[Hidden-tech] what uses electricity when it is plugged in?

B. Melville bobbimelville at gmail.com
Sun Sep 25 09:37:57 EDT 2011


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Next question: The guy who installed our DirecTV 
setup told me that it shortens the life of the 
units if you keep unplugging them. The power 
needed to "power up" negates the power you saved 
by turning them off. Is there any truth to this?



>Everything that has a "remote control" uses juice when the box that is
>controlled is lugged in. Here's why...
>
>Every remote is a transmitter. Either Infra-red, or by radio. So the box
>that is controlled must have a receiver to get the remote signal. This says
>it must have a power supply, hence AC power is used.
>
>A little known secret is the transmitter uses much less power than the
>receiver. Why? Because the receiver must be "on" all the time, the
>transmitter is only "on" when a button is pressed.
>
>Is your computer using electricity when it is plugged in? Mayby. If it is
>on "standby," os "asleep," then it surely is. If you shut the switch off on
>an older computer, probably not.
>
>Are other appliances consuming power? Possibly. The microwave, more than
>likely. Why? It has a microcontroller that has to be up & running when you
>press any button. Many othet microcontroller devices also have this problem.
>
>The recommendation of using a "Kill-a-watt" works. I place everythhing,
>including the printer, on a power bar.  Off it goes when the my stuff is
>not in use. (Yes, many printers are always on standby.)
>
>All this has two virtues:
>
>1. Lowers electricity useage, and
>
>2. Reduces noise pickup on your radio.
>
>This noise is a very real issue. Many, many modern power supplies generate
>radio noise. The FCC is supposed to certify a test for this if the item is
>sent to a testing lab. Much of that Chinese stuff isn't sent to a lab.
>
>Customs is supposed to intercept that which doesn't have certification.
>They have one inspector between the East and Gulf coasts, so you know what
>occurs.
>
>Finally does all this stuff use 15% of the power generated? That's a bit
>much. I don't know the answer, but have heard in my EE trade mags that
>standby power uses about one nuke plants worth of power in the country.
>That's believable.
>
>
>
>Jim Ussailis
>
>ussailis at shaysnet.com
>
>
>
>Original Message:
>-----------------
>From: Robin MacRostie rmacr at choreographicdesign.com
>Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:12:40 -0400
>To: hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net
>Subject: [Hidden-tech] what uses electricity when it is plugged in?
>
>
>    ** Be sure to fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area.
>    ** If you did, we all thank you.
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