All I know about electricity is it's invisible and if you let the smoke out it stops working.(Triumph motorcycle owner)
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All I know about electricity is it's invisible and if you let the smoke out it stops working.(Triumph motorcycle owner)
Was it equipped with a Lucas, "Get Home Before Dark", electrical system?
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Was it equipped with a Lucas, "Get Home Before Dark", electrical system?
Yup, John Lucas,The prince of darkness.
The reason the Brits drink warm beer is because Lucas made refrigerators too.
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It doesn't push current. Current is drawn as needed by a device up to the regulated amount of amps (regulated by a breaker...and sometimes the wire, if the breaker is over-sized for the branch LOL).
The draw can be cumulative as well, like in a household circuit with multiple outlets.
For example: If you run a hair dryer on high heat and it draws 1500w, then 1500w divided by 120v = 12.5 amps. If your circuit is a 20 amp circuit then you can still have other things running as well, but if you throw something like a space heater on it that is also drawing 1500w, then you get 25 amps and a tripped breaker.
Basically in simplistic form, the volts are always there but the current (amps) are calculated as they are required based on usage by devices.
As a side note: you can by a plug adapter that allows you to use the 50 amp/240v generator plug as a 30amp 120v line (like campers and RV's use).
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All I know about electricity is it's invisible and if you let the smoke out it stops working.(Triumph motorcycle owner)
wait, a British built vehicle with an electrical problem? No way. I have helped more than a few friends completely rewire thier British stuff.
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wait, a British built vehicle with an electrical problem? No way. I have helped more than a few friends completely rewire thier British stuff.
I’ve had two Triumph bikes, both were good running.
Their cars, at least the 60’s and early 70’s versions ran generators which suck at reliability! Swapping to an alternator is easy if you remember to swap from positive ground to negative!
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wait, a British built vehicle with an electrical problem? No way. I have helped more than a few friends completely rewire thier British stuff.
I heard there is an outfit in Hollywood than takes brand new to 3 year old Jaguars, pulls the engine and electrical system out of them. And replaces it with a new Chevy 350 crate motor, along with an American transmission, all wired into a 12 volt system. I guess there are a LOT of people who love Jaguars, but hate all the problems that come with them. He supposedly has a waiting list.
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I heard there is an outfit in Hollywood than takes brand new to 3 year old Jaguars, pulls the engine and electrical system out of them. And replaces it with a new Chevy 350 crate motor, along with an American transmission, all wired into a 12 volt system. I guess there are a LOT of people who love Jaguars, but hate all the problems that come with them. He supposedly has a waiting list.
not legal in drive on the streets of ca. There maybe a guy, but both carb and bar would love to bend him over.
Carb ca air resource board
Bar. Bureau of automotive repair.
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not legal in drive on the streets of ca. There maybe a guy, but both carb and bar would love to bend him over.
Carb ca air resource board
Bar. Bureau of automotive repair.
It's legal, as long as they meet the emission requirements for the new engine. I read a couple lengthy articles about Boyd Coddington, and the issues of both he and his shop after his death. He wasn't in trouble for putting the modern engines in the old cars or crossing brands. He got in trouble for treating them as old cars instead of new. No catcons, no vapor capture, etc.
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It's legal, as long as they meet the emission requirements for the new engine. I read a couple lengthy articles about Boyd Coddington, and the issues of both he and his shop after his death. He wasn't in trouble for putting the modern engines in the old cars or crossing brands. He got in trouble for treating them as old cars instead of new. No catcons, no vapor capture, etc.
it's a lot more than that, basically you need a done car that is of the same model year or newer. Pull everything ( including the entire wiring harness ) and put it into the jag. Then there is a refree station it needs to go too. It needs to pass the inspection and have the factory programing. It is possible, but very hard to do and $$$. He mentioned the 350, the 350 has not been made since 2002. So the newest car you could implant one in is a 2002. There are also other things like increasing displacement and etc, but that should be no issues for a jag as they tend to have large motors.
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Are we talking domestic cars, or foreign cars. I assumed these were foreign.
Americans have been bringing in Jags from overseas for decades. When they get here they don't meet our standards, and it is far cheaper and easier to upgrade to a GM engine. In these cases they meet the requirements, because they are far cleaner. If you are talking a domestic Jag, then true, you must use an engine of equal or better technology, and those must translate to equal or better emissions.
Honestly, except for trying to own and use a vehicle far above your pay grade, I can't understand why anyone would swap out a Jag engine for any of what we have. The old demonstrations of a full wine glass sitting on the air cleaner of a running engine says a lot.
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I had a 65 English Ford Anglia in college(think Harry Potter, same color) that would not start after a rain ... I drilled a 1/4" hole in the top of the distributor cap to let the accumulated moisture out, and cured the problem
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http://www.jaguarspecialties.com/v8_kit.asp
I think this joint is up near the Bay Area. (408 Area Code).
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Does the following image help at all?
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Germans and Brits build cars that are on the bleeding edge of auto technology.
Japan, and South Korea build cars that start and run reliably.
That's why European cars companies all suck.
Oh yeah, Japan at least does their building here.
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Does the following image help at all?
That’s Ohm’s Law for DC circuit resistance, volts and current!
Yea, cars use DC but alternators make AC! Such a quandary! 😂
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http://www.jaguarspecialties.com/v8_kit.asp
I think this joint is up near the Bay Area. (408 Area Code).
notice they stop at 2002 model years.
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If you want to solve the whole "European cars are high tech and finicky" vs. Japanese "reliability" issues, there's this:
https://tipo184.com/ (https://tipo184.com/)
And to think I got rid of my Mazda . . .
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If you want to solve the whole "European cars are high tech and finicky" vs. Japanese "reliability" issues, there's this:
https://tipo184.com/ (https://tipo184.com/)
And to think I got rid of my Mazda . . .
Not a bad idea. ;D
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All I know about electricity is it's invisible and if you let the smoke out it stops working.(Triumph motorcycle owner)
You're right. That's magic smoke. It needs to be kept bottled up like a genie, or it loses its magic and quits working.
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it's a lot more than that, basically you need a done car that is of the same model year or newer. Pull everything ( including the entire wiring harness ) and put it into the jag. Then there is a refree station it needs to go too. It needs to pass the inspection and have the factory programing. It is possible, but very hard to do and $$$. He mentioned the 350, the 350 has not been made since 2002. So the newest car you could implant one in is a 2002. There are also other things like increasing displacement and etc, but that should be no issues for a jag as they tend to have large motors.
You can still buy brand new 350 Chevy small blocks and lots of other crate engines from your nearest Chevrolet performance dealer. They even have $250 mail-in rebates on them that are good all year. My local Chevy dealer doesn't sell engines so I would have to drive almost 50 miles away if I wanted one. You want a big block 454 HO with 438 HP and 500 LB-FT of torque? No problem, they have those. Or a 502 with 508 HP and 580 LB-FT of torque? They have those too. That ought to give a pickup truck enough low-end grunt, but I'd hate to pay for the gas. My 4.8L (293c.i.) V8 has all the power I ever needed and isn't too bad on gas for being over 20 years old.
https://www.chevrolet.com/performance-parts/crate-engines
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You're right. That's magic smoke. It needs to be kept bottled up like a genie, or it loses its magic and quits working.
8)
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You can still buy brand new 350 Chevy small blocks and lots of other crate engines from your nearest Chevrolet performance dealer. They even have $250 mail-in rebates on them that are good all year. My local Chevy dealer doesn't sell engines so I would have to drive almost 50 miles away if I wanted one. You want a big block 454 HO with 438 HP and 500 LB-FT of torque? No problem, they have those. Or a 502 with 508 HP and 580 LB-FT of torque? They have those too. That ought to give a pickup truck enough low-end grunt, but I'd hate to pay for the gas. My 4.8L (293c.i.) V8 has all the power I ever needed and isn't too bad on gas for being over 20 years old.
https://www.chevrolet.com/performance-parts/crate-engines
this is true, but not how carb roles. Has to be production.
It has a lot of crazy rules like if you buy a motorcycle out of state and you try to register it in ca. If it has less than 7500 miles they black ball the vin. It can never be registered in ca