Edison vs. Tesla: The shift back to DC Current

[john70t]

Just read an interesting article which made a lot of sense:
Happy Birthday Thomas Alva Edison. You Were Right About Direct Current After All : TreeHugger

If you aren't familiar with the history: Nicolai Tesla once worked for Thomas Edison, who snubbed him on payment for an upgraded motor. Tesla left, teamed up with Westinghouse, and began AC hydroelectric plants at Niagara falls and Colorado springs and lit the Chicago World Fair in 1893 with electric light bulbs(a stunning thing back in those times) which he re-invented. AC current apparently could travel father without loosing voltage, and the national grid system is based on this.

What confounds me is that Europe uses 220V at 50hz, while the USA uses 110V at 60hz (same as human body frequency).
I never liked being anywhere near street transformers, and florescents always give me a headache.

As LED lighting, solar panels, back-up battery systems, and other forms of "green energy" begin to become common-place in homes, it makes sense have the whole thing DC, which is also much safer for the layman to work with.

What say ye braintrust?

[kach22i]

At some point in our lifetime we may become responsible for our own power generation. Under this scenario DC makes much more sense as transmission over distance would not be an issue.

John, there is a house mid-way between yours and mine which generates more energy than it uses. He currently makes about $1,000 a year off the power company. This is the sort of thing I foresee becoming more common.

Mission Zero House:
Mission Zero House Old West Side Historic District, Ann Arbor, Michigan


I had a chance to see Matt's presentation at the local builder's association a few weeks ago (BRAG), and spoke with him last week on his front lawn. What he's done is not rocket science by any stretch, but it does take some up front money.

He did say in his presentation that compact florescent light bulbs will soon be replaced by LED's and other technologies. He referred to CFL's as the 8-Track tape of the lighting industry.

[HHI944]

Isn't the term 'dc current' a tad redundant???

[9dreizig]

HI944 , not really DC Voltage is another option...
John, how do you figure that 60 hz is the human body frequency ??

[svandamme]

Well DC was worth EFF all over any distances, it just lost efficiency to the point where it's was useless as tits on a boar. Tesla was right for that era, full stop. Can't re-judge his achievments for not knowing what technology is now... Not when most of it has been invented with the help of technology running AC in the first place..

[widebody911]

Tesla > Edison Shirt - The Oatmeal

(why does this BB s/w still not support png images?)

[wdfifteen]

A-C was proven to be much more efficient for power transmission. DC is more useful for power use. I don't see a reason to put up with the inefficiencies of DC transmission just to eliminate a converter at the point of use.

[slakjaw]

I work with 48 volts DC almost every day. I can grab onto the main + and - buss bars of the plant which is putting out about 2000 amps, and feel nothing. Its pretty cool. put a wrench in between them and it will vaporize in a split second. Also pretty cool in a different way... The voltage drop of DC would never work in today's power grid though.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by 9dreizig

John, how do you figure that 60 hz is the human body frequency ??

May have put my foot in a beartrap on that one..but..but..I read it on the internet(?)
The 220V (all higher voltages) are reputed to be safer because they pop the connection instead of making it stick and burn.


Don't get me wrong. Edison was still just a jerk in a suit, and Tesla was sent to earth by our alien overlords to lead humanity into the future.
But that article sparked something:
The fundamentals of energy distribution and human conditions could be permanently altered. This equates to power/money/political structures, travel, comfort, etc., all of which rapidly changes the dynamics of society and culture.

Just as liquid energy/gasoline once created the personal-automobile society which we have been living for a century(heightened during the 1950's with the Highway Act, urban sprawl and youthful independance from parents), Direct Current energy production/storage from local sources would change our lifestyle... De-centralization.
No longer would transportation be dependant on local point-of-sales sourced from a vertical-trust system based on international politics. Cities and States could compete against each other. People would move to places that perform best. Strife would occur. Societies would change.

[rant] F'n javascript again randomly locked up my computer and cost me another 15minutes of life[/rant]

[slakjaw]

I read that Edison once publicly electrocuted an elephant in an attempt to show how dangerous AC was. Hahahahaha

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by slakjaw

I read that Edison once publicly electrocuted an elephant in an attempt to show how dangerous AC was. Hahahahaha

didn't know that.. looked it up..

if this is true, the Edison was just a ruthless sob.

[john70t]

Yes he did fry elephants and dogs on the street to demonstrate how dangerous his compeditor's electricity was.
He soon after patented the electric chair (not missing a beat).

Electroshock therapy has also been a useful resource for the medical community through the decades.

[slakjaw]

God damnit. Now that I watched that it's not funny anymore.

[svandamme]

hjeheheheh

[slakjaw]

In the past 10 years while working on/around DC power plants I only remember being shocked one time. I was a bit sweaty and I had my arm across the + buss bar. My ear touched a ground and I got a slight tingle. Like when you put your tongue to a 9 volt.

The flash from a short will ****en blind you though.

[Scott R]

Would it not be just a huge waste of money to do this? You would need DC/DC convertors everywhere. This is a big issue with building data centers, everything uses DC, but it all uses different voltages.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by slakjaw

God damnit. Now that I watched that it's not funny anymore.

In those days they would capture elephants, treat them like schit, and when they acted out, declare them "rouge" and kill them. This one was scheduled to be shot, but Edison decided it would be cool to electrocute it. I don't know if frying was better for it than shooting, but it was going to die anyway.

[slakjaw]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

In those days they would capture elephants, treat them like schit, and when they acted out, declare them "rouge" and kill them. This one was scheduled to be shot, but Edison decided it would be cool to electrocute it. I don't know if frying was better for it than shooting, but it was going to die anyway.

True.

Hey, does fried elephant taste good?

[Schumi]

As far as the whole 50Hz vs 60Hz thing... if you get headaches at 60Hz, 50Hz will probably be far worse for you. It's like video cards and old CRT monitors- 60Hz may give you a headache. 75Hz was far better. now re have refresh rates anywhere from 120 to 600 hz, and you officially cannot notice anymore.

60Hz makes more sense as it's divisible into the minute and hour, and thus the principle used by many old time device timers that didn't have integrated an quartz oscillator.

[mikeesik]

....Ed was a thief in many ways.