Electricians?

[The Jamanoid]

Hey folks, s'been a whole since I cruised in...

Anyways I was just wondering if anyone here has any knowledge when it comes to simple electrical components, curcuitboards, capacitors, that kinda stuff?

I could use some advice.

Anyways, thanks in advance.

[Alice]

What did you want to know?

[ref1ect1ons]

I was an electrical apprentice and have done tafe and electrical work. I can handle simple stuff easy, what was the q?

[The Jamanoid]

What I wanted to know is...how to boost an electrical device...like...make a radio have a better signal, make a torch put out more power, er, how to make an electric cattle prods output higher?

All for entertainment value only.

[weedRampage]

radio

torch

electric cattle prods

 

To make a radio perform better you have to build the specific antenna that is tuned to the frequency

you want to pick up. Ideally this will be almost as big as a house and made from big loops of copper wire.

Probably the most intense portable light setup is a 12V xenon HID lamp designed to be put in cars. Low power consumption

for an intense blue spotlight.

Cattle prod?

Why not hook it up to

?

The sensible answer is buy a better radio, torch, cattle prod etc...

[ballzac]

I'm not an expert, but I can offer an informed opinion.

For a radio, as WR said, you could build a better (or more frequency specific) antenna, but you could also boost the signal that the antenna is picking up using a simple RF amplifier which, in its most simplest form would only require a battery, a transistor, a couple of resistors, and a capacitor. There will be improvements that require more parts but will give you a better signal. I'm sure there are circuit diagrams available for such RF signal amplifiers. Try google.

The torch is limited by the globe. Figure out what globe you want, and then how much power you need to feed it.

I gather a cattle prod just gives a high voltage shock, same as an electric fence. If so, you could step it up using a transformer. They are pretty easy to make, but you could also buy one. If you make it, all you need to do is coil insulated wires around a ferromagnetic core. The ratio of the number of turns on each coil will equal the ratio of the respective voltages. So if it is stepped up from 10000 volts to 40 000 volts, you could have 100 turn on the input and 400 turns on the output. You'll get a much more efficient transformer if you buy one because they are well engineered to reduce eddy current in the core and other problems. Check the power rating. At such high input voltage, even a tiny current will run a fair bit of power through the transformer.

I think you're more after an electrical engineer rather than an electrician.

[reshroomED]

I think you're more after an electrical engineer rather than an electrician.

 

That's what I was thinking, but the questions were answered rather well regardless.

There's basically no easy way to 'hot-up' electrical devices in general, more a case of design/redesign to suit application. Supplying more juice to the 'working' bits usually enhances performance (for simple electrical devices - motors, lights, etc) but at the cost of longevity.

PC's would be the exception to the rule ie. I've just purchased a Penom X2 550BE processor (3.1Ghz) for just over $100, unlocked the other two cores and overclocked it. Now stable as an X4 cpu @ 3.8Ghz, and could safely get it to 4Ghz with an after-market cpu-sink/cooler.

If you have something specific that you wish to achieve I'd be more than willing to do some basic design-work for you (if the idea's practical of course).

cheers

ed

[ref1ect1ons]

Shit, good question, I have no idea. seems I learnt little from my wasted years as an apprentice.