Got more energy efficiency questions. Does a volt adapter (transformer that lets you use 110v appliances here and vice versa) waste much energy? My step down transformer gets pretty hot when plugged in so now I only plug it when it's used. Yes I know they're called transformers, not really 'voltage adapters' but 'transformer' is ambiguous, I'm not referring to the one that converts AC/DC.
Seb
not much no, if properly designed. But you might come across some that pass a lot of magnetising current: these get hot if left plugged in with no load.
is it? G'nite.
NT
snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote on 19/10/2005 :
Much depends upon loading and how much of the time they are run at full load. Poor quality transformer can be less efficient than better ones. They generally waste around 10% of the energy consumed, however when on no load they obviously waste 100% of the consumed energy.
... which of course is not much.
On Wed, 19 Oct 2005 23:33:25 +0100,it is alleged that Chris Bacon spake thusly in uk.d-i-y:
Off the top of my head, I believe smallish transformers are rated 90%+ efficient at full load, with a magnetizing current loss at no load of around single digit percentages of their full load power. Tool type transformers are going to be less efficient than a toroidal transformer, but cheaper.
What's ambiguous about transformer? It converts one AC voltage to another AC voltage.
Something that converts AC to DC is called a rectifier.
MBQ
where small is hundreds of watts, yes. When its single figures of watts, efficiencies can drop to 50% in some cases.
NT
read. 'can be allowed to without people getting upset'
Cheap transfornmers that run hot are not intrinsic to size, but to the desire to save money at the consumers expense...
Oopsies! I used to be sure they were all called transformers... maybe mislead by some with bad English labels.
Seb
Generic term would be low voltage power supply.
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