intersting way of charging

[Kayakguy]

I think this guy must be a troll. Can anyone believe he is serious. Maybe just unplug your dryer and hook it up to 240 volts, that will really light it up and charge it fast.

Interestingly, much of the world has 240 v. as standard household current. Some devices, such as digital cameras, come ready to accept 240. They have to, as the USA is in the minority with its 110-120 volt standard. I assume that their power tools, such as drills and saws, are also 240 capable. And surely ebikes in Europe must charge with 240, as that is the standard there.
But this puzzles me: in Australia, I noticed that outlets were always just for two prong plugs; in other words, no grounded plugs as ours usually are. How do they make it safe against ground fault accidents? Or maybe they don't.

 

[m@Robertson]

Maybe it would help the "golly this should work fine" crowd if someone finally said this out loud: Current flows from higher voltage to lower voltage immediately. As in nearly instantaneous.

i mean i understand what you're saying in theory but its not like lighting flammable gas and boom!

Well actually yeah its a lot like that. If you haven't seen it happen yet, consider yourself lucky.

This flash-current-equalization thing is exactly why, when paralleling batteries, you are taught to always always always equalize the current between the packs you are connecting, because otherwise they equalize instantly and battery go boom.

It doesnt take very long its like super fast to get the 36v pack from 0 to like 70%, maybe 3mins or so.

Think for a sec on how we all know how fast charging from a charger beats the crap out of battery cells and reduces their longevity. Now instead of doing it with say a controlled but still excessive 10a from some super badass charger, hammer the living snot out of the battery pack by socking it with the full BMS' continuous output limit of lets say 30a, which is a conservative basic pack's limit.

 

[m@Robertson]

But this puzzles me: in Australia, I noticed that outlets were always just for two prong plugs; in other words, no grounded plugs as ours usually are. How do they make it safe against ground fault accidents? Or maybe they don't.

They do. the plugs just do it differently. It works like this in many EU countries as well, where they have 240v and 2-prong 'schuko' plugs. I made my daughter and son in law some chargers for their ebikes, and the EU plugs I used (Belgium) had 3 wires.. See the metal bit in the center between the prongs? On the bottom side? Thats the ground. The prong is on the outlet side.

You can figure out if your electrical device has an auto-switching power supply (works on 105 up to 240 or so, typically) by reading the teeny tiny print on the label. Manufacturers do this a lot so they only have to make one part and can sell it worldwide by just changing the plug.

 

[Kayakguy]

Or you could use a proper charger and stop trying to reinvent a totally unnecessary third wheel.

If nobody had reinvented the wheel, we'd still be driving around with sawed off log sections for wheels.

 

[Kayakguy]

They do. the plugs just do it differently. It works like this in many EU countries as well, where they have 240v and 2-prong 'schuko' plugs. I made my daughter and son in law some chargers for their ebikes, and the EU plugs I used (Belgium) had 3 wires.. See the metal bit in the center between the prongs? On the bottom side? Thats the ground. The prong is on the outlet side.

View attachment 178034View attachment 178035

You can figure out if your electrical device has an auto-switching power supply (works on 105 up to 240 or so, typically) by reading the teeny tiny print on the label. Manufacturers do this a lot so they only have to make one part and can sell it worldwide by just changing the plug.

Thanks. That clears up that mystery (mystery to me, anyway).

 

[PDoz]

But this puzzles me: in Australia, I noticed that outlets were always just for two prong plugs; in other words, no grounded plugs as ours usually are. How do they make it safe against ground fault accidents? Or maybe they don't.

Our outlets are 3 prong, some low power appliances only use 2 prongs so you can hold the beer in one hand and say " she'll be right, mate"

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

... so you can hold the beer in one hand and say " she'll be right, mate"

Doesn't that go without saying? She's always right.

 

[il Munduato]

If nobody had reinvented the wheel, we'd still be driving around with sawed off log sections for wheels.

Actually I prefer a granite drill core.. Much lower rolling resistance.

But the key takeaway from my statement was totally unnecessary. Then add expensive, inefficient and potentially dangerous and you'll have a full understanding of the reasoning.

 

[Kayakguy]

Our outlets are 3 prong, some low power appliances only use 2 prongs so you can hold the beer in one hand and say " she'll be right, mate"

Well, I know that some of the 2 prong tools are double insulated, which is supposed to be safe.

 

[PCeBiker]

Well, I know that some of the 2 prong tools are double insulated, which is supposed to be safe.

Yeah, most of the plugs in Canada are Polarized two prong plugs.
The three prong plugs are rare kinda now.

My mom had a sewing machine 75 years ago that was built into a bench.
The metal control lever to make it go, hung down under the machine and you operated it with your knee pushing it sideways.

She complained to her brother that she was getting a shock whenever she touched the control lever.
He unplugged the sewing machine, flipped the plug in the socket and that fixed it.

That was a long time ago, shortly after they invented electricity.
There was only positive and negative wires at the time.
No ground or neutral wires yet.

And just an FYI,.. Ground is actually connected to neutral on the Hydro pole.
A second path to ground was added for safety.

 

[PCeBiker]

Our outlets are 3 prong, some low power appliances only use 2 prongs so you can hold the beer in one hand and say " she'll be right, mate"

I've licked my finger and stuck it in a light socket to check for power.

The beer helps to numb down the reaction to it.
It's more startling than painful and I'm not dead yet.

We are only 120 VAC in Canada though.
We use 240 VAC for electric stoves, clothes dryers, air conditioning and such.
I have yet to plug my finger into that outlet.

My uncle died last year at 100 years old.
He used to get drunk with his buddy and see if they could stall out a V8 engine by laying their arms across the spark wires.

 

[PCeBiker]

I remember driving my 1985 Mazda 626 and the car started running rough so I pulled over to investigate.
I left the car running and popped the hood to take a look .
I noticed that one of the sparkplug wires had fallen off the sparkplug, so I reached in to grab it and reconnect it, and got one Hell of a Zapp !!

It startled me more than it hurt though.
With enough beer in me and an audience, I'd do it again.