home bbs files messages ]

Forums before death by AOL, social media and spammers... "We can't have nice things"

   sci.electronics.basics      Elementary questions about electronics      72,318 messages   

[   << oldest   |   < older   |   list   |   newer >   |   newest >>   ]

   Message 70,333 of 72,318   
   Jasen Betts to mrdarrett@gmail.com   
   Re: Triac efficiency   
   16 Dec 17 20:52:07   
   
   From: jasen@xnet.co.nz   
      
   On 2017-12-15, mrdarrett@gmail.com  wrote:   
   > Hi everyone,   
   >   
   > When regulating the power to a motor or light, does the triac do so   
   > efficiently or does it dump the unwanted power as heat, as a linear   
   > voltage regulator does?   
      
   It does it by switching on and off really fast, most of the unwanted   
   energy is blocked. (and not consumed, it "stays in the power line")   
      
   There's a 1.5 volt ineficiency (ballpark figure) added by the triac, so   
   if you're running a 10A load at full power the triac will get about   
   15W of heat.   
      
   Triacs are used in variable speed hand-tools (mains powered)   
   and incandescent lamp dimmers (amongst other uses) feel free to probe   
   the outside of these devices with a heat-sensitive finger :)   
      
   --   
   This email has not been checked by half-arsed antivirus software   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)   

[   << oldest   |   < older   |   list   |   newer >   |   newest >>   ]


(c) 1994,  bbs@darkrealms.ca