From: caveat-lector@cox.net   
      
   Hi all,   
      
      
      
   I have a question about the term "power factor".   
      
      
      
   A number of years ago I was an install tech. for a company that sold Nortel   
   phone systems. I noticed that almost all the small units were sold with a   
   plug-in device that weighed about 25 pounds and I first thought it was a   
   very heavy-duty filter/surge suppressor but I was amazed to find out that   
   such a large unit was only rated for 6 amps. When I opened one up I found it   
   to have only two components, a HUGE doughnut coil (that made up about 4/5th.   
   the weight) and a HUGE capacitor, it was simply an L-C circuit.   
      
   I asked one of the tech's what it was and he told me it was a power factor   
   device.   
      
      
      
   I ended up with two "spare" units and used one for my A/V system and the   
   other for my computer network. After finding out that nothing had changed   
   with either application I gave them away to a, at the time, friend of mine   
   who designs and tests battery backup and power supply units for ships and   
   private jets - thinking he might find a use for them.   
      
      
      
   Tonight I was in another NG and read a post about surge suppressors and they   
   were talking about power factor correction and that reminded me about this   
   so I looked at wikipedia for an explanation of power factor. What I got was   
   a little over my level of understanding.   
      
      
      
   I know a little about electronics, I did TV repair in the late 1980's but   
   didn't get too far into the theory of electronics so I would say that my   
   understanding is about at a 1st to 2nd semester level of electronics   
   understanding.   
      
      
      
   Sorry for the long winded intro.   
      
      
      
   My questions are . . .   
      
      
      
   1. is there an easy way to understand power factor and power factor   
   correction?   
      
   2. is there any reason a person would want one of these units for home use?   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)