Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT: 17-21 January 2011 (1841-45)
pwhodges:
--- Quote from: AnAverageWriter on 22 Jan 2011, 22:40 ---Actually, the term "220v" and "240v" in terms of outlet are used interchangeably
--- End quote ---
As part of the moves towards the integration of Britain with Europe, the European standard voltage of 220V and the British 240V standard were "harmonised" by redefining them both as 230V +10%,-6%. This enabled the generating companies to continue without changing any of their equipment or settings at all. Last weekend, when I was doing some checks in the computer room at work, the voltage was standing at 253V; it rose briefly to 254V, and a couple of UPSs turned on their over-voltage indicators.
AnAverageWriter:
I was referring to the US 220v standard, not the Euro one.
The European standard does make far more sense though. Why did they set the standard so low for us here in the States?
pwhodges:
Edison chose 110V to suit the carbon light bulbs he'd developed, and it was used initially everywhere. In 1899, a company in Berlin decided to double the voltage in order to halve the current and thus double the capacity of their cabling (or halve the cost of it), and this change became standard in Europe (and the more durable tungsten light bulbs were developed at about this time).
Three-phase high-power supplies are used industrially in Europe, with a voltage of 415V; this is not the same as the US 220V power which is just bridging across two phases (there is no European equivalent of this practice).
DSL:
So is Pintsize 110, 220 or batteries? How about Winslow? Momo? (actually, since Winslow is an Apple and Momo a Sony, neither are likely compatible with anything.)
akronnick:
I would imagine they all have high density rechargeable batteries, that plug into standard household 110V AC with some kind of adapter/docking station.
It's highly unlikely they use 220V because the only things that run on 220 in most US homes are major appliances: electric stoves, dryers, HVAC equipment and water heaters.
It's possible that they all run on miniature nuclear reactors, but I doubt it.
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